The origins of Narrow Road lie in an earlier collaboration on an exhibition layout built almost two decades earlier. Although that project was never fully completed, it proved influential, highlighting both successful ideas and areas that could be improved with greater experience. When circumstances later allowed work to resume together, it became clear that rather than revisiting the earlier layout directly, a new project should be developed that incorporated its strengths while addressing its shortcomings.
The initial intention was modest: a compact terminus layout with straightforward operation. However, this quickly evolved into something far more ambitious. A decision was taken to build a large, main-line terminus layout designed specifically for exhibition use, with a strong emphasis not only on appearance but also on sustained, realistic and engaging operation.
A key aim from the outset was to ensure that operation would be as carefully considered as the scenic treatment. While the standard of scenic modelling on exhibition layouts has continued to rise, operational interest does not always develop at the same pace. Narrow Road was therefore designed so that intensive, varied operation would be fundamental to the layout rather than an afterthought.
The breakthrough came with the discovery of track plans and photographs of the North London Railway terminus at Broad Street. The prototype station comprised two adjacent termini linked by a crossover. Adapting one half of this arrangement, together with the addition of a goods yard and locomotive facilities, provided the complexity and operational potential required.
Early photographs of Broad Street also influenced the distinctive platform and roof design. Each platform surface is treated differently, and full-length inspection pits allow stock to be worked on in situ, avoiding the need for extensive carriage sidings.
Given the scale of the project and a fixed exhibition deadline, planning was deliberately pragmatic rather than exhaustive. The work was divided into two broad phases: completing track and wiring by Christmas, followed by scenic work in the remaining months. Even this simplified plan proved optimistic, but it allowed progress to continue without becoming bogged down in over-detailed scheduling.
Much of the construction followed established techniques, scaled up to suit the size of the layout. However, the control systems provided an opportunity to explore new ideas, drawing on experience in electrical and electronic design to develop bespoke solutions tailored to the operational demands of the layout.
The baseboards are of conventional construction, measuring 4’ × 2’ with ½” plywood tops and sides. The sides are deep enough to house folding legs, allowing each board to be transported as a self-contained unit. There are six scenic boards and two boards forming the fiddle yard.
The fiddle yard uses a traverser design, chosen to maximise storage capacity within the available space. The traverser deck is approximately 7’9” long and runs on heavy-duty drawer runners. Seven tracks are provided, three full length and four shorter roads, achieved by incorporating pointwork at the outer edges. This arrangement provides greater flexibility without increasing the overall footprint.
One practical consideration throughout was ease of assembly on uneven exhibition floors. Adjustable feet on the hinged legs help ensure reliable alignment across the full 32’ length of the layout.
Most of the pointwork was hand-built using PCB sleepers, with geometry taken from P4 templates. Although the layout is built to EM gauge, the difference is minimal, and the P4 geometry provides smoother, more realistic results. Standard templates were sufficient throughout, avoiding the need for time-consuming custom designs.
Given the large number of turnouts—over thirty in total—time efficiency was essential. PCB construction offered a significant saving compared to individual chaired construction, while still providing reliable running. SMP flexible track was used for the plain line, accommodating older wheelsets while maintaining acceptable appearance.
Within the platform areas, individual chairs were used where necessary, fixed to plasticard strips. Subtle filing of the chairs allows stock with deeper flanges to pass without issue.
Rather than marking out the entire track plan in advance, construction began at the station throat and progressed board by board. This approach allowed work to continue while details of the goods yard and locomotive facilities were refined.
Point operation is entirely mechanical above the baseboard, using moving sleeper tie bars linked by wire to under-board motors. The system relies on shaped brass wire rather than soldered joints, reducing the risk of long-term failure and allowing quick repairs if required.
Under the baseboards, PECO motors are mounted on their bases and connected via adjustable linkages. This simple but robust arrangement has proved reliable in exhibition use.
Ballasting was carried out using a variety of techniques, partly to identify the most efficient method and partly to avoid the monotony of repeating a single process across such a large area.
Scenic work began alongside track laying, particularly in the station area, where platform construction and inspection pits were essential to the layout’s character. Buildings were developed concurrently to test proportions and sightlines.
Construction techniques are traditional, using plasticard, MDF and foamboard as appropriate. The station building and overall roof are particularly large structures, extending to around four feet in length, and required lightweight materials combined with internal bracing and detailing.
The goods warehouse, signal box and locomotive facilities are based on period photographs and drawings, with some artistic licence taken where prototype information is incomplete. Interiors are selectively modelled where visible, adding depth without unnecessary complexity.
The goods yard is set within an urban environment inspired by period photographs from industrial areas of northern England. Cobbled surfaces were formed by scribing plaster by hand, producing a highly textured finish that reinforces the layout’s early-20th-century setting.
Lettering and signage throughout the layout are computer-generated and printed directly onto plasticard, allowing accurate reproduction of period typography. This approach is used for warehouse signage, station furniture, running-in boards and control panels.
Road vehicles, both horse-drawn and early motorised examples, populate the scene. While not every detail is rigidly fixed to a single year, the overall effect supports the chosen era and enhances the sense of activity.
The backscene is derived from historic photographs of the LNWR main line out of London, incorporating distant industrial buildings such as a brewery that appears in multiple period images. The intention is not to replicate a specific location exactly, but to create a convincing urban backdrop that blends naturally with the foreground modelling.
Greenery is deliberately limited, reflecting the dense, working environment of a major city terminus. Allotments near the locomotive shed provide a small pocket of vegetation and human interest without softening the overall industrial character.
One of the defining features of Narrow Road is its bespoke control system. Rather than relying on commercial point switches and polarity modules, a custom solution was developed to integrate point control, frog polarity switching, section control and visual indication into a single module.
Each turnout module incorporates electronic components to manage these functions reliably, even where points are located beyond normal viewing distance. The control panels themselves are based on etched circuit boards with an overlaid diagram derived from an overhead photograph of the completed track plan.
The layout is divided into three main operating areas—station, goods yard and locomotive shed—allowing multiple operators to work simultaneously. Additional controls enable complex movements such as banking locomotives following departing trains along the platforms.
A motorised turntable completes the locomotive facilities, using electronic position detection to ensure accurate alignment.
Operation is structured around a detailed timetable designed to represent an hour of real railway activity. Movements are recorded on individual cards for each operating position, allowing operators to anticipate and coordinate their actions.
While demanding, this approach ensures constant activity across the layout and rewards careful teamwork. Over successive exhibitions, operating times have steadily improved as familiarity with the sequence increases.
Although Narrow Road has appeared at several major exhibitions, it remains very much a work in progress. Planned developments include further signalling, additional scenic detailing, more fully detailed interiors and an extension to accommodate a larger station building inspired by the full grandeur of Broad Street.
Built largely within a single year, Narrow Road demonstrates what can be achieved by maintaining a clear focus and embracing practical solutions when time is limited. It continues to evolve, both as a model and as an exploration of how complex operation and detailed scenery can work together to create a compelling exhibition layout.