Aberdeen Kirkhill T&RSD - OO

Glenn Daniel and Graham Harris

Aberdeen Kirkhill depicts a semifictitious railway maintenance depot set in the winter of 1988. The premise of the layout is the existing depot, Aberdeen Clayhills, has been sold off for city-centre redevelopment in much the same way as Guild Street goods depot was, with the depot being relocated to the site of Craiginches, two or three miles south of Aberdeen station. In the 1980s, there was a scheme from ScotRail to move from Clayhills to Craiginches but the depot may not have been as extensive as our ‘might have been’.

Scale/Gauge: 1:76 scale / 16.5mm / OO

Size: 29ft x 10ft

Era/Region: Late-1980s

Layout type: Continuous loop

A Nice Layout - N

Gary Atkinson

Having modelled specific periods in the past, this layout was created to display the locomotives and trains I have collected over 30 years of N gauge modelling. The closest to a theme for ‘Nice Layout’ is Great Central in the '60s and into the preservation era, plus whatever I would like to run at the time. A purposefully vague timescale means I can run whatever takes my fancy, hopefully, for the entertainment of the paying public and fellow enthusiasts

SCALE/GAUGE: 2mm:1ft scale/9mm gauge/N

SIZE: 18ft x 2ft

ERA/REGION: 1960s to present/preservation

LAYOUT TYPE: Continuous loop

Barrihandie - OO

Alisdair Macdonald

‘Barrihandie’ is very loosely based upon the fishing port of Mallaig; the railway terminus and busy harbour at the end of the NBR/LNER West Highland Railway Extension from Fort William. It is hoped that the distinctive scenery of the rugged exposed rock faces around Mallaig, and the openness around the harbour area, has been captured in 'Barrihandie'.

SCALE/GAUGE: 4mm:1ft/16.5mm/OO

SIZE: 16ft x 10ft (U-shape)

ERA/REGION: Fictitious/Scottish coast 1970s-1980s

LAYOUT TYPE: End-to-end

Blueball Summit - N

Andrew Bartlett

Struggling to build his vision in a defined space, Andrew Bartlett changed scale to discover a horizon of new opportunities. Given the right set of circumstances, the passing of a train attracts an appreciative audience. For example, how about a long train, perhaps very heavy, making lots of noise, rounding a gentle curve atop of an embankment, passing over a large bridge structure and then finally disappearing into the darkness of a tunnel? That would undoubtedly make one or two people stop and stare. What is more, if another train then appeared, travelling in the opposite direction and passed by, right next to the other train, the level of interest would probably increase significantly.

Scale/gauge: N gauge Size: 11ft x 1ft 6in

Era/region: 1970s BR(W)

Location: West Country

Layout type: Continuous loop

Bournemouth West - OO

Salisbury & South Wilts Railway Society

The Salisbury & South Wilts Railway Society acquired the layout to keep exhibiting Roger Sunderland's creation.

Scale/gauge:4mm/00 finescale

Size: 33ft X 12ft  U-shape

Era/region: BR(S) region 1959-1962

Location: Bournemouth

Layout type: Terminus to fiddle yard

Burdock - N

David Westwood

Inspired by a book about a backwater country village in the Cotswolds, this relative newcomer to the exhibition circuit showcases an impressive collection of stock.

SCALE/GAUGE: 2mm:1ft/ 9mm/ N

SIZE: 12ft x 3ft

ERA/REGION: 1964/BR Western

LAYOUT TYPE: Continuous run

Campbell's Quarry - 32mm

John Campbell

Scratch-built working machinery and skilful operation combine, to provide a great exhibition spectacle on John Campbell’s narrow-gauge quarry layout. Campbell's Quarry demonstrates that it's possible to build large scales in small spaces. It measures 5ft 6in by 2ft 6in, but packs enough operation to entertain visitors at exhibitions where it's won several ‘Best of show’ awards.

Trains don't provide all the movement. Fundamental to the design is a pair of working excavators – a Ruston-Bucyrus dragline and Ruston-Bucyrus Crowd Shovel. Both work in the same way as their prototypes, dating from an era before widespread hydraulic power. They fascinate viewers with their collection of ropes and pulleys, operated to scoop sand into wagons.

