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Layouts confirmed for Rail-Ex 2024

Layout 1:

Addison Road

O Gauge 1920s

Addison Road is nowadays known as Kensington Olympia, on the busy West London route between Willesden and Clapham Junction. Because this was a joint line, formerly involving the L&NWR, GWR, LB&SCR and L&SWR, this O gauge fine scale model shows the station as it was around 1925, enabling trains in both pre- and post-grouping liveries.

As you face the layout you are standing on the site of the Olympia exhibition halls, with Willesden Junction and the north off to your left; at the right-hand end of the layout the tracks disappear southwards under Hammersmith Road bridge towards Earl’s Court and Clapham Junction. The terraced houses of Russell Road form a natural backdrop to the station. Most of the trains running through the station at this period were general goods, coal or milk trains and our operating schedule is designed to provide a balanced representation of these services. For passengers, a frequent local service ran from the bay platform to Clapham Junction. The main lines were electrified in 1914 (3rd and 4th rail 630 volts DC), and the layout features models of the distinctive ex-LNWR 3-car electric sets which ran a through train which linked the northern cities of Liverpool and Manchester with the southern resorts of Brighton and Eastbourne. A Southern loco took over the southbound train at Willesden and the model shows the distinctive D213 carriages still in L&NWR livery; these had to be built from scratch. Amongst other items of interest on the layout are servo-operated scratch-built models of the original LNWR signals and the use of the MERG CBUS system to operate the layout from a representation of the lever frame in Kensington South Main signal box without the use of section switches.

Pictures of the layout courtesy of Tony Wright BRM

Layout 2:

Hatch End

N Gauge 1980s

Hatch End is based on the real location on the West Coast mainline north of London Euston. Set during the 1980s, with the four main lines under the 25kV AC wires running alongside the Watford lines of London Underground, you can be sure of plenty of lineside action on this busy N gauge layout. Look out for the full length APT!

Layout 3:

Ropley

OO Gauge 2000s

The layout is based on Ropley station on the Mid Hants Railway or Watercress line and is modelled to show its preservation appearance between 2009 and 2012. Ropley is the principal location on the railway, home to the line’s workshops where restoration projects are undertaken, as well as being the sheds for all the loco fleet. The railway is a long single line but the station has two roads, allowing trains to cross one another. Departing trains head off to either Alton or Alresford.

Layout 4:

Bevois Park & St Denys

N Gauge 1990s

Bevois Park and St Denys depicts the railway in this part of Southampton as it was in the pre-privatisation era of the early 1990s with locos and rolling stock that are correct for the period. The overall length from Mount Pleasant Crossing to the footbridge at St Denys station is slightly more than a scale half mile. Through this scene run typical services from the period including passenger trains from Network South East, InterCity and Regional Railways.

Bevois Park Sidings closed in 1990, but there is still plenty of freight on the main line. Regular traffic includes petroleum products from Fawley refinery and liquefied gas from Furzebrook. Steel arrives for offloading at nearby Northam yard and there are trains to and from Marchwood Military Port. Freightliners serving the two Southampton terminals pass through often and there is the occasional boat train to meet a cruise ship at the docks.

Make sure to look out for the train movements that are described in more detail on the flip card system at each end of the layout.

Layout 5:

Norge

HO Gauge

Norge is a fictitious Norwegian seaport with a busy local fishing industry. The layout is best described as “all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order”. From left to right the first buildings depict the beautiful Art Deco city of Alesund. Moving to the right the old warehouses are a snapshot of the Bryggen in Bergen. These have been scratch-built from holiday photos. Moving further to the right we find a scratch-built fishing village similar those in the Lofoten Islands and the Kjeungskjaer Lighthouse. The houses have been scratch-built in different sizes depicting typical Norwegian dwellings. The barn is typical of the grass roofing employed in Norway. The last structure is the depot at Hell just outside Trondheim. Animations include a peddling cyclist, some pecking chickens, a reindeer traffic jam, some mooing cows and a flashing lighthouse.

