Hi

At the Wigan show in 2008 I bought the 7mm scale layout Heyside. It was acquired as a short-cut to getting something running at home, though as with all such things, it is never as great a short-cut as one hopes. This blog will detail the trials and tribulations of the extensive rebuild of the layout.

Heyside is a fictitious station set in Lancashire around the Oldham Loop. The layout was built as an exhibition layout by Trevor Smith, and exhibited just 4 times in the UK. It was featured in BRM November 2007 in its original form.

While the layout as built had some great strengths, the urban setting and buildings, and general observation, it had significant weaknesses too, and we are now well on the way to addressing the amendments required. Heyside will be off the exhibition circuit in 2009, but will be available by the autumn of next year - at least that is the target we have set.

In the meantime the work we will be doing encompasses:

Reducing the size of the layout. The original size was 38' by 16'. It is now 31' by 14'.

Increasing the storage space in the fiddle yards from 6 main loops to 11.

Adding a goods loop on the outside running road, and all catch/trap points and blind sidings as necessary.

Adding a run-round on the yard and increasing the capacity of the minerals yard.

Have fully working signals, including ground signals and repeaters, and operate to the signals.

Redesign the control panel so that the yard can be operated from the front of the layout.

DCC the layout but probably only once the layout has been rebuilt.

All new pointwork is built to 31.5mm gauge, and a minimum radius on the main running lines of 6' is in force. In fact one section had to be built to 5' 9 1/2" following a rebuild to the branch throat.

As an introduction, the following photos show the layout much as it was purchased, although some of the rebuild is in evidence. They are shown in order from left to right as one looks at the scenic part of the layout.

Trevor's buildings are excellent, and I particularly like the huge warehouse modelled on that at Royton. It's 4' long, 2' high and is a 2-man lift! The station bridges are redolent of Werneth and the railway buildings - station buildings and signal boxes are pure L&Y.

The next instalment will look at the alterations to the trackwork.

Richard