Hi and welcome to Dawlish in OO, the website describing my Dawlish model railway. The model railway also features Newton Abbot and Kingswear stations.

In future, you’ll be able to view a Dawlish model railway webcam to watch the trains go by. I’ve taken inspiration from Dawlish Beach Cams or Coast Cams as it is about to become.

You’ll also be able to view a suite of model railway track plans for a range of room sizes. These will be created in the Anyrail software as per the plans for this Dawlish model railway.

In the meantime, some history explaining how Dawlish in OO came about below…

1970 – 1984 Junior Modeller 

I first came across model railways at the age of 4 when I received a Hornby “night mail” set for Christmas, comprising Mk 2 brake, sleeper and mail van hauled by a class 37 on a circuit of track.

Following various iterations of 6’x4′ layouts, modelling peaked in my late teens with a 10′ by 9′ railway created around 3 sides of my bedroom. This seemed like huge model railway at the time.  It featured a single line with passing loop junction station, a branch terminus and two fiddleyards. I had an article on this layout published in the Junior Modeller section of the Railway Modeller magazine.

1984 – 1987 Exeter University – studying Mathematical Statistics and Operational Research

This is where the interest in Dawlish started, with frequent trips from Exeter St. David’s along the seawall.

Operational research is the application of mathematical techniques in business, such as simulation modelling. So my interest in modelling, which started with railways, ended up being at the heart of my career in the form of simulation modelling! You can find out more about this stuff on my PL Insights.

Although no railway modelling was done in this period, the inspiration for modelling railways in this part of the world was gained.

1987 – 20011 Ad hoc modelling 

Some dabbling with a small terminus in my first house and some aborted attempts at Exeter St. David’s that never really got off the ground

2011 – 2018 Dawlish Mk1 

My first serious attempt at Dawlish as a part of a layout encompassing Exeter St. David’s and Ilfracombe. The model railway track plan for this layout was published in Railway Modeller in March 2012.

This layout was broken up  following a “change in domestic circumstances”. A good collection of locos and rolling stock had been acquired though and I managed to recycle a lot of track into the fiddleyards on the next layout.

My son Tom had also become interested so he focuses on the more modern stuff and I focus on the 1930s.

Some photos of this railway will be found under the Exeter St. Davids menu item.

2018 –           Dawlish Mk2 

A new house with room for a Green Retreat in the garden.

A new layout was designed to include Newton Abbot and Kingswear rather than Exeter and Ilfracombe. This is the layout you can see on this website.

The track plan and description of the layout can be found under the Newton Abbot menu item.