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Chessington Zoo Model Railway


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My c1950 copy of The Model Railway Encyclopedia makes mention, and contains a few small illustrations, of a large, stud-contact, 0 gauge layout under construction for public exhibition at Chessington Zoo. Presumably it would have been a typical 1950s tourist attraction type layout with numerous trains lapping continuous circuits, although a photograph of an extensive control desk suggests a measure of manual operation rather than automatic control.

 

A quick search on the net fails to reveal anything more, although I suppose useful results may have been swamped by extensive advertorial for Chessington's current attractions.

 

Does anyone remember the layout and does anyone know of any further information on the web? I confess my curiosity to be idle rather than constructive, but I have a bit of a nostalgic thing about old and defunct railway attractions and the photos piqued my interest.

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My c1950 copy of The Model Railway Encyclopedia makes mention, and contains a few small illustrations, of a large, stud-contact, 0 gauge layout under construction for public exhibition at Chessington Zoo. Presumably it would have been a typical 1950s tourist attraction type layout with numerous trains lapping continuous circuits, although a photograph of an extensive control desk suggests a measure of manual operation rather than automatic control.

 

A quick search on the net fails to reveal anything more, although I suppose useful results may have been swamped by extensive advertorial for Chessington's current attractions.

 

Does anyone remember the layout and does anyone know of any further information on the web? I confess my curiosity to be idle rather than constructive, but I have a bit of a nostalgic thing about old and defunct railway attractions and the photos piqued my interest.

It wasn't there in the mid-50's- but I remember the redundant London tram parked at the entrance.

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Much too young to remember the 1950s as I wasn't around then but there was a large HO layout there in the late 1970s. I think it was a mobile thing in a trailer as I'm pretty sure I saw the same thing at Brighton on the seafront.

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Much too young to remember the 1950s as I wasn't around then but there was a large HO layout there in the late 1970s. I think it was a mobile thing in a trailer as I'm pretty sure I saw the same thing at Brighton on the seafront.

 

Didn't the Fleischmann importer (M&R ?) have a layout in a trailer in the 1970's and I think they were based in Brighton or nearby.

 

Brian

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As a child living in South London in the 1950's I was taken on a trip to Chessington Zoo to see this layout amongst other things. All I recollect is that it was Southern based and had a lot Southern electric units on it. I cannot say if it was 'O' gauge or gauge 1, but it definitely not 'OO'.

 

Loconuts   

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