American N Gauge Layout

This  N gauge layout is 7.5 feet by 10.5 feet and is scenic all the way round with operators sitting in the well of the layout. We try to operate fairly long freight trains.. The town of Oceanview has a passenger depot served by AMTRAK  passenger trains some of  which terminate here. Beyond the depot the track passes alongside the sea before entering a tunnel. A yard is situated at the other end of the station before the line dives into the tunnel.

Click on a photo for a larger view

The 'Surf line' is the name given to the stretch of railroad that runs from San Diego  up through Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, One hundred miles to the north of Los Angeles. It gets its name as a large part of the route hugs the coastline. Amtrak passenger trains run over this stretch of line with two trains a day continuing north of  Santa Barbara, one of these being the Coast Starlight which travels between Los Angeles and Seattle in the north of the country. The scenery along this route is generally breathtaking except for the built up area of Los Angeles, which is typically American sprawl. The stretch of line north of Los Angeles is owned by Southern Pacific (now part of Union Pacific) while south of Los Angeles to San Diego is owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

The layout is based on the northern part of the route and in particular the area around Santa Barbara as this town is attractive and compact by American standards. The Amtrak station is very close to the beach and in the town itself. As the layout is circular, the station at Santa Barbara is not suitable for modelling, therefore, a fictitious location somewhere nearby has been chosen. The layout is scenic all the way around featuring a station area next to the beach and town, a single-track section following the coastline and a yard where local freight trains can be seen being switched to various small industries. The fiddleyard runs round the inside of the layout and can accommodate fairly lengthy trains such as double stack container trains. A large number of palm trees can be seen around the layout as per Santa Barbara. Some of these etched brass trees where obtained from an architectural model shop not far from Tower Bridge in London. The track side details are from a number of sources including a working nodding donkey (oil pump). Peco finescale track has been used throughout using SEEP solenoids for the turnouts. Buildings are a mixture of kit and scratch built structures. Rolling stock and locomotives have been detailed and are from a number of manufacturers such as Kato, Atlas, Roundhouse and Microtrains. Graffiti has been added to a number of wagons. This has been done using photos taken of various examples seen on wagons seen in California. A Kato SD40-2 has been converted into a tunnel motor in Southern Pacific colours. Click here for details. Since this was done Intermountain have produced tunnel motors. A few can be seen on California Coast along with this converted Kato one. The layout is featured in the April 2006 issue of Continental Modeller The end (or is it) The layout has done 48 shows since 1999 and did its last show in October  2007. At present the layout will be kept but that may well change. The new N scale layout will almost certainly be of a real location somewhere on the West Coast using the stock we already have (and more), so hopefully longer trains!!!

List of shows attended Croydon Model Railway Society show October 1999 Bracknell Club show October 1999 St Albans Show January 2000 Erith show at Dartford January 2000 Woodmansterne show March 2000 Carshalton and Sutton show at Leatherhead May 2000 Tolworth Show November 2000 Romford show November 2000 Canterbury show January 2001 Northolt show September 2001 Erith show at Bexley, Kent September 2001 Great Yarmouth show October 2001 Uckfield Show October 2001 Southend show February 2002 Sutton Coldfield show March 2002 Crawley Leisure Centre show April 2002 Haywards Heath show September 2002 Folkestone show October 2002 High Wycombe show November 2002 Gravesend show November 2002 Banbury American N Gauge Show April 2003 Bexhill show September 2003 Maidstone show (first show in oval option) October 2003 Aylesbury show in oval option October 2003 Poole show in circular option November 2003 Royston Show in oval option November 2003 Hampden Park, Eastbourne in oval option November 2003 Brighton Modelworld in oval February 2004 Tonbridge show in oval February 2004 Banbury American N Gauge Show in oval  April 2004 Woking show September 2004 Swindon show December 2004 Biggleswade show February 2005 Alexandra Palace April 2005 Medway show, Chatham September 2005 Spalding show November 2005 NMRA Seeboard Division show in Ashurst Wood November 2005 Carshalton and Sutton show at Leatherhead - oval format February 2006 Chesham March 2006 Crawley MRS show in Horsham April 2006 Barrow In Furness show Easter 2006 Shenfield September 2006 Oxford show September 2006 Beckenham October 2006 Letchworth November 2006 Brighton Modelworld (oval format this time) February 2007 Early (nr Reading) September 2007 NMRA British Region Convention - Ipswich October 2007