Layout 6:

Bethesda Sidings

OO Gauge 1950s-60s

When the Kington & Eardisley Railway completed their branch from Kington to New Radnor in 1875, the final piece of a small network of branches on the border of Herefordshire and Mid-Wales was put in place. Throughout the Victorian era there was much talk of extending the New Radnor line westwards towards Rhayader, and eventually to Aberystwyth. Although New Radnor station was laid out as a through station, it remained a terminus throughout its sleepy existence, until final closure was forced by the coal crisis in 1951. Capel Bethesda was an intermediate station, situated approximately halfway between New Radnor and Rhayadar. Due to topographical considerations, the goods yard was built a short distance from the passenger station and accessed down a short single line. In 1901 an independent light railway was built (under the auspices of the Light Railways Act of 1896) from Capel Bethesda northwards to Llanddewi, to tap into agricultural and other local traffic. Operating on a financial knife-edge from the start, the Vale of Radnor Light Railway was bolstered by the creation of an Army depot at Llanddewi in 1937, which provided the majority of the traffic until eventual closure in the 1960s. The layout depicts the period after the withdrawal of passenger services in 1962, when the section west of Capel Bethesda was closed completely and a goods-only service operated between Leominster and Capel Bethesda, with some services also serving Presteigne. As the light railway exchange sidings at Capel Bethesda were also closed by this time, the locomotives of the Light Railway were authorised by British Railways to run over their metals down into Bethesda Yard.

Layout 7:

Kyle of Lochalsh

2mmFS 1970s-80s BR Scottish Region

Kyle of Lochalsh was originally built in Barcelona, Spain as a micro layout capable of being transported via box-files. Since then the layout has since had two refurbishments and is now formed of two separate sections. The trackwork was built using 2mm Association Easitrac components with the storage sidings using the more conventional code 40 rail soldered to pcb sleepers. The intention was to try and capture an extract of Kyle of Lochalsh through the inclusion of the bridge, ramp, station and quayside. The backscene is formed by use of a panoramic photo stitch of the location which has been printed onto vinyl and applied to a thin perspex sheet. The layout era begins late 70’s to capture the overlap between class 24’s and class 26’s with the gradual replacement by class 37/4’s. The rolling stock modelled, all being visitors to Kyle, are primarily ready to run models, which have been detailed and the wheels reprofled to 2mmFS standards. Over time, chassis are gradually being replaced with 2mmFS etches. Originally a DC layout, it has now been converted to DCC and uses the Uhlenbrock Daisy II system. Photos are courtesy of Chris Nevard

Layout 8:

Brixcombe

P4 1930s GWR

Brixcombe is the Farnham club’s first P4 layout and portrays a South Devon terminus of the Great Western Railway. Situated somewhere between Newton Abbot and Plymouth, the station serves a small fishing port in an area popular with holidaymakers. As a result, traffic is suprisingly heavy with 2 daily expresses from London, a north to west cross country service and local trains from both east and west. Goods traffic is dealt with by 3 daily services and there is an early morning collection of the overnight fish catch. Once a year the local squire organises a very popular point to point meeting necessitating the insertion of a horsebox special into the schedule. As a result of the different interests within the Brixcombe team the layout can be running Dean liveried Cities and Bulldogs with early chocolate and cream stock, Churchward liveried Counties and Moguls hauling lake stock or Collett liveried Halls and Granges with 1930’s shirt-button stock. In the course of an exhibition weekend you are likely to see them all. Photos are courtesy of Chris Nevard.

Layout 9:

Middleton Top

OO 1950s-60s

The Cromford and High Peak Railway was built almost 200 years ago along similar lines to a canal, with rope-worked inclines powered by steam winding engines replacing locks where height needed to be gained. At the head of one of the inclines is Middleton Top with its engine house still surviving today. This remote windswept Derbyshire location has been extensively researched and modelled in 4mm scale across the last 4 years by Jay Dean. The majority of the items on the layout are either scratch or kit-built.

Layout 10:

Lydbrook Dean

OO 1950s-60s

Lydbrook Dean is an imaginary station set in the Wye valley area of the Forest of Dean in 1962. Passenger services ceased many years ago and the line is now freight only. A small quarry at Whitehill supplies the railway with ballast and there is a small goods yard behind the station for local traffic. The model is 00 gauge, 4mm to 1 foot scale (1/76). Trackwork is by PECO, except for the 3 way point which is hand made. Lydbrook Dean is DC controlled and the rolling stock has been carefully chosen from commercially available items. The layout is 8’ by 1’9” and folds in the middle so it can be transported on the back seat of the car, with uninterrupted vision through the rear window. The landscape is built up with plaster and sculptamold over formers of expanded polystyrene, while trees are a mixture of florists wire armatures and seafoam.

