The SNAP line
Another great Gn15 layout I really like. It is made by Gerry Snelson in the US. SNAP is short for 'Shandy Natural Agricultural Products'.
I have admired the Futtocks End layout since I first saw it, it really gives that small Estate railway feeling I really like. From time to time I use to check Carl Arendt's site for news and inspiration. One day we all came to page 77 on his site, and there it was; the SNAP line. This layout is a great upgrade to the classic Futtocks End layout made by Giles Barnabe. I had to get in contact with Gerry after seen his layout on Carl Arendt's site. I was very thrilled about it and just had to ask for more pictures. Here is the answer I got from Gerry;
Shandy Natural Agricultural Products
Text and pictures used with permission.
"The SNAP was inspired by two works: the Futtocks End railroad and the wonderful sap house layout made by Carl Arendt. Pictures of both littered my workbench as I built and painted. After amassing the materials, most of the work was done during and just a little before spring break.
For me the slowest work is wiring, and the fastest, and most fun, is painting. Everything remained in the white until all the buildings were constructed. Then I painted everything black and had the world's ugliest private railroad in history for a night. I used dry-brush techniques with acrylic paints to achieve the look that I wanted and limited my palette to some four colours, maybe five. The embossed plastic textures that I used are perfect for this approach. Even the figures were painted this way, because I was looking for unity of visual impression. The layout runs great, and offers lots of shuffling and switching opportunities. It is also incredibly light, being mostly built on extruded foam.
/Gerry Snelson, US"