Layout features

Featuring
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Welcome to our collection of model railway layout features. Here you will find beautifully detailed model railways in 'OO' gauge, 'N' gauge, 'O' gauge, 'OO9' narrow gauge and more offering a huge variety of build designs and inspirational techniques. Plus our growing collection covers a broad spectrum of different periods in railway history as well as all four corners of the British railway network while many feature exclusive KeyModelWorld only video tours. Indulge and enjoy!

Explore the amazing model railways built by talented individuals and clubs which feature in the pages of Hornby Magazine. This section covers 'OO', 'EM', 'P4', 'N', and 'O' gauge model railways and more in all eras. Plus many now feature exclusive online video content which you can only find here on Key Model World.

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The Bluebell Railway: Horsted Keynes in 'OO' gauge

MIKE WILD

Based on the heritage railway station on the Bluebell Railway, MATT WICKHAM built this atmospheric ‘OO’ gauge layout in a garden shed. Photography, Trevor Jones.

MIKE WILD
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Wardwood - Yorkshire in the late 1960s in OO gauge

Ian Woodward

Rekindling happy childhood memories, IAN WOODWARD opted for a fictitious urban location in Yorkshire as the basis for his first ‘OO’ gauge layout.Photography: Jonathan Newton

Ian Woodward
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Building a Diesel Depot - introducing Natford TMD

MIKE WILD

There is always a plan for a new project layout at Hornby Magazine - and this issue marks the debut of our latest build to create a multi-era depot in ‘OO’ gauge. MIKE WILD introduces the project in the first of four features which join our new video series on KeyModelWorld.com – and an exclusive laser-cut building kit.

MIKE WILD
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Shillinghurst - modelling the Southern Region in the '60s

BOB PETCH

New Southern Region and Somerset & Dorset models gave BOB PETCH the inspiration to shift the time period of his home-based 'OO' layout forward by 30 years and change the location from Great Western to Southern Region. As he explains, the changes were simple but have made a big difference.

BOB PETCH
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East Quay

CHRIS LANGDON

Small engines and short trains are the order of the day at this charming quayside station modelled in ‘OO’. CHRIS LANGDON explains the story of this compact exhibition layout which is now owned by St Neots Model Railway Club. Photography, Mike Wild

CHRIS LANGDON
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Kirkby Stephen West

Malcolm Rochford

The ‘Long Drag’ pushed steam locomotives and their crews to the limits. MALCOLM ROCHFORD explains how he recreated a small part of the Settle & Carlisle line in ‘OO’ gauge.Photography: Jonathan Newton

Malcolm Rochford
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St Judes - a Southern branch in OO gauge

CHRIS BONE

Starting from a small Southern Region layout, CHRIS BONE explains how he developed and expanded his project to recreate the atmosphere of Devon and Cornwall’s railways in the 1950s and 1960s in ‘OO’ and ‘OO9’ gauges.

CHRIS BONE
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Porth Eithin - a Cornish branch line in OO gauge

PETER MIDWINTER

A move to a new location promoted PETER MIDWINTER to begin construction of this Cornish theme ‘OO’ gauge branch line terminus. Here he reveals where the idea came from and how this BR Western Region layout developed.

PETER MIDWINTER
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Dydley - a compact 'N' gauge club layout

ANDY HOPPER

‘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.

ANDY HOPPER
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Halland - Northern England in the steam era

JOHN GAY

The North of England near the Scottish border is the setting for JOHN GAY’s steam era ‘OO’ gauge layout which captures the isolation and beauty of this region to a tee.

JOHN GAY
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Kilve - a Western Region branch line in 'OO'

Darren Berry

A station that was could have been built in Somerset is the setting for Darren Berry’s ‘OO’ gauge exhibition layout.

Darren Berry
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Newvaddon Parkway - modelling Cornwall in the present day

DARREN GLASSON

Based on a fictional new town in West Cornwall, father and son team NIGEL and DARREN GLASSON set out to show what a busy parkway station in the area could look like in ‘N’ gauge. Photography, Trevor Jones

DARREN GLASSON
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Common Oak Lane - a OO gauge micro layout

TIM LOWE

TIM LOWE set out to build a minimum space, minimum budget ‘OO’ gauge shunting layout – which has only acquired a name under new ownership.

TIM LOWE
A Class 52 Western arrives at Witham and passes a GWR Large Prairie 2-6-2T. Feature Premium

Witham - a Western Region junction station in 'OO' gauge

Martin Reynolds

Recalling happy childhood memories of holidays in the West Country, Martin Reynolds selected a fictional location in Somerset to relive summer Saturday traffic – and more.Photography, Mike Wild

Martin Reynolds
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Canute Road Quay - a 'OO' gauge dock scene

GRAHAM MUSPRATT

Southampton Docks provides the setting for this compact quayside shunting layout set in the Southern Railway era between 1946 to 1949. Builder GRAHAM MUSPRATT explains all.

GRAHAM MUSPRATT