Barry and Penarth Model Railway Club

Members layouts - T: Bowlers Croft & Honywood Road

O0-gauge

Layout built and owned by Vanessa Howells & Mike Rimes

This display depicts a typical ‘train set’ model railway layout from the 1970’s.

The track plan is based on a design from a Hornby Dublo track plans book, with two running loops, a crossover track, and two sets of sidings in the centre. Such simple designs offered plenty of ‘play’ value, but did not allow for prototypical train operations that modellers wanted to replicate.

On this layout, more realistic operation has been achieved by adding a terminus station outside the loops. The terminus has separate platforms for ‘Arrivals’ and ‘Departures’, and a bay platform for Branch Trains. The centre road is for holding empty stock between services. Locos and rolling stock are either Wrenn or Hornby Dublo 2-rail models from the period.

The following railway-like operations can be carried out:

• Main line passenger trains can depart from and return to the terminus (having travelled on both loops);
• Branch passenger trains can travel between the two stations;
• Goods trains can depart from and return to the Goods Yard, or to/from the Terminus bay platform.

Scenery in this era was often minimal, with painted areas depicting roads and fields, and buildings were invariably ‘Superquick’ card kits. The Terminus Station is named “Bowlers Croft” and the Branch Station “Honywood Road” – both names taken from the address of the Wrenn factory in Basildon.