Layout History

In the late 1980's I built a small branch line terminus located in East Yorkshire, running mainly BR North-Eastern Region stock gradually acquired since childhood, but I was never very happy with it. It was my first attempt at a layout, it was very heavy, never had a satisfactory fiddleyard, and despite a couple of attempts to kickstart it, I soon lost interest and, although I kept reading magazines, remained an "armchair" modeller for many years. The layout suffered from many house moves and storage periods, and by the time I came to looking at getting a 00 gauge layout together in 2017, it was really beyond repair. So thoughts turned to a brand new layout. Learning from previous over-ambitious plans, I knew I had to start small, but I wanted it to be expandable. I thought about an "inglenook" style layout, but I also wanted to run passenger trains. Consequently I came up with a plan for a small single-platform terminus station adjacent to an a small 3-siding goods yard, fed by a simple fan of sidings in the fiddle yard. But expansion is very much in mind - changing the station to a through line, and adding more modules on either side of the first scenic board. Inspiration came from a few days holiday spent in Ampleforth - an alternative history was conjured up for the railways of Ryedale, North Yorkshire, and so work on Kilburn started.

Layout Description

Kilburn is a village in North Yorkshire, set in the North West corner of the area known as Ryedale, at the foot of the Hambleton Hills are of the North Yorkshire Moors. It is well known for the White Horse, carved into the hillside above the village, visible from many miles away, and Robert Thompsons oak furniture workshop, whose products can be identified by a carving of a small mouse ( https://www.robertthompsons.co.uk/visitor-centre/  ) . The Yorkshire Gliding Club has been taking to the air from the top of the nearby hill since 1934. and not far away are the beautiful ruins of Byland Abbey. In 1845 there were several proposals to build a railway through this area, one of which was the grandly named Whitby, Pickering, Thirsk and Great North of England Junction Railway, which would have passed Kilburn on it's way between Pickering /Malton and Thirsk to join the East Coast Main Line. History, however, records that the railway was never built, a more direct route from Malton to the ECML south of Thirsk being preferred, and Kilburn slumbered on, for ever in railway-less isolation to the present day......... except in my version of history.

My layout is a "what-might-have-been" model of Kilburn station, set in the late 1950/early 1960's. The through line has now been truncated, and so Kilburn is now a terminus on a branch from Thirsk (although provision has been made to enable modelling as a through station when I have more time, money and space - never say never!). Limestone traffic for the steel works of Tees-side was always an important customer of the actual line, and in my world the line has been retained to serve a local quarry, as well as serving as a passenger and freight railhead for the surrounding villages. The quarry connection faces Kilburn, so the loaded stone trains have to come into Kilburn to run-round before heading back to Thirsk. The passenger service is provided by elderly ex-LNER stock, but those shiny new Diesel Multiple Units are beginning to make an appearance too. Local use is still in good numbers due to the poor local roads, and tourism is actually beginning to make a growing contribution with visitors appreciating the quiet beauty of the area and excellent rambling opportunities.  Freight traffic consists of the quarry output, household coal, agricultural and general goods, and Robert Thompsons furniture being dispatched to distant customers.

The station building is based on the actual building at Hovingham Spa, though not an exact copy. A notable feature of many stations on the Thirsk and Malton line, and it's adjoining Malton and Driffield line is the double height platform. When built, the platforms would have been very low, but in 1865, the now owner, the North Eastern Railway standardised on a height of 2' 6" above rail level for platforms. The area in front of the station building itself could not be raised, due to the existing floor level and door in the building, and so was left at the original height, with only the extended platform being at the new standard height. The goods warehouse has similarities to that at Amotherby.  I would like to have included a set of typical NER coal drops, but just could not fit them in the space available, so a flat coalyard siding has to suffice

The station building is an adapted and expanded Scalescenes downloadable Lock-Keepers cottage kit. The platform shelter is a Hornby Skaledale resin model, repainted into BR(NE) region colours. The goods warehouse is a modified Wills plastic kit. The Station Garage, selling "National" fuels and goods yard weighhouse are also Scalescenes kits. There is no signal box - in common with many other stations in the area, control was by a platform mounted ground frame housed in a wooden shed, The home starter signal is conveniently just beyond the the end of the scenic board. The North Eastern Railway commonly used ash for ballast rather than granite chips, and I have attempted to recreate this, though I am not 100% happy with it. The photographic backscene is by ID Backscenes, (with an added White Horse!)

Rolling stock is mainly from Hornby Bachmann and Dapol, and most has been weathered, crews and passengers added, and removeable loads added. Because the branch line is not far from Darlington Works, I use that as an excuse to run some of my pristine locos on ex-works running trains! Control is by good old 12v DC. Point control is by push/pull rods which can be operated from the back and the front of the layout, enabling the layout  to be put on a shelf at home and "played with"...... if only I had room for that shelf!

Ultimately I would like to add another fiddle yard and a rural scenic board on the right hand side of the layout to make the station into a through route, and another scenic board on the left hand side to complete the passing loop, but I cannot see that happening soon, if at all, but we shall see.

Layout Specification

Layout Size - 8' wide. 18" deep. Operating space approx 4' deep required behind layout.

Operated from rear or front, viewed from front

Scale 4mm/ft, 00 Scale

No. of Operators - 1

Layout has integral lighting structure

Programme Description - Kilburn represents a BR(NE) region might-have-been branch terminus in North Yorkshire, set in the late 1950s/early 1960s. The village of Kilburn does exist, but the planned railway through it was never built. Steam and diesel traction operate passenger, local goods and quarry traffic on the line

Exhibitions Attended:-

Minffordd Gweithdy, Ffestiniog Railway May 2023

Llandudno, Deganwy Railway Modellers for Parkinsons UK Nov 2024