After our clubrooms burned down in November 2008, one of our sponsors Stephen Parberry gave us an 8ft long N Gauge terminal layout needing completion and a fiddle yard. The picture above shows Ashtown as it was delivered to the Club. In the circumstances, Ashtown seemed the appropriate name!
After discussion, we decided to amend the layout to become a through station to CHPR module standards so that storage is provided by CHPR. Some minor track changes and a small 2ft board extension to improve operation have been completed by BMRC member Peter Iley. Peter has also added an 8” front extension and straightened the layout so that there is a double track main line to CHPR standards.
Apart from Peter, activity on Ashtown has been somewhat limited because BMRC has a limited N Gauge fraternity. However, we are progressing slowly. Bryan Erde is building some terraced houses and work to complete the electrics is in hand. The control system will be old fashioned common return wiring with little to acknowledge the arrival of the 21st century! Our electrics guru Michael Dobbs has had to give up his ambition to make Ashtown entirely computer operated because of the timescales and his other Club commitments.
Scenically, Ashtown will be mainly non-region-specific to allow the running of an eclectic mixture of stock, although scale models of the Horse & Plough in Bingham and Newark Signal Box are under construction by new member Gareth Harbottle.
