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Annual
Redditch Show
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EXHIBITION
INFORMATION BAR
just
hover your mouse to find out more
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It
is planned to have 12 layouts in the popular scales
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Ashwood Basin
- presented by Mike
Bragg - 7mm scale
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 Ashwood basin was on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal and was the western terminus of the Earl of Dudley's Railway system, dating back to its opening in 1829.Today virtually all signs of the railway tracks have disappeared and it is now a marina for pleasure craft.
From Ashwood basin the line ran to Shut End, and the collieries at Corbyn's Hall near Lenches Bridge. The railways main purpose was to convey coal to the canal and this continued until the
National Coal Board stopped sending Baggeridge coal to Stourport Power Station via the canal in October 1953.
The model follows the principals set out in Lenches Bridge (which was at the
2008 Redditch show and was designed as a future extension) as an attempt to create the essence and atmosphere of the area rather than an exact copy of the prototype.
The track plan if you can call it a plan is really no more than a run round with two extended head shunts to create the sidings, one extends over the canal on a wooden trestle whilst the other runs alongside the canal. There is a Joey in the canal basin to the BCN design (double ended so that the rudder could be fitted either end so the Joey didn't require turning) and a British Waterways day boat.
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Layout size : 9ft x 2ft
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Gorcott
- presented by Redditch
Model Railway Club - 4mm scale
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 It is the
early 1960’s. Normal main line steam traction is about to end as
the new diesel era takes hold. We are on the Settle to Carlisle railway line. The route is about
to lose the named express services together with most of the other through traffic. The images
we have attempted to recreate are of a line very much in decline. Gorcott is a station close to Staniforth on the Settle to Carlisle railway
line and is situated between Settle Junction and Horton in Ribblesdale. The station is very much
based on Midland Railway practice. The scale is 4mm using "OO" gauge track. All the buildings on the
layout are scratch built, mainly using thick card for the basic structure. These were covered
with plasticard to replicate stone or brick finishes. The structures have then been painted and
weathered to represent the prototypes from the area. The layout has recently benefited from a much larger fiddle yard, which is
now twice the original size. The sixteen available roads now mean an even larger variety of
stock and locomotives can be used. Normally this means there are around 24 separate trains on
show.
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| Magazine feature :
Railway Modeller May 1997 |
Layout size : 18ft x 8ft
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Keighpatt
Bay
- presented by
Richard Insley - 3.5mm scale
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 It
is Spring 1838 and the Camden & Delaware Railroad is operating a full
service, both passenger and freight. With the opening of the Camden &
Amboy Railroad in December 1831, despite having to cross the Delaware River,
by ferry, to Camden; take the Railroad to Perth Amboy, thence another boat
to New York city, the inhabitants of Philadelphia had a much shorter journey
to New York than by the Stage Coach. The Camden & Amboy was highly
profitable so It was no surprise that the Camden & Delaware Railroad was
chartered in 1832. Robert. L. Stevens of the C.&.A. was the first
President of the line, which was closely associated with his C.& A. It
was constructed from an end-on connection with the C.& A., at Camden, to
Keighpatt Bay, some twenty miles down stream. The bay, sheltered by Rewdter
Point, was deep enough to take coastal shipping and with some dredging and
harbour wall construction It was able to even accommodate large ships, both
sail and steam. Freight and passengers alighting at Keighpatt travelled by
rail to Perth Amboy, thus avoiding the ferry crossing at Philadelphia. A
small community soon grew up' around the Railroad and the harbour. The
track, gauge, four foot nine Inches, was laid on wooden stringers and
cross-ties on stone blocks buried in the ground. Locomotives were obtained
from The Camden & Amboy, Phineas Davis of the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad, Morris, Baldwin and Robert Stephenson In England. Coaches and
freight cars came from the workshop of Isaac Dripps of the C.& A..In
time, both Railroads became part of the great Pennsylvania Railroad.
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Layout size :
10ft x 5ft
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Kirkby
Stephen West
- presented by Ian
MacDonald - 4mm scale
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 This layout depicts the above location in the period 1955 to 1964, which covers the early part of the transition period from Steam to Diesel traction.
The layout is a continuous loop with storage sidings at the back and is operated from within the central area.
