Who was there?...

1. A Scottish Branch
4mm Scale, OO Gauge
Solihull Model Railway Circle

A end to end branch line club layout based on scottish practice, displayed here partly built to give an insight Into layout construction. It is 16 feet long and just over 2 feet wide and we are using SMP code 75 bullhead plain track and handmade Marcway Points. It has been constructed to run with either DCC or traditional control. There is a terminus station at one end and a hidden 'fiddle' yard with a traverser at the other, with a scenic section in between. A major part of the concept is the use of very deep baseboards, with the railway running through the middle, allowing greater depths and heights of scenery for a more interesting appearance. The major architectural feature is the curved viaduct based on Killiecrankie.

2. Cherwell
4mm Scale, OO Gauge
Solihull Model Railway Circle

A scenic OO gauge, 26 feet 6 inches by 10 feet 6 inches, four track mainline with an integral branch line. It features working automatic signals and has largely scratch built buildings with a local theme, E.g.: the Manor House, the Masons Arms, the George Hotel and the Fat Cat cafe from Solihull; Kings Heath library; Tyseley station; and Water Orton station. The layout was built mainly to display scale length mainline trains, those being run reflecting the varying interests of the membership. Trains run are usually british outline, but can come from any part of the UK mainland and from any date between about 1900 and the present day. If you look carefully you can see pigeons roosting under the station bridge, foxes using the track bed as a shortcut and one fox eyeing lambs, gulls eggs and the shepherd on the upper pasture, cats watching building work in the arch from the platform and gulls above the sea and on the cliffs with a lonely cormorant.

3. Avonbridge
7mm Scale, O Gauge
Solihull Model Railway Circle

This layout is a 30 feet by 13 feet, three tracks, and continuous run with station and storage loops. Early in 2013, we widened two of the front boards to provide some space to allow for shunting.

The boards are made from 9mm exterior plywood with some aluminium box section bracing and steel box section legs with rubber door stops as feet. Peco code 124 bullhead track is laid to a minimum radius of 6 feet. Points are operated from the main panel using Hammant and Morgan motors.

The buildings are based on local Midland railway prototypes and therefore the layout represents a busy MR branch line somewhere in the midlands, although the stock run, is from a variety of companies and eras to suit our varying interests. Most buildings are scratch built from a combination of Plastikard and wood. The main station building is a model of Northfield and the small shelter on the opposite platform is from Moseley. The signal box is modelled on Luffenham, with Marton Junctions coal bunker. A scratch built scale model of the goods shed at Eckington on the Birmingham and Gloucester railway is at one end of the station and future developments will probably include a footbridge between the platforms, back scenes and possibly a small engine shed.

4. Malken
N gauge, 2mm Scale
Ken Jones

The concept started in 2020 following an article in the N gauge Society Journal about the Eheim trolleybus system which dates from the 1960s. The article was written by Ken Jones who with Malcolm Hall decided to build a small demonstration N gauge layout. Various wires were tried without success but by 2022 they had sourced original wire and had sufficient poles to build the layout in a cutlery box. The layout does not run continuously as these trolleybuses are rare and you can no longer get parts for them.

The layout is 45 cm x 36 cm [18in x 14 in] and depicts a trolleybus layout. Main trolleybus museum building - card kit from DM toys in Germany. Shop and cafe - Kestrel [Gaugemaster] plastic kit. Two types of fencing, tables and benches from 3D Pluss. Flower stall, flower display and other stall from unknown eBay source. The people include Noch and Graham Farish.

The 3D printed 1930s AEC tow truck is from N Gauge Models.http://www.ngaugemodels.com

The 3D printed tower wagon is from Ray Rimes Designs.https://rayrimesdesigns.com/shop/ols/products/austin-fg-tower-wagon

The raised flower bed with built in seat from Harburn Hamlet, ref HN614. The 3D printed electrical substation from eBay seller, cassienmb20. Noch foam backed cobblestones have been used to cover the area outside the museum.

The cutlery box idea is mainly to protect the wires, but fine emery cloth is still needed on them to enable smooth running and WD40 on the shoe pick-ups helps. The trolleybuses run from the overhead wires using 12 V DC controller.

