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.
Kirkby Stephen West
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
St Judes - a Southern branch in OO gauge
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
Porth Eithin - a Cornish branch line in OO gauge
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
Dydley - a compact 'N' gauge club layout
‘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
Halland - Northern England in the steam era
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
Kilve - a Western Region branch line in 'OO'
A station that was could have been built in Somerset is the setting for Darren Berry’s ‘OO’ gauge exhibition layout.
Darren Berry
Newvaddon Parkway - modelling Cornwall in the present day
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
Common Oak Lane - a OO gauge micro layout
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
Witham - a Western Region junction station in 'OO' gauge
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
Canute Road Quay - a 'OO' gauge dock scene
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
Harford Street to Mile End Gate
Just because we start a layout with a design in mind, doesn’t mean it has to stay the same forever. JIM CONNER reveals the history of his second version of this East London-based layout and details the ‘route’ from Harford Street to Mile End Gate.
JIM CONNER
Crossley Scrap - a 1990s shunting yard
A real scrapyard in West Yorkshire inspired Josh Lovell and Barrie Jones to recreate it in this compact but feature-packed ‘OO’ gauge micro layout.
Josh Lovell and Barrie Jones
Chinley - the Midland Mainline in 'OO' gauge
The Midland Main Line in the 1950s inspired HARRY FIELDING to recreate this famous location in ‘OO’ gauge. Read the full story here and watch our exclusive video tour.
Harry Fielding
Kingsbury - modelling the GWR in 'O' gauge
With a long history of ‘OO’ gauge exhibition layout Barnhill Model Railway Club decided to look to a large scale for its latest project. EDDIE MICHEL reveals the story of this fascinating ‘O’ gauge exhibition layout set in Bristol around the time of nationalisation.
Eddie Michel
Cadhay Sidings
The sleepy Southern Railway branch lines of South Devon are the subject of CHRIS GOUGH’s ‘P4’ scale layout, with high-fidelity track and prototypical operation.
CHRIS GOUGH
Hooper’s Aggregates
Redruth Model Railway Club’s latest ‘OO’ gauge layout is a present-day quarry scene set on the Devon/Cornwall border, offering a nod to the famous operations at Meldon Quarry, as ANDREW KEAST reveals.
ANDREW KEAST
Bron Hebog
Narrow gauge railways aren’t all short-distance affairs with tiny locomotives. DAVID WALLER explains how this delightful Welsh Highland Railway layout was created in ‘OO9’ - complete with its mighty Garrats
DAVID WALLER
Forest Gate Parkway - modern image OO gauge
An inadvertent visit to a model shop rekindled the interest of GRAHAM MANN, who created this stunning pastiche of the modern railway in ‘OO’ gauge, with sound.
GRAHAM MANN
Llanbourne Junction - North Wales in the 1980s
The North Wales Coast line in the 1980s is the setting for PETER MANTLE’S ‘OO’ gauge layout, which was started in the UK but finished ‘Down Under’ where it is now based.
PETER MANTLE
Tytton Hall Yard - modelling the 1990s in 'OO' gauge
Based on a around a main line with a colliery loading point, Boston Model Railway Club’s ‘OO’ gauge layout models the changing liveries of the 1980s and 1990s diesel scene as DAVID CURRIE reveals.
DAVID CURRIE
Murton Hall - a North East colliery in OO gauge
Evoking the spirit of colliery and light railways in the North East, this home-based layout is the creation of DEAN ERRINGTON, as he explains.
MIKE WILD
Old Oak Common in 'OO' gauge
The early diesel era of this famous Western Region maintenance depot has been recreated in ‘OO’ gauge by MALCOLM BENTLEY, oozing atmosphere galore.
BARROW HILL JUNCTION
The varied and intensive freight traffic around this Midlands junction inspired MICHAEL RHODES to recreate it in ‘OO’ gauge for his stunning home-based layout.
Loughborough Midland in 'OO'
Originally started by the late Dave Tooley as a diorama, this impressive ‘OO’ gauge layout has recently been refurbished and is now back on the circuit, as ADRIAN LAMBOURNE of the Ivanhoe Model Railway Society explains.
The Spirit of Swindon
EXTRA IMAGES! The very end of Western Region steam and the transition to diesel-hydraulics is the setting for this expansive ‘N’ gauge exhibition layout which shows how Swindon was more than 50 years ago, as NEIL MASON explains.
Neil Mason.
Oakenshaw - the North West in 'OO' gauge
Redditch Model Railway Club looked to West Yorkshire in the 1950s for their latest exhibition layout, which as GUY CRADDOCK explains, draws inspiration from across the region.
Guy Craddock.
Collingwood - A 'OO' gauge Southern region model railway
The privatisation era on the West Coastway route is the setting for SIMON PALEY to showcase the variety of trains and liveries over the last decade in 'OO' scale on his model railway.
BOTTOM WORKS SIDINGS - A WOODHEAD SHUNTING LAYOUT
South Yorkshire is the setting for CHRIS MATTHEWS’ compact 'OO' gauge exhibition layout, depicting a set of British Steel exchange sidings in the 1970s. Read the full feature here with extra unseen images!
Dubmill Sidings – the 1960s in ‘O’ gauge
Steve Thompson’s ‘O’ gauge layout, Dubmill Sidings, was very much a family affair, with partners, children, and soon grandchildren playing a part in the construction and exhibition of this wonderful BR diesel scene. Discover its full story in this feature from the Hornby Magazine archive.
Steve Thompson
Harford Street - early East London in 'OO'
This outstanding urban scene has been through several rebuilds as CHARLIE AND JIM CONNOR aspire to create their definitive model of East London in the early BR steam era. Join us as we journey back in time to the London suburbs shortly after the Second World War.