Waverley Model Railway Club’s current main exhibition layouts are two British OO scale layouts, Chadderton and Genesis, two HO scale layouts, Australian prototype Victoria Bridge and US Whitefish, and N scale layout Mystic and Oblivion. We also have two smaller N scale layouts Brocklebank and Georgetown.
CHADDERTON
Chadderton depicts a rural junction station on the Great Western Railway (GWR) in a fictional location to the south-west of Birmingham, bordering the Cotswolds. The remains of a former connection to the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) are still to be seen. The layout is set in the period of 1946 to 1956, transitioning from GWR and LMS joint running powers to British Rail (BR) Western Region, following nationalisation of Britain’s ‘ Big Four’ railway companies on 1st January 1948.
Chadderton is named in memory of its designer, Peter Chadderton. Peter was a longstanding WMRC member and demonstrated a restrained passion for British model railways.
GENESIS
In the beginning ………railways were crude tracks and vehicles were made of timber and were moved by man or beast, moving small loads over short distances. Progress through the years saw the development of canals and barges which, though slow, were able to carry much greater loads. The mines were the birthplace of larger load carrying vehicles on ever improving trackways but still moved by man or beast. The real birth of railways occurred with the industrial revolution in the 1800s and the availability of iron which finally led to the birth of the steam locomotive and iron rails. The trains from the early 1800s to the 1890s to be seen on this layout are a diverse grouping from around the world, travelling past early road and canal transport in scenes reminiscent of the period.
Genesis is Waverley Model Railway Club’s latest exhibition layout and made its debut at our 2022 exhibition. It has been kindly donated to the club by its creator, John Beaton.
MYSTIC & OBLIVION
Mystic and Oblivion Is an N scale layout based on Midwestern USA. The setting for this layout is imaginary, but the place names are real. Somewhere in the south west corner of South Dakota in the USA, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy RR operated from the Deadwood mines and timber industries, to the main line between Omaha and Billings.
The line went through Mystic Tunnel and then by Lake Oblivion, the Niobrara River, Berne and Edgemont, to West Yard. The double track at the lower level is the Main Line. The branch interchange track climbs up to Berne and ends at Deadwood. This upper track can be operated as loop if required.
It was built over some four years by WMRC Members and was first exhibited in 2008. One of the design concepts of this relatively large layout was to demonstrate how N scale can be realistically set into a scenic ‘Big Picture’.
VICTORIA BRIDGE
Victoria Bridge is based on prototype practice. Operated now by DCC, there’s a double track mainline with associated marshalling yards and a branch line that connects various industries around the layout to the main lines at the station. The featured bridge on the layout in based loosely on the Taradale viaduct, on the Melbourne to Bendigo line.
All the structures are either highly modified kits or are scratch-built by the members. Locomotives and rolling stock on the layout are of Australian prototype, from the late steam period to modern diesel. In one corner of the layout there is a locomotive depot with a roundhouse and turntable, while adjacent to it is a large goods yard where goods trains can be made up and dispatched.
WHITEFISH
Whitefish is an HO scale layout modelled on an area around the town of Whitefish, Montana, U.S.A. This route was used by the Great Northern Railway, in particular the “Empire Builder” which ran between Chicago and Seattle. Early residents of the town worked for the railroad and nearby logging industries. It acquired the nickname “Stumptown.” from the large areas of thick timber around town which had been felled.
Whitefish is a walk-in modular doughnut of 11 separate modules measuring 5.4 metres long by 4.5 metres wide. It features two individual tracks on separate levels which are connected by inclined helix ramps. The top level track is a simple oval while the bottom track features a reversing loop at each end. Connecting tracks on a helix incline join each of the two reversing loops on the lower level to the upper oval track. There are no traditional remote switch control panels on the layout. All trains and turnouts are controlled by using the club standard “Digitrax” hand held throttles. The layout does feature an overhead double-sided panel depicting the track plan in schematic form with red and green LED’s indicating route and turnout switch directions.
BROCKLEBANK
Brocklebank Line is an N Scale British layout which depicts a corner of the fictitious town of Exehampton and the neighbouring village of Brocklebank in the south-west of England. You will see trains running on the layout as the scene may have looked in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The layout consists of an Up and Down mainline in a twisted figure of eight and a spur line to the village of Brocklebank.
