Willoughby South

Starting from the left of the layout, the trains emerge under an overbridge carrying the road from Barlby to Barlby sidings, passing the loco shed and turntable, which is a subshed for Wellingborough.

Left - A variety of locos are on shed, 9Fs, 8Fs, standard 4s, black 5s and a couple of diesels.

Under the next roadbridge leading from Willoughby village to Staverton, which gives access to the island platform at the rear of the station, is a small yard handling local goods for destinations to and from the area.

We travel past the signal box, through a small cutting, onto a smaller version of Brackley viaduct to water troughs, and through Catesby tunnel by the grounds of Catesby House. Once the home of Robert Catesby, a member of the Guy Fawkes gang, and onto Nottingham.

The layout was built with the intention to enable a collection of 9Fs and other locos to stretch their legs with long trains over a scenic route, providing constant movement either on the mainline, in the shed or both.

The trackplan is fictitious as is the location. Close proximity to Braunston and Willoughby gave the name using bits of other locations to create the scene ie. Charwelton troughs and Brackley Viaduct.

There is still much work to do, working signals, station buildings and lighting. In the very near future a lighting pelmet will be built as well as route setting in the fiddle yard.

This has and could not be a lone project due to its size. I would like to thank Sue, Neil, Mark, Alan and other members of the Enfield Town MRC for their support and assistance - and blame to Peter Watson who after me saying I owned 14 9Fs commented "why don't you build Wellingborough shed!"

Update - Sadly, Willoughby South has been dismantled due to a house move, where it is hard to set up and work on the layout. This layout is gone but not forgotten as the stud of 9Fs is now totalling 18, and will be seen on the forthcoming club '00' layout. What next I hear you say! Well a change of size to 'G' 1:29^th scale and into the garden with "The Roding Valley Railroad". The baseboards of Willoughby South will be used for a portable 'G' scale layout. Will I never learn! My back is already twitching. I hope to be up and running on the portable by late 2002, watch this web site!....Keith. (August 2001)

You can read about some of Keith's other projects amongst our web pages. The above mentioned portable 'G' scale layout "Wood Knot Creek", also now dismantled, and Keith's garden line "The Roding Valley Railroad". Keith has recently tried something much smaller, an 'N' gauge American style layout. Also, a photo of the layout with Keith at the controls can be seen on our 2005 Open Day page. Ed.

revised 19th Mar 06

Enfield Town Model Railway Club