Woodside is an extensive 00 gauge layout in a loft which dates back over 40 years, although it has been altered and rebuilt several times in that period. A major rebuild of the layout was carried out during 2008 to improve access to various parts of the layout and to provide more scope to two operators to work simultaneously. The opportunity was taken to refurbish and improve much of the scenery. The 009 narrow gauge line was also completely re-laid.

The layout is set in the Cheshire area not far from the North Wales borders, and the main terminus station (Woodside) is a scratch-built scaled down model of the Chester General station building, while the suburban terminus station (Southwich) uses Hornby Skaledale buildings combined with scratch-built ones based on the architecture used by the LNWR at stations along the North Wales coast, such as Colwyn Bay and Llandudno Junction as they were in the 1960's, before the coming of the A55 dual carriageway road.

The period modelled is the late 1950s/early 1960s. The geographical area selected allows the use of both London Midland and Western Region locos and stock, together with Southern green coaches on through workings from Birkenhead to the south coast. Eastern Region trains appear on workings of the ex-LNER Cheshire Lines Committee services.

The locos and stock are mainly detailed and weathered recent ready-to-run items from Hornby and Bachmann, together with some kit-built locos, to provide a representative selection of the trains that worked in the Chester/North Wales area in the 1950s and 1960s. A mixture of steam and diesel traction can be seen.

The track is Peco and all the points are electrically operated with diode matrix route setting from two push-button panels. Signals are Berko searchlight colour light ones, interlocked with the points by means of micro-switches and relays.

Scenic features on the layout include a disused quarry served by a narrow gauge (009) railway, a canal, pottery with traditional bottle kilns, a Crosville bus garage, British Road Services depot, timber yard, theatre, market square, banana warehouse, Royal Mail depot and a parcels depot. The buildings are a mixture of Hornby and Bachmann moulded resin ones with laser-cut plastic ones. The latter are produced from our own drawings and include various factories, warehouses, shops and a theatre.

Photo captions:
1. Woodside station. The buildings are based on Chester General and are scratch-built from plastic.
2. The Crosville bus depot with a narrow gauge train crossing the road next to the canal warehouse.
3. Axtley station with a Bachmann class 108 DMU in the platform. The buildings are an old Builder Plus cardboard kit with added detail.
4. Southwich station with the Royal Mail depot behind. The station buildings are from the Hornby Skaledale range and the Royal Mail depot is scratch-built from laser-cut plastic parts.
5. The market square at Woodside. The Hornby Skaledale clock tower is a central feature. The market stalls are a mixture of Langley and Wills kits.
6.A variety of motive power on Woodside shed. The prototype "Deltic" is a Bachmann model, commissioned by the National Railway Museum.