Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I am planning on starting this railway during the forthcoming festive holiday and money and time allowing hope to get it running during 2011.

Me:

I am a happily married 34 year old with 2 young children. I am employed as a computer programmer specialising in designing bespoke solutions for small businesses to aid their daily tasks. I am also a qualified domestic electrician and I have a little experience with electronics.

Having had a model railway when I was a child, I am now eager to bring the joys to my own young children. My two and a half year old daughter is fascinated by her grandfathers N gauge circuit. (First started for my older brothers fifth birthday, 31 years ago. I have been reassured it will be finished for my daughters fifth birthday!)

Circuit Name & Overview:

I currently live in Kettering in Northamptonshire. I was born in Colchester, Essex and my wife is from Clacton. Therefore the circuit is named Ketterton.

The circuit will be based on my childhood memories and I hope that this will help when explaining different aspects to my children. My father worked next to Colchester North station, this is an impressive mainline station, which at the time held the record for Britain’s longest railway platform. http://en.wikipedia....railway_station . One set of grandparents lived in the centre of Colchester and my grandfather would often walk us down to the level crossing at the bottom of East Hill and the Hythe to wave at the trains. My other set of grandparents lived in London and I often got excited about looking up at the trains rumbling above our heads across bridges.

A very happy two week summer holiday was spent boating on the Norfolk Broads, the working swing bridges are still etched into my memory.

My circuit is therefore going to be based around these memories:

Baseboard Design:

Space is limited in my house, however my father in law is keen to relive his childhood and has agreed to set up a circuit within his garage, on the provision, that he can still get his car in there. I am therefore planning on making the baseboard in sections. His garage does have a loft, with a standard trap door entrance. The boards need to be designed to fit through the hatch for storage. The 'new' polyfoam principle, as used by Gordon Gravett on Pempoul and also reviewed in Matford ‘NEW’ circuit seems like an ideal and cost effective way of making the boards.

Track plan:

I want a nice loop circuit, with a station and a working swing bridge. If I am able to perfect my carpentry skills I like the idea of a top section on the baseboard to give additional interest with tunnels and viaducts. This raised section will be added at a later date, but my track plan is being designed with this in mind.

Front Section: Main through station with 4 platforms, 2 main lines, a passing loop and platform 4 as a terminus. At the back of this front section is a raised line going round the board, I am unsure if this will be one or two tracks at the moment. To the right of the station the main lines go into a tunnel entrance (such as at Ipswich) and the raised line will cut across the top into open fields.

First design:

With upper level:

Right Section:

This side of the circuit will deal with the up and down ramps onto the raised circuit. The lower mainline will pass through an old factory.

Back Section:

The top section will have a country station and the bottom part will be the fiddle yard.

Right Section:

Working swing bridge across a river and a viaduct for the top section of track.