Monkchester

This layout started life in 1972 on a 5’ x 3’ baseboard designed to sit on a dining room table.  That original baseboard with all its models was given to the club in 2009 and has evolved over time to the exhibition layout it is today.  The original layout was on three levels with an inverted figure of eight double track on the lower levels and a branch line to the upper level. This arrangement has been extended in both directions with a large fiddleyard at the rear.  The era depicted is late steam and early diesel based on a northern town and expanded with a rural scene.

The majority of the structures are scratchbuilt and many are based on actual buildings in Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounding areas, including the Farne Islands. The oldest models were built in 1972 from mounting board and the most recent using laser cutting techniques on mdf and card.

The layout has featured three times in Railway Modeller as it has developed with a further seven articles on the construction of individual structures.