Hinksey Yard is just south of Oxford. It’s a DB Schenker (formerly EWS) Local Distribution Centre, often called a “Virtual Quarry”. Regular deliveries of ballast are stockpiled to allow trains to be prepared for weekend engineering works. Rail, sleeper and ballast wagons all appear in the yard as well as spoil wagons returning from engineering occupations.

Passing passenger trains include First Great Western HSTs and Cross Country Voyagers. Freight services include Freightliner and EWS intermodal container services, car transporters from Cowley Works, scrap in containers, MoD traffic, oil and coal for Didcot power station.

Our model is a compressed representation of part of this yard - a full size model would be around 50′ long. The scenic part of the layout is 18′ long by 19″ deep. Track is standard Peco code 55 electrofrog, using some 60 points and around 85 yards of track. Point motors are Seep. Control is conventional DC for the mainline and DCC for the Yard itself. Scenic work includes scratch-built footbridges and offices as well as plentiful use of scatter, fine grass fibres and tree foliage nets.

Rolling stock comes from the Farish, Dapol, Revolution and CJM ranges supplemented with kits and 3D prints. Photo (c) Chris Nevard

Collingwood is a fictitious layout heavily based on Fareham Station near Hampshire’s South Coast on the West Coastway line between Portsmouth and Southampton. Fareham is an important junction on the line, where the single line towards Botley, Hedge End and Eastleigh diverges from the main West Coastway line that continues around towards Southampton Central.

Collingwood closely resembles Fareham but isn’t a faithful replication to provide additional interesting and operational features. The layout is ‘OO’ gauge with the time period set between the years 2003-2017 and is meant to portray an accurate model of the privatisation era.

The layouts centrepiece is a fully working signalling system controlled by a IECC style panel displayed above the layout via a Raspberry Pi and MERG CBUS modules. This demonstrates now the modern railway signalling systems work.

There are plenty of details and features to lookout for on the layout, including a working level crossing, fully detailed interiors and DCC sound fitted trains with working tail lamps as well as a host of small details.

New Sharon is the third of my Maine(USA) 2ft narrow gauge layouts modelled with ½ inch gauge track in 1/48th scale.; unlike Franklin and Megantic, New Sharon has been designed as a purely exhibition diorama style layout. I was inspired by a photo of a wooden trestle bridge on the proposed line linking the Sandy River Railway at Farmington with the sea at Wiscasset; sadly it was never opened despite nearly all the trackbed, bridges, and station buildings being completed and ready for track-laying.

I have modelled the station at New Sharon on the assumption that the line did actually open, and consequently built up a healthy traffic in trunk hauls from the large Sandy River system down to the harbour for trans-shipment into schooners sailing up and down the New England coast. The trackplan is simple, with a passing loop and one siding that serves a potato warehouse; hopefully the scene will provide a pleasing backdrop for genuine Sandy River trains, drifting through the village with its New England clap-board buildings and then across the embankment on to the trestle bridge over the Sandy River.

https;//maineon2faq.wordpress.com/2021/10/03/rhns/

Barnwood in N gauge is a fictional location in Northwest England on a loop line off the West Coast Mainline between Preston and Lancaster and is set in the early 1990s. It is on the coast with a small port with regular connections to the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.

The town is busy with passing freight as it acts as a second route between Preston and Lancaster relieving pressure on this two track section of West Coast Mainline. Passenger services are worked by Regional Railways trains running between Preston and Barrow in Furness. There is a short branch line to Glasson on the estuary of the River Lune.

The port features a container terminal, grain terminal and steel terminal with appropriate ships at the quayside. Other terminals in the town are an oil terminal, cement terminal, a large warehouse, a siding for the transhipment of logs and a Royal Mail terminal. Along side the station is small loco depot. Around thirty different trains run on the layout.

Welcome to our re-creation of the North Wales Coast main line in the Silver Jubilee year of 1977. BR Corporate Blue rules the rails and traffic is heavy with regular passenger and freight traffic augmented by excursions taking holidaymakers to the delights of the North Wales resorts. Classes 24, 25, 40 and 47 dominate the locomotive action whilst first-generation DMUs in varying formations will bring back happy memories (for some!).
We operate in accordance with the BR rule book and that means everything from the humble unfitted trip freight trundling along at 25mph right the way through to principal expresses hammering along at line speed.
Mostyn presents the largest collection of P4 finescale rolling stock in the country and, as always, there are new items making their debuts here at Alexandra Palace. Keeping this big fleet of over eight hundred vehicles running well requires regular attention and you can see us dealing with the latest casualties on our repairs and maintenance demonstration table.
Please do not hesitate to ask questions, stop for a chat on all matters relating to the BR blue period or simply take a lineside viewing point and let yourself drift into a world of 1977 railway nostalgia….

