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CLUB LAYOUTS
Traditionally we name our layouts after local places, most of which never had a railway, and as such they are not generally affiliated to any particular railway company or region – being designed to allow stock owned by club members a chance to be run at exhibitions. After all, the object is to have fun and entertain visitors.
We do not run to timetables, and do not mind which region or type of rolling stock is run, although we do try to maintain some consistency in what is running at any particular time. At exhibitions we are much stricter with this rule (we tend to either agree with exhibition organisers, or decide before going which period/stock we will be running) than at club running nights, when virtually any stock owned by members runs.
Priorsfield
A freelance 00 gauge layout 21’ x 2’ which is half station area and half ‘train in the country’. The back story has it that an ambitious company began to build a railway from Compton to link up with another main line. They got as far as Priorsfield, put in a branch to Holloway Road, then ran out of money. The station therefore has the appearance of a junction between a branch and a twig, with run-arounds and goods facilities on both sides, even though it is in fact a terminus on one platform. Track is Peco code 75, so it looks much finer but it will only accomodate members’ more modern stock with the finer wheel profiles.
A particular feature of the layout is the long viaduct, which was lengthened from its original ‘bridge’ status to provide a focal point at the scenic end of the layout. Beyond this, and hiding the fiddle yard is Little Priors village with its Saxon church and quaint village houses and pub. Local visitors may recognise one or two buildings from villages around Guildford. The use of false perspective in the road leading away from the village provides depth to the scene.
At the moment, we are working on an additional board beyond the station to extend to the full 21', which includes a fiddle yard behind with the station approach to the front.
Chacombe Junction
A freelance N gauge layout 12'x 2' of terminus to fiddle yard. The station is a fairly large affair with two main platform roads, a bay, a complete goods yard and loco facilities with turntable. Rather than cram in as much N gauge track as possible, we have modelled a fairly widespread station area with a long section of double-track main line. Unusually the platforms have no loco release, necessitating the use of pilot engines to manoeuvre coaching stock from arrivals to departures to release the train loco for turning and servicing. The bay platform can be run using a shuttle facility that allows the branch train to be controlled automatically – arriving and departing at necessary. This frees up the busy fiddle yard operator.
Chacombe Junction is now offered for sale - to make room for a new N Gauge Layout under construction. We are looking for reasonable offers - please contact the club at AstolatMRC@yahoo.co.uk.
Traditionally we name our layouts after local places, most of which never had a railway, and as such they are not generally affiliated to any particular railway company or region – being designed to allow stock owned by club members a chance to be run at exhibitions. After all, the object is to have fun and entertain visitors.
We do not run to timetables, and do not mind which region or type of rolling stock is run, although we do try to maintain some consistency in what is running at any particular time. At exhibitions we are much stricter with this rule (we tend to either agree with exhibition organisers, or decide before going which period/stock we will be running) than at club running nights, when virtually any stock owned by members runs.
Priorsfield
A freelance 00 gauge layout 21’ x 2’ which is half station area and half ‘train in the country’. The back story has it that an ambitious company began to build a railway from Compton to link up with another main line. They got as far as Priorsfield, put in a branch to Holloway Road, then ran out of money. The station therefore has the appearance of a junction between a branch and a twig, with run-arounds and goods facilities on both sides, even though it is in fact a terminus on one platform. Track is Peco code 75, so it looks much finer but it will only accomodate members’ more modern stock with the finer wheel profiles.
A particular feature of the layout is the long viaduct, which was lengthened from its original ‘bridge’ status to provide a focal point at the scenic end of the layout. Beyond this, and hiding the fiddle yard is Little Priors village with its Saxon church and quaint village houses and pub. Local visitors may recognise one or two buildings from villages around Guildford. The use of false perspective in the road leading away from the village provides depth to the scene.
At the moment, we are working on an additional board beyond the station to extend to the full 21', which includes a fiddle yard behind with the station approach to the front.
Chacombe Junction
A freelance N gauge layout 12'x 2' of terminus to fiddle yard. The station is a fairly large affair with two main platform roads, a bay, a complete goods yard and loco facilities with turntable. Rather than cram in as much N gauge track as possible, we have modelled a fairly widespread station area with a long section of double-track main line. Unusually the platforms have no loco release, necessitating the use of pilot engines to manoeuvre coaching stock from arrivals to departures to release the train loco for turning and servicing. The bay platform can be run using a shuttle facility that allows the branch train to be controlled automatically – arriving and departing at necessary. This frees up the busy fiddle yard operator.
Chacombe Junction is now offered for sale - to make room for a new N Gauge Layout under construction. We are looking for reasonable offers - please contact the club at AstolatMRC@yahoo.co.uk.