At the 2023 London Festival of Railway Modelling, held at Alexandra Palace in North London, the club I belong to "flew the G Scale flag" by taking a 80 foot long end-to-end version of its Whiteleaf Railway. Exhibition organisers like to vary the layouts from year-to-year so the only way we were going to get invited to the same event this year (held on the weekend just gone) was to offer them "something a little different". And from the comments we heard from the visitors, and the looks on some of their faces, it seems we did just that!
In this view, it may look like a fairly conventional G Scale tram (or electric railway) layout . . .
. . . until you realise that the station we call "Bledlow Ridge" is up a rather significant slope . . .
. . . at the top of a rack-equipped hill . . .
We were definitely the tallest layout there!
In this shot, taken just as the doors were opening on the Sunday . . .
. . . you can see the frontage was the "country branch" from Bryants Bottom, without catenary, and operated by steam-outline trams, while the mountain section was at the back, operated by rack-equipped electric-outline locos. The catenary on the incline extended round a 180 degree bend to the interchange station (Lacey Green) where the two types of locos were swapped, allowing the passengers to cover the entire route (of around 90 feet) without changing trains (or freight having to be transhipped).
The Whiteleaf layouts are modular. There are four or five separate station (or similar) modules, that can be connected by bridges or straight track in a variety of ways to suit the space an exhibition organiser can offer us. With the catenary, it can be shown as a tramway (under analogue control) or as an electric railway (usually using MTS). Probably the smallest layout - two modules at around 36 feet was shown at the Henfield show in December 2023. The next outing for Whiteleaf is the National Garden Railway Show at Stoneleigh at the end of April, when we will be taking a 45-foot MTS layout under catenary, using three station modules. if you're going to the show, drop by and say hello.
Best wishes
David
In this view, it may look like a fairly conventional G Scale tram (or electric railway) layout . . .
. . . until you realise that the station we call "Bledlow Ridge" is up a rather significant slope . . .
. . . at the top of a rack-equipped hill . . .
We were definitely the tallest layout there!
In this shot, taken just as the doors were opening on the Sunday . . .
. . . you can see the frontage was the "country branch" from Bryants Bottom, without catenary, and operated by steam-outline trams, while the mountain section was at the back, operated by rack-equipped electric-outline locos. The catenary on the incline extended round a 180 degree bend to the interchange station (Lacey Green) where the two types of locos were swapped, allowing the passengers to cover the entire route (of around 90 feet) without changing trains (or freight having to be transhipped).
The Whiteleaf layouts are modular. There are four or five separate station (or similar) modules, that can be connected by bridges or straight track in a variety of ways to suit the space an exhibition organiser can offer us. With the catenary, it can be shown as a tramway (under analogue control) or as an electric railway (usually using MTS). Probably the smallest layout - two modules at around 36 feet was shown at the Henfield show in December 2023. The next outing for Whiteleaf is the National Garden Railway Show at Stoneleigh at the end of April, when we will be taking a 45-foot MTS layout under catenary, using three station modules. if you're going to the show, drop by and say hello.
Best wishes
David
-
10
-
5
- Show all