It is the late 1950s. Horse Creek is a small settlement in southern Wyoming. The name comes from the ‘intermittent’ river which flows through it, taking melt water from the Rockies to join the Mississippi, and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.
At this point the creek is crossed by the main line of the Colorado and Southern Railway. First generation cab-unit diesels (F7) are the main power and the road switchers (SD7s) have just arrived; however there is still some steam operation.
The C&S is a short line (740 route miles) which, with its partner the Fort Worth and Denver and their parent the Chicago Burlington and Quincy, provides the most direct route between the North West coast and the ports on the Gulf of Mexico. Industries generate rail traffic in minerals and livestock, in addition to general supplies for themselves and the local population.
The model, as always, is incomplete and is not intended to be a precise replica of the prototype but to be typical of the 'high plains' area. In this set-up Horse Creek is converted from a through station into a terminus.
Construction is lightweight open frame (mainly 6mm ply) with styrofoam and plaster shell landscape.
Photo © Ian Manderson by courtesy of Continental Modeller

In our history the good burghers of Abergavenny were dissatisfied with the North and West Joint line (Newport to Shrewsbury) being so far from the town and pressed for a town-centre station. Wishing to ward off the LNWR the GWR responded by promoting a nominally independent company to build a short branch, with the prospect of an extension along the Usk Valley to Crickhowell and Brecon. The extension never came about and the company was soon fully in GW hands but the branch did allow the town to expand and the short branch survived until the mid-sixties.
Services from the Vale of Neath line were extended from Pontypool Road and the MT&A trains from Merthyr (by now taken over by the Western Region of British Railways) as well as some of the shorter mainline services to Cardiff and Hereford also work into the station. The expanded population proved beneficial on the eve of WW2 as the town provided (and still provides) a substantial number of workers for ROF Glascoed and there is a workmen’s train that runs daily to Glascoed (SX), which is stabled at Abergavenny overnight. Most freight by-passes the station, but there is some freight traffic, generally house coal and supporting the locality’s agricultural industry.
Known as Abergavenny with the addition of GWR most of its life, since just after nationalisation (it is now Autumn 1954) Blackbrook has been added to the station name to avoid any confusion with the other stations bearing the town’s name.

Spilsby is a rural market town in a predominantly agricultural area of Lincolnshire.
It lies on the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds and North of the Fens. The railway station stood on a 4 mile long branch line between Spilsby and Firsby Junction, where it connected to the main line between Cleethorpes and London.
The railway was opened in 1868 and from 1890 was operated by the Great Northern Railway. Passenger services were suspended in 1939, at the start of World War II, leaving only a freight service which continued until 1958 when the line was closed.

Between Ely and March, amongst the rich peat soil of the Fens, deposits of sand and gravel have been quarried for many years, In a shallow pit a Ruston 10RB dragline loads skips to be hauled away by aging Simplex locomotives.
The gift of an original manual, with scale drawings, for a 10RB led to the construction of the dragline and inspired this 16mm scale layout, a tribute to an age before lorries and conveyor belts replaced rails.

First of all, if you’ve got children with you, let them know that if the signal is green, the next train will come from the right, if it’s orange, it will come from the left. I find this knowledge keeps them engaged for longer! Right, now for the grown-up bit….

The meter gauge railways of the Swiss Alps have held a fascination for me for as long as I can remember; particularly the red livery of the Rhaetian Railway, or the RhB as it is known. It’s one of the more extensive meter gauge networks in Switzerland, and serves well-known mountain towns including Davos, Klosters, and Saint Moritz. Its rails play host to two recognisable services – The Glacier Express, and the Bernina Express – both of which run on the layout.

The striking red of the well-maintained trains against brilliant white snow is an impactful image, and the toy like proportions of narrow-gauge railways made this an attractive subject to me. The RhB has an enormous international following and is as much a tourist attraction in its own right as well as being a serious transport network. As such there’s a healthy appreciation of the railway’s heritage, and historic ‘specials’ run on the RhB throughout the year.

My actual journey into modelling the subject started at some point in 2019, when I bit the bullet and purchased an RhB locomotive from eBay. This was swiftly followed with a trip to visit the famous curving ‘Landwasser Viadukt’ on the Albula Line. In fact, it is this bridge that I wanted to recreate in model form, but once planned out the sheer scale of the layout was too great a challenge for my first effort at building a scenic layout.

Instead, I settled on creating a pair of modules that would form a diorama for my ever-increasing collection of RhB trains to run through. From the outset a key factor was that the layout had to be able to handle scale length trains. The result is Kreuzweg, a fictional location but based on several actual scenes on the line between Klosters and Davos. Kreuz (cross) weg (path) is the name of a ski piste that drops down into Klosters, passing underneath the line, and one that I skied myself during my second visit to the area in March 2020.

