CLUB LAYOUTS
Traditionally we name our layouts after local
places, most of which never had a railway, and as such they are not
generally affiliated to any particular railway company or region – being
designed to allow stock owned by club members a chance to be run at
exhibitions. After all, the object is to have fun and entertain visitors.
We do not run to timetables, and do not mind
which region or type of rolling stock is run, although we do try to
maintain some consistency in what is running at any particular time.
At exhibitions we are much stricter with this rule (we tend to
either agree with exhibition organisers, or decide before going which
period/stock we will be running) than at club running nights, when
virtually any stock owned by members runs.
Priorsfield
A freelance 00 gauge layout, 22' x 5',
which is half station area and half ‘train in the country’.
The back story has it that an ambitious company began to build a railway from
Compton to link up with another main line. They got as far as Priorsfield, put
in a branch to Holloway Road, then ran out of money. The station therefore has
the appearance of a junction between a branch and a twig, with run-arounds and
goods facilities on both sides, even though it is in fact a terminus on one
platform. Track is Peco code 75, so it looks much finer but it will only
accomodate members’ more modern stock with the finer wheel profiles.
A particular feature of the layout is the long viaduct, which was lengthened
from its original ‘bridge’ status to provide a focal point at the scenic end
of the layout. Beyond this, and hiding the fiddle yard is Alvin's End village
with its Saxon church and quaint village houses and pub. Local visitors may
recognise one or two buildings from villages around Guildford. The use of false
perspective in the road leading away from the village provides depth to the scene.
There is another fiddle yard at the other end of the station allowing
for through traffic on both the goods line and the passenger line. Both
of the fiddle yards have recently been extended to allow more and longer
trains to be run. The layout has also had its signals upgraded to
operating lower quadrant semaphores including an impressive 4 doll
bracket signal near the signal box.
Whitmoor
A freelance N gauge layout, 12' x 3'.
The layout has a continuous run, via a fiddle yard, on a double main line
through station. Additional terminal platforms at one end of the station are
intended for branchline traffic and surburban traffic to the "big city". The track
plan includes a goods yard and locomotive depot and fully automatic
turntable. The layout is designed
to be operated by 2, 3 or 4 operators.
Savernake
Our next OO layout has now been given the go
ahead for design and construction. It is to be based on the two stations
that used to exist at Savernake near Burbage in Wiltshire. Currently in the
baseboard construction stage, it will be a mainline
loop layout with a single line branch and a single line loop. See the
details of this exciting project
on the new Savernake
information page.