All track in the scenic area is SMP type 'J' code 75 nickel silver. Points in the scenic area are all Marcway and are operated by the switch and rod method. All track and points in the non-scenic area is Peco code 100, with points operated by Peco point motors. Road selection is via a diode matrix, which, by pressing one button sets all the points for the road required. Stock is a mixture of Steam and Diesel, all of which could have been seen at some time at this location during the time period specified. It is a mixture of kit built, scratch built and `Ready to run' items. The RTR items have mostly been modified, enhanced and/or weathered. As the Settle and Carlisle was used extensively as a testing ground for many locos, particularly the early diesels we have the opportunity to legitimately run stock which would not normally be seen on this line. Care has been taken to ensure the running numbers and colour scheme is correct for these locos. Almost all the stock used on the main lines is fitted with the small Bachman Mk 2 couplings and stock used in the Goods Yard is fitted with Kadee couplings, mostly in NEM pockets, so the stock can be converted between Kadee and the Bachman coupling, as and when required. The scenic area of the layout is Polysterene block mounted in a plywood lattice, covered in a plaster mix then decorated mainly with Woodland Scenic and Green Scene materials. All the principle stuctures are scratch built. The signal box is a Ratio kit conversion. The Scenic walls for the fields are a Javis product. The four signals on the layout are all operational, these are controlled using Fulgurex slow action point motors. For locomotive control we have 3 Gaugemaster controllers mounted onto the control panel as well as 3 Modelex hand held controllers, These are wired for `Cab control' so any controller can control any part of the layout. Switches on the panel allow the operator to chose either the Gaugmaster or the Hand held unit. There are two more controllers at the back of the layout for additional control of the fiddle yard. The station building and platform lights, Waiting shelter, Signal box and goods shed are illuminated with a mixture of Grain of Wheat bulbs or LED's. The campfire at the end of the layout has a Modelex fire simulation module and a Seuthe smoke developer unit installed.
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| Magazine feature : Railway Modeller, November
2003 and the fifth Edition (November 2007) of Hornby
Magazine |
Layout size :
22ft x 10ft |
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Maindee
East Engine Shed
- presented by
Steffan Lewis - 4mm scale (P4)
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 It is 1961 and Maindee East Engine Shed is at the busiest,
cleaning, repairing and servicing the many engines required for both local
and mainline duties. The shed is portrayed very much in a workaday condition
and an integrated smoke unit adds to the atmosphere.
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| Magazine feature :
British Railway Modelling, November 2006 |
Layout size :
15ft x 2ft
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Reddall
Hill
- presented by
Cradley Heath MRC - 4mm scale
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Reddall Hill is a look back to the 1960's, last of the steam and start of the diesel and all the many changes of that decade.
We are showing a scene in the East Midlands on the edge of two towns close to a quarry which is the main traffic of the line.
The layout was built by club members to promote the club and to allow then to run stock they own.
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Layout size :
14ft x 6ft
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Shaweport
- presented by
Steve Farmer - 2mm scale
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 The layout is set in the mid 1990's to present date
and its location is in North Staffordshire, with the name of the layout taken from the books of Arnold
Bennett. The layout was built, as I had always wanted a layout with overhead electrification and also an
engineer's yard to show my departmental stock off. The overhead line equipment is from the N Brass
range with the wires by Sommerfeldt. The buildings are modified kits or scratch built as
in the case of the station building, which started out, as a chocolate box. The track is PECO
code 80 and control is by Kent Panel Controls. The layout will hold approx. 25 trains ranging from
light loco movements, block, enterprise, and departmental trains right though to full length
passenger trains as seen around North Staffs area, the rolling stock being drawn from mine and my
fellow operator's collections. The layout also won the Andy Calvert memorial
trophy at the Warley show in 2005.
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| Magazine features
: Articles about the layout appeared in Modem Railway Modelling issue number three and
Modelrail June 2007 issue.
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Layout size :
11ft x 8ft
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Ullapool
- presented by Alan
& Charles Salter - 4mm scale
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Ullapool is a fishing village on the shores of Loch Broom in North West Scotland. It is from here that the present Caledonian MacBrayne ferry leaves for Stornaway, on the Isle of Lewis.
Twice in the 19'hCentury the line to Ullapool was deemed feasible at the project stage and the Royal Ascent was finally granted to the "carve and Ullapool Railway" on
14th August 1890. The line was to leave the Inverness to Kyle of Lochaish line, just north of carve station. It was to be operated by The Highland Railway Company, and planned to become the gateway to the Isles. The scheme failed in 1893 due to insufficient funds, but was re-vitalised in 1897, but failed again for the same reason. Kyle on Lochalsh became the port for Stornaway because to its the rail connection, but it reverted back to Ullapool, due to this being a shorter sea crossing and its onward connection by road was both quicker and more economical.
The layout depicts the station as it may have been, assuming the increase in trade had been realised and that the Beeching axe had failed to fall on it. There is a short freight only branch to serve the docks. The station is modelled, as it would have appeared in the 1980's and 1990's. This enables a wide amount of rolling stock to be used, depicting various eras during this period. Most of the stock is propriety, running on Peco
track. All the building are modified from kits, with these and the backdrops depicting Ullapool as it is today.
