Plaster Mill 4mm EM
Inspired by the water mill of J. C. Staton and its British Railways interchange at Tutbury, near Burton upon Trent, the layout is based on the exchange sidings and viaduct that once crossed the River Dove.
The scale is 4mm:1ft, the track laid to EM gauge standards and control is analogue. The hand-built point-work, all rescued form previous layouts, is operated by slide switches, that also set the polarity.
The clock is loosely set at 1950-60, a time when two saddle tank locomotives, built by Peckett & son, shunted the mill and exchange sidings and traversed the viaduct to the main line sidings. Motive power for the model features two BR-owned saddle tanks, their prototypes being based at Burton shed, recorded as ‘stored’ there in 1951.
The layout features two main buildings; part of the prototype, built as a cotton mill in 1781, the gatehouse with archway serves as a scenic break and the engine shed can accommodate both locomotives.
The mill closed in 1968, buildings were demolished, and the viaduct span removed in 1972. Now a play area, a platform and some of the piers to the viaduct survive.
Simplicity has been the key word when building the layout and remains so during operation.
