I have at last managed to visit Pendon Museum - it's been on my "must-do" list for years; we were in the neighbourhood yesterday and found it open. (Actually finding it is an adventure)
It was outstanding; far exceeded what mere photos show. Mustn't forget that Madder Valley is there as well - which I had also only seen in photos before.
To be brutally honest, the Madder Valley is all I look at when at Pendon. I am not decrying the artistry behind the Vale of White Horse and Dartmoor, it's just that, to me, they are overkill. By the fourth GW loco and the third thatched cottage I have started to glaze over. Exquisite, yes, but ultimately boring and sterile.
I agree with Rod!
The main feature at Pendon is indeed exquisitely modelled, human hair for thatch, microscopic flowers in the garden and all that but............. rather sterile as Rod says.
On "the other forum" somebody commented that a visit to Pendon is rather dictated by circumstances and mentioned that he went once on a busy day and did not enjoy it at all, but on another he visited at a very quiet midweek time and got totally absorbed by the quiet rural pre-war scene that the main layout presents.
It's a few years since I last visited but my main memory (notwithstanding the Madder Valley of course) was of standing in the viewing gallery amongst a number of other people, who were in hushed reverence waiting for what seemed like hours for the 2.45 goods to come through the vale, nobody daring to utter a word - not my idea of atmosphere really or indeed enjoyment, but one man's meat is another's poison and all that.
Mick
Hmmm. We must have been lucky, there were very few people there, and the staff were more than happy to chat.
I managed to get there during a caravan weekend at Bourton-on-the-water, and persuaded MrsJ to make the excursion. Well worth the trip just to see Madder Valley on one of its few operating days. Took lots of photos (perhaps they allow them now because it's practically impossible to stop people using their mobiles?) but must have ghosts reflected on the glass screen. Had to wait for operators to move sometimes, to get the shot.
My impression was that the MV was a lot smaller than I thought, but the modelling was really inspirational. I must try do as well.
NB Bourton has its own model railway exhibition, with three layouts. One for the children, but not for the enthusiast.
Pendon is great at showing the GWR in the 30's. Modelling is fantastic but like one or two other layouts (which I'm not going to name) are a little depressing because I know I shall never reach those standards. Another factor is the time involved, it must take more time to model to that standard.
I really like some of the more unusual GW locos.
Peter
Quote from: engerth399 on September 26, 2016, 07:59
Pendon is great at showing the GWR in the 30's. Modelling is fantastic but like one or two other layouts (which I'm not going to name) are a little depressing because I know I shall never reach those standards. Another factor is the time involved, it must take more time to model to that standard.
I really like some of the more unusual GW locos.
Peter
I find it inspirational rather than depressing, although I agree - I'll never reach that standard. Most of us can't work to the timescales involved anyway.
I've put most of my pics on flickr here
https://flic.kr/s/aHskHjHNYY (https://flic.kr/s/aHskHjHNYY)
All done with no flash and hand-held
Really excellent set of photos Hugh,thanks for posting.
Mick
Thanks for posting the link.
Jeff S.
Yes, excellent photos. I know of Pendon's reputation, of course, but hadn't realised just how good the buildings are. What is it that makes them so convincing? - is it the sheer level of detail? - and the degree of observation, of course (some of the buildings look rather improbable, certainly not what one's imagination might come up with, but that's real life for you, I suppose).
Maybe one shouldn't try and analyse too much, but how else are we to learn?
David.
Quote from: clayliner on September 28, 2016, 18:14
Yes, excellent photos. I know of Pendon's reputation, of course, but hadn't realised just how good the buildings are. What is it that makes them so convincing? - is it the sheer level of detail? - and the degree of observation, of course (some of the buildings look rather improbable, certainly not what one's imagination might come up with, but that's real life for you, I suppose).
Maybe one shouldn't try and analyse too much, but how else are we to learn?
David.
All the buildings in the Vale are reproductions of the real things collected over the area (roughly) of the Vale of White Horse in sunny Oxfordshire... That's why they look so good.
Quote from: clayliner on September 28, 2016, 18:14
Yes, excellent photos. I know of Pendon's reputation, of course, but hadn't realised just how good the buildings are. What is it that makes them so convincing? - is it the sheer level of detail? - and the degree of observation, of course (some of the buildings look rather improbable, certainly not what one's imagination might come up with, but that's real life for you, I suppose).
Maybe one shouldn't try and analyse too much, but how else are we to learn?
David.
This a very perceptive observation, if I may say so. How many times have we been going places in the car or on preserved railways and said that if we modelled a certain building that people would say that it did not look realistic.
I suppose that it is true to say that there is a prototype for everything!