The diorama was deliberately conceived as a practice model, and includes all of the techniques that I will need on the eventual viaduct layout. These include plaster rock castings, carved stonework, fast running water, snow, 3D printed signals, and catenary. Rolling stock is exclusively by BEMO and the permanent way is 12mm gauge PECO flexitrack. Off scene storage is via a seven-road traversing table, meaning the layout has no points (turnouts). Currently all operation is by single analogue DC controller.

The model is set in the Early Edwardian Period and Books Bridge is the southern Terminus of the Lark Valley Railway [now the Lark Valley Railway and Tramway Company since the start of electrification]. The Railway is in the throes of being converted to an electric Tramway selling off the original Steam Tram engines as the use of Tram Cars increases with more of the railway being electrified. The remaining steam engines being used on goods and works trains and passenger trains on unelectrified sections.

Though Books Bridge with its country location attracts the towns people for days out a major source of income is still milk and market garden produce. At exhibitions the layout is run as if it was a Fair Day with the trams being run as needed towing steam trailer cars to increase capacity rather than on an ordinary day with a 50-minute service using single cars.

CAMELOT was designed to show off what can be achieved in a very small space (4’ x 3’) with this “new” true scale system from Hornby, coupled with their new app-based Bluetooth controlled HM7000 operating system. Most of the running stock on Camelot is Post War Era 4 & 5, BR.
The centre piece of Camelot is the ROCO turntable with an eight lane round house, re-finished in “Scalescenes” printed paper to make it look less Continental, which is surrounded by two mainline running loops, a “working” loop with goods yard and separate coal drop and a raised level for rolling stock storage. Behind the backscene is a simple but useful stock loading fiddle yard.

Peachy TT120 on YouTube

Drws y Nant is a passing station on the GWR Ruabon to Barmouth route, situated between Bala and Dolgellau in a wooded valley in Mid-Wales. As the only building left now is the station master’s house, the layout was built using many archive photographs as well as site visits to get the general lie of the land. We even have a part of the original signal box on display.
The layout is built to 2FS standards using the 2mm Association Easi-Trac plastic base for plain track and soldered PCB sleepers with etched chairplates for all the pointwork. The offset scissor crossing was a unique bit of trackwork that gives the station a bit more interest than a simple passing loop. Stock is a mix of scratch-built, kit built and modified RTR all with wheels to 2FS standard. We have stock to cover 1930s and 1950s periods and attempt to run formations that were noted on that route.
A Magnorail system animates the road vehicles and servos control most of the movements for points, signals and level crossing, all operated via a Digitrax DCC system.
More information is shown on the boards at the front of the layout and we will be happy to answer other questions not addressed on these.

Welcome to the south west Durham countryside circa 1928. Staindrop is a large village between Darlington and Barnard Castle, but never rail served. This ‘might have been’ branch is an attempt to model the old
Central Division of the North Eastern Railway but in post grouping LNER days.

This allows for the first changes that were taking place under the LNER other than just the livery of the locos and coaches. The introduction of steam railcars to replace the NER autocars (push-pull) being an example. However, the pre grouping character of the branch remains with an infrastructure of pure NER.

The buildings and structures are all locally sourced. The station building is based on Battersby, the water tank from Middleton-in-Teesdale, and the wooden overbridge from the Stainmore line. Many of the details, such as fencing, are researched from original NER sources and drawings. The signal box, based on Bowes, and signals are pure Central Division-not slotted and have simple caps rather than finials. The viaduct is based on an NER timber trestle from Ushaw Moor which lasted until the 1960’s

The aim is to give representation of a country branch and the variety of facilities it might contain. There are coal cells, plus facilities for cattle, horses and milk, as well as passengers.

The layout is mine but only possible with a lot of help from my friends at the Epsom & Ewell Model Railway Club. Photo (c) Chris Nevard

The Model Railway Club invites the layouts and provides the stewards for this event. But we're much more than that, With over 250 members, a range of layouts and our own club rooms in the heart of London near King's Cross we're a great group to join to improve your modelling skills, become part of a layout group (and this show next year!) and socialise at our weekly social meetings. Find out more about us browsing to site

Join at the show for just £40 for the rest of 2025, and take away a free tool kit worth £39.95

Come and see us on stand 50 to find out more.

In the 1860’s there was a planned extension to the Chichester to Midhurst railway line to connect with the LSWR at Haslemere. In reality the line never progressed beyond the planning stage and this model is an interpretation of what could have been. Centred around the planned intermediate station at Stedham, it includes a junction between the LSWR and LBSC systems. The LBSC connection being electrified and served by services between Haslemere and Pulborough, the LSWR connection retains a rural atmosphere with services from Midhurst and Petersfield. The model is built to a scale of 3mm to 1 foot and can be operated in the Southern railway or post nationalisation eras, with locomotives and rolling stock typical of those periods. Apart from old Tri-ang models which were manufactured in the 1950’s & 1960’s, there is very little available in this scale from the proprietary manufacturers, consequently all the trackwork is hand-built. Locomotives, multiple units and rolling stock are built from scratch or kits with a few modified Tri-ang items. Buildings are based on those in various locations in Sussex and are made from scratch or have been modified from kits or proprietary items.

