The layout is 8 feet long by 2 feet wide and is designed to be viewed from the front (Long) side. It is complete with its own legs, lighting and barrier. These and the working space behind need an area of 8 foot frontage by 7 foot deep. The only other items needed are 2 chairs for the operators and a single 13 amp socket within 15 feet of the location. The power consumption, complete with lighting is less than 5 amps.

There are usually 3 operators at all times to enable us to keep a continuous movement of trains.

MODEL DETAILS

The model is built to a scale of 7mm to 1 foot. Peco 0-16.5 track and points have been used to represent a gauge of 2'-3". Most of the locomotives and rollingstock are freelance although based on prototypes. They are mostly on 00 or H0 chassis with scratch or kit built bodies.

Buildings are almost all scratch built from off-cuts of plywood covered with various materials including embossed plastic, cardboard and sand.

The whole layout including all the support equipment has been designed to fit in a small family hatchback for ease of transport, however an additional vehicle is usually needed to transport the operators.

HISTORIC INFORMATION

The location is pure fiction but is assumed to be set in the North Midlands towards the English side of the Welsh border regions; the period is the early 1970's.

The railway was built to carry goods and produce to and from a quarry in the hills, down to the canal system and the small market town of Clairmont. Their is also a passenger service from Clairmont to several villages along the line. The line length is just less than 5 miles. With the demise of the canal system and better service on the standard gauge railways, a short branch was constructed running parallel to the canal to carry produce to the standard gauge railway transfer sidings approximately 1 mile away. Some loads, however, are still taken by canal.

In model form only the town station and sidings, together with a short section of the canal, are modelled.