George Dent, Deputy Editor

If time, money and space were no object, there are a number of railway locations that I’d love to replicate in miniature. Dent in the 1960s and Warrington Bank Quay in the 1980s would probably top the list. However, Manchester Oxford Road has been growing on me, especially after I spent some time there recently.

It’s amazing how often you can pass through a station, on foot or aboard a train, without really paying a great deal of attention to the surroundings. But Oxford Road certainly has its charms if you look past the hordes of commuters. The amazing curved timber shelters and canopies, along with the armadillo-esque main building, are real gems of 1960s architecture (and now Grade Ii-listed) and would be a joy to scratchbuild.

The elevated, constricted urban surroundings also provide plenty of modelling potential – whatever era is chosen – and there’s plenty of operational interest too. The twin-track line fans out to serve five platforms, and there’s long been a wide variety of electric and diesel traction involved, including plenty of freight movements.

I’m not sure when – or if – I’ll ever get the time or space to build a miniature version of Oxford Road, but I’d certainly like to use the architectural style as an inspiration for a 1980s-era urban layout.

Regular intermodal movements from the nearby Trafford Park terminals ensure there’s plenty of operational variety at Manchester Oxford Road. BOTH: GEORGE DENT