Hinton Parva is one of the layouts of the High Wycombe and District Model Railway Society, I shall be exhibiting with this layout and the rest of the team from the Society at the Railway Enthusiasts Club exhibition this weekend (10/11th September) at Woking.
The layout represents a very busy junction station on a Joint Midland/Eastern north-south line. The “Branch” purports to be a cross-country line bringing Southern and Western trains from the south-west. As well as the usual “mainline” movements, there is a goods yard constantly shuffling wagons for the pick up goods trains, and a motive Power Depot which has to receive, service, prepare and dispatch locos for the stopping branch express trains, all of which require a loco change.
We operate a varied, late – 1950s, steam/early diesel schedule with a wide range of stock from modern detailed RTR and a large sprinkling of quality kit and scratch built locos and coaches. Not many layouts feature two Garratts (one an LMS and the other the sole LNER machine) hauling 60 wagon trains or a W1 ex-LNER Pacific or 10001,10201,10800, prototype Deltic diesels. The loco stock for an exhibition is in nearly 50 locos – and they all make a running appearance.
Whilst the time period is outside of my own preference I do provide a small amount of stock specifically for the layout including my kit built Bulleid mainline diesel 10201 and a couple of other Southern Region locos and a passenger rake.
Another unusual feature is the working semaphore signals – 37 working arms at the last count. Apart from the aesthetic value of the signals, they also provide drivers with their only means of indications of what they are supposed to do – truly proto-typical.
The layout is large – 32ft x 12ft, and maximum use is made of this size to provide a running spectacle for the viewers. The complete sequence takes some 50 minutes and involves about 90 mainline movements – trains in, trains running through, trains starting
The details of the show are as follows:
Woking Leisure Centre
Elmbridge Lane
Off Kingfield Rd
Woking
GU22 9BA
Opening times
Saturday 10.30 to 5.30
Sunday 10.00 to 4.30