Milland Valley Railway

Vierbrucken, member Ben Russ’s N gauge German alpine layout has been invited to the 2009 Railway Enthusiasts Club (REC – Farnborough) Annual Show now held in Aldershot.

We regularly submit pieces to local newspapers-Petersfield Post, Liphook Herald & Midhurst & Petworth Observer and over the years have achieved a good “hit rate”.

Recently we have used additionally  local community papers – Milland News and the Liphook Community Magazine and in the former have virtually a regular column!

Posters in local libraries (Liphook, Grayshott and Midhurst also help to keep our club known, together with the news section of the Liphook community web site.

The club’s N gauge layout has received and accepted invites to the following further shows in 2008

31st May/ 1st June 2008 -Hollycombe Steam Collection Railway Weekend

We expect to be in the new educational block and look forward to seeing many local railway and model railway enthusiasts.

Please note there is also the Milland Rural Fair on  Sunday 1st June, which is a couple of miles away and also worth a visit. Lots to interest those who love animals and rural activities.

4th/5th October 2008- Fareham MRC Model Railway Exhibition at Wickham Community Centre

This is a new two day show and we wish the Fareham MRC every success in what we hope is the first of many annual shows
Please come along and see  ours and the many other layouts on display.

The club got good coverage during week commencing 18th February for itself, Ben’s layout Vierbrucken and for the Midhurst Modellers Show, with items printed in the Petersfield Post and The Midhurst & Petworth Observer.

The latter included a picture contributed  by Ben

An item has been sent to the Petersfield Post with photograph, regarding our successful outing to Midhurst and forthcoming Cottleston outing to the South Hants Show on the 1st March.

New posters have been placed in the Liphook & Grayshott libraries under the title “Liphhook & District MRC has been making a bit of an exhibition of itself-for over 40 years” A similar poster will go the Petersfield library soon.

A revised membership leaflet was also available for visitors to the Midhurst Show.

Liphook and District MRC achieves another milestone, when it’s N Gauge layout Cottleston Park, makes it’s third exhibition appearance of the 2007/8 season,  at the Worthing MRC show on Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th September 2008.

The exhibition will be held at the Boundstone Community College, Upper Boundstone Lane, Sompting. Lancing BN15 9QZ

For full details of the exhibition, including location and entry prices, go to www.worthingmrc.co.uk and follow the links to exhibition 2008

This is the first time the L&DMRC has exhibited at this annual show and we look forward to showing our N Gauge layout to a new audience. It might be worth coming along on both days, as on each day there will be different era stock running.

Unfortunately the writer will be not be part of the exhibition team, as he is playing boule in France on these dates; perhaps the operation will be improved as a result.

After receiving an initial enquiry, nothing was heard from South Hants MRC, so it was thought that we weren’t to be invited.

Just before Christmas, layout leader Nick has received a firm invite, albeit after agreeing to a smaller team to operate.

That means that the Liphook and District MRC will be exhibiting N gauge layouts two weeks running – ie on Sunday 24th February 2008 at Midhurst with Vierbrucken and Saturday1st March 2008, with Cottleston Park, at the South Hants Show.

We hope to see many local enthusiasts at both shows!

The South Hants MRC Show will be held on Saturday 1st March 2008 at Crookhorn College of Technology, Stakes Hill Road, Waterlooville. See full details in the major railway modelling magazines and local papers.

Layout background

This layout, by Liphook and District MRC member Ben Russ, is a representation of a small intermediate station set in the German Alps.

The station handles two mainlines (which have an extended run up and around the layout, in and out of a number of tunnels and over the four bridges (hence the layouts name)) and a small branch line (which has a smaller loop with tunnels on the base level)

Alongside the station which serves a small town (off scene) is a working sawmill and loco service yard. Also of interest is a working cable car to a mountain hotel.

The layout is DCC, which allows multiple trains to be running on the mainlines for extra interest and operator enjoyment.

Layout details

Size: Width 2470 (8? 1”) x Depth: 1420 (4? 8”) x Height: 1600 (5’ 3”) – please allow 915 (3?) at rear for operator (1)

Power supply: 2×13amp socket – includes illuminated canopy

Insurance value: £xxxxx (layout and electrics) + £xxxxx (rolling stock and controllers).-please ask

Exhibition expenses: Please request (based on van hire and distance from Liss, Hampshire).

Contact: Telephone: 01730 895702. e-mail: benruss.uk@googlemail.com

Pictures of layout

After three years presenting a new club layout at each annual show, for 2008, one of our members, Ben, will be exhibiting a new N scale layout set in the German Alps .

“Vierbrucken” (Four Bridges) is a multi-layered continuous circuit layout with a small station, and many tunnels and spectacular bridges and scenery.

Ben, who is relatively new to railway modelling, has created for his first layout a spectacular exhibit, which we hope will please all who see it at the Midhurst Show. ( See Vierbrucken post for details)

The club will also be manning a table to encourage local railway modellers to visit our long established local club and perhaps become members. We shall also be showing examples of members work, both completed and in progress.

The exhibition will be held at The Grange Leisure Centre, Bepton Road, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 9HD

on Sunday 24th February 2008. Full details will appear in the major model railway magazines and local press in the coming weeks.

As a regular exhibitor at this exhibition, the club looks forward to welcoming local railway modellers and boys and girls of all ages, to see Vierbrucken and all the many other layouts and exhibits at the show.

At its first exhibition outing, West Bay performed well and Graham’s sequence kept any wayward operators in line. Any difficulties experienced were mainly operator failure!

Interest was expressed by a few visiting exhibition managers, so further outings in 2008 and 2009 might be on the cards.

The Petersfield Post were sent a small piece for Wednesday 10th Oct and details were included in that edition. Following a request a picture of the exhibition team was submitted on Sunday 14th for hopefully inclusion in the edition appearing 17th Oct.