Rainbow over Philden Beach

There's a rainbow over Philden Beach as my part in its story prepares to come to an end.

Plans. We can make them. We can break them. And we can change our mind along the way. Just like the concrete plant from my original Philden layout that I had been planning to resurrect on the shores of Philden Beach. Ahead of preparing Philden Beach to be offered for sale, I did a full 180 degree turn and instead converted the now empty bus depot to an industrial storage compound for one simple reason. The view.

Exhibit A - with the concrete plant in place for a final test fit.

Exhibit B - with the beachfront view opened back up once the tall structure was removed.

It had already occurred to me that the concrete plant retrofit was the first key sign that the layout had now entered that tinker with it until it is no longer recognisable stage. This, followed by my full circle moment after my wife and I returned from our holiday to Coffs Harbour, became the catalyst for much discussion not only on whether the layout was truly finished, but if I was truly finished with the layout. It turned out I was.

If I was going to be truly honest with myself, finishing the layout to the standard of detail that I had, should be the end of my part in its story. Whatever comes next in the layout's new chapter should be the decision of its new owner, not me.

So, with that in mind my final hand in presiding over Philden Beach has been to replace any blown LED lights in the buildings, re-utilize the now vacant bus depot as an industrial storage lot complete with rusty shipping containers an industrial bin and empty pallets, and give the layout an immaculate clean ahead of one final photo shoot. To that extent, mission accomplished. Philden Beach is finished.

So here is one final look at what the layout might have looked like with the concrete plant in place...

...and a final look as the sun sets over the shadowy backlots below the Jetty Hotel.

To me, a layout has always been about what feeling it evokes, rather than how fantasmagorical the track plan might be or how much money its builder has spent on it. And 10 years after first embarking on my Australian HO scale journey, I'm pretty happy with this one. Philden Beach might well be the biggest and best layout I shall ever complete, but it also evokes that sense of whimsical escapism.

Our lounge room shall soon revert to normal once a sale is finalised for the layout.

So, as I negotiate the sale of the layout, my modelling focus has now moved onto my Welsh Highlands narrow gauge affair Bryn Nadolig (see page). For me, it's purely a size thing. The small tabletop size layout only occupies the top of the two IKEA cabinets in the above photo while at the same time offering a continued loop of running. It is something I haven't really got to enjoy since embarking on my Australian shelf layout obsession a decade ago. But the timing is right to jump into something new.

See also; The full circle moment and Fake pipes weathered right