Cheshire Railway Modellers

My main project is supposed to be this one; the Portway Terminal RR, 15'x1' in O scale. Track is old Lima, 3ft-radius curves no problem for US locos and stock.!! This is a Shortline inspired very much by the Ballard Terminal RR in Seattle, featured in Model Trains International issue 55, and Chris Ellis's Minimo O scale layout in MTI issue 54.

Next up is a layout started because British O scale models with buffers and 3-link couplers just won't even look at 3ft-radius points... Withyn Reach is a small set of exchange sidings by a canal wharf.

A cassette fiddleyard to the left-hand end will create a run-round loop.

The front-right siding is presumed to have a weight restriction on it preventing BR locos from gaining access and necessitating the use of a private shunter, an excuse to run two locos on such a small (6'x1' plus 4' cassettes) layout.

The scenery on this layout is now taking shape.

Originally just Sutton Road by our own CRM Webmaster Bob Hughes. His announcement of it's imminent demise prompted me to email him saying that if he was going to throw it away, at least throw it away in my direction... I then realised I hadn't owned a single piece of OO gauge stock for some years which led to the situation on the right!

This has since been resolved and the station also has a new roof under construction.

Well, now, who do I blame for this? I suppose Colin Peake really started it all off with his wonderful OO scale Boxfile layout described on the RMweb forum. More recently Bob Hughes came up with his Foxbaile plan, again in OO.

So I had a play with some O scale stock and the layout developed...