2019 LAYOUTS & DEMONSTRATIONS CONFIRMED SO FAR…
(please note this page will be updated as more layouts are added to the line-up)
MOSTYN
Barrowmore Model Railway Group
‘P4’, Summer 1977, North Wales Coast Main Line
One of the best-known Diesel & Electric era layouts on the current exhibition circuit, Mostyn has moved ‘P4’ standards into a more general awareness, offering a large true-to-life layout that runs frequent, prototypically-correct formations at realistic line speeds.
ANGST-LESSPORK
Hugh Norwood
4mm scale/‘OO9’ gauge
Angst-Lesspork draws its inspiration from, and is a tribute to, the ‘Discworld’ books of Sir Terry Pratchett. The scene is urban with a tidal river to the front. Buildings are predominately timber-framed. Although superficially a Victorian / Edwardian townscape,
many characters and architectural features give clues to the layout’s true identity. Most of the buildings have been built from card (breakfast cereal packets). A number have internal
illumination and so are internally decorated. All the rail power is steam-driven and all the road traffic is horse-drawn, in keeping with the time-frame of the layout.
ASHBROOK
John Thomas
3mm scale /TT gauge, BR(WR) 1950s
A fictitious layout based on the concept that the M&SWL continued as a secondary route through the Cotswolds despite the Great Western Railway’s endeavours to rationalise it during previous years. The era is set during the 1950s and allows through trains to be run from the Midlands (LMS), Southern as well as a variety of Western (GWR) and lately British Railways locomotives and rolling stock.
BERRYBRIDGE
Paul Appleton
4mm scale/’OO’ gauge, British Railways, London Midland Region
Berrybridge was built in 2009 as a challenge to see what could be achieved in a short space of time and with a limited budget. It was constructed from scratch in just 75 hours and at a cost of £400 including the trackwork, by the Hornby Magazine team, of which the current layout owner was once a part when he published the magazine for then owners, Ian Allan Publishing.
That original build saw the layout as an end-to-end, fiddle yard-to-fiddle yard layout, with each fiddle yard being in the form of a five-track turntable so that trains could be sent from each end of the layout without having to manhandle the trains. It has since been rebuilt as a continuous circuit, with an eight-road sliding traverser for a fiddle yard at the rear.
Berrybridge is a freelance design, based somewhere on a cross-country secondary line west of Derby. Set in the early 1960s, you will see a cross section of BR and pre-nationalisation steam locomotives along with some of the recently introduced new-fangled diesels that the BR Modernisation Plan has brought us.
CHOLLERFORD
Dave Millford & Malc Charlton
4mm scale/’OO’ gauge, Border Counties
The layout is based on Humshaugh Station (originally named Chollerford) which was situated on the former Border Counties / North British line from Hexham to Riccarton Jcn. The period modelled is in the early 1950s through to closure of passenger services in 1956 and goods services in 1958. For operational interest the track plan is more extensive than that which existed at this period, but all tracks did exist at some stage throughout the station’s history. The station had quite extensive goods facilities compared with other BCR locations and this provides scope for added interest when operating at exhibitions even if the level of traffic, both goods and passenger, far exceeds that which actually existed.
As far as possible, photographic evidence has been used but this is very sparse for some parts of the site. Building and engineering works have been produced with extensive use of ‘Linka’ stone effect castings and the ‘Woodland Scenics’ range has been used for much of the landscape. The layout features a tailor made, non DCC sound system which is in continuing development.
Rolling stock and locomotives on the layout reflect the wide range of types in use in the last years of operation including ex NBR, NER, LNER and British Rail standard types and as far as possible the individual locomotives are models of the ones which actually worked the line.
DUXBURY
Leamington & Warwick Model Railway Society
4mm scale/’OO’ gauge, GC/Met/GWR
Duxbury Station is loosely based on Aylesbury’s GC/Metropolitan/GWR station circa 1960. By doing this, we can cater for steam, albeit in BR guise, as well as diesels. The variety of steam locomotives that can be run is quite large, being drawn from ex-GCR, LNER, LMS, GWR (from the Princes Risborough branch) and BR standard types. We have taken modeller’s license and imagined that London Transport extended the 3rd and 4th rail all the way to Aylesbury. This way, Duxbury can have the little-modelled London Transport scene complete with authentic Underground stock and conductor rails.
