Charwelton - OO gauge

An Exhibition Main Line

The Location

Charwelton is a small village in Northamptonshire situated on the A361 main road between Daventry and Banbury. In terms of railway geography, it lay between Rugby and Woodford Halse. It boasted a small station with characteristic Great Central London Extension island platform with overbridge access and goods yard. It was also the junction for a lightly laid, short ironstone branch. This is what has been modelled though some compression has taken place between the south portal of Catesby Tunnel and the Hellidon Lane bridge in order to fit everything into a reasonable space. Beyond the main road bridge and the bridge just north of Charwelton troughs our track has had to curve more than on the prototype in order to get back to the fiddle yard. Apart from the remains of some of the trackbed, the tunnel and the two smaller bridges nothing remains today of what was once a principal main line. Drivers travelling on the now flat A361 will have little idea that there was once an important railway installation at this point.

The Period

What is depicted represents the time scale 1957 - 1962, during which the responsibility for running the line passed from the Eastern Region to the London Midland Region. At the beginning of the period we depict A3s and V2s on the expresses, including the 'Master Cutler' and 'South Yorkshireman', through to representations of the Marylebone - Nottingham semi-fasts, the York - Bournemouth inter-regional trains, various stoppers and parcels and, of course, the famous Annesley - Woodford 'runners' or 'windcutters'.

The Model

A double track main line with loops through the station, small goods yard and an ironstone branch.

Dimensions 36' x 14', the scenic section is along one side as shown on the plan, though it can be presented in the round if necessary.

Details for exhibition managers are available here