Club Layouts

Club Layouts

The Club has been actively constructing and exhibiting model railway layouts for many years.

The first large scenic layout built to exhibition standards was the highly popular 'Nonsuch' built during the early 1960's. Portraying a Southern Railway (SR) station somewhere in the West Country, an oval track layout allowed for through running. The Great Western Railway (GWR) also operated services from 'Nonsuch' along its separate branch line to 'Ruxley' via 'Bonesgate'. The layout was subject of a multi-part article that appeared in Model Railway Constructor magazine during those early years. 'Nonsuch' and 'Bonesgate' were both scrapped long ago, but 'Ruxley' still exists although now in a much altered and improved condition (see below).

Detailed here are the club layouts – either under construction or complete for use by our members at our regular weekly meetings. As a club we try to accommodate every option when it comes to layouts, be it scale, era or geographic location.

Each layout below has a brief description. Click on the the layout picture to view additional information and pictures.

Colehouses Junction - (4mm, OO)

Colehouses Junction (OO, 4mm) is a fictitious layout set somewhere in the west country on a line to the holiday resorts of Devon & Cornwall. It represents an interface between the national railway system and a heritage railway that is a "star" of the leisure industry. Both the modern line and the heritage railway run off in parallel to a resort down the line near the coast.

Hartsbridge - (7mm, O)

Hartsbridge (O, 7mm) is a fictitious branch terminus set somewhere in Sussex. It was purchased complete from the MSC group and is now undergoing an upgrade to make it easier to set up on a Monday night

Hinksey Yard - (2mm, N)

The Club's first N gauge layout is based on Hinksey Yard, just south of Oxford, and is set in the period of 2010. Hinksey Yard is a DB Schenker (formerly EWS) Local Distribution Centre, often called a "Virtual Quarry" where ballast is stockpiled ready for use in engineering works.

The layout is 20' by 2'9" and comprises a double track oval main line with a compressed version of the real yard beside it. The fiddle yard is behind the back scene, has 10 roads and can take long intermodal trains. The layout is stored in its own mobile cabinet for ease of transport.

It was featured in issue 263 of Model Rail (August 2019)

Hornby Junction - (4mm, OO)

Hornby Junction (4mm 'OO') is designed to show how to produce a simple model railway from readily available commercial parts. It has been sponsored by Hornby Railway who have provide all the stock and many of the buildings.

It was described in the Hornby Magazine (issue 2).

Lewes - (2mm FS)

Lewes (2mmFS) portrays the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway at Lewes in Sussex as it was in 1886. This is the club's first venture into 2mm finescale and is a challenge to represent a prototype that disappeared 130 years ago. Fortunately our research has uncovered an amazing amount of information from the period. Initial work is concentrating on the station and junction area.

Work on this layout is currently on hold.

Muchwaiting - (4mm, 009)

Muchwaiting is the club's new 009 layout. It incorporates concepts in both DC and DCC computer control including routing, signalling, loco control, accessories control etc. Rather than just produce a test track and to give members a chance to practice their modelling skills, It is a two sided layout with country scenes on one side and and industrial canal scene on the other. It is 4' x 2'6".

Ruxley - (4mm, OO)

The Ruxley Branch is the oldest surviving model railway layout of the Epsom and Ewell Model Railway Club. It was originally built as a branch line on the Club's Nonsuch layout. It was first exhibited in the early 1960's and has been a popular and much admired layout ever since. The through station Woodcote has now passed to new owners.

Appeared in Model Rail No.188, November 2013

Test Track - (N, OO, P4, O)

The test track caters for N, OO, P4, and O gauges with a loop and circuit for each. It is quick to assemble and provides a valuable facility to club members.

Wadhurst - (4mm, P4 )

Wadhurst (4mm 'P4' finescale) is currently under construction.

When completed the layout will be an accurate representation of the prototype station in Sussex on the original South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SECR) London to Hastings line, portraying the late 1940's era when still operated by the Southern Railway.