LAYOUT FEATURES
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.
HURST GREEN
Originally built as a through station, COLIN CHISEM decided to give his ‘OO’ gauge home layout a new lease of life by converting it into a rural branch line terminus. Read the full feature here with extra images!
Dawes Road
A switch of scale from amongst the smallest to amongst the largest led RICHARD BOOTHBY to build this atmospheric depot and station scene in ‘O’, set in the grimy 1980s.
Horsley
Sometimes a new model can prompt a new wave of interest, and for COLIN CHISEM, Bachmann’s ‘N’ 2-6-0 saw him switch to the Southern Railway from his lifelong passion for all things Great Western. Look out for a full feature on his rebuild of Horsley (renamed Hurst Green) in the July 2021 issue of Hornby Magazine.
Westbury Cement
Faced with a third lockdown and desire to do something different, STEVE JONES built a box-file layout in ‘OO’ gauge with a distinctly industrial setting.
MAKING TRACKS
This summer, a threemonth exhibition will launch in Chester Cathedral and the centrepiece will be a mammoth 64ft long ‘OO’ gauge model of the West Coast Main Line built by Pete Waterman and his friends. MIKE WILD and RICHARD WATSON visited the build in its final phases of construction to find out more in words, pictures and video.
GIFFORD STREET
Gifford Street was once a regular fixture of the exhibition circuit and was a showcase for 7mm scale on a large scale. JOHN EMERSON bids farewell to Gifford Street to make way for his new ‘O’ gauge project. Photography, Mike Wild.
HALIFAX POWELL STREET
Competition between the pre-Grouping railways for access to Lancashire and Yorkshire’s towns and cities was fierce. PETER DURANT shows how he created this fictional station in Halifax which has a strong grounding in reality in ‘OO’ scale. Photography, Peter Durant.
MUCH WITHERING
The garden presented the perfect place for STEVE BOON to develop an ‘O’ gauge railway on which he could run his collection of Western Region hydraulics. Here he reveals the story behind the line and how it was built.
STANLEY JUNCTION
This famous Scottish location has been modelled before closures and rationalisation took place by the East Kilbride Model Railway Club. BILL CAMPBELL describes how this attractive ‘N’ gauge layout was built, and how it operates.
Newton Grove 19F
A visit to a friend’s ‘O’ gauge layout was all the inspiration JONATHAN NEWTON needed to switch scales and start a new collection. Newton Grove shed is the result – a compact portrayal of the final years of steam in the North West.
Roundtree Sidings
Summer 1985 is the setting for this super detailed ‘EM’ gauge exhibition layout built by the DEMU North East Area Group members. TREVOR SMITH reveals the detailed story behind this popular layout which features main line and Tyne and Wear Metro operations in 4mm scale.
Somerset & Dorset Celebration
The famous Somerset & Dorset Railway is a modeller’s dream with double-headed passenger workings, locomotives and rolling stock from across the regions and stunning scenery. MIKE WILD celebrates the S&D 55 years after its closure in March 1966 by recreating the journey from Bath to Bournemouth West in model form. Photography, Trevor Jones, Chris Nevard and Mike Wild.
Whiteacres
Originally developed as a transition era layout, Stafford Railway Circle recast this Midlands-set ‘OO’ gauge model railway to the early years of privatisation, as IAN RAE describes. Photography, Trevor Jones.
Mansion House
The hustle and bustle of South London’s railways in the 1950s is recalled by STEPHEN GRANT in this superb home-based ‘OO’ layout set in the era of Bulleid ‘Pacifics’ and third-rail electric units. Photography, Trevor Jones.
Lee-on-the-Solent
This wonderful London and South Western Railway era ‘P4’ layout models a real railway on the South Coast which had a short career, as PHIL CHUDLEY explains. Photography, Trevor Jones.
A Nod To Brent
The area around Brent, South Devon inspired Robin Sweet to create this atmospheric ‘OO’ gauge layout set in the last years of the Great Western Railway. See this superb home-based model railway in full in pictures and video. Photography, Trevor Jones.
Penmouth & Curzon Street
Unable to decide on one location, MARK WILSON set out to create an ‘OO’ gauge layout covering London, Birmingham and the South West – to grand effect. Photography, Mike Wild.
Fence Houses
Drawing on the heavy industry of North Eastern England, IAN FORSYTH created this atmospheric colliery layout in ‘OO’ which showcases a long disappeared railway scene. Photography, Trevor Jones.
Old Elms Park - The Yard
Having built a stunning ‘O’ gauge roundhouse to display his locomotives, MARK POLLARD created an extension to breathe new life into this BR steam era scene. Photography, Trevor Jones.
The Summit
With stunning Pennine scenery, this massive ‘O’ gauge layout rekindles the spectacular Settle and Carlisle in steam days, as BOB ALDERMAN explains. Photography, Trevor Jones.
Ashdan Junction
The West Midlands in the 1970s is the setting for BARRY PLATT’S ‘OO’ gauge digital sound layout – which recaptures the times wonderfully. Read the full story here, originally published in HM121, and watch the video too. Photography, Mike Wild.
North Cornwall Brewery
The brewery trade is the setting for MALCOLM BRIGGS’ superbly modelled brand-new ‘OO’ gauge exhibition layout. Discover its secrets and how this well thought-out project came together. Photography, Mike Wild.
