Enfield Town Model
Railway Club
Members' layouts
Roggwil
- by Roger Elkin
The Swiss Rhatische Bahn metre gauge layout, "Zorten", appeared
at many local exhibitions over the 15 years from 1985. But by 2000 the time
had come to replace that layout. It had become rather too old and fragile
to cart around to exhibitions. I had also started to collect some Swiss standard
gauge SBB models and needed somewhere to run them. So the decision was made
to scrap "Zorten" and build a completely new Swiss layout, which is a permanent
one for home use. This is heftily built on Dexion framework with MDF tops
- firmly secured to the walls and floor - it's certainly not going anywhere!
To accommodate
all the Swiss stock, both standard and metre gauge acquired over the last
20 years, a 2-level fiddle yard is required, with standard gauge on the
lower level and metre gauge on top. To achieve the difference in height
some quite steep gradients are required - but these add to the Swiss atmosphere.
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Among
the working scenic features included in the new layout are a working
street tramway which can be either manually or automatically controlled
and a working funicular leading to a snow-capped mountain with the inevitable
restaurant. A typical day's timetable can be run with each move being
displayed in turn on a computer screen - using Microsoft Works database
run on a 2nd hand computer.
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The
trains available include an SBB inter-city double-deck push-pull set,
international expresses (including a couple of through TGV workings
from Paris), local trains, goods trains and even the occasional steam
special. On the metre gauge there is a representation of the famous
Glacier Express, and also the Bernina and Arosa Expresses using the
latest designs of rolling stock. Again preserved steam and vintage
electric specials can be run as on the real Rhatische
Bahn.
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A
later addition to the layout is a working cable car. The cable car itself
is by Brawa. The six small cabins are suspended above rugged mountains
made out of polystyrene, cork bark and plaster, covered with white emulsion
paint and Green Scenes snow scatter powder, which looks very effective.
The station buildings at each end are scratch built from Wills plastic
sheets. The scene also includes rock climbers, skiers and alpenhorn players.
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Towards
the end of 2004 work was completed on ballasting the track and installing
the main running signals. At the start of 2005 a new station building
was completed (see photo on left) to replace the previous salvaged from
the old Zorten layout. The new one is a modified plastic kit and is more
suitable for the larger station at Roggwil.The next job is to install
uncoupling ramps and working shunting signals. Then the overhead wiring
can be started.
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The
layout is not yet complete, but it is fully operational. Why "Roggwil"? Well,
it is a pun on my name, but there are two real towns (and three stations!)
in Switzerland called "Roggwil". The idea came to me one day when a train
I was travelling on in Switzerland stopped at a station called "Roggwil".
Text
& Photos 2, 3, 4, 5 © R. Elkin
Photo 1 © D. Smith
revised
5th Mar 05
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