Barry and Penarth Model Railway Club

Club layouts - 14 : Walkers Ridge

American/Canadian HO 3.5mm scale

Originally constructed by Brian Scoulding, Barry and Penarth M.R.C. and Red Dragon Railroaders

Brian built it as a working diorama in memory of his friend Captain W (Bill) Walker R.F.A. (retired) who passed away in October 2002.
The layout was donated to the club by Brian shortly before his own death in November 2007. It has been modified and extended by Mike Rimes and Vanessa Howells and is now available as a club layout for exhibition.

Walker’s Ridge is a remote settlement just north of the Canadian/US border. The year is 1952, and it still retains a railroad link with Canadian Pacific and Northern Pacific Railroads, although the track further north was abandoned some time ago. In winter, the railroad is often the only connection available to the outside world.

The area around Walker’s Ridge is very scenic, and from Spring through Fall, the area is popular with hikers, campers, canoeists and wildlife enthusiasts, so tourism is beginning to develop into a useful source of income for the locals. The local theatre survives, and most weeks manages to stage a film show, stage production or dance night.

Everyday needs are supplied by Scoulding’s Emporium, whose business motto is ‘If you need it, we’ve got it. If we ain’t got it, you don’t need it’. The local saw mill provides all the lumber needed locally, as well as a regular shipment out to other customers.

This layout is presented by Barry & Penarth Model Railway Club as a tribute to two late members, Bill Walker and Brian Scoulding. The saw mill was built by Bill as a small diorama. This was passed on to Brian, who incorporated it into a small railroad setting on a single baseboard, and named it ‘Walker’s Ridge’. It was exhibited in this form for a few years.

Brian donated the layout to BPMRC, and we have since added the wye board to create a 'shunting puzzle' layout, with operations based on an imaginary week at Walker’s Ridge.

The backscenes were painted by Club member David Woolnough.

The total dimensions of the layout including fiddle yard are just 10 foot by 4 foot.

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