HUNGERFORD
Shipley Model Railway Society (Owners: Frank Davies & Mike Evans)
4mm scale/EM gauge, GWR 1920s
The model is based closely on Hungerford station, situated on the Great Western Railway main line from Reading to Westbury and Taunton, as it was in the late 1920s. Much research has been done to accurately show the railway structures and buildings, and the adjoining section of the town although, due to having to foreshorten the ends of the layout, some town buildings have had to be omitted or reduced in size. A section of the Kennet and Avon canal, which runs close to the railway immediately east of the town has also been modelled.
The buildings are all scratch-built as is the working level crossing. Locomotives and stock are built from kits or are modified ready to run. All signals are working models including the shunting signals. The layout uses traditional analogue control except in the goods yard which uses DCC.
LUDLOW
Ian Coules
2mm scale/’N’ gauge, BR Western Region
This layout is based on Ludlow in Shropshire, which is on the Shrewsbury to Hereford line. It is set in the late 1950s early ‘60s and depicts both the sidings and the main lines, but also incorporates the line from Clee Hill, which is a quarry line. It is a circular layout with the fiddle yard concealed under the embankment to the rear of the layout. It took about two years to build the basic layout but like all models there is always something that you want to improve and add. The only original parts of the railway left in Ludlow are the main lines, the footbridge and the goods shed, which has now become a local brewery. During the construction it was very hard to find accurate photographs of the front of the station and the line so we are always looking for more information so we can continue to improve the layout.
MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT
Robin Brogden
4mm scale/ various gauges
This popular 4mm layout consists of a fictitious Museum of Transport situated in the former dockland of a town, somewhere in England. The concept was born from a desire to create a layout where virtually all types of model may be displayed together with a single theme. There are standard gauge and miniature railways, buses, trams, trolleybuses, cars and commercial vehicles, as well as aircraft and maritime displays. The layout is full of varied examples of industrial archaeology and items to appeal to everyone, whether a model-maker or simply those fascinated by old transport and related topics. The original layout dates from 1991, and has been extended, reconstructed and refurbished several times since, and has been well established on the exhibition circuit for 27 years. Several sections have been recently reworked.
BUSHEY & OXHEY
Vintage Layouts (Dave Knighton & Jonathan Ward)
‘O’ gauge, 3-rail course scale
Pre-war suburbia in 3-rail ‘O’ Gauge course scale, featuring models from the 1930s by Hornby, Bassett-Lowke, Leeds Model Company, Milbro, etc., but also items from the modern 3-rail revival by ACE Trains, Darstaed, WJV, Directory Series and others.
BORTH, ABERDOVEY & YNYLAS MINIATURE RAILWAY
Allen Law and Jez Kirkwood
1/12 scale on 32mm gauge track
The Borth, Aberdovey and Ynyslas Miniature Railway is a one inch to the foot scale model of a 15in gauge seaside miniature railway. Based on the types of miniature railways found at Fairbourne, New Romney and Sutton Park, among others, the layout is set in the present day, running a weekend gala service using a mix of miniature and narrow gauge stock. All locos are radio controlled, mostly battery powered with some live steam.
TRIANG MINIC MOTORWAYS
David Lyon
4mm scale/ ‘OO’ gauge
Triang Minic Motorways was introduced in the early 1960s and was designed to be compatible with Triang Railways. A wide variety of vehicles and accessories were developed to enable the enthusiast to build a fully integrated road and rail model, culminating in the use of level crossings and other specialist road/rail track. Minic eventually went out of production in the early 1970s.
This award winning Minic Motorways layout had its first outing in 1996. It is the result of over 40 years’ enthusiastic collecting by Dave Lyon, and aims to show the wide variety of vehicles and accessories that were available in the heyday of Minic Motorways, and its compatibility with Triang Railways.
2019 marks the 23rd anniversary of this layout on the exhibition circuit, having been to over 150 shows in that time. Although the design of the layout has changed, with new features being incorporated over the years, the same basic format as used at the first show in May 1996 is still evident.