Central Works is based on a fictional car assembly plant, with some likenesses to the intense network of sidings that once existed around the complex at Longbridge in Birmingham, Although this was an Austin factory, it has been made deliberately region neutral to allow the opportunity for us to feature different car makes & marques plus interesting rolling stock periodically.

It comprises of an industrial scene featuring a car assembly plant. This layout has two segments, the mainline exchange sidings and the industrial section of the factory complex. Stock is predominantly freight but the occasional passenger operation may be seen arriving at the short platform. These are generally workmen’s trains and do not appear in a public timetable.

Traffic for the factory arrives in the form of raw materials and is exchanged into the works via the industrial locomotives. Completed vehicles are then returned back to the main line for onward transport on CARFLAT vehicles.

A feature of this layout will be ongoing development of the backscene with lighting effects and steam/smoke emissions from the various factory processes. Additionally, a working coal tippler is in use which provides fuel from loaded wagons to the plant boiler house. This tippler was generously donated to the Luton MRC by the Model Railway Club, so it would enjoy future use on a layout after their Happisburgh layout was decommissioned.

The City of PLANT CITY is located in central Florida, USA, the potato spur is located just to the west of the City, near the airport, on the CSX Corporation main line to Tampa. This spur serves, the Florida Potato and Onion Company, which receives reefer cars of potatoes and onions for distribution by road, the second rail served customer is Builders First Source, who receive car loads of timber for their engineered wood products business, the third customer is Triest Irrigation, which receives tank cars of pesticides for distribution by road, there is also a secure railroad car storage compound for off spot tank cars.
The model is built to HO scale 1/87, and is set between 2008, when Incryo Systems facility opened and 2015 when Triest Irrigation stopped receiving tank cars, their siding now looks out of use. I have tried to model this location as accurately as possible, based mainly on Google street view and a video. The width is scale but the length has been reduced by 40%, with some selected cutting out.

It’s all my Uncle Eric’s fault! He was my Dad’s youngest brother and signalman at Long Melford, Suffolk on The Stour Valley Line, in the late ’50’s- early 60’s, and I spent many happy hours in the signal box when I was young. So, after many years of thinking about it, I have modelled the station as I remember it. There is a fully interlocked, 45 lever, working signal box on the front of the layout, where the prototype was, with a signalman controlling all movement, and working semaphore and ground signals throughout the layout.

There is also a large replica of the signal box diagram, situated over the back scene, so that signalling operations can be observed by the public. I have also introduced a monitor screen, which is also displayed on the back scene, showing where each train has come from, and where it is going to. Hopefully, this gives a historical interest, showing the routes that were in place at the time.

A modern image OO Gauge layout featuring blue diesels from the 1970s era. The layout is based on a small town in the North West and has a small station on a single line system. The layout has a working level crossing and semaphore signals fitted. There are various cameo scenes on the layout including the local fire brigade in action along with a busy market scene. Most buildings have been fitted out with internal lighting including the signal box which has been detailed inside.

The layout is end to end and measures 22ft long by 18 inches width. The scenery boards are 12 ft long and it is operated from the front to allow operators to engage with the general public

Baseboard’s are from the Tim Horn range, the fiddle yard boards have been slightly modified. SMP Markway track and points have been installed, points are operated via slow operating Cobalt motors. Track has been ballasted with good old tea leaves! The layout is operated by DCC using a Lenz system and all locomotives and DMU’s have been fitted with sound.

This was my first attempt at building an exhibition layout and as an independent modeler I hope that you like what you can see. Please feel free to ask us any questions.

East Dock is a 4mm scale, EM gauge layout built by long time club member Alan Goode. Alan was acknowledged by the members of the Abingdon club as one of their most skilled modellers. The whole model from the baseboards to the delightful little locomotives and rolling stock were designed and built with the thoughtful precision that Alan exuded in everything he did and it is a privilege to be able to exhibit East Dock in his memory.

The model which is set in the period circa 1936 represents one corner of a much larger dock complex somewhere in the Goole/Selby area of Yorkshire. Both the LMS and the LNER operated there, using tracks or running powers inherited from their pre-grouping predecessors. Major exports were coal and steel, while imports included timber from Scandinavia for both the building industry and pit props for use in coal mines.

The baseboards, including their framework are built from 4mm thick plywood ensuring strong but light structure. The track work is scale section bull-head rail soldered to copper-clad sleepers and most of it is inset into granite sets from the Metcalfe Models quarry, the points are actuated by mechanical rodding, with slider switches to change the frog polarity.

