Chertonwell is the latest layout from the N gauge team at OMRC. After several years of exhibiting Burghfield it was felt that Burghfield was just too complicated to operate sensibly. As Burghfield had grown several changes had to be made to its operation and this resulted in 3 different methods of operating the points alone. A fresh start was needed and Chertonwell was born.
The N gauge team at OMRC wanted an exhibition layout that would combine realism with action. A suitably large layout was needed to really show off N gauge to its advantage with full length trains in operation. The plan was to have a double track mainline with double track junction. The station would be at the junction, affording 4 platforms in all and it would have a complete goods depot and parcels depot.
The plan was to build the layout in stages as funds became available. Initially just the main lines were built with a single branch. Just as wiring was about to commence a new member of the club brought knowledge of a train control system, not DCC, but a block control system that prototypically looked at sections ahead and determined what power to apply to the section. It was decided to implement this system. The electronics provide a mechanism for trains to follow each other round the layout, slowing down and speeding up as sections ahead are occupied or empty.
By breaking the mainlines into 5 sections it is possible to run 3 trains at once and it is fascinating to watch them slow down and speed up without intervention from the operator. All this automation means that the operators have time to talk to the public at exhibitions or to operate the manual areas of the layout. It is intended that the parcels and goods areas of the layout are manually controlled giving scope for a lot of activity during a running session. The current work on the layout involves putting in the full double junction and wiring this in. The parcels area is laid and the goods area will be next.
By early 2005 much scenic work had been completed. The layout had its first outing at Farnham's MRC exhibition on October 9th & 10th where it ran well. The layout ran well and proved to be quite a test for the locomotives with some locos running continuously for several hours
Since that initial exhibition Chertonwell has been out several times and has now been to Kidlington, Abingdon, Wantage, High Wycombe, Medway and Colchester. If you wish to have Chertonwell at your exhibition then contact us using the link at the top of every page.
Chertonwell is scheduled to appear at:
- South West Herts Model Railway Society annual exhibition in May 2008
- OMRC exhibition in May 2008.
