Mossbank Yard

Busy sidings in OO gauge

Mossbank Yard is a very large modern image layout set in the Crewe / Warrington area close to the West Coast Main Line. The layout measures 31ft x 10ft with the main scenic section to the front of the continuous run and an 11 road fiddle yard to the rear. Six operators are required for a two day exhibition.

Club members run just about every class of diesel and electric locomotives many of which are modified RTR by either weathering or resprayed. Rolling stock is also either modified RTR or scratch built. Locos and stock tend to cover the period from 1980 to early 2000s. Despite is size and complexity Mossbank Yard still runs under DC analogue control.

There are several local details to compliment the main railway: a private chemical siding, a rail served scrapyard and a private distribution facility as well as the general cabins and infrastructure you would expect to see in this environment.

There is a predetermined operating sequence for Mossbank Yard. All the stock used is known to have run in the area during the period modelled, and the operating sequence tries to adheres as closely as possible to the running of Speedlink and its successors. Freight traffic arrives at Mossbank from either North or South in the reception sidings, and is either re-marshalled in Mossbank Yard or held for loco or crew changes before recommencing its journey. Passenger services can pass by on the through line, and overhead wires is installed on both the through line and the reception sidings supplying power for AC electric classes. All movements are controlled by fully operational colour light signals by Roger Murray and backscenes are by Adrian Cox.

And if all that is not enough, for a grand scale Mossbank yard can be connected to another clubs layout, Hollybank Depot, to present a super layout.