5. The Bus Station
N gauge, 2mm Scale
Ken Jones

All my small layouts have always had a working train, bus or trolleybus system, so in 2024 recovering from a stroke I decided to build a diorama with no such moving parts but utilising some of my N gauge buses when needed. The idea was it would be an easy thing to transport to exhibitions or as an extra if needed. Having found a suitable container with lid, already in our home but not used, the idea came to build a bus station.

The carboard model is from ebay produced by www.johnsmodelrailways.co.uk

The scrap yard is by Outland Models with additional vehicles by Replitek https://replitek.co.uk/#page-top and N Gauge models https://www.ngaugemodels.com/

The ladies of the Night are a Noch set, as are the plants in flowerpots, the rock band and passengers. The homeless people are from Gaugemaster.

The backscene is a photographic set also from Gaugemaster https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/

This is the first time I have used photographic backscenes. The stage is by 3D Pluss, with lighting from DAPR. The stage is L60 mm, W40 mm, H30 mm. Layout sign designed by Vince Painter

Jules www.smallworldlayouts.co.uk has taken the stage and rock band and created microphones, amplifiers etc and placed the band on the stage. The band are the Q's appropriate for a bus station scene.

The deckchairs are by https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/hammondmodels

The buses are ones mainly from my "Jones of Taunton"? moving bus system layout. The whole diorama is Size = 38cm x 25cm

6. Maun Valley Junction
N gauge, 2mm Scale
Leicester Model Railway Group

Maun Valley Junction is Leicester Model Railway Group's n-gauge exhibition layout originally based around Pleasley near Mansfield - some may recognise The Nags Head Pub on the A617! It features a station, a branch line and an industrial area, with working colour light signals and automatic Level Crossing with warning lights! It can be run with either DC or DCC control and is capable of automatic DCC running using the EX-RAIL software of a DCC-EX Arduino based Command Station.

7. Rush Green Colliery
4mm Scale, OO Gauge
Richard Green (Coventry Model Railway Club)

Rush Green Colliery is set in the West Midlands. This layout tries to give a good representation of the collieries that once were spread round most of Britain and tries to show the main features of an industry that has been virtually be wiped from our modern landscape. The layout features live loading of wagons. This layout was constructed by Alex Rushton and Richard Green with assistance of members Coventry Model Railway Club.

8. Awreville
7mm Scale, O Gauge
Tom Pinnell

Awreville O Gauge Diesel Depot is a fictional depot scene based in the 90s, the layout controlled by DCC and features automatic running using iTrain. The layout is aimed to showcase automation on a layout, showing control equipment required and allows interaction with visitors to the show through the use of a touchscreen.

9. Henley in Arden
7mm Finescale, O Gauge
Mike Bragg

The Henley -In- Arden Line, a twice -Derelict Railway and a rebirth in Model Form

In 1861 a private company was formed to build a railway from Rowington Junction to Kingswood (now Lapworth) to Henley-in-Arden a little over 3 miles. Five years later, when the line was half made, funds ran short, and work on the line was suspended. The line lay derelict for twenty eight years. Then came another and larger scheme and the project rejuvenated so work on the long neglected line was resumed in1889, and by 1894 the line was ready for use. The G.W.R worked the single line service from the very outset and took it over in 1900. However, in 1914 the passenger service was suspended although goods continued to pass until 1916 when the service was closed all together. During the 1980's when I ran my small business in Hatton, I not only saw remnants of the line but, walked most of what was left before the M40 wiped nearly all trace of the line.

Well as per usual I have massaged fact with more than a soupcon of fiction and added a dash of essence to create a might have been 1939- 1950 version of the original. Adding at least on the timetable station halts at Rowington and Lowsonford. The track layout is similar as are the buildings although using artistic licence the Station building is now timber and not brick and I have moved Potato Lane Bridge to help conceal the fiddle yard. Points are constructed from copper clad sleepers to which the rail is soldered, but the plain track is SMP.

10. Grange Aggregates
2mm Scale, N Gauge
Solihull Model Railway Circle

Unfortunately this layout was pulled from our line up due to electric problems.

11. Leigh St George
N gauge, 2mm Scale
Leigh Thompson