Clayton End Signalman - OO

David George

BRM August 2022

The initial design for ‘Clayton End Signalman’ was to create a frontoperated, box-theatre style layout depicting a fictitious, out-of-town railway in the Peak District.  As the layout is meant to be midway between the West and East coast main lines, a variety of cross-country traffic is expected. The layout originally contained just a signal box and MPD, partly situated in a railway cutting, with the area overlooked by a small group of houses, along with the 'Travellers Rest' public house.

Scale/Gauge: 4mm:1ft scale / 16.5mm gauge / OO

Size: 18ft x 6ft

Era/Region: 1960s to 1980s and 1990s to 2000s

Region: North of England

Layout type: End-to-end

Fredstone Lane - N

Alsager Railway Association

‘Fredstone Lane’ is a modern fictitious layout and the track comprises of inner and outer circuits at different levels with crossovers and reversing loops, with separate double tracks for passenger and freight. The team's emphasis is on entertaining exhibition visitors rather than 'rivet counters' and so, while we have a considerable nod towards authenticity, a liberal approach to a constant supply of stable and visiting trains from different regions and eras is encouraged.

Foxbury - 3mm

Bob Brown

The layout is designed to be easily portable and be capable of being set up and operated by one person. I was attracted by the idea of modelling half a station, thereby not only saving space but also allowing additional traffic to an industry which is ‘off scene’ beyond the overbridge which forms the scenic break. Had I built the layout with an entire run-round loop etc it would have resulted in an unrealistically short loop and much shorter trains. As built, it not only allows a typical loco+2 coaches comfortably but also tail traffic such as a 4-wheel CCT or Fruit D van.

3mm scale (12 mm gauge)
Layout size: 182cm x 42cm
BR (WR) 1955
End to end, branch line Terminus

Leysdown - P4

Adrian Colenutt

Layout name: Leysdown

Scale/gauge: 4mm:1ft scale / 18.83mm gauge

Size: 16ft x 2ft

Era/region: 1930s Southern Railway

Layout type: Fiddleyard to terminus

Of the standard-gauge light railways of Kent, one of the most successful was the Sheppey Light Railway. Conceived by the islanders in the 1890s and engineered by the well-known Colonel Holman F. Stephens, it was absorbed into the South Eastern & Chatham Railway and improved, enlarged and partly standardized. With ownership passing to the Southern Railway and then British Railways (SR), closure took place in 1950 with the last train on Saturday 2nd December.

Leysdown, the terminus, was the largest station on the line and served the embryonic seaside resort that, in the event, significantly failed to become another Margate or Southend-on-Sea! However, in the inter-war years entertainments and fun fairs did begin to encroach on the railway in what was otherwise a bleak and isolated spot. Facilities were always modest with passenger facilities supplemented by a long siding with head-shunt, cattle pens and a dock for handling horse-drawn carriages.
 

Llawryglyn - EM

Richard Lloydall

Layout name: Llawryglyn

Scale/gauge: 4mm scale, EM gauge

Size: 15ft x 3ft (including fiddle yards)

Era/region: Cambrian Railways c. 1910-1912

Location: Mid-Wales

Layout type: End to end

Power/control: DC

Richard Loydall’s fondness for Cambrian Railways led him to create this scenic tribute, set shortly before the outbreak of WW1.

Minories - GN

Tom Cunnington

SCALE/GAUGE 4mm: 1ft scale, 18mm gauge EM

SIZE 13ft 9in by 3ft

ERA/REGION 1970s ER/ LMR

LOCATION City of London

LAYOUT TYPE Terminus to fiddleyard

POWER & CONTROL 12V DC analogue

Based on a classic layout plan, Tom Cunnington’s layout imagines a suburban terminus deep in the heart of central London as it could have been in the BR blue diesel period.

Oakhurst Town - S7

Geoff Stenner

NAME: Oakhurst Town

SCALE/GAUGE: 7mm scale/33mm/ScaleSeven

SIZE: 14ft x 2ft

ERA/REGION: 1880s/South Eastern Railway

LAYOUT TYPE: Fiddleyard to terminus

Regenerated and condensed in 2023, Geoff Stenner’s new 'Oakhurst Town' captures the spirit of its predecessor while faithfully recreating a nearly forgotten backwater in the 1880s.  This small layout shows that 7mm scale can work in a small space if you model carefully chosen prototypes.

