The stunning Buntingford Model Railway Layout: BR Eastern Region

This magnificent East Anglian debut model railway layout proved to be a labour of love for novice railway modeller Graham Oxborrow.
This is a OO gauge model railway layout based on the late-1960s BR Eastern Region. It's a fiddleyard to terminus model railway and stored in the owner's attic.
This layout appeared in BRM magazine's (British Railway Modelling) April 2017 issue. To find out more about railway modelling, go to: www.world-of-railways.co.uk

[@tico360]

I saw the thumbnail and then the title and I was so surprised to see that it was a model and not real life!

[@landsnailproject2875]

My experience too.

[@agnostic47]

The low camera angles used help with that.

[@jandoerlidoe3412]

Yes, i was convinced this was not a model.... awesome realism...truly....

[@tomstickland]

Same here. The initial frames look real, it's only the person on the platform that gives it away.

[@benforster6254]

Sameeee

[@vietnammodeling]

Super realistic looking layout. The details and weathering are simply perfect.

[@ChobertonJunction]

What a great session and layout. Wonderful attention to detail and the thumbnail is stunning in its realism.

[@davidsheriff8989]

So real, the faded colours gives it so much realism...

[@PenzancePete]

For me the impressive thing is not the realism, not the weathering but................... the scale speeds. That really is clever.

[@chrisbuxton1958]

Scale speed is so important.

[@andrewblake2254]

Easily done with dcc

[@CrusaderSports250]

Weathered to a level of realism, many are too pristine some are overdone this is just right, some of the shots you had to remind yourself it was a model, just stunning.

[@richardclarkson3016]

Absolutely superb. The weathering is so realistic and the train speed just right.

[@jonb6417]

Stunning is the word! Incredibly realistic scenery. The horse in the field is perfect.

[@peterallam6494]

Where did the branch line join the main line? Was the line planned to go further- perhaps to Royston? If still in use today it would surely pay it's way & return a profit.

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

@@peterallam6494 At St Margaret’s, and yes it was planned to go to Royston. Agree that it could be viable today but would lack the charm!

[@peterallam6494]

@@grahamoxborrow1512 Heard on radio news this very day, 23/01/21, that an East West rail link between Cambridge & Oxford is to be resurrected with funding approved & allocated. Maybe future 'tendrils' will result in meeting such obvious viable connections.

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

@@peterallam6494 Nice thought. Not sure how the line would cross the busy A120 nowadays!

[@paktoysreview8377]

Amazingly well detailed and weathered! Great job!

[@royfearn4345]

Just beautiful to watch such prototypical train movements. Could have been back in the day!

[@cravensdmufan4449]

In a word.....perfection.

[@alangordon7508]

An absolutely brilliant piece of modelling, still can’t believe I was not watching a transport documentary!

[@whitefields5595]

We praise great artists for their ability to re-create reality. This is an example of great artistry.

[@David-ci1vn]

In a word, stunning. I never travelled on that line but did in a radius of 10/15 miles and around Dereham in the 1960s, this took me back there, thank you.

[@mikeyb4610]

Amazing realism..... the weathering & attention to detail bring this layout to life .... & the background scenery blends so well it’s had to believe it’s not a real location .... thanks for sharing 🚂💨💯

[@1977ajax]

Some great painting and weathering work here!

[@Biggles2498]

The Speed/Ratio is exactly right for trains at a station....well done Sir !

[@paul-xt5pp]

A layout with sound! Thanks, it's terrific!

[@rodneycooperLMSCoach]

Very convincing from any angle. Nicely observed weathering.Congratulations..

[@chewyfoks1840]

Amazing attention to detail, a lovely layout! 6:20 You can hear the couplings coming towards you in the BV. I have been put on the floor more than once with a start like that heh! Great stuff.

[@1943L]

The detail and background is so very good. Excellent work to whoever worked on this.

[@alexkaye108]

Fantastic job, well done. (You can walk most of the disused 14 mile Buntingford to St Margaret’s branch line.....beautiful countryside)

[@MrDavil43]

If that's what can be achieved by a novice, I really look forward to Graham's next layout! This is a beautifully modelled layout of a station I was familiar with in the early 60's. He has really caught the atmosphere of Buntingford and it took me back to the journeys I made on that much missed line. Hopefully one day I'll see it "in the flesh".

[@peters1127]

Excellent video, and what fantastic realism.

[@rogersea6529]

massively realistic - joy to watch - and love the sound ! - thankyou

[@dronegirl2024]

this is a really nice realistic layout..I thought it was real from the thumbnail.. very impressed A++

[@clivedurrant481]

Beautifully crafted and toned perfectly!

