The working model was a development from a static display, part of an exhibition staged in 2000 to highlight village events of the previous century. Many visits to site to collect reference resulted in a number of folders crammed with photographs, diagrams and the personal memories of one-time travellers and railway employees.
The diagram below indicates a linear layout 3.2m long and .4m deep; with a scale of 4mm:1ft, the track was laid to EM gauge standards. Preparation for constructing the buildings involved producing CAD-type drawings based on photographs of the prototypes, in readiness for construction using embossed styrene sheet to emulate the various building materials.
Three single-arm signal units were constructed using ‘Model Signal Co’ componants to emulate the prototypes originally supplied by McKenzie and Holland to the North Staffordshire Railway Co.
The model appeared at exhibitions, both local and further afield, between 2007 and 2023 when it made its final appearance, along with 60 other layouts at the Stafford Railway Circle’s annual show. Improvements were made to the model throughout that period; in particular the panorama, the latest version being a photographic render printed on to a vinal banner.
Locomotives and rolling stock are representative of prototypes working the line during the period 1935-1960. The earliest examples date from North Staffordshire Railway days, whilst those of the London Midland & Scottish and early British Railways period demonstrate developments in rail travel. All vehicles are kit or scratch-built.
The images below show the Tutbury Jinny in two different eras, a holiday excursion, local pick-up goods and one of the daily beer trains. The layout has been featured in ‘Railway Modeller’, ‘British Railways Modelling’ magazines and can be viewed on Youtube.