Layout 11:

Dorcross Bay

N Gauge Network Rail 1997 on

Dorcross Bay is a fictitious coastal layout. Inspiration for the layout is taken from the area between Dawlish Warren and Teignmouth. A small tunnel is located in the centre of the layout to break the bay up. The access to the beach is through a path from the cliffs and across the mainline via a footbridge. The layout is set in the privatisation period from 1997 onwards. Stock for the layout uses mainly FGW or GWR with Cross Country and Virgin operating services from further afield. A small amount of freight also uses the main line. Rail tours are also frequent visitors to the line.

Layout 12:

Wantage Tramway

P4 Light Railway 1923

The Wantage Tramway Company was a two-mile tramway that carried passengers and freight between the Oxfordshire town of Wantage and Wantage Road Station on the Great Western Main Line in England. Formed in 1873 to link Wantage Road station with its terminus at Mill Street, Wantage the line was cheaply built parallel to what was then the Besselsleigh Turnpike, and now the A338. The tramway closed to passengers in 1925 and to goods traffic in 1945, the model depicts the line in 1923.

Layout 13a:

Alstone Quay

O-16.5 Narrow Gauge

Alstone Quay is based on a fictional fishing port somewhere in the Southwest. The main trade is locally caught fish which are transported to the nearby mainline station but the service is also supplemented by tourist and local passenger traffic. The layout is classic “old school” using DC control with H&M point motors. Originally built around 2015 it was featured in Railway Modeller in 2016. After many years in storage the whole layout was re-vamped earlier this year. All stock and buildings are either scratch or kit built, track is by PECO and I have implemented Kadee couplings for “hopefully” a hands-free operation. A few computer gamers might recognize the name of the local fisheries company – Fontaine Fisheries!.

Layout 14:

Rossitor Rise

OO Gauge BR(M)& London Underground 1950s

Rossiter Rise portrays a fictitious through station somewhere in the suburbs of North West London in the mid-late 1950’s. It includes platforms serving LMR suburban services, LMR branch line trains and London Underground services. At the front of the layout is a small LT depot. Many of the structures are scratch-built, whilst others are kit-built or modified propriety models. The majority of the rolling stock is not ‘R-T-R off the shelf’ but a collection of unusual and rarely modelled items, including conversions, scratch-built and 3D printed construction. As well as the services mentioned above freight and light engine workings mean that almost anything can make a surprise appearance as motive power.

Layout 15:

Blackmoor

OO9 1930s Southern Railway

The layout is modelled on one of the main stations along the narrow gauge railway that ran between Barnstaple and Lynton in North Devon. The line opened in 1898 and became part of the Southern Railway in 1923. The Southern Railway carried out numerous improvements including upgrading the track and built an additional loco called ' Lew' plus extra bogie vans. However the ridership did not improve and the line was closed in 1935. The hotel by the bridge remained until it burned down in 1970 and the garage opposite survived a bit longer but now no trace remains of either. Part of the line has now reopened at Woody Bay station as a heritage railway with plans to extend to Blackmoor one day. Blackmoor station is now a public house. We first visited the place back in the 1980's and took numerous photographs of the building plus the old stables and goods shed that had been converted into residential units. Also, drawings of virtually all of the structures have been published which has helped with building the layout.

Layout 17:

Ewe

OO Gauge 1950s BR Eastern Region

Ewe is a small layout built in the Cameo style championed by the late Iain Rice. It depicts a small East Anglian backwater inspired by the Wisbech and Upwell tramway. The scenic section measures 4ft x 16ins with a rather ridiculously small fiddle yard popped on to represent the rest of the world. Motive power is provided by a selection of Rapido J70s which perhaps are better known as Toby the Tram Engine thanks to the writings of the Rev. W Awdry. All locomotives and stock are ready to run items weathered. Buildings are from either Bachmann or Hornby and again have been weathered by myself. Track is by PECO and control is DCC using a NCE Powercab.