Most of the buildings are of plasticard embossed stone or brick on a balsa-wood or foam board core. They include the original stone buildings and perimeter wall constructed by the dock company. The accessories are either scratch-built or come from a range of proprietary sources. The ‘dirty British coaster’ in the dock is scratch built and is an amalgam of ideas from the book ‘Steam coasters’ by Waine & Fenton. The locomotives are mostly kit built with their chassis modified to incorporate compensation, this improves both running and electrical pick-up. Their small size has required ingenuity to fit motors and drives in such a way that they are not obtrusive. The other rolling stock is mostly kit built and is biased towards the specialist dock traffic. All vehicles are fitted with Alex Jackson couplings to permit ‘hands-off’ shunting using strategically placed electro-magnets.

This layout was built by The Reverend Wilbert Awdry, Talyllyn Railway volunteer and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine.

The layout depicts the terminus of Thomas’ branch line, Ffarquhar Station. The branch is part of the North Western Railway in the Island of Sodor, off the North West coast of England. The rolling stock on the layout dates from between 1928 and 1982, the majority built by the Reverend himself – engines such as Percy, Mavis and Toby are the first models ever made of these iconic characters and were even used by the illustrators of the books as reference.

The Rev Awdry was very careful in his detail, making sure his fiction lined up with reality;
“The station area only is shown. Through the tunnel lie Elsbridge, Knapford, Tidmouth and other places in the outside world. At Knapford the branch reaches the sea and joins the main line.

Our old friends Thomas, Percy, Daisy and Toby operate the traffic. In addition, the Ffarquhar Quarry Company have bought a Drewry Diesel named Mavis who appears from time to time at Ffarquhar Station. The timetable covers a whole day’s working, and is shown in three sections, each lasting about 20 minutes”
– The Rev W. Awdry.

The layout is usually on display in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at the Talyllyn Railway, left to us when he passed. The layout has visited the Model Railway Club's exhibitions at Westminster and Wembley many times with the Reverend operating, so in celebration of 80 years since the publication of his famous Railway Series this year we thought it was due a revisit.

The model is an accurate portrayal of Bournemouth West in the period 1959- 1963. The only place where there has been compromise is where the tracks disappear off scene to the storage yard behind. Here we have included a model of the Beechey Road bridge which does exist but is just outside Bournemouth Central. The large dwelling houses on the embankment along the back of the layout are educated guesses as we have no pictorial record of what they were like and they were demolished when
the station closed to make way for a road.

Baseboard construction uses 9mm plywood on a plywood framework. In order to get the correct track plan, we originally divided the boards up to suit but, in hindsight, this was a mistake as we have a number of mismatched sizes which make transport harder and two very large boards covering the station area which are very heavy. The storage yard boards are of equal size and easier to transport. The yard itself consists of 11 holding tracks each capable of holding a 12-coach train and a 12ft long traverser enabling dispatch and acceptance of trains from the layout and into/out of the holding sidings. In all there are 16 baseboards.

A sequence of trains is run that seeks to represent most of the services that ran into and out of Bournemouth West in the period modelled and this lasts approximately
three hours.

All stock on the layout is owned by the operators but we are very particular about what is allowed and how it’s portrayed. The period we chose to model gives a bit of leeway as it was a period of change. The layout is fully Digital Command Control (DCC) fitted using the Digitrax system. However, we do plan to upgrade this system in time. Most locomotives are sound fitted and an associate of the group has developed a unique steam system which has to be seen to be believed.

Eastwood was a station between Todmorden and Hebden Bridge built by the Manchester and Leeds Railway, later to become the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. This was part of the Calder Valley Main Line from Manchester to Normanton. The station opened in 1841 but closed in 1951. The line is still in use but very few traces of the station remain. In its heyday it was a busy place with local and long distant trains stopping. Many people used the station to commute to factories in Rochdale and further afield to Manchester.

The station is on a double track mainline with staggered platforms. It had a small yard with trailing connections from both up and down lines. It also had sidings to a small mill and a loop serving coal drops which we believe met both domestic and industrial demand for coal. Behind the coal drops, the scene is dominated by Cockden Mill (known locally as Dan Crabtree’s). It was a mixed mill covering most of the textile processes, but especially dyeing.

Cockden was the main industrial area of Eastwood, with several mills and workshops. The buildings in front of the railway included the Halfway House pub. There was a small arch under the railway which gave access to Cockden Mill and steps up to Higher Eastwood.

The layout built by members of the South Hants MRC represents Eastwood as it was shortly after the Great War.

“Two Bridges Up Sidings” is 4mm OO, set in a fictious location is the Southern Region, near a major junction station behind the bridge to the left and with a freight yard just off scene to the right. The layout has a double track main line at the front of the scenic section and yard reception siding and loco stabling sidings behind. Today the layouts era is early 1990’s and depicts trains seen in Kent and Sussex.

