COMPOSITE ROOM FILLER

This ‘OO’ gauge layout combines an oval and an out-and-back branch line and features another raft of West Yorkshire subjects, placing greater emphasis on disused and lifted track, together with the notable presence of overgrown vegetation It works for two reasons: firstly, it draws on a good selection of prototype locations for inspiration and, more importantly, it has a gradient from ‘A’ to ‘B’ at 1-in-30. It also includes a low-level ‘L’-shaped fiddleyard (not shown) for increased capacity. If you don’t want a fiddleyard in such a confined space (it certainly needs to be fully automatic) why not bring it slightly forward of the coal disposal baseboard and throat of the Clayton West-esque station? I’ve emphasised disused track in three locations, but without letting it take over. Stations

are spaced, route-wise, about as far apart as possible, with both branch line examples having a solitary coal siding. Turning now to the branch line, first up is the use of a mini version of Thornton Viaduct (see ‘Small Composite Layout’) and Denby Dale station, set on a prototypically exaggerated curve. Please note the siding at Denby Dale needs to be level, while tracks through the station are on a rising grade to the terminus.

Frizinghall station, September 5 1971: This station, on the Shipleybradford line, closed to passengers in 1965 and it’s typical of many stations I saw at the time on lines that were still operating: the platform edging stones have been removed and...