‘N’ gauge is a great way to increase the amount of operation available in a limited space, but it doesn’t have to be confined to home layouts in this way. The City of Canterbury Model Railway Society choose ‘N’ as the medium for Dydley – a 4ft x 2ft 6in continuous run layout. ANDY HOPPER explains.
ONCE UPON a time, as all stories start, there was a layout called Hesem Rowe. This evolved from a single 4ft x 1ft 6in baseboard into a six board oval with through station and storage yard exhibition layout ultimately covering 11ft x 4ft. This was long before I became a member of the City of Canterbury Model Railway Society (CCMRS) and it was my first ever ‘N’ gauge and exhibition layout. I learnt a lot from building, operating and exhibiting Hesem Rowe - some good, some bad - so when the CCMRS decided to build an ‘N’ gauge exhibition layout I was keen to ensure that they did not repeat my mistakes, and could benefit from the useful tricks and tips I picked up along the way.
Above: Representing the 1960s a Class 22 hydraulic enters the goods loop with a milk train while a Class 122 DMU stands in the bay.
The main mistake I was keen that the club did not follow was to ensure that the number of baseboards was kept to as few as possible…