BURLISH ROAD
Severn Valley Railway, Bewdley MPD ‘O’ Gauge Modellers
7mm scale/’O’ gauge
A fictional twist of a real location, A BR(WR) layout set primarily in the 1950s (and early ‘60s) depicting a terminus station between Stourport and Bewdley in Worcestershire. With regular passenger traffic and heavy goods workings to the nearby ceramics factory and military encampments, the station boasts the re-located ‘sector plate’ from Birmingham Snow Hill, moved in the late 1920s.
7mm Finescale, DCC controlled, expect to see local motive power for the era, and the occasional visitor as the layout can also resemble a preserved extension to the current Severn Valley Railway.
GOODMANNTON WORKS RAILWAY
Steve Mann
4mm scale/’OO9’
A fictional narrow gauge railway set in Somerset.
Run by the Goodmannton family on their estate, the origins of the railway were to move dairy and cider products from the estate to the standard gauge railway.
Over the ensuing years it fell into disrepair and was finally abandoned in the 1920s due to lack of money. A few of the engines and rolling stock survived in sheds.
The family expanded into engineering in later years and with this and good fortune, the family rebuilt the stored locos and stock, purchasing some carriages for private use. When the family opened up the house and estate to the public, the railway was expanded and so was the loco and carriage fleet, the railway also playing host to visiting locos and stock, some from overseas.
WEST HILL WAGON WORKS
Dave and Chris Bower
4mm scale/’OO’ gauge, DCC
West Hill Wagon Works is a small return of nostalgia to the workings British Rail provided the National Coal Board. Very little of the workings within the backbone of the once thriving British coal industry are available in model form, yet are of keen interest, especially to those who worked on MGR workings, are ex-miners or power station operatives.
Rolling stock and locomotives on the layout vary in sequence throughout the day, starting with the late 1960s and the pre-phase Merry-go-Round trains, through to the early 1990s. This gives plenty of variety for the viewing public as they recognise the workings from these time periods.
The general operation consists of a branch line to the rear, bringing in small rakes of coal wagons consisting of 16ton, HAA & HEA wagons. These are then stationed on the line while a shunting locomotive retrieves the wagons and pulls them back up the headshunt before shunting them onto one of the depot’s lines where wagon repair work commences. Within the depot there is working lighting along with much detail from gas torches, bottles, workbenches and pits in a dingy and dirty atmosphere. Locomotives are also repaired in an adjacent facility. Watch out for a new extension to this popular layout!
ANDERBY CREEK
Coventry Model Railway Club
4mm scale/’OO’ gauge
When plans were set for this layout in LNER territory, on the Lincolnshire coast, it wasn’t realised, but not far from its fictitious location, there was a real place on the coast of Lincolnshire of the same name! At many exhibitions club members have met people who actually lived there or used to visit the area. They enjoy how much the area has been enhanced by including a fishing dock and a railway.
Choosing a 1930s to late 1940s timeframe and to suit the location, the scenery and buildings have a slightly austere, slightly run-down, appearance, with red brick and tiles well in evidence. A new 5ft section was added in 2016 between the beach section at the turntable end, and the station, giving enough space to add a small headland with a prototypical lighthouse complete with a flashing light.
To suit the location and era chosen, rolling stock features a lot of ex-Great Northern prototypes, some LNER standard types, with some from the Great Central and North Eastern.
RIDGE LANE
Ben Powell
4mm scale/’OO9’
Ridge Lane is little more than a shunting area, where loaded stone wagons are brought down from a quarry by small locomotives and handed over to larger narrow gauge locomotives. These main line engines then take the loaded wagons along the five mile route to the LMS loading wharf. At Ridge Lane there is a small goods yard, where freight, farm and general supplies are brought up from the town, or left to be loaded onto wagons and taken back down. There is a rudimentary platform to allow passengers to embark on the twice weekly service on market days. The rest of the time, it is deserted.
The layout features a variety of scratch-built and kit-built locomotives and rolling stock. Along with minimalistic scenery, which hopefully gives a better image of a traditional working narrow gauge railway.
WYKEN YARD
Justin Adams
7mm scale/’O’ gauge
Having acquired some ‘O’ gauge stock, I wanted somewhere that I could run it. The other problem I had that was that the space in my spare bedroom was taken up with my ‘OO’ gauge layout. I therefore designed the layout to fit on top of the shelving unit in my lounge. This is the reason why the layout is operated from the front. The layout depicts a small yard that serves some factories and warehouses.
