City Road
City Road is built on the principle that there is always room for a model railway.
Set in the late 1950’s, this N gauge layout represents a cramped inner city freight terminus serving a number of warehouses adjacent to a large wholesale market. In addition there is a station to cater for the market workers and the factories shown in the background.
Viewing is from one of the new tower blocks that have been built in a re-developed area. It is planned that the market will eventually move to an out of town site and the whole area, including the railway will be the subject of urban renewal.
Five Mile Creek
Installed around three walls of the garage at home Five Mile Creek is an N gauge layout designed to represent part of the Santa Fe Railroad on the Arizona/ New Mexico border.
The time period is the late 40’s/ early 50’s during the steam to diesel transition era giving opportunity to run F units and other first generation diesels along with some steam locos, which would have been seen in that general area.
The scenery is designed to show the semi arid scrubby type of landscape typical of the desert south west of the United States, with the only type of farming being the scattered cattle ranches and very little industry apart from some coal mining and mineral extraction.
Five Mile Creek started as a small town beside a creek of the same name and gradually developed with an industrial area now operating on the opposite side of the tracks from the original town, the main line like so many in the USA is single track which adds to the operating and scenic interest, with further along the line a small yard dealing with local, coal, livestock, oil grain and perishable traffic.
The Assington Branch
Created by member Iain Taylor, the Assington Branch is an N gauge terminus to fiddle yard measuring 8 feet by 18 inches. Each board is 4 feet long with one board with full scenery and half of the other is fiddle yard.
Iain writes, “My scenario is that this is a branch off the old LSWR main line on the borders of Surrey & Hampshire passing through a number of small towns and set in the late 1950s. Assington generates agricultural products plus at the other end of the town is a woollen weaving company, it was founded in the early 19th century using water power from the local river. The possibility of the towns on the route expanding with new commuter developments/new industry in this post war period means that the line will survive into the future”.
Shillingstone Farm
Based on a slightly adapted starter plan from Peco, this N gauge DCC layout is a simple double oval based around a fictional farm & small village station scene.
Whilst not entirely completed at this point, this layout is resident in the living room & when topped with glass it becomes a functional coffee table.
Trains are based around later operations of The Big Four – just prior to the introduction of British Railways in the South West of England, so GWR steam & railcars are a common sight, as are trains from the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway.
A quick shift of era, and the layout can soon resemble BR days of the 1980s.
