The Club builds and operates layouts in a variety of scales.
Building Trapezium Baseboards for Minories
The classic Minories layout is a terminus to fiddle yard design – and that is what we built back in 2007 and how the layout has operated for many years. With a good team of operators we’ve presented a slick service of peak hour trains running in and out of the station’s three platforms at …read more.
May 23, 2020
Exchange Sidings – A start in EM gauge
In Bulletin 416, I outlined the plans for a small shunting EM gauge layout that we would try to build in a weekend. So did we do it? The 21 and 22 February 2004 were the days chosen for the project. Despite a number of offers of assistance, I was slightly concerned on whether the …read more.
May 8, 2020
Signalling Orchard Wharf – Updated
Here’s work in progress on a signal controlling the ramp track between the upper and lower levels of our new EM gauge layout “Orchard Wharf”. It’s my first attempt at a signal in brass. This signal is a MSE kit with a 20ft height. I have gone away from prototypical a couple of times for …read more.
May 1, 2020
Rolling Roads
Over the last few weeks, we’ve had a number of blogs with models sitting on rolling roads – probably because we can’t get to our test tracks to show the models working. There are a surprising variety out there – here’s a selection, which we’ll update as we find more… Example 1 – The Mazero …read more.
Apr 26, 2020
A new test track – Home working for Orchard Wharf
Converting a lot of OO locos and rolling stock to EM gauge is the sort of job that is best done at home. I’ve had an EM gauge test track for some time, but it’s only a 5ft straight track. This is no good for checking, for example, clearances on curves and points, of which …read more.
Apr 25, 2020
Quintart Build – Part 2
The bodies all follow the same principle for construction and just to confuse things these pictures aren’t all of the same coach. A reminder, this is how they come: As well as sanding off the pips where the elements are joined in the printing, there was a small amount of filing of some window frames. …read more.
Apr 23, 2020
Converting a Hornby Class 101 to EM Gauge
I’ve already got a blue Class 101 DMU for Minories. which was re-wheeled several years ago. This is the equivalent model in green, which I bought at a price it was difficult to refuse as part of a batch of stock that looked a bit mucky, presumably after being left out for a long time …read more.
Apr 21, 2020
Quintart Build – Part 1
Our new club EM gauge layout “Orchard Wharf” is in need of some stock, and one of the items asked for the peak hour passenger service is a Gresley Quintart set. Why and what is a Quintart – because they are rakes of 5 coach bodies, with only 6 bogies with the coaches articulating and …read more.
Apr 19, 2020
Busy on the Wharf
Inspired by the sight of us slaving away to get Orchard Wharf fit to show to the expectant public at the London Festival of Railway Modelling (usually known around here simply as ‘Ally Pally’ — we all know the mega life event to which we refer), one of our EM colleagues suggested it was high …read more.
Jan 1, 2020
Renumbering Coaches
Here’s a simple project to renumber coaches to avoid having duplicates on the layout or make them specific to your region. These are Bachmann Mk1 sleepers – for the ‘next’ project, and with 3 of both types (SLSTP and SLF) in the rake I needed to renumber at least 4. They’ve been converted to EM …read more.
Dec 29, 2019
Minories in Brighton
The final outing for us in 2019 was to the Brighton Model Railway exhibition in November. It’s an invite from our member Nestor that we’ve had to put off due to previous clashes with Tolworth and Wakefield, but it’s a reasonably quick drive down the A23 for a set up on the Saturday morning as …read more.
Nov 28, 2019
Minories in Hornby Magazine
Minories is in the latest edition of Hornby Magazine, which appeared in my local WH Smiths today. Although planned for some time, the photo shoot only took place in May with editor Mark Wild coming down to Keen House for the shoot. You can see the layout in person at the Great Electric Train show …read more.
Oct 5, 2019