Rolling stock is either “ready to run”, kit built or scratch built and includes models from the 90s right upto current releases all curated to suit the chosen era and region. Paul recalls these trains from his commuting years and has developed a library of enthusiast and historians books, whilst Andy knows these from 90s Rail Magazine and more recent internet research where many committed enthusiasts have uploaded fantastic photos and videos from the era.

The layout is DC analogue controlled with signals complete with train detection by infrared sensors. Three operators control the Up, Down and Yard lines and are instructed to keep the trains moving!

YouTuber Dawn Quest's first exhibition layout - Brief Encounter Monochrome - is based on the 1945 film, directed by David Lean and starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson. Created entirely in shades of grey in keeping with the black and white film, Brief Encounter first made its debut on the exhibition circuit in December 2023 and has proved a popular attraction at both UK and international model railway shows over the past year. Says Dawn: "People are used to seeing black and white images and photos in 2D but seeing black and white in 3D really does play funny tricks with your eyes". You can find out more about Brief Encounter Monochrome on Dawn Quest's YouTube channel @modelrailwayquest

Dawn's second exhibition layout stays with the film theme - this time based on the classic 1955 Ealing Comedy, The Ladykillers - and in colour! The exercise was to create a compact exhibition layout that would fit into the back of an estate car, while providing lots of interest and lots of movement of rolling stock. It features four working lines of track - one first radius outer loop and three end-to-end lines operated by DC shuttle controllers.

The layout features key cameos from the film including the robbery, the phone box, the greengrocer scene and of course the classic signal scene at the end of the film. The layout also features a "centre-piece" Mrs Wilberforce's house which Dawn commissioned Tom Marshall of Buggleskelly Station to build especially for her layout and which has since gone on to become a popular item for sale in Tom's store. The build of the layout has been serialised on Dawn Quest's YouTube channel @modelrailwayquest

Somewhere is a busy industrial scene set in the early 60’s, incorporating both 00 and 009 track. The geographical location only being determined by the stock being run.
A collection of small industrial locomotives busy themselves sorting stock around the works and factory units with through loads of oil and steel.

Agricultural machinery arrives and departs from the machinery dealer where repairs are carried out. Occasionally something larger passes through to another part of the complex. On the higher-level narrow-gauge diesels move merchandise and workmen between sites.

Welcome to the Furness MRC’s slice of North West England’s urban electrified railway. The layout represents the West Coast Main Line passing through the fictitious town of Coppell (Lancs).

The time period of the layout is BRs sectorised period from 1986 to 1996, before privatisation really set in. Stock includes Intercity, (West Coast and Cross Country), Railfreight, Civil Engineers, RTC Test trains, Railtours and local and long distance Regional Railways services, (mostly formed by DMU’s, but including EMU’s and Loco Hauled).

The models are a wide ranging collection of detailed RTR, kits and scratch built models. The layout is divided into four separate circuits, fed from a large fiddle yard capable of holding approximately 60 complete trains, This comprises one yard of six roads, two of seven roads and one of four roads. Each road can contain up to four trains. It can take up to 40 minutes to see them all! Track is mostly PECO streamline, laid on cork and ballasted with Woodland Scenic Materials. Buildings are either kit-bashed or scratch-built using embossed plasticard on mdf shells.

Signals are Knightwing plastic kits modified with brass posts and LEDs, controlled by push-button switches, track circuits and two reprogrammable logic chips. The Overhead Catenary is mostly Somerfeldt wires on scratchbuilt masts, and also a couple of modified “N Brass” Lattice structures. Pantographs are either Somerfeldt, Hornby/Lima hybrids or Hurst Models Hi-Speed Kits.

Layout control is DCC, powered by multiple Lenz SET 100's and operated with various ‘I’ devices running Touchcab software. Motive power is mostly fitted with ESU sound decoders, most with enhanced bass speakers, with a few Zimo sound and Lenz silver decoders.

WEBSITE – http://coppellfmrc.webs.com/ Photo - (c) Ian Edwards

This massive cityscape diorama represents 40 years of work by MRC members. The railway lands immediately to the north of our clubrooms were our inspiration, basing the project on the approaches to Kings Cross and the North London Railway at Belle Isle: an area now transformed with massive new property developments.

The scene encompasses the area immortalised by the 1955 Ealing comedy film, 'The Ladykillers'. In the background of the model can be seen the Metropolitan Cattle Market, the tower of which still stands. The lighting fascia has a 7 metre span and is a feat of plywood engineering.

The model appears larger than it really is because the scale reduces to 1:450 towards the back. The scenery is set in the ‘20s & ‘30s, but trains cover the period back to the 1900's. Most of the locomotives are scratch built to 2mm fine scale standards. The layout continues to develop - especially at the South end in the vicinity of the Kings Cross Goods Yard and Top Shed. Details of the Club can be found by browsing this website.

