Our next club layout
Building Eastleigh
Eastleigh as it is today, in N gauge, and built to the same standard as Redbridge Wharf. This page follows the build, using the updates in Chairman's Chatter.
Planning session on a club night
Progress
Where we're up to
11 of 12 baseboards assembled
Done
Concept track plan
A plan that shows we can fit something worthwhile into a reasonable space.
Done
Baseboard kits
Grainge & Hodder kits for all twelve boards arrived in the spring.
Under way
Baseboards
Eleven of the twelve are assembled and braced, and most are painted. The last one needs its bracing adjusted in three places to clear the point mechanisms.
Under way
Transport trolleys
The prototype is built and was shortened to fit between van wheel arches. The second is nearly finished and the third is well under way.
Under way
Lighting
Cheap 12 volt LED units are chosen, to be carried on Redbridge's old aluminium poles cut down to size. The mounts still need designing.
Under way
Plain track
Roger S has made more than 20 metres by threading rail into plastic sleeper bases.
Still to do
Backscene supports
We're working out how the front and rear board pairs join to carry the lighting uprights and the backscene.
Still to do
Points
All still to build, along with the rest of the track through the station and the works.
Still to do
Wiring and control
How the layout will be controlled is still to be decided. The plan is to add wires and devices as the track goes down.
Still to do
Buildings and scenery
Including the works, which the track plan is being shaped around.
Build log
From the Chairman's Chatter
Every quarter Dave R reports on the build. Each stop links to the full update.
January 2026
Talks begin. A concept track plan shows we can build something worthwhile in a reasonable space, and the club asks for a project lead or two.
Read the January 2026 updateApril 2026
"At last, concrete progress!" Baseboard kits for all twelve boards arrive and assembly starts. Roger S makes more than 20 metres of plain track.
Read the April 2026 updateJuly 2026
Eight boards are assembled and four have been primed. Eleven members meet to talk through transport, staging, lighting, backscenes, track and operation.
Read the July 2026 updateOctober 2026
Eleven boards are assembled, braced and mostly painted. The first trolley is built, with its wheels set in so the layout sits at almost the same height as Redbridge, and the lighting is chosen.
Read the October 2026 updateLend a hand
What needs doing next
There are jobs for every level of experience. Coming up next:
- finishing the last baseboard and the backscene supports
- designing the mounts for the lighting
- building points and laying track
- deciding how the layout will be controlled, then wiring it
- making the buildings, starting with the works
In the chairman’s words: if you fancy taking the lead on any part of it, that can easily be arranged.