High Peak Tramway.

Hazel Grove and District Model Railway Society.

Scale 7mm/ft 1:43.5 Gauge 16.5mm


The gauge of this award winning layout is a scale 2ft 4žin. It is set in the foothills of the Derbyshire Peak District and portrays a line built to transport stone from the quarries to an arm of the Peak Forest Canal. The period is around the 1930’s when it would still be very active moving stone, while retaining a passenger and general goods service.

Nothing comes ready made in this scale/gauge combination so all the locos, rolling stock and buildings have been made from scratch or kits.

The rolling stock is modelled on examples which ran on various Narrow Gauge lines in the UK such as the Glyn Valley and Lynton and Barnstaple Rlys, plus those that were found on the quarry and trench tramways of the First World War.

 

Bugston Road is the newest part of the layout. Its station building and road over bridge are based on those which still exist at Irton Road on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in the Lake District.

Bugston Road also features a small plateway system for horse drawn wagons. We have not as yet produced any horses small enough to make this a working section!

Some of the buildings of Bugsworth Station are being replaced as they are between 10 and 15 years old. Our policy is one of continuous improvement, as they say in various industries.

Wagon loads of stone are represented by small chippings. These are loaded into empty wagons at Bugston Road by a conveyor. The wagons are then transferred to Bugsworth. Here the loads are automatically tippled into a narrow boat in the canal basin ( the load actually drops through the baseboard into a receptacle for return to the conveyor ). Hence loading and unloading is achieved with out the use of out of scale hands ( usually ).

The whole layout occupies an area of 8’0” by 13’ 3”. However, Bugston Road can be operated separately from the main part of the layout, using a hidden four road sector plate when exhibition or operating space is at a premium.
A scene at Bugsworth station including some of the new buildings.
(The boss, Mike Hunter, performing some unknown activity. Perhaps he is praying for divine inspiration, or maybe he has managed to super glue his hands together!)

 


Page created by Ian Major.

Last changed: 1st. July 2000