Is this only paper? Atmosphere and charm on N Scale shop fronts 

Thank you!

Wow. What was that for!? 😀 Thank you so much! Will you be coming to Buxton? I know it’s a long way but I think you said it was a possibility?

@@ChandwellHi Michael, I can’t do Buxton sadly but I’ve sent Hello Chandwell an email, as you know every now and again I like to support the channel vice being a non-member. You’ve got a great library of model building on here and you’ve advanced my understanding of making things, I’m ok with supporting the channel and keeping things going to get others on board too!

Me too!

Wow! Thank you so much. That is really kind, and very much appreciated.

Thank you!

Definitely!

Thanks !

Sadly the layout itself is not portable, but I will be attending other shows with the odd building or two, perhaps.

Thank you!

The Chandfield Spur sadly fell to the Axe. (Well, it closed before Beeching got round to it, but that's the Earl of Chandfield's fault.)

Thank you - it was a good one.

Thank you!

It's a big'un!

Thank you - I am pleased with how that came out.

Thank you. It was a good show.

Thank you! Buxton was great!

Thank you! It was a good show.

Thank you as ever!

Thank you!

I keep them tip-down so that the glue itself acts like a seal and it does not dry up. There is a rust-proof pin in the end when not in use.

Thank you!

Yeah, me too/ PVA seems to hold the windows quite well.

Blinds are a godsend!

The mullet for the fellas!

The mullet! :)

Sadly Chandwell is glued into the house and will never be portable. But who knows about Chandwell II!?

@@Chandwell Pity! It would have been great to see it. Maybe you should run guided tours - there seems to be plenty of interest!

Didn't see any apostrophes, sadly!

This is a really good question. For me, I live in a beautiful area and spend most of my time in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. I have a very privileged place to live. But I have such vivid memories of travelling by train in the 1990s. Through urban grime, the smell of diesel fumes in the air. These memories drive me onwards to recreate that pure, real, atmosphere and spirit I remember from back then. A kind of “reverse escapism”, not to a sunlit utopia, but to simple childhood memories of a happy time. And I disagree that most modellers choose this theme. I see so many idyllic steam-age Great Western layouts where the grass is green and the sun is bright. The cows graze peacefully and the stationmaster’s cat relaxes on the sleepy platform. Always beautiful modelling, but, in my humble opinion, missing the story. The realism. The raw emotion. That’s why I model this. You’re right… we model what inspires us. I hope this helps you understand my own passion.

I see hundreds of British layouts via RU-vid and not all are depressing and grimy. There are lots who model the South West, Scotland and other rural areas. If you want to model the North (I live in Sheffield) then sadly many of the old industrial towns ( not all) are similar to Chandwell. It may be that many modellers want to model a particular railway company rather than a particular area which often dictates what atmosphere your layout gives off. At the end of the day we all have our preferences. My layout is Loughborough Great Central in N gauge. Not particularly pretty or industrial but I chose it for the location. Happy modelling whatever you prefer 😊

If I may - the attraction for me is driven by nostalgia, and 70s/80s/90s UK was generally run-down in quite a widespread way. Manchester's (where I live) premier shopping street, by the 90s, could just about support shops selling car and motorbike spares, rattle cans (car spray paint) etc - which meant the inner-city belt (just outside that) looked like war-time Beirut - broken windows, snapped-off park and street trees, burnt cars and dead fridges. Now that ubiquitous glass-and-steel tower blocks full of very expensive apartments and hotel rooms increasingly fill these spaces - which is good for jobs, good for the economy, and only perhaps less good if you remember how cheap accommodation used to be - then remembering what came before is a big function of this kind of thing. It's why I like it, anyway. It's a little spooky, as one gets older, realising how much of the world only exists in ones memory, and that of the other old gits one can get together with to remember it with. Urban geography based on no-longer extant-pubs!

Generally in the US at least the areas bordering railroad right-of-ways are depressing, run down and blighted. The exceptions are industrial sites that are more modern facilities. Railroads earn a living by hauling freight. And the freight includes passengers. Even in non urban areas the right-of-ways are not garden spots. It is part and parcel of railroad operations for the most part. Except maybe in Switzerland. Plus if modelers are building a railroad operations set in certain eras, let's say steam, steam operations were dirty. Especially coal fired locomotives. Plus there is the visual interest aspect. Junk or scrap yards are one particular favorite it seems in the US. Junk yards offer tons of detailing prospects. Another thing is if the railroad is representing the Depression Era in the US. Many small businesses were operating at thin margins. In those times things like paint tend to gets skipped. Another factor in the US at least is graffiti. It is impossible in the US to see a freight train with no cars that have been tagged by graffiti artists. Some modelers embrace it. Others loath it.

Amazing