Layout: Titheridge Junction
What started out as a large fiddleyard became an exhibition layout with particular significance for Bradford Model Railway Club.
What started as a large fiddleyard became a show layout for Bradford MRC.
What makes this layout great?
“This is proof that simple doesn’t have to mean a compromise on quality. It’s still possible to create a great‑looking layout with a relatively simple track plan and within a limited time frame.
Fiddleyards are not the prettiest things in the world, but they are necessary for a lot of layouts which don’t have adequate scenic storage. They range from a couple of small roads with space for a shunter and a single wagon, to huge Goliaths that could be a layout all of their own.
The reason we’re starting the story of ‘Titheridge Junction’ in the slightly unusual area of the fiddleyard is because that was the first thing completed on the layout. Pauline Mckenna, of the Bradford Model Railway Club, explains how a large fiddleyard became the base for the club’s new
‘N’ gauge layout.
“Having just completed a new 14ft long, 14-road fiddleyard for our previous 1:148 scale layout ‘Dewsbury Midland’, which has now been scrapped, we discussed other ways of using the
“We elected to have one line perform a flyover and added a siding for some on-scene movements”
The landscape is formed of polystyrene blocks covered with lightweight filler painted dark brown and given a number of coatings of Woodland Scenics flock. Any bare rock faces are also from Woodland Scenics. The tunnel mouths and retaining walls are from Peco.
fiddleyard, including the possibility of making it a multi-purpose unit for a new modern-era ‘N’ gauge club layout. The criteria was for something which would utilise the three double-track connections to the fiddleyard and that could be built within six months. As there are two connections to the fiddleyard at one end and only one at the other, it was apparent that the tracks would need to split from two to four at some point on the scenic side. In order to give a bit of interest for the viewer, we elected to have one line perform a flyover and added a siding for some on-scene movements.”
‘Titheridge Junction’ has been named in honour of Pauline’s late husband Steve Titheridge, who passed away in 2012. He was a freight train driver with DB Schenker and the pair were in the process of gathering stock for their Western Region layout at the time of Steve’s passing. That stock is now used on ‘Titheridge Junction’. As a Western region layout in the days of BR blue, ‘Hymeks’ and ‘Warships’ were commonplace, but the arrival of Dapol’s ‘Western’, along with a flurry of early diesel classes meant that the ‘Hymeks’ and ‘Warships’ have been replaced, and the layout is now set between 1975 and 1980.
“All of the locomotives have had bufferbeam detail added and are lightly weathered, with the last wagon or coach of each train also having a detailed outer end. Some of the freight trains such as the box vans and cement hoppers have had the couplings changed to short shank couplings. I came across these in Germany several years ago and they bring the wagons much closer together so that the gap between
the buffers is only about 1mm. This looks a lot better and if you avoid tight curves there aren’t any issues. All the coaching stock has also been fitted with new couplings to bring them closer together, which vastly improves how they look as they pass through the scenic side of the layout.”
LEARNING FROM MISTAKES
Any large, portable layout will have to negotiate baseboard joins, otherwise you simply wouldn’t be able to fit it into a car or van for transport. This provides another conundrum: how to ensure the track is properly aligned across the join.
“We’ve tried to get the track to cross any baseboard joins at right angles wherever possible as this is the best way to get the correct alignment in a different environment. On previous layouts, where the track crosses at an angle, the different temperature and humidity has caused slight changes to the boards and getting an accurate alignment was difficult. To aid this we’ve added locating dowels and toggle catches to try and ensure that the boards are in exactly the same place each time.”
Each board has its own set of supporting legs rather than boards sharing them at the join. While this means there are more legs, and more things to transport to exhibitions, club members prefer it, as boards can be erected separately and then pushed together, reducing the risk of damage. The track at the baseboard ends is soldered to Paxolin pieces that
“All the coaching stock has also been fitted with new couplings to bring them closer together, which vastly improves how they look”
have been glued and screwed to the board for safety during transport, and allows the tracks to line up all the time.
MODULAR APPROACH
“‘Titheridge Junction’ can be considered as a series of dioramas connected together in a believable fashion. The creamery, farm and church scenes have all been added to create some visual interest away from the railway, and with the aim of staying within the six-month time limit we’ve used ready-made buildings wherever possible. An advantage of building a country scene over an urban environment is that we could use the buildings sparingly and keep the build time down!
“The track is Peco Code 55 with concrete sleepers, but we’ve used timber-sleepered Peco points. So far, so straightforward… But one thing we’ve realised over the years is that the ballast and how it is applied can make or break an otherwise good layout. We have used Woodland Scenics fine buff scatter material, which was painstakingly laid in the time-honoured way with diluted PVA and a dash of detergent. The rest of the club members say that I seem to have infinite patience for this sort of thing!”
Operational colour light signals are becoming increasingly popular and whether you opt for signals on a switch or a timer, they make a real difference. ‘Titheridge Junction’ employs working three-aspect colour lights from CR Signals, operated by a module which comprises an infrared detector between the rails and timer. Once a train passes the signal, it changes to red, then yellow and back to green after a set time.
Building a layout in a short time frame doesn’t have to mean it has to be low quality, and when there’s a group of modellers working to a common goal, the results can be spectacular. If you’re new to the hobby or are looking for a bit of help with your layout, why not consider joining a model railway club? Not only will you make friends, but the pool of knowledge and resources make building a layout in a short time much more possible.
Here, Bradford Model Railway Club has created a lovely tribute to Steve that will serve them well on the exhibition circuit for many years to come.