NEVILLE GROVE MODEL RAILWAY
Welcome to my DCC multilevel late BR steam era layout in 00 gauge.
Influenced by the railways around Stewart’s Lane, the Devon Banks, Shap, Chatham, the Great Central Railway and the Lickey Incline - just about anything could turn up...
Welcome to my DCC multilevel late BR steam era layout in 00 gauge.
Influenced by the railways around Stewart’s Lane, the Devon Banks, Shap, Chatham, the Great Central Railway and the Lickey Incline - just about anything could turn up...
It is inspired by the photographer Colin Gifford, the railway artist Philip D Hawkins and the sound recordist Peter Handford.
The layout is dedicated to my Dad and my late Grandpa - Neville.
The layout is dedicated to my Dad and my late Grandpa - Neville.
I wanted the seemingly impossible in this layout, including an engine shed, goods yard, and continuous circuit mainlines - all with an urban gritty atmosphere.
But I would also need a storage yard and wanted the impression of open space with sweeping curves through chocolate box countryside scenes...
But I would also need a storage yard and wanted the impression of open space with sweeping curves through chocolate box countryside scenes...
I was lucky enough to have 5.5m x 2.75m room for the layout, but this would never be enough for even half of that wishlist right?
Because of my design background and experience, I knew that the key to success with this model railway was careful design and planning.
You couldn't build a house without any drawings, so why would an ambitious model railway be any different?
You couldn't build a house without any drawings, so why would an ambitious model railway be any different?
Drawings of the layout using Computer Aided Design (CAD) helped to identify compromises, and how they should be made.
This was a crucial process that enabled the wishlist to be achieved without ruining the desired overall effect.
This was a crucial process that enabled the wishlist to be achieved without ruining the desired overall effect.
The answer was a double decked layout with a storage yard beneath the country scene on the upper level. Both levels are linked by a 1:50 incline.
One side is distinctly urban, whilst the other has open fields, a country pub and even a stretch of canal.
One side is distinctly urban, whilst the other has open fields, a country pub and even a stretch of canal.
I dislike tight bends on a model railway, but as with every layout they are unavoidable.
The design strategy was to make the curves as tight as possible in certain places, but plan them into the parts of the layout where they can be easily concealed.
This allowed for long sweeping curves elsewhere on the layout, strategically placed for the best views when photographing by the lineside!
The design strategy was to make the curves as tight as possible in certain places, but plan them into the parts of the layout where they can be easily concealed.
This allowed for long sweeping curves elsewhere on the layout, strategically placed for the best views when photographing by the lineside!
The budget for this model railway has always been a constraint, so many a cereal packet, kebab stick and various offcuts have been used.
Downloadable kits from the internet can be excellent and extremely cost effective.
The extensive retaining walls and the viaduct were constructed this way.
Downloadable kits from the internet can be excellent and extremely cost effective.
The extensive retaining walls and the viaduct were constructed this way.
Most of the construction and electronics have been completed already, so now I am turning my attention to the bits I enjoy most about this hobby -the scenics and the weathering.
Not a single area on this layout has been completed yet, so there is still much to do - about 10 years worth I reckon!
Not a single area on this layout has been completed yet, so there is still much to do - about 10 years worth I reckon!