Layout 18:

Old Oxendale Sidings

OO Gauge BR Various Eras

Old Oxendale Sidings is styled on a continuous running mainline concept with additional sidings. Viewers get to see stock running on the complete circuit while getting the benefits of the 16 feet long scenic section. Shunting of trains into sidings and trains being put into the passing loops occurs on the scenic section. The layout is dual powered, being controlled either by conventional DC, or DCC with sound and lighting, and it has been made easy to swap between the two during exhibitions. As a club layout, stock will be transition era through to more modern, reflecting members’ interests.

Layout 19:

Netherwood Sidings

O Gauge BR(E) 1970s-80

This layout represents the Woodhead line in its final years. The layout is based on a set of exchange sidings near Sheffield. The track plan is freelance but based on features taken from Rotherwood and Wath.

The bridges, in particular, are based on the real ones in the Rotherwood-Orgreaves area. The layout has taken around ten years to build and features scale overhead line equipment. Track is PECO plain line with the pointwork made from PECO Individulay parts. The double junction was built on a 1:43 scale print of the Network Rail drawing of a double junction. Some of the plain line uses PECO individulay parts with plywood or PECO 'concrete' sleepers, and care has been taken to try to make the trackwork as realistic as possible.

The stone buildings were made from foamboard covered with 'no more cracks' filler, scribed to represent the stonework. Other buildings are Plasticard (signal box) or Ten Commandments (pway hut). The various road vehicles are mainly Corgi.

The overhead wiring is the most obvious feature of the layout and was built from brass sections in the same way as we built the masts on Deepcar. Photographs of typical masts were used, taken from various books, and supplemented by measurements of the size of the steelwork which still exists at the Manchester end of the line. The wiring is to scale and consists of 0.5mm diameter steel piano wire silver soldered together.

The diesel locos are mainly from various kits, by Post War Prototypes, RJH and Modern Motive Power. There are also some Heljan diesels and a Dapol 08. The 76s were built from my own kits, as described in the series of articles published in Railway Modeller between December 2010 and April 2011. Rolling stock is mainly kit built from Parkside and Slaters kits but there are also some ready to run wagons (Dapol, Skytrex and Bachman) and some scratchbuilt wagons. The layout is controlled by a MERG DCC unit and all of the diesels have sound decoders and some have home made smoke units. Some of the electric locos have sound and arcing pantograph effects.

The chip shop has a 'working' deep fryer (actually a Suethe smoke unit in the chimney) and can be operated by visitors pressing a button on the front of the layout, as can the chimes in the ice cream van and the flashing light on the police phone box.

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Layout 20:

Canton East

OO Gauge 2000-2010

The early 2000s were all change for British Railfreight. With a steady invasion of American built locomotives, now is the time to catch the last of the traditional BR motive power out and working. Look down from the iconic footbridge of Cardiff Canton Depot to spot the l0ast vestiges of the traditional BR railway.
Locos are sound fitted and weathered.

Layout 21:

Moor Boxes

N Gauge micro layouts

The idea for Moor Boxes all started whilst trawling through YouTube one day. Inspiration came and a few micro layouts were viewed and then one in a box file; it was then that the idea behind Moor Boxes came and it was discovered how much fun one could have in very small space! I laid down a few basic ground rules for myself, and in general have stayed with them:
Each box made must be a self contained scene
The box retains all four sides and its lid
Everything must fit the height of the box (around 65mm)

Layout 22:

Allerby

O Gauge 1985-92

Welcome to Allerby. This family owned 7mm scale 0 Gauge layout measures approximately 40 feet x 17 feet. It depicts a fictional part of the railway system somewhere in Northern Cumbria with a chosen era of 1985 to 1992. Arranged in a U format, it has two fiddle yards; a main one located to the rear of the layout and a smaller 3 road one hidden behind the scenic siding area at the front of the layout. They are connected by a double track main line plus a single-track branch. This branch in our world leads to various industrial concerns that are rail linked and to other ‘off-stage’ parts of the network. Trains are worked from the back fiddle yard to either the front fiddle yard or the scenic sidings where they are split for dispatch back down the branch or shunted into the yard area. A small refuelling point is provided, which gives us the excuse of having plenty of light engine movements.

