Falkland Vale is an exhibition standard 'OO' Gauge layout that is currently under construction.

It consists of a large fiddle yard, eight boards from The Circle layout as well as eight detailed scenic boards.

Project Information  

The first public viewing of Falkland Vale and indeed the last day it was run took place on Sat 12th February at the clubs annual exhibition. Since then, continued work on the scenic sections of the layout has precluded its use on either the members running day or the monthly running nights. The exhibition gave us an ideal opportunity to show members of the public what 'behind the scenes' progress has been made on converting the circle test track to a full blown model railway. It has to be admitted that several short cuts were taken to get the layout operational for the show but it is generally felt that seeing it running was a memorable event for the club. Following on from the show steady progress has been made on several fronts. Our clubs electrical wizards have waved their magical soldering irons to start converting the quick fix electronics to a more dedicated control system while all around them work has proceeded with the scenery. Most progress has been made working in from the 'end boards' on the scenic sections. The right hand tunnel portals which were exhibited at the exhibition now really look the part with the surrounding cutting and hillside while the road over bridge on the left hand side of the viewing layout is now set in place. Progress has been made on extending the 'views' inwards with work steadily progressing on the canal section under the railway lines at the right hand side of the layout while a row of 'railway worker cottages' have been added along with an allotment to the left of the layout (see photograph) to fill space between the bridge and the station complex which is now gaining foundations for the platforms. Ballasting has also been taking place on parts of the layout, this has been accompanied by the painting of the rails to be a more suitable colour. These often time consuming (and some would say back aching and or tedious) tasks are helping to transform the layout from looking like a large test track with a multitude of sidings to depiction of a genuine railway setting in miniature.

With the track laying now complete more and more things are starting to fall into place on the planning front and more importantly physically taking place also. This update shall look at the different areas in a series of short reviews. The soldering has now begun in earnest to get all the tracks on the scenic boards electrified and operating in time for next years show. With the back fiddle yards (seen in May 2009 update) just about complete a concentrated effort could be put into the scenic boards rather than splitting of resources.

The intention is that this layout shall serve the club for many years on the exhibition circuit so to increase its durability some sessions have been held where the undersides of the boards were painted to give a seal to the frames and baseboards. Once started, it felt like a production line was in operation and there was no time for any club members to stick their feet up. In fact, the only inverted legs to be found were on the layout itself as can be seen in the picture. Groan.

The plans concerning the station design had a station building sat atop a cutting along one side where passengers would enter the station at street level and then descend a stairwell to reach the platforms. This seemed a good plan on paper but in order to achieve some realism it was realised that a prototypical example would have to be identified. After much searching a suitable candidate was identified. This comes in the form of the now closed Brackley Central on the former Great Central Railway (how Ironic its now a garage). By selecting a former Great Central station it is hoped that most members stock will not seem out of place in the surrounding architecture. It is interesting to note that this particular station not only had an island platform as with many Great Central stations but evidence points at a proposed third platform having been started (fitting in with our plans even more). A photographic recky was carried out by one member and so much reference material has now been assembled (see pic of station).

As is noted else where on the web pages, the construction phase of Exdale Wharf Extension has now been brought to a conclusion. This means two things. One, Exdale Wharf is now ready for the Exhibition Circuit (potential exhibition holders take note!) and two, the modelers previously involved in its construction were beginning to get twitchy fingers due to not having anything to work on...an ideal opportunity to swell the numbers working on Falkland Vale and advance its progress even more. And what a difference some more helping hands have made. No sooner was the track laying complete a depression was noted in the boards where the canal was planned to run through and a lock, bridges and towpath began to appear. Further along, progress has been made on the construction of the small loco shed (based on GWR Marlow). These two scenic areas will be covered in more detain in a future update.

An over-riding theme noted in all of the construction stages of the layout is that the 'experienced' members have always been happy to assist the novices and just recently this was highlighted in a training session that was held for construction of model buildings using plasticard. Hence, this layout really is helping to drive home what being in a club really means for all the members.

Since the last up date all efforts have been aimed at laying the track on the 'scenic boards'. With the use of specific radius curves and straight rules it is hoped that the alignment of the tracks would seem aesthetically pleasing when viewed from a distance. With this in mind progress has been painfully slow as short stretches of only a few inches at a time were glued into position (no track pins on these boards). To speed things up, several track laying days have been held along with the regular Friday evening slots. These have been held mostly on weekends (why is it that most of these occasions fell on sunny warm days?), the net result has been that noticeable progress has been observed by those that were unable to attend one of these days on their next Friday evening visit. Following the last marathon sessions we are now at the stage where all four through lines have been laid. With the siding loops also complete only the head shunt and various goods sidings require to be laid.

The next objective shall be to get the wiring done so that we can do what we have all looked forward to most with the layout: actually running trains over it. This will involve lots of soldering and so checks are now being made to see if the cold water tap works in the cabin so as all the burns to fingers can be adequately treated (who would have thought that model clubs have risk assessments?). Of course, wiring isn't the only thing that is required as the boards have often been referred to as 'the scenic boards' and so thoughts will be tuning more and more to the layouts appearance.

The picture illustrates the sweeping curves on the new boards linking to one of the 'circle boards'.

Test fitting of the scenic boards and opening up of the circle to include the back fiddle yard gave the club a clear view of how large this layout is going to be. This was done after the plyboards had been fitted to their frames. It also highlighted a problem that could only be appreciated when all was set up together. The alignment of some of the frames needed some tweaking but with 'three-drills-Bryan' on hand the frames were quickly adjusted to give a good overall layout surface. Plans have gradually evolved for what will eventually be the main features of the layout. Gone from the original plans is the turntable (Bah!) as the concept of the station environment being a major stabling point for locomotives has been dropped. The 'fast lines' will no longer be connected to the slow lines (in the scenic section) and so the whole station has been downgraded, removing the need for the locomotive servicing area. The station will however remain a 4 platform through-fare. A bay platform complex will enable parcels and terminating short passenger trains to add variety to the station environment.

Much discussion has been held on how the yard environment will develop and a plan for a canal wharf interchange to be constructed has led to the idea of lowering some of the contours of the layout to sub track level enabling a canal to pass below the through lines.

With the 4 track through fare providing the opportunity to run many trains, emphasis has been placed on getting these tracks completed before work gets underway in earnest on the sidings and yard. By setting a target of the 2011 exhibition for a full 'oval' layout going on display (through lines operating) a series of targets have been set throughout the year. The tracks have now reached the third board (of eight) and are ready to advance to the fourth.

It has been a while since the last update but steady progress has been made. The timescales for the project have been extended due to the size and complexity of the exhibition version of the layout.

The four backboards that form the fiddle yard are almost complete with only wiring left to complete on a couple of the boards.

Construction of the front boards and finalising of the track plan continues.

Work has now started on the four backboards that will form the fiddle yard at the back of the oval layout.

Design of the track layout for the front scenic boards has also been started and this is now close to being finalised.

The design goals were as follows:

1. Set in late 1940's early fifties - Accommodation of members rolling stock
2. Engine sheds and turntable - Allow engine exchange.
3. Express milk drop off probably towards London. Not often modelled, and will provide opportunities for interesting trains and operation.
4. Mainline and through traffic operation, with 2 x 2 track main lines.
5. Meeting of two former rail companies (A challenge will be when our GW, LMS, and LNER members all want to run their stock at he same time! - Plenty of excursion and cross country trains!)
6. More detailed locations on which to base our design are still being researched.