Ray Sofio

Layout Description

Stewarts Lane is an 00 scale layout located in North Queensland which was designed to capture the atmosphere of the South London areas of Battersea and Clapham and the approaches to Victoria Station.  The principal objectives of the layout were to provide for the operation of trains in and out of the terminus, and the inclusion of a large locomotive depot to house a collection of Southern steam locomotives.

The layout is constructed on sectional baseboards bolted together to occupy a space measuring 6 metres by 2.5 metres, with small operating spaces included inside this area. 

Operationally Victoria is represented by a four-platform stub-end terminus from which trains leave on double track up Grosvenor Bank, over the Thames and past Battersea Power Station, where the two lines divide to form a single-track wye connection onto a double-track continuous oval.  So a steam-hauled passenger train can leave the terminus, take either branch of the wye and proceed onto one of the continuous loops.  Later the train leaves the loops by the other branch of the wye and returns to Victoria.  An ECS loco then withdraws the coaches into a siding to release the train engine which reverses back up the bank, over Grosvenor Bridge and down into Stewarts Lane depot.

Where the wye tracks meet the loops there are several storage sidings, two of which usually hold goods trains equipped with brake vans at each end.  Freight engines travel from the depot to pick up these trains which trundle around the continuous loops in between the passenger services.  Beside the goods sidings is a small suburban station, Wandsworth Road, which can accommodate a two-car EMU on a shuttle service to and from Victoria.  Also planned is a pair of elevated station platforms representing Battersea Park Road.

Track is mainly Peco code 100, with a few hand-made points in strategic locations.  Third rail is cosmetic and consists of normal code 100 rail glued to the ends of the plastic sleepers with top of the conductor rail level with the running rails.  Minimum curve radius is 760mm and all curves are superelevated using card packing under the ballast.

5-car Pullman EMU set “Brighton Belle” descending bank towards Wandsworth Road.   Backscene represents South London panorama including Westminster Abbey in distance.

Bulleid Co-Co electric CC-1 leaves Victoria on a Newhaven boat train.  This loco has an MTK kit body, bogies from a Mainline Class 45 diesel, and is hand-painted in original Bulleid livery with cat's-whisker lining.  First coach is a Kitmaster Mk I.

View of Stewarts Lane depot in uncompleted condition.  Turntable is a Fleischmann unit with continental details removed but not yet anglicised !