Readham - New model railway layout by Steve Cox

[@TonyBanks21]

What a lovely layout !!. Complete with trams and all the UK High Street shops etc. Very well done for Construction and detail. Fantastic !!!.

[@stevecox9237]

Thanks for the feedback

[@stevecox9237]

Thanks for the feedback

[@bhigdaddymark]

As a 'Yank' I simply cannot get enough of the SUPERB layouts and great work of the modelers in the U.K. as ALL of you are so inspiring and I wonder if the wonderful people of England realise just how wonderful your railway system actually is. I'm slowly building up my OO-gauge collection as I LOVE your trains and the models of them. Thus far my small but growing fleet includes the Bachmann Virgin Super Voyager Class 221, Hornby Virgin Pendolino Class 390, Bachmann London Underground S Stock and the Bachmann Class 350 Desiro Silverlink (I want another Class 350, the new Class 450, Class 800, Class 37, 45, 50 & 60 locomotives, Class 411 and MK II carriages). I have a friend here in Florida from England who's worked in model railway since his teenage years that works on all of my HO & OO model trains (LED lighting upgrades, DCC upgrades and sound) and hopefully soon on all of my O-scale models and he advises me on my British OO-gauge purchases. There are many of us American modelers that appreciate and model British Railway trains and the best is Rob McCrain with his Farland Howe (Railway) layout. I particularly love the architecture on these great layouts of the U.K. and of course, the vehicles. Thanks for sharing and my apologies for being so long winded.

[@CherrhamJunction]

Lovely layout. Really like the modern style station and the modern look to the other scenery. Great attention to detail!

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

The LRT model is very cool!

[@patmac2933]

Absolutely outstanding layout

[@doubleaviation4757]

Very very nice layout. How did you make the canopies?

[@2112pk]

ooooooooh i get it READham, like reading. that station's the spitting image of reading station.

[@davidevans3070]

Hello Dan. Where did you get the tram from? Layout looks great with the tram going through it

[@DanzibarDrums]

David Evans standby on that one, will ask my Dad and get back to you!

[@fluo6610]

David, It is a HO scale Blackpool Flexity 2 tram made by austrian manufacturer Halling: www.halling.at/Strassenbahn/Blackpool/Blackpool-Flexity-2-Tram

[@stevecox9237]

Hi, Readham is my layout, Dan is the great film maker 😀 It is a Halling tram and is a good runner when warmed up. It's currently DC but I have plans to make it DCC and get a sound file produced for it.

[@BenHayward110194]

I was just about to ask this very question! Thanks for this!

[@CJT80]

Fluo66/Dan/David the link is now dead, the new link is: shop.ferro-train.com/HallingShop/product/home/nahverkehr/england/blackpool And a UK link: www.videoscene.co.uk/flexity-model.html

[@arthuuu_]

Is the station based on Reading? Absolutely fabulous

[@DanzibarDrums]

You’re right, it’s influenced by a mixture of Reading and Cheltenham!

[@arthuuu_]

@@DanzibarDrums So that's where Readham came from...

[@DanzibarDrums]

@@arthuuu_ bingo!

[@Ethanpick]

I've seen your layout twice at stevenage and at the great electric train show

[@bigfella1952]

Great looking layout, love the modern buildings and layout. Tram and infrastructure superb. Who manufacturers the Tram . and how did you model the roadways for traffic near the tramlines ..? Thanks x Paul

[@DanzibarDrums]

Bigfella Paul thanks, I'll pass your comments and questions on to my Dad who should have the answers!

[@stevecox9237]

The roadways with the tram were time consuming and fiddly. Basically it was: 1) fix track in place, wire up and test, 2) paint part of the sleepers grey in the 4'8" gap, 3) glue 40thou plastic risers on the sleepers using epoxy resin glue, 4) cut foamboard to shape [doesn't have to be exact] and fit to the area on the outside edge of track using PVA, 5) using white paper and a soft pencil, place paper over track and rub the pencil over the railhead to make an accurate template [which can be used for the inserts and the outer edges] 6) using the template mark and cut out 30thou plastic sheet [thicker if you're not using finescale track], 7) rough up one side of the plastic so that it sticks better, glue to foamboard using PVA and the plastic inserts using plastic cement, 8) using Deluxe Materials putty [it's really good for this job] fill the gaps between the outside edge of the railhead and the plastic, 2 applications may be needed, lightly sand when dry if required, 9) test that the tram runs - clearance trials - trimming the inserts as required, 10) paint or apply texture papers, 11) have a beer, you'll have earned it 😂

[@mohatchett8001]

Nice layout what is the size p.s like the trams

[@RailfanDownunder]

outstanding layout

[@DanzibarDrums]

RailfanDownunder thanks, I'll pass your comments on!

[@stevecox9237]

Thanks for your feedback

[@hornbyboy100]

Hi there Dan I just wanted to know how you've created the tram lines ? Did you use poly filler ? If so how did you create the groves ? And also the catenary ? Thanks

[@stevecox9237]

Hi, Readham is my layout and Dan is my son who’s creative with the video’ing. The tram track is Peco finescale and I made inlays from Plasticard that I cut to the correct curves by first ‘brass rubbing’ the curve onto a piece of paper, cutting this out to use as a template on the plastic taking off enough to give the wheels clearance. The catenary was scratch built using brass rods of various diameters, I made a jig so that I could make them consistently accurate.

