Cheshire Railway Modellers

Members' Layouts - Mike Lenz

Mike is involved with the running of the "Railway Age" heritage centre in Crewe and the NMRA(BR) Calder Northern Group of American prototype modellers. Details of the Calder Northern group can be found here.

72nd St / Atlantic Road / San Andreas Diesel Facility / Layout Photos

72nd Street (HO)

72nd Street is a 9'6"x 2'6" HO scale layout based on a fictitious industrial neighborhood of Los Angeles, California and set in the 1960s. Southern Pacific is the main operating railroad, but both Union Pacific and Santa Fe motive power can also be seen.
The layout is about 99% complete scenically with just the building lighting to be completed over the next couple of months. This will then complete the first stage of the layout. Stage two is now almost complete and comprises a small railroad yard (3'9" x 2') called Bartlet Yard with a number of storage tracks, a caboose track and two tracks for the yard locos. There is a small yard office and a water tank. Yard lights remain to be fitted plus a diner, a few vehicles and figures but it is now fully operational for use with 72nd Street.
Both parts of the layout are normally operated in DCC mode but can be operated in DC mode when necessary at the flick of a switch. DCC/Sound equipped locos now add that extra bit of realism to operating sessions!

Atlantic Road (OO)

(Available for exhibitions)
Atlantic Road is the second of what will eventually be a series of small exhibition layouts which are designed to share a common fiddle yard. Although this was the second layout to be started, it ended up being the first one completed and has now made it's public debut at the Glossop MRC Exhibition in September 2006.

As with my American diesel exhibition layout (San Andreas Diesel Facility) I have again designed the model to be able to cover a wide time span and also made it such that it can be based almost anywhere in Britain, thus allowing me to vary the locomotive stable accordingly.

Initially I shall cover the mid 60s to early 80s period but will hopefully be able to use it in later periods, though this will mean including the numerous modern safety signage around the buildings etc.

At the present time the layout is based on a ficticious Cornish diesel depot on the British Railways Western Region, an area with which I have long had an interest and association. I have always had a particular admiration for the Western Region diesel hydraulic locomotives, especially the 'Westerns' and later the Class 37 and 50 diesel electric locomotives, though it is my intention to feature the depot in other regions in the future.

The layout is again designed for use in DC or DCC mode though at the present time it will be used in DC only until such time as I can convert my motive power to DCC.

I am at present adding to my fleet of Western Region motive power so that I shall have a good selection for operation at shows.

The additional layouts will comprise an American diesel depot (San Andreas Diesel Facility) which will operate at the opposite end to Atlamtic Road so as to give a contrast between US and UK diesel operations; this will be followed by a small Cornish china clay works which will be for use opposite the Atlantic Road depot layout; and a further American switching layout for us opposite San Andreas. Although the layouts are being designed to work in pairs they are all capable of being exhibited individually to reduce the size overall to 8ft x 1ft.

San Andreas Diesel Facility (OO)

(Available for exhibitions)

San Andreas was the first, of what will be several small (4ft x 1ft) exhibition layouts, that will all share the same 4ft x 1ft fiddle yard. The fiddle yard is designed for access from either end with a central traverser and some 12 storage roads. Although this was the first layout (not counting the fiddle yard) to be started back in January 2006, it was not the first to be completed, that honour going to the British Diesel Depot layout 'Atlantic Road'.

This layout is based on an American 3 road diesel shop and accompanying servicing facilities for fuel and sand. It is set in the American southwest and will be used initially as a Santa Fe depot but it is also my intention to use it as a Union Pacific, a Southern Pacific or a Burlington Northern Santa Fe facility as well to add to the variety. Furthermore it has been modelled in such a way that the time period covered can be anywhere from the 1960s to the present day. It only needs the road vehicles changing along with the motive power to represent the different eras.

As with my home layout, the exhibition layouts are designed for operation in DCC or straight DC utilising Gaugemaster controls for both operations. As my American locomotive fleet is now some 90% DCC equipped (many with sound) this layout will be operated for the most part in DCC.

The additional layouts will comprise a British diesel depot (the now completed Atlantic Road layout) which will operate at the opposite end to San Andreas so as to give a contrast between US and UK diesel operations; this will be followed by a small Cornish china clay works which will be for use opposite the Atlantic Road depot layout; and a further American switching layout for us opposite San Andreas. Although the layouts are being designed to work in pairs they are all capable of being exhibited individually to reduce the size overall to 8ft x 1ft.

San Andreas made its NMRA debut at the British Region 2006 Convention and I am pleased to report that the layout performed perfectly throughout the weekend. To my surprise and delight it picked up a Golden Spike Certificate in the NMRA Achievment Programme category for complete layouts.

It will be moving to the lecture room in North Junction signalbox at the Railway Age in Crewe, along with the Calder Northern Division N Gauge and new HO layouts early in 2007. The layout's first public show was Rainhill in March 2007, further exhibition bookings are welcomed.