One of my jobs after leaving school  was ‘managing’ a model shop in North London. TT Gauge had just come in and my days were spent modelling and painting rolling stock and picking up tips from experienced modellers.

Now living in France,  I decided to model a British rural branch line (in N of course) the idea being that French school children could  see a typical English country scene and experience (many for the first time) the magic of steam…and so Lainten Railway Society was born…

History

Lainten is a fictitious country town somewhere in the south of England.  For more than a hundred years its  branch line carried livestock, agricultural produce and other goods but sadly, few passengers. Like many similar country towns it suffered ‘Beecham’s axe’ and was finally closed in 1971. British Rail typically uplifted track and demolished buildings.

In 1984 Lainten Railway Society was formed, land was purchased, track laid (only half a mile at present) and buildings bought from all over the UK and rebuilt at Lainten.

Now able to run a tourist service throughout the summer months the railway has gained popularity with the public due to its close proximity to other local attractions such as the country park and the canal.

Construction

The layout had to be transportable and also a decent scale length with a couple of sidings for demo days. Four baseboards 1.20m x 60cm were made from strengthened chipboard supported on braced legs to a height of 1 metre.  Track was electrically connected via RCA plugs. The canal was carved along three baseboard lengths and after detailing was given several coats of yacht varnish. Three of the four boards were landscaped and detailed and the fourth became the town of Lainten itself.  My method of landscaping consists of kitchen roll soaked in 50/50 PVA mix and covered with scatter materiel.. All buildings are scratchbuilt from card and other household waste products (transparent plastic, bottle tops, pizza boxes etc), apart from the farm bungalow.  Track is Peco 55 soldered throughout and points are hand operated. Vehicles are made from wood and figures are a mix of white metal and plastic.  Various lighting circuits are included to liven up the scenery.  One addition that made a vast difference was a high mounted spotlight which cast natural shadows giving the layout a summer appearance.

Sound

To enable school children to appreciate steam, I used the excellent CD’s produced by ‘steamsounds’.  I sourced various other sound effects and made my own CD which is played along with the train motion. Four speakers are installed along the track beneath the baseboard and are controlled from the panel to create the effect of movement.

Control panel

I made the control panel from thin plywood to a very simple design (as all points are hand operated). The panel contains switches for sound and light circuits, and the controller itself,  which is a kit from Conrad that gives me automatic braking and acceleration, and I included Led’s to show any circuit problems.

Transport

 A frame was made from  3 x 3cm wood and covered in canvas (for lightness) with shelf supports inside to hold the four baseboards. The whole thing is on wheels but must be lifted by two people to get it into the van. 

Operation

I like to run Lainten as a real preserved railway. I produce a leaflet giving details of the line and we also have Santa and Thomas days and naming ceremonies (for my two grandchildren of course!).  There is a siding of rolling stock (made from card) awaiting restoration. Because of the tight curve into Lainten town itself, I am only able to run tank engines (saddle, pannier and side)but they are my favourites anyway). A small selection of wagons is kept in the sidings for demonstration days (and some interesting shunting puzzles).

As with most layouts work is ongoing and if I think  something could be improved, then it is.

Future plans

The part of France where I live (Dordogne) is a hilly area and. like the UK, has lost most of its branch lines. Our nearest town is Riberac and the old station is still standing (now used as a holiday centre for SNCF employees).  I have taken measurements and photos and will soon be starting a diorama of the station.

  In the meantime Lainten will continue to be improved and shown to any interested parties.