[@MrVinnyh]

Excellent railway

[@northwesttrainsmodels]

nice layout

[@thomasmills6427]

Nice I really like the trams on this layout, please may I ask where you got those trams from ? also may I suggest maybe some vandalizam, and some graffiti on this layout as I think that's a lot more of a Modern Image scene sadly, and will bring your layout to life a little more

[@stevecox9237]

I got the tram from Hallings, it’s great but temperamental and needed extra weight added to each ‘car’ to give it enough adhesion for good current pickup - it needs a complete overhaul after each day of running at exhibitions. I do plan on putting some graffiti on the trackside walls because as you say it’s an unfortunate part of the modern scene. Since this video was made my nephew (who is brilliant at weathering) has weathered and graffitied some of my freight stock and we have plans to do some more.

[@BenedictMcConalogue]

Looks great. Love the tram in particular

[@KapybaraKSP]

didn't notice it was a model railway till I clicked onto it

[@A60motorman]

Hi Steve.... Congratulations on a great modern image layout ! The attention to detail is very good, can I ask you which mix of ballast have you used as it's quite close to the real stuff ! Great work... Regards .... Nigel at West Hatton M.R.

[@stevecox9237]

Hi thanks for the great feedback. I used Woodland Scenics medium size ballast as it was the only one of the ones that I tested that stayed colour fast when it dried out after flooding with the PVA/water/washing up liquid solution.

[@strains3551]

What colour ballast did you use? It does look really good against the concrete sleepers 👍

[@stevecox9237]

I used the ‘Grey Blend’

[@HamishG199]

11:32 the little boy learning numbers

[@Ally-rv5oo]

Reminds me of Edinburgh Haymarket

[@TheFlyingBusman]

Nice layout. Perhaps needs more people and a bit of weathering as it looks a little sterile.

[@stevecox9237]

This was the first exhibition for Readham and it was only ‘finished’ the night before transit to the exhibition venue. It has since been weathered in a number of areas (although not heavily weathered as I don’t like that, and in fact when I won best in show at another exhibition the judge, the editor of Railway Modeller, said “it’s good to see a layout that’s not weathered to within an inch of its life”). Some buildings haven’t been weathered as the real buildings that they’re based on have either been recently restored or are new build.

[@stevecox9237]

This was the first exhibition for Readham and it was only ‘finished’ the night before transit to the exhibition venue. It has since been weathered in a number of areas (although not heavily weathered as I don’t like that, and in fact when I won best in show at another exhibition the judge, the editor of Railway Modeller, said “it’s good to see a layout that’s not weathered to within an inch of its life”). Some buildings haven’t been weathered as the real buildings that they’re based on have either been recently restored or are new build.

[@robd2184]

Nicely put together layout ! I’d suggest it needs a massive dose of grime to fully be modern England though !

[@stevecox9237]

The roads are due to get some dirtying up. The Regency terrace houses are supposed to be a ‘newly refurbished’ set of buildings hence why they’re bright white and the shopping area (where the John Lewis store is) is inspired by the Brewery Quarter in Cheltenham which is a new build hence why that is not weathered, same reason for the new build on the station. I do like the use of weathering but am not a fan of doing it on everything, preferring a balance. Readham will have had the weathering before the next exhibition it is attending (Chiltern in January 2018). 😉

[@robd2184]

Steve Cox good stuff, and you haven’t got enough Costa coffees,,, that length of street would have at least three..😋

[@stevecox9237]

Robert Dagg lol very true, Costas’ are everywhere. Still I do have a lot of Whitbread’s brands on the layout - Costa, TGIF and Premier Inn 😉

[@medwaymodelrailway7129]

Great layout on show .Thumbs up for you .Hope you like mine diesel dave's

[@newtownyard1317]

Dan does the layout belong to any clubs

[@DanzibarDrums]

No this one is privately owned/built

[@newtownyard1317]

Dan Cox wish I was lucky enough to own it

[@23650283]

Unusual to see nobody in COSTA COFFEE !!!

[@lpolson5641]

It's no wonder there isn't actually a bar or anyone serving

[@stephensmith799]

I hope nobody minds me asking, but do exhibitors get an appearance fee in return for showing their layout? (This would help to fund improvements to them in a hobby that is quite expensive.)

[@stevecox9237]

It varies by exhibition, typically though our expenses are covered and accommodation provided. We're not into exhibiting our layouts to "make a profit" but to hopefully entertain and inspire the public, and most importantly have fun 'playing trains" 😉

[@stephensmith799]

Thanks for your reply. It is good to have expenses covered, but yes it should be for the sheer fun of it.... mind you it is 'serious fun'... but fun and serious. The standards that are being reached these days are really something.

[@ukridesinfo]

Wow!

[@stevecox9237]

Thanks

[@jayriley2658]

11:48 i think she should go for a job as a station announcer