The Model Railway Club invites the layouts and provides the stewards for this event. But we're much more than that, With over 250 members, a range of layouts (including Copenhagen Fields) and our own club rooms in the heart of London near King's Cross we're a great group to join to improve your modelling skills, become part of a layout group (and this show next year!) and socialise at our weekly social meetings. Find out more about us browsing to site

Join at the show for just £40 for the rest of 2025, and take away a free tool kit worth £39.95

Come and see us on stand 50 to find out more.

The Totton, Hythe and Fawley Light Railway was opened in July 1925, mainly to serve the new AGWI (Atlantic Gulf West Indies) oil refinery. By the date of the model the refinery was owned by Anglo American (ESSO). There were also stations at Marchwood and Hythe. Passenger trains were limited, but only one terminated at Totton, the others formed part of the local services around Southampton. Apart from normal freight, the oil traffic built up steadily. Tank wagons at this period carried a variety of liveries. Due to station track layouts, empty and loaded wagons from Marchwood and Hythe had to circulate via Fawley.

The model was built to try and give an impression of how the station appeared in the 1934-39 period, but is much compressed in length and width to fit the available space. If the buildings and surrounds appear to be too ‘clean’, please remember that the station is only some 10 to 12 years old at the period modelled.

The model was built to try and give an impression of how the station appeared in the 1934-39 period. If the buildings and surrounds appear to be too ‘clean’, please remember that the station is only some 10 to 12 years old at the period modelled. Photo (c) Chris Nevard

The Whiteleaf Tramway is our attempt to show in an indoor setting, what can be achieved in the garden of a typical home. We make no apology for the intensive schedule being run on the line today. We are here after all to entertain ......and to demonstrate the diverse pleasures of a tramway in the garden.

The layout is built to what is known as G Scale . The track gauge is 45mm, (the same as Gauge 1) representing the 3ft narrow gauge tracks of Britain or the USA , or the metre gauge tracks of Europe, with a scale of approximately 1:22.5. The layout is owned by the Buckinghamshire Garden Railway Society and the rolling stock is provided by the members.

The layout portrays a typical heritage electric tramway that runs through the streets and then sets off through the countryside to serve surrounding villages. As not all sections of a tramway would be equipped with overhead wire, steam and diesel traction come in from outlying areas. This type of operation handles both passenger and goods traffic and was very common on tramways across Europe.

More information can be found on our website bgrs.org.uk

Duke Street is probably the largest Hornby Dublo two-rail lay-out on the exhibition circuit. It shows a full selection of Hornby Dublo 2 rail steam and diesel locomotives with a few Wrenn locomotives. There is a complete range of goods wagons and carriages of the super detailed series and also all the later plastic buildings from the Hornby range, plus other period accessories from other companies such as Merit, Matchbox and Crescent. Also on the lay-out are some DubloDinkey vehicles, which were specially designed to go with the railway system. These things all date from 1958 until 1964, when Meccano/Hornby went into liquidation and was taken over by Triang.

The lay-out is operated by members of the Chiltern Hills Vintage Train Group, part of the Hornby Railway Collectors’ Association ( HRCA), which caters for Hornby Dublo 3-rail, 2-rail, French Acho and Hornby O gauge, all products of Hornby/Mecanno, Liverpool. The HRCA has a magazine issued ten times a year and a spares directory, and there are national and local group meetings. If you want to ask any questions please ask one of the operators who will be pleased to help you.

Kaninchenbau is an H0e layout set in the rolling Alpine foothills of Austria where commercial narrow-gauge trains are still very common and was designed using the ‘rabbit warren’ principles for fully automated running using iTrain. The layout runs 5 trains continuously within the 22.5m of track, all controlled automatically by a laptop running the latest iTrain automation software.

The convoluted ‘rabbit warren’ style ensures that trains do not always appear from the expected tunnels and this provides great interest for viewers who often try to guess where the train will come from – they are generally very surprised when the ‘wrong train’ appears from where they expect the ‘right train’ to appear.

The owner is very happy to discuss any aspects of DCC and automation, especially iTrain and will try to answer any questions that you may have.
Full details, including pictures, layout plans, dimension and a video can be found at https://wimorrison.com/kaninchenbau

This N gauge layout is based on Brinklow station, part of the Trent Valley Line between Rugby and Stafford. The station opened in 1847 as Stretton and became Brinklow in 1870.

There were only three sets of track running through Brinklow because of the close proximity of the canal. Brinklow survived until 1957 when it was closed, although the goods yard continued in use until 1961. We operate trains from 1948 to around 1963 to give a varied interest.

Come and visit us at our home – Keen House – and see some of our layouts in operation and what we have to offer prospective members – and if you like you can join us. Full details in the What's On page.

