Ebsworth Street is ambitious Modern Image 00 layout for the exhibition circuit. The track layout is design for the signalling and operation side. Ebsworth Street recreates small main line terminus station with 3 platforms running off the London via main line, busy station main road leading to town centre. Also with train care depot with loco sidings and re-fuelling point/stabling point with working yards lights and interesting scene features including working colour light signals and ground shunts. The layout is DCC operated by Lenz 100 system with DCC fitted sound locos/Units.

The idea come from taking the best of layouts I seen and operated over the years. I am Chairman of Beckenham & West Wickham Model Railway Club. With working within the S&T for Network Rail at Waterloo. And worked for Model Zone/ The Signal Box for just over 7 years, with help out at Invicta Model Rail (Sidcup). I had been to many shows all over the UK with them. From that I decided its time to build my own layout.

I was limited to space at first and transporting the layout to shows. The first plan was 8ft by 2ft Diesel depot for locos, but I have a liking for Voyagers. HST and Units. Once I sat down and talk to a good friend Paul then said “what about this?.” So with that in mind. The layout becomes 26ft by 4ft. with each base board 2ft by 4ft.

With the space in my Ford S Max Sport we had to do some changes to get it to fit in. So we paired 6 2ft by 4ft in to 3 pairs and that left one pair to be cut in to 2ft by 2ft boards with pair together.

With Operating Horton the Beckenham &West Wickham Model Railway Club Modern Image layout (www.bwwmrc.co.uk/layouts/Horton/index.shtml)

via DCC, it was no question it going to be DCC operated. Over the years DCC has become the way of the model railway hobby. More and more the locos were coming to life with sound and lights. With that in mind I and Paul started building base boards for the layout.

We had got most of the layout built and then it turns to legs… We had issues before were 2x1 was not fitting or keeping the layout steady for Horton. So to the drawing board we went. So I left it to Paul. He comes up with the idea as 2x2 legs. We built the legs but with a higher then Horton legs. This at first I was uncertain but once we had the first board up it was nicer working height and operating. But we were still getting the same problem as Horton. So with much planning we decided to spin the last 2ft by 4ft base board around. To stop the moving of the layout. This had stopped the layout moving and given the legs more strength on holding the layout steady.

With spinning the last board around it gives space for operating the layout from hide to take place. As most layout try and fit in as much as you can I decided it would get you the opportune to plan for scenes to fit in with the layout plan.

Once all the legs and baseboards were completed with end boards it was time to fit in the car. It was a tight fit.......

After getting the layout home it was time to set up the boards for corking and then track lying in the garage. Over the years I could say my track laying was bad, but if you don’t try. You will not get any better. After helping with the rebuilding on Horton and track laying on Beckwick.

I had a plan in my head so I put pen to paper. So I went shopping for points and track. Also some buildings I had been buying for many years to finally put on my layout which was coming along nicely. 16 houses, signal box, office blocks and accessories. Once I had been shopping I started recreating the plan I had done on paper. So with talking to Paul and some club members it started to coming along nicely. The plan for the station and yard was completed on paper. Time to marked out, see how it looked.

Below is a signalling diagram for my layout.

With laying the junction to station and entrance to yard it had to be right. I had got it down and it looked great. Track lying was fun and more I did it more I was working on the layout in my spare time. Apart from working on Horton on club nights. The layout was growing faster and faster day by day.

After I had laid a large amount of track. I had to think what and I’m going to use over the board joints. To a line the track. When building the boards I had put in alignment dowels to keep it level but that doesn’t always guarantee the liniment of the track across the boards. So from using different methods in the past. I started off by cutting away the sleeper edge to draw a hold for the screw to go in. As close to the rail as possible. Then solder to hold the track in place. At first it stands out a lot. But when I scene it not that bad. Back to track lying. In the yard and carriage siding.

The layout had moved very fast within 6 weeks all baseboards was built and within 3 weeks after the entire track was laid. Started putting building in places I planned them to go. After looking in my box of many things, I had started the scenery on the layout. Within a weekend I had done 6ft of it. And planning more on what will look right there. Ebsworth Street is on its way……

Five months have passed and now Ebsworth Street has had wiring and extra scene and detail work completed. I have decided to go down the same route as Horton using MRCCC to control the layout and Signals/Points. I have kept the wiring simple, so anyone can look underneath of the baseboards to see what’s going on and where it’s going.

I have soldered black wire to public viewing side and red wire to the operator side. All this came about after helping with the wiring up of Horton after its rebuild, which showed up some problems when we were fault finding. With 36 core cables on each base board it was hard to place a meter on and get a voltage reading. So Paul had another idea on how to make it easier to fault find on my layout by using PCB with the two wires soldered to it and an insulating cut between them placed underneath the track block joint. Then wires from the PCB to the 37 way cable with plugs to connect the baseboards up together.

I have five baseboards wiring and mostly scenery completed. Signals and Shunts are still to be installed and tested. If you have been visiting the clubrooms you will have seen about 8ft-12ft. that has been wired and scened. With Horton not up this has kept me active and shows new members what you can do and learn from the club. I have only just started working on the platform area, marking out with paper and then with a pencil on the side of a MK3 Coach in the middle and let the pencil do the work for me marking the platform edge for clearance.

That will give me the base for the platforms – 18mm MFD will be the base for it. Next will be to place them on the layout and see how they fit and any sanding down or cutting away can then be done for board joints and point work. Once I have done that I will use the Metcalfe station kit for the brickwork which will save making or cutting brick paper.

More pictures will follow soon.