The opportunity to extend the ‘O’ gauge test track as the next step in its development was too good to pass up. MIKE WILD explains the changes and the next steps.
Above: Below: The expansion of the ‘O’ gauge test track has taken the main line outside of the Topley Dale footprint to add an additional 3ft 8in to the length of the layout. These are the new curves.
THE ‘O’ gauge test track has been a great addition to the Hornby Magazine layout roster. Covering 16ft x 10ft and positioned 400mm underneath Topley Dale, it has been regularly used to test locomotives and rolling stock for 7mm scale and it has also been the backdrop for many of our demonstration videos through KeyModelWorld.
However, while it is certainly functional, it has never really had the form to back that up. Scenic work has barely been started and it is essentially a lot of track on bare baseboards. Plus, while the 16ft length is acceptable, any opportunity to make a model railway larger needs to be grabbed with both hands in my view.
The recent ‘completion’ of the scenery on Topley Dale (HM165) – although I have lots of smaller items that I still want to add to our main ‘OO’ gauge layout – has left the door open to move on to the ‘O’ g…
