The Club builds and operates layouts in a variety of scales.
1950’s overhead 25kv line project nears the end
Ingatestone received its overhead line equipment in the 1950’s which is mostly still in situ today. Our OO layout has reached a milestone after the completion and installation of our brass replicas, scratch built by Tony Rees. Board One was moved out of Keen House to Tony’s home so he could continue the work …read more.
Nov 22, 2020
St Ives – In OO gauge
MRC member Paul Frabricius’s layout “St Ives” features in the November 2020 British Railway Modelling magazine – here’s a bit more about the inspiration, and a link to a video of it OO Gauge. Approx 10ft x 3ft. Fiddle Yard 8ft x 1.5ft BR Mid 1950-60s As a child I spent summer holidays on the …read more.
Oct 18, 2020
Sarum Road – Part 10
Or how I got a new set of legs without surgery… Legs, I like ‘em – apart from the ones I originally designed for Sarum Road (based on an upturned wine glass – now there’s a surprise). I was never happy with them and after two or three years of cogitation decided that aluminium angle …read more.
Jul 16, 2020
Sarum Road – Part 9 – The End?
The Bendy Legs I was never happy with the guttering nuts and bolts used on the legs and eventually found a supply of the binding screws used in bookbinding. For anyone not familiar with them, they consist of two items: a hollow stud, threaded internally and a threaded bolt, both with larger, round slotted ends. …read more.
Jul 9, 2020
Sarum Road – Part 8 – Nearly There
Scenery II O the joy of it! Finally beginning to fill in the bare bits! I was going to use the sides of cardboard boxes for filling the bits of bare board between the cork underlay. I tried it out first with some scrim and Idenden (see below) and the water content (I think) of …read more.
Jul 2, 2020
Sarum Road – Part 7 – Ballasting
Scenery at last! A bit of the third dimension comes to Sarum Road! But first the ballasting… Oh well… Ballast Ballasting. What is there new to be said about it? Lengthy, tedious and boring are the usual but I had one of my bright ideas to make it quick and easy! Simple. Neat. Easy. And …read more.
Jun 25, 2020
Sarum Road – Part 6 – Building the Traverser
You can go back to the beginning of this series and see the previous instalments here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 It looks complicated but it is not. It was derived through trial and error with a number of attempts at a suitable drive system were attempted before one that worked was found. The complete …read more.
Jun 18, 2020
Class 455/9 EMU
The Class 455 four car multiple unit has for many of our members been the workhorse of their commutes and trips on the suburban ‘southern’ region. Here Chris outlines the prototype history and how he’s constructed the Bratchell Models kit to represent a South West Trains unit in OO gauge, with its colourful but tricky …read more.
Jun 6, 2020
Sarum Road – Part 4 – Track Laying
You can go back to the beginning of this series and see the previous instalments here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Each section of rail, irrespective of fishplates, etc, has its own wire droppers soldered to the underside of the rail to ensure electrical continuity. The rail sides were chemically darkened using gun blue before …read more.
Jun 4, 2020
Track Building – Part 2
In Part 1, I outlined the plan to build new track and points in EM gauge for Minories for the expanded fiddle yard. Here’s how it went, starting off with how it ended up – the full sized layout up in the library at Keen House. Most of this track building work took place in …read more.
May 31, 2020
Class 419 “MLV” – Prototype history and a kit built model in OO Gauge
The Class 419 Motor Luggage Van was once a familiar sight on southern region boat trains at Platforms 1 and 2 at Victoria station. Here Chris outlines the prototype history and how he’s constructed the Replica kit in its later striking Royal Mail red livery. The Prototype In the decades before the advent of the …read more.
May 30, 2020
Sarum Road – Part 3 – Assembly and the aftermath
First Assembly The boards went together without any major problems except one – I should have allowed an extra 1/8″ to for tidying up the edges of the board tops and in two cases I had to swap the tops for backscenes – more of them later. Also, I had forgotten to drill the holes …read more.
May 28, 2020