ROCHE JUNCTION
Michael Smith
G-Scale
Built to run its owner’s continental stock, it has hidden sidings at the back, has a lower track and an upper track. Also, has a rack railway operating on a shuttle system and there is a branch line coming through the scenery, all of which gives plenty of movement and variety on three separate tracks.
CASTLE WORKS
Andi Nethercoat
1/25th (12mm:ft) scale, narrow gauge
My intention was to try and build an operable working micro-layout without spending a large sum of money on materials but by re-purposing, recycling and upcyling readily available items. Total build cost has been very minimal. The only things I’ve had to purchase are glue and paint from my local Pound shop and a few electrical items from eBay.
Trackwork is re-used OO points and rail salvaged from donated second hand Peco code 100 flexitrack soldered to some copperclad sleeper strip cut from some offcuts of PCB that was found in a skip. Buildings are made from a core of corrugated cardboard stuck together with a hot glue gun and covered in papier mache (newspaper and PVA glue) to strengthen it, while the ‘Stonework’ is individually cut pieces from various cereal packets and the ‘wriggly tin’ on the roofs is from tomato puree tubes cut into suitably sized sheets and ‘crinkled’.
Doors and gates are made from coffee stirrers and the toolbox and bench in the shed are made from scraps of wood and firework sticks, other items are made from bits and bobs found in the scrap box.
All the track ballasting is with various grades of tea-leaves and coffee grounds and the ground cover is home made from various materials and leftover water-based paints.
A lot of fun has been had in the building of this layout and an extension is now being constructed.
PENTRE
John Wenlock
16mm live steam, narrow gauge
Pentre represents a preserved narrow gauge railway in 16mm to the foot scale. The dual gauge circuit (32mm and 45mm) is hand-built using traditional Bassett-Lowke and Bonds gauge ‘O’ rail and wood sleepers.
There is a modest through station, a small loco depot and at ‘Pentredwr’a railway museum has been established. Live steam locomotives, fired by gas, meths and even coal are a special feature, as is an interesting display of scratch-built rolling stock. The friendly operators will be happy to talk about the modles and the railway.
WHEELER’S LANE
Tony Clifton
4mm scale/’OO’ gauge
This scenic and compact layout offers a double track continuous run and has many features that can be operated by members of the public.
FALCON TRAVEL
Roy Finney
4mm scale/’OO’ gauge
A model bus depot and fire scene forms the focus of this layout, with lighting effects and working accessories, including for example, a working ‘pelican crossing’ which visitors can operate.
UPPER AND LOWER MORRISTON
Angela Hawker
2mm scale/’N’ gauge
Possibly the most unusual layout at the show, this ‘N’ gauge layout is located in the boot of a 1962 Morris Minor Convertible – perfect for a model railway show at a car museum!
RAVEN’S RAVINE
David Wright
4mm scale/ ‘OO9’
This compact layout features a narrow gauge railway set within a fantasy landscape. David will also be demonstrating the construction of realistic buildings and structures (see Modelling Demonstrations). Another diorama will feature a 3D model of the famous landscape painting ‘The Haywain’ by John Constable.
PEAKSTONE
Tim Lowe
2mm scale/ ‘N’ gauge
This layout is set in the 1980s-90s diesel era and features a main line station serving passengers and freight. The depot facilities include sheds, fuelling point, wash plant and of course, locomotives and rolling stock.
CITY BASIN GOODS
Stephen Dance
This layout is set in the late 1960s/early ‘70s, somewhere on the Western Region of British Rail and attempts to portray an urban freight yard. Such yards were still commonplace at this time, especially in the larger towns and cities where the freight facilities were often quite separate from the main passenger station.
On the model, the owner has included fuel and cement terminals, National Carriers depot (where wagonload and bulky ‘sundries’ traffic are dealt with) and a BR parcels depot – all typical traffic sources of the period. Domestic coal is still delivered by rail, but the coal yard is assumed to be ‘off stage’. There is also an exchange siding which receives trainloads of aggregates. A privately owned ex-BR shunter moves the wagons to and from the unloading facilities.
