Dagnell End Introduction

Exhibition Manager Details 

 It is the 1960s on British Railways' Southern Region. The era of main line steam is drawing to a close as diesel traction becomes established and the electrified network continues to expand. Dagnell End is a fictitious station situated on the Hounslow Loop in south-west London. The line is part of the former London and South Western Railway route from London Waterloo, with the station imagined to be located close to the site of the real Brentford station. The layout was conceived as a challenge to create a convincing urban railway scene, providing a welcome contrast to the more traditional model railway setting of open countryside. Every building has been scratch-built, with many based on London prototypes photographed by Club members during a number of research visits. The basic structures were constructed from thick card before being clad with plasticard embossed to represent brick and stone finishes. Each building has then been carefully painted and weathered to capture the appearance and character of its real-life counterpart. Although not geographically accurate for this part of London, an Underground line runs across the front of the layout to add additional operational and visual interest. The Underground trains are modified and motorised EFE models that operate automatically on a continuous cycle. The main line features the wide variety of traction that could be seen on the south-western section of the Southern Region during the 1960s. Virtually all of the Southern Region electric multiple units have been scratch-built, making them a particular feature of the layout. Train operation is controlled using a Z21 DCC system.

Exhibition Details

 Exhibition Details Layout Owner : The Redditch Model Railway Club

Number of operators required : six 

Layout size : 18ft x 12ft  – The layout is operated from the central well and has scenery on three of the four sides

Expenses :  We would expect reimbursement for out of pocket expenses for members and or The Club following the exhibition of this layout. The transport for this layout would involve the hire of short wheel base Transit type van.

Magazine Features :  The layout was featured in the April 2010 edition of Hornby Railways magazine.

Many people ask how we transport the layout to shows - well this picture shows the layout packed in a van on it's way to a model railway exhibition.