Cheshire Railway Modellers

Cheshire Layouts Committee (OO) & Ferrocarril Internacional (On30)

Both modular layouts rely on a number tables at the same height to create a suitable base.

Cheshire Layouts Committee

Like the Cheshire Lines Committee that the name is based upon, our OO scale club layout is a jointly owned railway. Cheshire Railway Modellers is not a conventional model railway club but a group of individuals all doing our own thing while sharing ideas and advice via our website and forum, so it is perhaps fitting that our club layout should reflect this individuality.

The modules, listed below, do not create a sectional layout but a series of small layouts which can be assembled in any order with the overall size depending upon how many individual members' contributions are present. The appearance of the CLC is therefore one of individual vignettes in close formation.

Bradley Junction is still under construction. Scenic treatment will be reminiscent of the "Last of the Summer Wine" comedy programmes from the BBC. This module is three feet long.

The photo will be updated as work progresses.

CL Junction is the fiddleyard at the left hand end with a short scenic section attached. The platform ends beneath the bridge are intended to give the appearance of a station where, in fact, beyond the bridge is the fiddleyard. The combined scenic area and fiddleyard are four feet long.

The name was not chosen because this module will be displayed towards the middle of the layout but because the scene includes a graveyard with the railway passing close by. In contrast to the rest of the layout this module is a combined effort by two members and actually consists of two boards, each three feet long.

 The provision of the loop enables trains to depart from both fiddleyards at once, passing each other about half way along the layout, thus giving a more intensive service than would be possible with just a single track throughout.

East Cheam was a fictional place which featured in Tony Hancock's radio and TV programmes. This module shows the famous Railway Cuttings. Perhaps one of the houses behind the signalbox is number 23? The module is 20 inches long.

Echo Beach is inspired by the ex-GWR line along the sea wall at Dawlish.

We can also include specialist sections such as the corner module shown below so that an L shaped display viewed from either inside or outside the angle could be staged if required. The corner module covers an area approximately two feet square.

Inspired by this scene on the line between Manchester and Huddersfield. This module is three feet long.

(Prototype Photo)

Another module based on a real place, this time between Gobowen and Oswestry. The module is 27 inches long.

Scrappwood can be used to replace one of the fiddleyards to give a higher percentage of scenic layout where only a few modules are in use.

We normally run DMUs on the modules to give a quick turnround at each end, so the truncated branch represented by Scrappwood is a useful way of terminating the line of modules without an 'off stage' area.

Summit is inspired by a wonderful image from Fantasonics, shown above with the kind permission of the copyright holder (this image is not covered by the Creative Commons licence). The module is three feet long and has a narrow gauge train circling at high level while the through line runs below.

This module is a small diesel depot, home to a collection of Western class diesel hydraulics. This module is three feet long.

Whemper's Hollow is pure fantasy, being inspired by Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. The module is just 13 inches long.

Ferrocarril Internacional

Five of our members are currently working on a larger scale modular layout. The International Railway will be an O scale narrow gauge layout and should make its debut appearance at our 2010 exhibition in Crewe. The On30 modules vary in size from a cubic foot (Barranca Phoenix) up to four feet long for the larger modules.

Like the OO modules the On30 layout will operate from end to end, but we will have optional sections (shown in red) to fit outboard of each fiddleyard thus increasing the scenic length of the layout quite significantly. Yet in minimum form the On30 modules can take on the guise of a TMD layout consisting of just one loco yard and one fiddleyard.

The OO scale modular layout was assembled in full for the first time at our own exhibition which was held at Crewe Heritage Centre on Sunday 25th January 2009 and it is available (in part) for other clubs' exhibitions too. CRM members interested in accompanying the club layout and/or providing a module to use at exhibitions please use this email link or post in the forum to add your module to those available.

A short video of the OO layout in use at Crewe can be seen by clicking this YouTube link.

Exhibition managers are cordially invited to use this link for enquiries, please note that we do require tables providing to support both the OO and On30 layouts.

While the modules are advertised as the Cheshire Railway Modellers club layouts it should be noted that actual ownership remains almost entirely with the individual members who built the modules. Cheshire Railway Modellers will endeavour to provide any individually requested modules but it may be necessary to make substitutions if a member cannot attend an exhibition.

Details of more modules can be found on this link to our forum.