[@davem9445]

Wow. From the intro clip to the last. Very very realistic. Well done. Great layout

[@williambryant5946]

Very, very realistic! Awesome attention to details and weathering. 👍

[@ewoodrailway]

Superb details, nice layout

[@para2440]

My cousin lived at Standon in the early sixties this brought back many boyhood memories (before Beeching got his grubby paws on this iconic branch)an outstanding layout!

[@peterdavey8348]

Fabulous. The level of realism is stunning.

[@andydavidson]

Best I've seen for some time, and he's a novice!!! well done Graham.

[@HROM1908]

Excellent work. The track is so smooth. Kudos for that.

[@misstrever1952]

...brilliant model railway! reminds me of all the lost lines in East Anglia👌

[@Pan1man4]

Superb attention to detail.

[@simonchurch.]

Thanks for sharing and an amazing layout!!

[@AnthonyWilliams-ew3wp]

You , sir, have the true eye of an artist. Bravo.

[@lesbird2074]

A very impressive layout and it's Great Eastern, always a bonus

[@JAMESDEMU-RailwayModeller]

That has to be almost as near to perfection as it is possible to be with a model and it's not finished yet!

[@jimbegin6554]

Great detailing!

[@christophernewman5027]

Bloody hell, l enjoyed that. 😊 Lovely job.

[@rolandharmer6402]

A work of art!

[@restojon1]

With the surname Harmer would you be local to the Buntingford area by any chance? I used to work in Buntingford with some Harmer's.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

Happy New Year!! Ongar Station should be ready for showing by next New Year!!

[@michaelformaini7053]

Stumbled across this presentation quite by accident while watching other rail videos. It's a great pity that the real railway no longer exists (apart from a private display at Braughing). I never got there during my 2018 trip but spent a pleasant afternoon just down the road a bit at Broxbourne. Greetings from down under in Melbourne.

[@pete9202]

Smart little layout it immediately gave me some really good ideas for my diorama👍

[@azrailfan2717]

Nice fiddleyard! 🤠. Nice brake van special

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

It now has some passengers in it!,

[@allandavis8201]

An impressive layout to say the least, congratulations to the builder. One thing though, you can tell straight away that it’s a model, no rubbish lying around, far to neat and tidy for a British railway. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@wetcardie66]

delighted to see a depiction of a north british diesel that AFIK never made it into preservation

[@alexmorgan2296]

Stunning indeed - and runs so smoothly; real modelling skill.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

Lovely little layout!! It could easily double as Ongar!! The only problem is that it hasn’t even got a similar station.

[@jasonbox2407]

Thank you . The labour of love has been worth it , such a great work

[@ModelRailwaysUnlimited]

Stunning, really stunning

[@davidjones4291]

Brilliant modeling

[@Phil-mt1ql]

Wow! Imagine what layouts of this caliber will look like when nanotech and AI are deployed to make animated populations for future models. I'd wait in line in a hard rain to see that. Especially the little guy trying to escape!

[@dibley1973]

Great video, lovely layout, nice realistic operation. Would like to have seen more of the shunting, i.e breaking and making the trains... But still great to watch.

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

Many thanks indeed for all of these generous comments. For anyone interested in seeing more, there is a Layout thread on RM Web, which includes answers to many of the questions posed below. This will illustrate for example that the track plan is pretty much as per the original, but with the addition of a granary for operational interest. I can also recommend the web site thebunt.co.uk/ which contains loads of pictures of the original branch line, and will show that the water tower was indeed that close to the signal box! As ever with model railway layouts it is not finished, with the most recent addition being a Class 125 Lea Valley DMU as operated on the final passenger services on the branch. Some videos of this are on the RM Web site. Thanks again to Andy York for his amazing photos, as featured at the start of this video.

[@jazzman1626]

I had to watch it twice. I spent most of the first time trying to find where the back scene and foreground meet. I give in lol.

[@carolbage8300]

So atmospheric. Typically Eastern Region. Thank you. Bob

[@David-ci1vn]

You can almost feel your bones being shaken in that DMU.

[@danielsellers8707]

@@David-ci1vn Were the Class 142 Pacers any worse than the unrefurbished Craven's 105 DMUs they replaced...

[@TheGameCamer360]

Unbelievable I genuinely thought the thumbnail was real life!

[@johnnorris4467]

Quite brilliant, in every particular.