Portchullin - P4

Mark Tatlow

NAME: Portchullin

SCALE/GAUGE: 1:76.2/4mm:1/18.83mm/ P4

SIZE: 15ft x 15ft

ERA/REGION: August 1974/West coast Scotland

LAYOUT TYPE: End-to-end

'Portchullin' is based on the real line to Kyle of Lochalsh that, for its last few miles, hugs the side of Loch Carron and contains a series of short embankments and bridges over small inlets. Childhood memories and a challenge set by the Scalefour Society sowed the seeds for this evocative P4 layout.

Overlord - OO

Chris Mead

Chris Mead's magnificent, ever growing, quayside scene records the run-up to D-Day, 80 years ago. marvel at the ships, engineering and military hardware as much as the railway models which feature some unusual prototypes.

Pwllheli - P4

Jonathan Buckie

NAME: Pwllheli

SCALE/GAUGE: 4mm:1ft scale/18.83mm gauge/P4

SIZE: 19ft x 2ft

ERA/REGION: 2012 North Wales

LAYOUT TYPE: Fiddle yard to station

I learnt that the Scalefour Society was planning another layout challenge. The design criteria was likely to be the same as for preceding 18.83 and D&E challenges – the layout must fit into a car, require only two operators, have a minimum of two points, and be built to P4 standards. Having followed the previous challenges and seen the completed entries, marvelling at what had been achieved in a relatively short period of time, I felt that now would be the perfect opportunity/excuse to start on something new. Thoughts immediately turned to Pwllheli.

Scarlington - N

The NoEL Group

Layout name : Scarlington
N Gauge
Layout size (including fiddle yards) : 5600mm x 900mm. 2 x continuous main lines & 2 x end to end branch lines plus a self-contained continuous run industrial layout. 
Era : 1970/80’s – B.R. Blue.  North Eastern Region.
 

Scarlington (aka North of England Line 2 or NoEL2) is the successor to Scarworth Junction (NoEL1). Both were built as club layouts, and both were subsequently bought by our group of friends who built both layouts (The NoEL Group), to secure them from an uncertain future. The NoEL Group is an independent group with no links to any model railway club.

Shwt - EM

John Chivers

Layout name: Shwt

Scale/gauge: 4mm:1ft / 18.2mm gauge / EM

Size (to include and fiddle yards): 11ft x 2ft 6in

Era/region BR late crest (1965) Western Region (ex-LNWR)

Location: Fictitious, South Wales

Layout type: End-to-end

Southgate Park - OO

Shane Wilton & Mark Miller

Layout name: Southgate Park

Scale/Gauge: 1:76 scale / 16.5mm gauge / OO

Size: 24ft x 8ft

Era/Region: 1986 - 1991 / Network SouthEast Southern Region South West division

Layout type: Continuous run

Southgate Park’ is set in the period 1986-1991, which was a time of transition with the advent of Network Southeast, when Mk. 1 EMUs and locomotive-hauled trains dominated. Bold new liveries mixed with down-at-heel blue and grey stock capture this period. Red paint was in vogue and, if it didn’t move, it was painted red! Benches, bins and lamp posts all got the treatment, as well as station canopies. Freight trains were still by the wagon load and the first and second generation diesel electrics we no longer see in vast numbers were prevalent.

The layout is a two track main line served by a 12 road fiddle yard with six through roads for each running line. The inner circuit has a number of short stabling roads to provide additional storage. The scenic section covers 16ft with two running lines passing down the middle. A bay platform provides an additional platform face, giving three in total. The station avoiding line passes to the front of the scenic sections and provides access to three EMU stabling sidings. A double track section of London Underground runs along the rear, entering and exiting the scene via tunnels.

Trinity Street Dock Bridge - OO

Gavin Rose

Layout name: Trinity Dock Street Bridge

Scale/gauge: 4mm:1ft scale, 16.5mm gauge / OO

Size (to include fiddle yard): 6ft 8 x 3ft 6in

Era/region: 1939 LNER (NER southern division)

Layout type: End-to-end

Set among the stone sett covered streets of the old town docks in the early part of February 1939, this is a layout somewhat different from the 'norm'. Grey and brown tones predominate, the only greens to be seen on the model are on the lamp post, telephone box and seamen's mission. The model portrays a dark dismal morning, with the south-easterly wind bring a ‘Sea Rouge’ up the Humber and mixing with the soot and smoke of the industrial heart of the city of Hull. Not only does it bring the foul weather, but also the threat of war from the near continent!