‘OO’ LIVE STEAM ROADSHOW
‘OO’ Live Steam Club
4mm scale/ ‘OO’ gauge
We are the ‘00’ Live Steam Club; we see our role as supporting Hornby Live Steam and showing owners and potential owners how to get the best out of their Hornby live steam locos. After all, even though they were made for a relatively short time, there are over 14,000 of them out there!
We have a layout and driver training experience, it has three loops making for a busy and interesting presentation. The ‘driver’ does not need his own loco – he or she can use one of ours; we also have a technical area to help owners with malfunctioning locos.
A very important part of what we do is getting the general public involved, particularly the youngsters where we encourage them to drive one of our live steam locos.
To expand on this we have this year introduced a ‘Speed Challenge’. Younger members of the public are encouraged to enter, using one of our locos, and attempt to break Mallard’s world record. This is all done to scale speed. This has proved very popular at exhibitions; at the recent Festival of Railway Modelling, Doncaster, ITV local news came along a filmed the winner, and this was then broadcast on that days evening news!
DOUBLE HELIX LAYOUT
Hornby Railway Collectors’ Association
4mm scale, ‘OO’ 3-rail
This unusual layout uses Hornby Dublo 3-rail tin plate track from the 1950s, constructed in a ‘Double Helix’.
TOYSLEIGH
Leamington & Warwick Model Railway Society
2mm scale/ ‘N’ gauge
This layout is being built, using commercially available products, by a group of club members with varying experience in order to develop their individual skills.
The track plan is in the style of Birmingham Moor Street with associated Birmingham scenery and landmarks. A Heritage Line is to be included alongside the main line as opposed to being some distance away as is the full size case with Tyseley in Birmingham.
Control is mainly DCC but there will be some restricted control in DC.
The layout name is derived from the full size name being a play on Tyseley as spoken with a Birmingham accent.
HOGWART’S CASTLE
Hornby Hobbies
4mm scale/ ‘OO’ gauge
A firm favourite with youngsters, this Harry Potter-inspired layout features the famous ‘Hogwart’s Express’ with Hogwart’s Castle itself as the backdrop. Presented by the show’s sponsor, Hornby Hobbies.
MODELLING DEMONSTRATIONS BY
JOHN EMERSON
7mm scale/‘O’ gauge modelling demonstration
Author and former BRM editor John Emerson shows you how to build and weather rolling stock. A degree of weathering can add character and a sense of mass to your models – although there is no need to overdo it ! After many years presenting painting and weathering demo’s at model railway shows, it is only too obvious that most modellers are terrified of weathering locomotives and rolling stock. Although these are ‘O’ gauge models, the techniques employed have been used for models ranging from ‘N’ gauge to Gauge 1.
MICK BONWICK
Stock weathering demonstration – all scales
Mick Bonwick has been demonstrating and teaching model railway weathering techniques at exhibitions, Pendon Museum and Missenden Abbey Railway Modellers’ weekends for several years. His demonstration allows modellers to sit down and have a go, using up-to-date materials and equipment and easy to implement techniques.
PHIL PARKER
4mm scale/‘OO’ gauge modelling projects
BRM journalist and model maker, Phil Parker, is a regular contributor to the Hornby Collectors Club magazine, The Collector, and here he demonstrates some of the construction projects he has completed for the pages of the magazine over recent years.
NICK WOOD
Demonstration of scenic techniques.
Using prepared examples and allowing ‘hands on’ use of applicators individuals will be able to discuss and try different scenic techniques. The areas covered will be the use of flocks, static grasses and other materials to produce realistic scenes with an emphasis on texture and colour.
LEAMINGTON & WARWICK MRC
Demonstrations of;
Model Railway Electronics
Scratch-building, including a display of club members’ scratch-built items
OO9 SOCIETY
Supporting beginners and experienced modellers alike, scratch-builder, the kit builder and the modeller who prefers ready-to-run equipment. Whether you’re already active in small scale narrow gauge railway modelling or wish to take your first steps, you’ll find a welcome in the OO9 Society.
Also at the OO9 Society’s stand, members of the OO9 Society and West Midlands Narrow Gauge Group will be on hand demonstrating various aspects of small scale (principally 4mm and 3.5mm scales) narrow gauge railway model making.
For more information either visit our stand at the show, go to the Society’s website at www.009society.com or write to ‘Membership Secretary’, 60 Lingwood Avenue, Christchurch, BH23 3JU.