The layout is designed to ensure that there should always be something running. Baseboards are constructed from plywood, 9mm (tops) and 12mm (framework). All track and components are from C&L for the scenic area and Peco in the hidden fiddle yards. Track is ballasted using Greenscene 4mm ballast. Point control is via panel mounted switches with Cobalt point motors. Control is by a Digitrax DCC system with Hand-held controllers by Digitrax (tethered) and TCS (WiFi). Rolling Stock is a mixture of Ready to run and kit-built items. All stock and scenery are weathered to hopefully provide a realistic exhibit for your enjoyment.

Layout 23:

Tees Yard Wagon Repair Depot

OO Gauge Network Rail 1990s on

This layout is based on the real location in the North East of England, and features a fuelling point and the wagon repair depot that serviced mainly wagons in the steel traffic. The rolling stock is mostly from the EWS and DB era with class 60 and class 66 locomotives to be seen, along with various types of steel wagons in for repair and maintenance.

Layout 24:

Portishead T.M.D.

OO Gauge 2000 onwards

This layout is a “what-if” – it represents what the Portishead Railway might have looked like if it had remained open and developed into a modern DB/EWS and DRS Depot to service Portbury and Portishead Docks. It shows a 4 road engine shed with 2 central inspection pits – the building has a detachable half roof which reveals a fully detailed workshop. There is also a 4 bay refuelling station and fuel unloading area. The layout has full working yard lights, workshop lights and signals, and has been weathered. A range of locomotives and rolling stock from 2000 up to present day can be seen, as well as rail charters’ visiting locomotives.
The layout is DCC controlled and all locos are sound fitted.

Layout 25:

Graig Merthyr

OO Gauge 1980s BR(W)

Graig Merthyr is a branch terminus set in south Wales, with stock from the last vestiges of the BR Green diesel era that was slowly being replaced by the all conquering BR Blue.
The locos are detailed and weathered as well as fitted with sound.

Layout 26:

Weekend Yard

O Gauge

As the name suggests, Weekend Yard was constructed by members of the Gauge O Guild from nothing more than a set of baseboards to a complete working layout over just one weekend show. This layout showcases what can be achieved in a short space of time.

Layout 27:

Kostritzer

HO Gauge (E.Germany)

Kostritzer mine is in East Germany during the 1970s at the height of the cold war, the model features a working pit head a coal delivery system.

Layout 28:

Little Ashton

N Gauge

Little Ashton is a smaller copy of a 00 layout called Ashton. It is purely fictional, set in the early 2000s, with EWS and DBS locos dominating the scene. The small depot uses a modified Bachmann Farish fueller with lights and a twin set of PECO diesel depot buildings. There is also a Eddie Stobart warehouse. It is normally full of Eddie Stobart lorries and trailers.
The layout uses PECO code 55 finescale track.

Layout 29:

Tregellion Quay Power Station

N Gauge

Tregellion Quay Power Station is dominated by two cooling towers so typical of a C.E.G.B. power station, with its sidings used for delivering the coal. Local branch services pass by. Changes of the rolling stock can set the layout in different time periods.

Layout 30:

Fairwood Junction

OO Gauge 1980s on

Welcome to Fairwood Junction, on the Great Western Main Line just outside Westbury where the avoiding line route rejoins the station line. It is a favourite spot for railway enthusiasts, with trains heading west towards Taunton, Exeter, Plymouth and Cornwall in the shadow of Westbury’s famous white horse. There are often half a dozen locomotives stabled in the yards with DB Cargo, Freightliner and GB Railfreight Class 66s, and Colas Rail Class 70s predominant, with the occasional Class 56 or 67 from the latter. There is also the bonus of near-guaranteed sightings of the immensely powerful Class 59s from Merehead or Whatley quarries. Fairwood Junction is the perfect place to relax and watch trains pass by.
Photos copyright of Hornby magazine.

Layout 31:

Edgware Tube

N Gauge

"Edgware Tube" will be operating with all the different types of stock that have run on the line including 1959 and 1995 stock, and hopefully with 1938 stock at some point along, with battery locos on maintenance trains.

