Cleveland Model
Railway Club
V1.31

Layout 2026

This page will be used to document the planning and construction of the new club layout.
The layout does not yet have a name but will be known initially as Layout 2026.

Notes from the CMRC meeting on 27/01/2026 on the new OO gauge layout.

  1. The project leader will be Martin Head. ( Layout2026@Mainthreado.uk )
  2. Martin Turner will be the link between the group and the club committee.
  3. The new layout has to be built to exhibition standards.
  4. The group has to be willing to take the layout to shows if needed.
  5. The size of the layout would be 28' x 2' 6" on 30" legs.
  6. Each board will be 4' x 2' 6" open board plan design.
  7. The layout will be both DC and DCC.
  8. This will be an End to End layout.
  9. The layout will be freelance on multi level.
  10. The track will be a mixture of code 100 & 75 track laid on cork.
  11. The points will be electro frog with slow action point motors.
  12. A mixture of semaphore, ground and light signals to be decided later.
  13. The DC controllers from Clevemoor to be used and the club DCC phone controllers used if possible.
  14. Control panel to have route indication built in.
  15. A period between 1920 - 1968 for the track work.
  16. Type of buildings and scenics to be decided later when the track plan is agreed.
  17. The project to take approximately 2 years to complete.
  18. Tension lock couplings to be used for rolling stock ( small Bachmann type ).
  19. A budget of £2000 to be requested for the project.

The members were asked to go away and design a track plan for the new layout and bring it to the next meeting which will be held on Tuesday 10/02/2026 starting at 16.30. There will be a follow up meeting on Tuesday 24/02/2026 at 16.30.

Notes from the CMRC meeting on 10/02/2026.

  1. We reviewed the use of code 75 track and decided that we would standardise on just code 100. All points to be electrofrog.
  2. In light of 1 above and the need to be able to allow short 0-4-0 locos it was decided to not use any double slips.
  3. Item 6 above was debated at length and it was decided to use flat top boards and not an open framework.
  4. The boards would be 6mm ply top at 4' x 2' 8" ( increased from 2' 6" ) and the framing would be contructed as per Stockton i.e a sandwich with intermediate blocks to help keep weight down.
  5. No decision was made as to a track plan although 2 ideas where proposed by Paul Winner and Martin Smith. It was decided to further refine these plans and discuss them at the next meeting.
  6. Both proposed track plans did seem to fall within the proposed budget.
  7. Further track plans are still welcome provided they follow the guidelines proposed here.

No decision as to a region although a North Eastern flavour seemed to be favoured. Period of 1920 - 1960 ish seemed suitable i.e Pre nationalisation, Big Four, early/late Steam & early diesel. Buildings could thus be those built as part of the development of the railway and then surviving into the 1960s. A clearer picture of these elements would come from the agreed track plan.


Next meeting to be on Tuesday 24/02/2026 at 16.30 for further discussions etc.

Notes from the CMRC meeting on 24/02/2026

  1. The meeting started with a quick review of the previous meting to make sure everybody was still happy with what had been decided.
  2. The group were informed that we now have locker 15 and all the bits and pieces have been placed that have been donated have been put in there.
  3. It was decided if there was going to be any passenger trains they would be no longer than 3 carriages .
  4. As there was no other plans put forward than the 2 from the last meeting these were looked at in a finer detail and alterations were made to the person who had designed it.
  5. After long discussion about the 2 designs it was decided to have another meeting in 2 weeks time and see if anybody else come come up with a proposal for the new layout but in the meantime the group could start to look at building the baseboards form the timber in the club room.

The next meeting will be on the 10/03/26 at 16:00 

Notes from the CMRC meeting on 10/03/2026

Discussion regarding the 2 layouts choices offered so far, referred to as Layout A and Layout B.

Layout A :
A quayside with fiddle yards at either end.
An elevated fish processing plant at the left hand end, 3" above baseboard level.
A 2 platform station in the centre towards the rear of the viewing space.
A quay at the right hand end at the front with goods lines to accept fish and other delivered freight.
A factory/industry at the front left hand side with associated goods yard.

Layout B :
Single fiddle yard at left hand end feeding main viewing area.
Upper line raised above baseboards by 3" at rear to run a shuttle across entire length of layout.
Industry at left hand end at front with a canal basin and associated sidings.
Industry at right hand side at front with sidings.
Access from main lines to hidden sidings at rear for thru traffic etc.

Suggestions for amendments to both layouts were raised, work to be done by the next meeting.
Any other layout proposals will only be accepted at the next meeting, otherwise Layouts A & B will be the only proposals taken forward.

Next meeting on Tues 24th March at 16.00

Click on the pic below for a larger view.
Baseboards building for the new layout has commenced. The image below shows the short ends and the longer sides built as a sandwich to reduce weight. Blocks are in position to accept legs in the side pieces. The tops have yet to be measured and cut from 6mm ply.

© 2025 Cleveland Model Railway Club
Reg Co: Cleveland Model Railway Club Ltd No. 07261492
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