In operation will be our N gauge layout “Lacey Dale“, alongside the “York Road” section of “Copenhagen Fields“. You can see our new EM gauge layout “Orchard Wharf” operating – as it is nearing exhibition readiness for LFoRM in March 2026, and our 7mm scale team will be showing progress on their layout “Bow Junction“. There’s a chance to visit our newly refurbished library, and we’ll have some of our other layout groups represented with demos and a chance to meet them and see if you’d like to get involved.

Our pre-owned shop will be open, with a range of bargains, plus our bar will be open with a variety of drinks, snacks and sandwiches. Entry is free, although children under 18 should be accompanied by an adult, and donations are welcomed

We are just a few minutes walk from King’s Cross / St Pancras rail and tube stations, and not far from Caledonian Road and Barnsbury on the London Overground Mildmay line. Plus a variety of buses stop closer by, including 73, 91, 205, 214, 259, 274 and 476. Use your preferred app or visit Plan a journey – Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk).
And if you do want to drive, parking is free in the local side streets on Sundays and we’re outside the Congestion Charge.

Please note there are stairs to all rooms. If you have specific accessibility requirements, please contact us in advance so we can advise and support your visit.

Hazelcombe is a terminus station on the Western Region of British Rail. It portrays the diesel hydraulic era in its twilight years, 1970 to 1977. The running sequence begins with all hydraulic classes in operation with some maroon coaching stock and moves towards the mid-1970s with universal corporate blue diesels and blue and grey coaching stock. Trains are increasingly hauled by diesel electrics with TOPS numbers.

Trains are controlled by GWR lower quadrant signals. There is a small parcels depot, milk depot and locomotive stabling point. Locomotives are all DCC sound fitted, points and signals controlled from a Megapoints control panel.

This is designed for younger visitors to the show to drive their trains themselves. A series of concentric loops and a shunting puzzle built by Young MRC and MRC members, it's a great chance for them to begin to enjoy running trains.

This layout has been built over the last few years by the MRC's Young modellers group - a group of 8-14 year olds who meet once a month.

The layout is 12' x 2, build on 'traditional baseboards, representing a branch line terminus. The period and stock depends on the operators - who rotate across the weekend to share the operating between the group.

Young MRC welcomes new members- pick up a leaflet from the stand, or find out more here on this website.

Our junior modellers are all graduates of Young MRC - and range from 13-18. The group meets monthly on a Saturday afternoon, and are building a modular layout. The number of operating modules is growing slowly.

Please ask anyone on the stand for more information about the group, and the benefit of membership.

Rescued from storage, after a previous exhibition life, Emwell is based on the Thaxsted (the basis of the station building) and Tollesbury branch lines. Modelled in S scale - which is 1:64 ratio and roughly halfway between OO and O gauges - almost everything has to be scratch built using parts and kits from the dedicated S Scale society.

The layout represents a very small steel terminal somewhere in West London (hence WESt LOndon STEELS). In effect, it’s a couple of sidings handling steel traffic, mainly for AEC at Southall and a few other engineering concerns in the area, and also for reinforcing bar for the construction of new buildings and the nascent M25.

Traffic is worked in via trip workings from Acton Yard usually by a Class 08 shunter, although its one of those workings where anything that Old Oak Common can muster up may turn up. The year is 1975.

The layout is a model of the Abbey Light Railway, a small 2’ gauge line in urban Leeds that I used to be a volunteer on until it’s closure in 2012. Operation mainly follows the prototype practice of passenger trains to and from the Abbey station, along with shunting around in the yard and fully detailed sheds, including use of the working wagon turntable.

The layout is built to 1:43.5 (British O scale) and uses home-made 14mm gauge track to accurately depict 2’ gauge. The rolling stock represents the real fleet of mostly ex-industrial diesels, along with the replica Kerr Stuart ‘Wren’ class that we wanted to build but never got round to. All the locos and rolling stock range from heavily modified kits to fully scratch built, usually making use of 3D printing technology

Braughing (pronounced ‘Braffing’) & Standon were two actual stations that formed part of the Buntingford branch line in East Hertfordshire, affectionately known as 'The Bunt', that was originally built in 1863. It became part of the Great Eastern Railway for many years and then subsequently British Rail Eastern Region.

The line closed to passengers in November 1964 and goods traffic in September 1965, all as a result of the Beeching cuts. It was a small branch line, only 13.5 miles in length, which ran down from St Margarets to Mardock, Widford, Hadham, Standon, Braughing, Westmill and terminated at Buntingford.

The layout is modelled to the 1963 period, when steam had been replaced by diesel 5 years earlier, and where the neglected line was close to its final demise. It is also prototypical, with much effort taken to try and capture as much authenticity and detail as possible with the real thing, recreating exactly how it looked in 1963 – in essence, part of a real railway branch line but in miniature.

We're back at Alexandra Palace next year - it's the year we slip back the dates so it is 21st and 22nd March. We hope to see you again then - please follow us on social media or sign up to our mailing list for more details.

Thanks for visiting

The MRC and the Warners teams