Layout 32:

Brakinrools Mine and Village

OO9

Brakinrools Mine and Village is a three layered model squeezed into a small space measuring just 60cm x 84cm. The track is in a figure 8 configuration with inclines well exceeding the 'rule' of 4% being the most a train can climb, hence the name.
The mine is still working but at weekends, when the mine isn't operating, a heritage train takes tourists from the village halt down into the mine to view the workings, so there are two trains working on this model. Look out for pit ponies, a sleeping dragon in a crystal cave, a high street with shops, a laundry, a tea garden, gravediggers and a wedding - plenty to see.

Layout 33:

Coedwigaeth Pentre

OO9

Coedwigaeth Pentre is a double sided layout, representing a narrow gauge mainline with a branch to a sawmill, with associated industries. DCC operation. Fictitiously based between Bishop’s Castle (Shropshire) and Porthmadog (Gwynedd).

Layout 34:

Penmachno

OO9

Penmachno is a village located in the Machno valley, 4 miles south of Betws-y-Coed in the county of Conwy, North Wales. At the head of the valley is the Tan-y-Rhiw slate quarry, which had an internal narrow gauge railway network.
A railway was proposed a few times to connect the quarry to the LNWR at Betws-y-Coed via Penmachno. One such proposal was by the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways which gives the basis for the buildings on the layout.

Layout 35:

Porcupine Creek

HOn30

Porcupine Creek is an imaginary logging camp in the middle of Vancouver Island, somewhere between Campbell River and Gold River where the timber is transhipped from local road transport to rail for delivery to a paper mill on the Discovery Passage.
A lot of the rolling stock are kits sourced from low volume Pacific North West suppliers to give authenticity to the layout.
HOn30 is the North American equivalent of European HOe.

Layout 36:

Queenie's Cottage

OO9

This layout was built by Geoff Broadhurst as a replacement for his original Pig Dyke Farm which has been exhibited for many years. It illustrates how little space is required for an interesting layout in 009, special interest is the stream and indeed Queenies Cottage itself.

Layout 37:

Snoreweed

OO9 and OO Gauge

Snoreweed is based on a narrow gauge line serving a small Westcountry metal mine with a standard gauge feeder. Inspiration came from the Forest of Bowland Light Railway.

Layout 39:

East Lynn Quay

S Scale (1:64)

East Lynn Quay is part of Trevor Nunns East Lynn model. Set in Norfolk and based on warehouses at Kings Lynn, this section represents a quayside where the limited space makes it necessary to use chain shunting and wagon turntables for access. The boat moored alongside is a masterpiece and is well worth a good look.

Layout 40:

Wegberg and Arsbeck

N Gauge

The layout is based on the small town of Wegberg and its neighbouring village Arsbeck in North-West Germany, situated on the line between Munchengladbach and Dalheim near the Dutch border. The British Army of the Rhine had a branch line to RAF Wildenrath off the line and this junction is to be seen on the model. The period modelled is 1955-1970.
Traffic over the route was steam hauled passenger trains and drop off freight workings in the early period, with diesel locomotives and diesel/battery railbuses taking over the duties through the 1960s, and the changeover can be seen. Non-stop passenger trains also run, and as the line was part of the “Iron Rhine” freight link between Antwerp and the Ruhr some long through freight formations also feature.

Layout 41:

North Park

OO Gauge BR(S) in the 1960s

North Park is a terminus in the suburbs of London, featuring steam, diesel and 3rd rail electrics. A busy station, it is a good place to see the major transition period in British Railways’ history.

Layout 42:

Choates Lane

N Gauge HS1 in the 2020s

The area this layout is based on is where the High Speed One (HS1) line comes to the surface at Dagenham out of the tunnel from Stratford. This is close to the Ford Motor Company works and beside Dagenham Dock station on the Tilbury line. The lines depicted above the High Speed One line are not modelled on the real ones, and the cement works and distribution depot are based on the ones at Rainham and Dagenham. The principle is to give an impression of the area but using modellers license to the full. Imagine you are standing on Dagenham Dock station looking towards the Thames with St Pancras, Dagenham and Stratford on your right and the Ford Motor Company, Dartford and the Channel Tunnel on your left.