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Layout size :
17ft x 4ft
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Vine
Street
- presented by Jon
Dening - 7mm scale
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In the last days of August 1964 train robber Charlie Wilson is still on the run, "A Hard Days Night" is playing to packed cinemas and the age of steam on the Western Region of BR is
drawing to a close. Old stalwarts such as Churchward prairie tank number 4564 will be withdrawn in a matter of weeks and auto train operations will cease in October. Meanwhile new diesels such as 0-6-0 hydraulic D9504 and BR Sulzer Type 2 D5266, an interloper from the London Midland Region, are fresh out of the works at the beginning of their all too short careers.
I chose to model this era of BR mainly because of the variety of traction and rolling stock that was in use at that time and because it was the time when my interest in railways was reawakened. Vine Street is located rather vaguely somewhere in the Gloucester / Worcester area, allowing even more variety as LM locomotives and stock from the Birmingham area work in. I have tried to ensure that everything you see on the layout could feasibly have been seen in one day- in reality without stretching credibility too far. As far as possible each locomotive is based on a photo of its prototype at work in the area. Otherwise I have chosen numbers of locos shedded at Gloucester or Worcester. D5266-works in from Saltley while D9504 mull have been commandeered on its way from Swindon Works to its home shed at Bristol!
A The layout is based on the (very compressed) track plan of the GWR terminus at Uxbridge Vine Street. It appealed because it offered the interest of double track operation and yet was capable of being reduced to fit in the space available at home.
The baseboards are of lightweight ply construction. Birch ply is used throughout - the tap is 6mm, ends 9mm and front/back 4mm. 4mm bracing is placed below each track bearing area. The track and points are Peco bullhead apart from the diamond crossing which was scratch built on PCB sleepers and fitted with C&L chairs carefully cut in half and glued in place. Cosmetic fishplates from C&L and careful painting improve the appearance of the track. The layout is fully signalled with the signals operated by motors from Embedded
Controls. The scenery is constructed in a very conventional way using chicken wire formers covered with plaster bandage. Foliage is mainly Woodland Scenics with trees and ballast from Green Scene. Structures are mainly built from card and foamboard using either Exactoscale brickpaper or Slaters Plastikard to represent brickwork. Various kits have also been suitably "bashed" to add variety and save time.
The rolling stock and locomotive stud has been built from a variety of kits with a few
w- Bachman/Tower brass items where suitable models were available. The kitbuilt locomotives are powered by either Portescap RG7 motor/gearboxes or Branchlines gearboxes with Mashima motors. Some locos are fitted with lights and all have sound chips by ZTC or Southwest Digital. The Lenz system of Digital Command Control allows us to drive trains without worrying about section switches although a conventional panel is still used to operate the points and signals. The couplings are the American Kadee variety. Although these are not particularly appropriate for steam age wagons they are robust and reliable and do allow auto coupling and delayed uncoupling by means of electromagnets. Besides, I hate fiddling with 3 link couplings!
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Layout size :
12ft x 15ft
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Ziller Valley
- presented by
Geoff Harper - 4mm scale narrow gauge
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 The layout was inspired by a holiday in Austria in 1987. It
is loosely based on Mayrhofen Station which is the terminus ' of the
narrow gauge Zillertalbahn. A goods yard has been added to increase train
variety. Trackwork is Peco 009 Crazy Track with turnouts operated by wire
in tube. Locomotives and rolling stock an all 'Ready to run" by Roco
and Lilliput.
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Layout size : 7ft x 2ft
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Zweiburg am Mosel - presented by
Brian Silby
- 2mm scale
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 On the banks of the River Mosel just a few kilometres south of the city of Koblenz
lies the pretty little town of Zweiburg, its buildings nestling beneath hills which are covered with grape vines The grapes that are grown here are for the production of fine German wines for which the area is well known. The railway line that passes the little town is a secondary route from Koblenz to Trier and traffic is mostly local regional trains that run between the two towns.Class 111 locomotives and silver fish coaches which date from the 1970's ply for trade every hour whilst freight trains are
hauled by GM Class 66 locomotives and Class 218 diesel locomotives work the four _ IR trains that work into Luxembourg.
The vineyards at the rear of the layout are modelled from Noch N gauge hedging material cut to size and glued in place.The name of the grapes which is fixed to the side of the hill at the back of the vines is actually the Brand-name of wine producer Anton Hammes of Alken am Mosel who was delighted to give us permission to use it.
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Layout size : 6ft 8in x 2ft 6in
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details of others will appear
shortly................
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page last modified 19 July 2008
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