Weaver Hill - OO

Benjamin & Richard Brady

SCALE/GAUGE: 4mm:1ft/16.5mm gauge/OO

SIZE: 19ft x 9ft ERA: 1980s to present

LAYOUT TYPE: Continuous run

The railway cuts through the parklands of Tixall Hall, Staffordshire. The estate was the playground of Richard Powell Scholefield, who landscaped the grounds and constructed numerous follies, many of which are still visible today; the legacy being the obelisk built to commemorate his daughter, Georgiana. The tunnel mouths are built in a castellated style, their only purpose being to hide the railway from the hall. 

This is what ‘Weaver Hill’ represents as a model after 10 years of exhibitions and alterations. The original concept for the model was to build something different. We wanted to build a model that did not incorporate all the usual aspects associated with a modern image model railway. We wanted to create a scene that could be just as recognised by anyone in 19th century as in its current format.

Whiteacres - OO

Stafford Railway Circle

FACTFILE NAME: Whiteacres

SCALE/GAUGE: 4mm:1ft/16.5mm/OO

SIZE: 29ft x 13ft

ERA: 2000s/Staffordshire

LAYOUT TYPE: Continuous loop & end-to-end

The layout was designed to represent a fictitious place somewhere in Staffordshire, where the imaginary Birmingham to the North East line was crossed by a 'never built' line from Loughborough linking to the Potteries. The layout is built with running tracks at four levels. The highest level; which includes 'Whiteacres' station, is the upper circuit where continuous running is possible. This is the Birmingham-North East line. A link track to the lower levels runs down from the back of the station from Platform 5 to a junction with the line to Loughborough to a fiddle yard at this level. Running down the front of the layout, we proceed downhill gently past sidings for a quarry and a small locomotive service depot at a third level and onwards down to the lowest level with another fiddle yard sited virtually below the station building.

Wolfe Lowe - O

Stephen Moore and Shaun Horrocks

Layout Name: Wolfe Lowe

Scale/Gauge: 7mm:1ft scale / 32mm gauge / O

Size: 24ft x 2ft 9in

Era/Region: 1920s/Peak District

Layout Type: Fiddleyard to terminus

This pre-grouping scene boasts many interesting kit-built locomotives and stock, but its quarry with scale loading of wagons is perhaps its biggest gem.

The layout is stored in two garages about 12 miles apart and is only operated in its entirety at exhibitions. The station operator tries to maintain an unrealistically intensive service on the main line. The turntable holds five trains and there is always a train in the station, therefore, a second train must be brought into the station before sending the first to the turntable. The practice would be most unlikely in real life, but it means that there is always a train in the station and the layout is never devoid of railway interest for the public. For passenger trains, the locomotive runs round and the train departs as soon as a goods train arrives. Goods trains usually exchange a wagon or two with those standing at the loading bay and cattle dock. The LNWR push-pull, which is stored in a separate siding parallel to the turntable entry road, is occasionally brought into the station between shunting manoeuvres.

The second operator shunts the quarry to position empty wagons under the gravel chute and assembles trains of three loaded wagons plus a brake van. Loaded trains are driven down to the intermediate level of the zigzag to await the station operator propelling the train down the rest of the incline and into the fiddle yard entry road. After the wagons have been manually unloaded, the station operator returns the train to the intermediate level.

Scenically, there are two main areas of interest: the street scene and station complex at one end of the layout and the quarry at the other. These are linked scenically by the main line, which appears to run in a cutting out of which the light railway zigzags.

Yorkshire Pennines - N

Roland Wood

Layout name: Yorkshire Pennines

Scale/Gauge: N Gauge

Size (to include any fiddle yards): 10ft x 5ft oval

Era/Region: present era / North Eastern

Layout type: continuous run

Demonstrating excellent use of computer control, this exhibition crowd-pleaser provides a surround-viewing experience, inspired by an area of outstanding natural beauty.

At the layout’s very first exhibition there was as much interest in the computer screen as there was in the layout. We decided to place three monitors on a board covering the well and then operate the layout from outside, side-by-side with the visitors. The software doesn’t need three screens, it just helps us when explaining things to the visitors. With the two of us mixed in with the visitors and the computer running the trains, we manage to keep stock moving at all times while still engaging with the general public. We appreciate that is the reason why show organisers invite visiting layouts to their shows – to keep the public entertained and enthused.