MODEL LAYOUTS

Horton Regis (7mm finescale) is in the final stages of completion and portrays a London & South Western Railway (LSWR) terminus somewhere on the east Dorset coast in the early 1900's. As with Bournemouth, there is also the presence of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (SDJR), including through Midland Railway carriages.

Ruxley (4mm 'OO' gauge) portrays GWR branch line operation during the 1930's. This highly detailed scenic layout was built and first exhibited during the 1960's, has since seen much improvement and alteration and remains in constant demand for Exhibitions.

The layout can appear in various forms, as a terminus (Ruxley), as a through station (Woodcote), or in extended form with both stations.

Shirebrook (4mm 'OO' gauge) has been constructed to replace the Clubs old layout Westhill, which has been sold and is now in private ownership. It is considered to be a entry point layout of double OO track gauge, constructed from ready to run materials, in particular, Peco code 75 track. This accepts most of the British outline models commercially manufactured over the last twelve to fifteen years.

As with most club layouts consideration was given as to whether the layout was to be freelance or follow a prototype. A sketch plan revealed a similarity to the track layout of Shirebrook on the Derbyshire/Nottingshire border (to the north of Mansfield). After a field visit, the decision was taken to build the new layout as a prototype, and the period chosen is British Railways "Corporate Blue" (1979/80's).

Construction began in June 1999 in earnest, and the layout was first shown to the public in the first week of April 2001. Since that date many alterations have taken place to trackwork, scenery and electrical wiring. The layout is fully operational and, providing sufficient manpower is available on the designated club night, can be set up and running in around 35 to 40 minutes. Not a bad set up time, for a layout which is some forty feet long and nine feet deep. Assembled from twenty-four separate boards, it provides a continuous circular run of just under one hundred feet. The layout has been designed to run scale length trains, with twenty-two storage roads, most of which are able to accommodate thirty two wagon MGR train or twelve Mark 1 coaches and a locomotive.

If you would like to come and visit the club, we always welcome visitors who would consider becoming part of the team.

Wadhurst (4mm 'P4' finescale) is currently under construction.

When completed the layout will be an accurate representation of the prototype station in Sussex on the original South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SECR) London to Hastings line, portraying the late 1940's era when still operated by the Southern Railway.