Brighton Model Railway Club

Retired layouts

Page last modified 11 January 2007.

Tarrant Riverside 4mm OO gauge:-

Tarrant Riverside was based in East Anglia in the late 1980's early 1990's and continued our TV Soap theme of naming layouts. Tarrant was the setting for Howards Way. Originally built as an extension to Kings Oak ( see below) this would have allowed us to run through trains from the West Midlands to East Anglia with a fiddle yard in between. In the end the two layouts were never joined together.  The layout featured a 3ft long pier on wooden piles built out into a river estuary. Some of piles were hollow to allow power to reach the pier. Tarrant was also fully lit and had one or two risqué scenic features, including topless female sunbathers on the roof of a holiday apartment.

The layout was 16ft x 2ft 6 ins and had a section of street running from the Pier station through to the Quayside. Tarrant was exhibited many times and generally ran very well. The layout was retired in 2003 to become the baseboard donor for a new layout Goose Island but we have now decided to dismantle Tarrant and start afresh for Goose Island.

Pictures of Tarrant Riverside

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

Kings Oak 4mm OO gauge:-

King's Oak is a fictitious town somewhere in the Black Country. The name is derived from the "Crossroads" TV series which was set in King's Oak. This continued our soap opera theme of layout names. The station was a terminus consisting of four platforms, one electrified carriage sidings plus two non-electrified sidings and a loco stabling point. It was set during the late 1980's - early 1990's. Just outside the station was a terminal for stone traffic from the Westbury area. The layout was U shaped and led to a fiddle yard. All main running lines were electrified on the overhead system including some complex junctions. Scenery consisted of typical inner-city areas with lots of terraced housing backing on to the railway line. Further out from the station was a large ASDA superstore bounded by a ring road which crossed the railway by a viaduct before the railway plunged into a tunnel.

A variety of stock was used including a class 150/2 DMU's from MTK kits, a scratchbuilt class 304 EMU's through to Class 86's and 87's in push pull mode with scratchbuilt MK3 Driving van trailer.

The layout has now been dismantled.

Pictures of King's Oak.

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge

Twain 4mm OO gauge:-

The name is Old English for 'two', in this case trains and working trams. The railway is a country terminus on four boards having a total area of 7 ft by 3 ft with a 3 ft by 1 ft 6 in fiddle yard. Trams, using live overhead pickup, will work from the raised town scene at the rear of the layout, via two passing loops, to the railway station at the front, where there is a trolley reverser for the return journey. The date is the early 1930s.

The train element will have mainly LNER stock, although some LMS may be present at some time. Couplings will be the automatic 'Sprat and Winkle' variety. Cassettes will be utilised in the fiddle yard for easier working. The layout is to be made transportable in two cars for exhibition purposes, having working positions for two operators - one each for trains and trams.

Upper Creek 7mm scale 16.5 gauge:-

This narrow gauge railway is set in the far south west of England in the 1920s. Clay is brought by rail to the dockside and is tipped automatically into the barge waiting alongside the pier. Passenger trains stop at the town station before moving out of sight further down the river. At the other end of the town scene is the engine shed with its working traverser.

To this original layout other scenes may be added. The first features a flour mill siding with the main line crossing a duck pond containing real water! The second scene to be built is a slate quarry with a remotely-controlled working incline which features the movement of dressed slate and trucks, and a new pit-prop wagon. Work on developing the floor of the quarry is at an advanced stage with a turntable at the foot of the incline leading to one shed and more traffic moving from the mountain to a second shed.

A mixture of narrow gauge locomotives are operated - steam, petrol and battery powered. Prototypes of some of these may be seen working at the Chalk Pits Museum, Amberley. The wagons, coaches and locos are either made from kits or scratchbuilt by club members.

Although complete, Upper Creek is at present "resting" from the exhibition circuit.
Due to a break in at our club rooms most of the unique rolling stock for this layout has been stolen. The pictures below show some of the items. If you are offered them or see them please contact Sussex Police who will be glad to hear from you.

Pictures of Upper Creek.

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

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