This magnificent and feature packed ‘OO’ gauge layout is the work of STEPHEN RICHARDS over the last four decades. We take a full tour of this complex loft layout.
Above: At Wardsend station a Johnson ‘1P’ 0-4-4T prepares to depart alongside a Class 108 DMU.
Peaksdale and Wardsend is a ‘OO’ gauge model railway loosely based in the West Riding of Yorkshire through the late 1950s into the early 1960s and has been modified and extended over 40 years to fit its current loft location of 22ft 6in x 12ft 6in. The current layout has a double track circuit (three and four-track in places) which includes Peaksdale station. On oneside is a double junction leading up a 1-in- 70 gradient to Wardsend terminus station, goods yard and shed which sits over the circuit at one end. The layout includes two steam sheds, a small diesel depot, a goods yard and an extensive storage yard and sidings. Control is analogue, given the original age, with a multitude of sections to aid operation and extensive wiring!
The layout is predominantly Midland Region, but given its West Yorkshire location, Eastern Region trains also appear. The layout is split into various scenic sections to give variety in both appearance and operation.
CONSTRUCTION
The layout is lai…