[@rogerlat135]

The 3 guards vans suggest this is post passenger close down. The grain silo was at Standon. Trackwork too spread out! Nice booking hall and overall appearance

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

The granary is added for more operational variety. The Standon flour mill traffic does make its way up the branch too

[@441stainesphil5]

Fantastic looking layout

[@Meddled]

Not often you see vegetation done with such correct colours.

[@pdppanelman5889]

Attention to detail Oh Yes!

[@trevecchi1766]

I honestly didn’t realise this was a model at first

[@stevieporteous]

Thats the best layout ever.

[@marka87]

Looks real

[@wouterbikkel8276]

Perfect! Well done layout!

[@andywilley3041]

Cracking layout......well done.?

[@dmccombe7]

I actually thought this was real when i first saw the image on youtube.

[@trainmanbob]

Delightful!!

[@typhoon2827]

Eastern region essence. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@RicktheRecorder]

Outstanding.

[@a5athome]

Phew! That steamlocomotive at the end really sounds exhausted...

[@louisformon7448]

A lovely depiction of our 1950/60's railways. We can see many ot those things modellers overlook namely point rodding, ground signals and trap points. Regrettably one cannot view all of the layout just to see how far this modeller has taken the detailing. For example has the main running line been protected by dummy point locking and trap points ? I hope so because in my opinion this layout is the type all modellers should aspire to- observationwise

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

I might have to research the point locking and trap points!

[@thesolitarycyclist9005]

I can see now why Beeching closed this line; there's no one using the station! Only joking - fabulous modelling!

[@SDD3204]

Superb!

[@landsnailproject2875]

Superbiy done!! Superbly atmospheric. Especially love the background scenics. And how much more East Anglian branchline can you get than the J15?

[@thisisbob1001]

Excellent

[@daddydragon2383]

I noticed Buntingford, is that a realistic interpretation of Buntinford station and yard or something you have made up? Either way it’s magical👍🏻

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

As stated above, it is very much based on reality but with the addition under modeller’s license of the granary and the bridge as a scenic break. It is located in an attic, which was just big enough to accommodate the prototypical track plan

[@donwright3427]

Cool

[@oliking9819]

i thought this was real in the thumbnail till i saw the person lol

[@chrisrebar2381]

Truly excellent modelling (no interested in trains :-) Thank you

[@SussexHistory]

A water tower would not be placed right beside the signal box as depicted here because this would obstruct the signalman's view of the station! The platform appears to have no running in board. Apart from that, quite a realistic bit of modelling! Thanks for uploading.

[@strathpefferspamodelrailwa8751]

Crackimg layout and very enjoyable video. Could you tell me please, where did you get those ground signals from? They're almost exactly the style I should have on my layout. Thank you and happy modeling.

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

Thank you. They are GER ground signals from Wizard Models, and in theory can be made to operate. I only found out subsequently that at least some were replaced by more modern variants, but like you I like these!

[@strathpefferspamodelrailwa8751]

@@grahamoxborrow1512 Thanks very much, just popped across tho their website and purchased a few packs of their ground signals Thanks for the reply all the best.

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

@@strathpefferspamodelrailwa8751 Great stuff! We have friends and former neighbours in Strathpeffer - Nadine and Andrew

[@philipyouell2920]

Ray hammond did this station many years ago in18.83 gauge was equally as good

[@simonjames3845]

Very nice model, its a shame that there are no model Lea Valley DMU's to enable the correct passenger train to be run! My Wife's Great Grandparents were crossing keepers at West Mill on the Branch.

[@borisjohnson1944]

I see Mr Gridley unloading sacks of coal. he was our coal deliverer when we lived in Fyfield. Many years ago.

[@BillyTT120]

This gets a like from me purely because of the name!

[@steveluckhurst2350]

Very nice. Dare I say it, but the sound actually spoils the realism. Try watching with the sound off !

[@robwilde855]

Yes. The steam sound in particular - it must have been a one-cylinder locomotive! Otherwise wonderfully made, and operated. Thanks.

[@itsablack1]

Looks amazing, Thought the detailing was so good I thought it was "o" gauge 😅 All that's missing is smoke out of the engines , can't you cgi that in somehow 😅

[@CODHELPUS]

Fantastic layout, detail is amazing, realism and weathering perfect....but if I could make a comment regarding the coaling stages, in as much that the wooden dividers are all the same, and cutting them about would make them more realistic. Other than that it is amazing .

[@frankiepitt9135]

Please please make a video of your layout, it must be amazing also.

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

Agree! I did bash it around a bit, but not enough!

[@CODHELPUS]

@@grahamoxborrow1512 Please don't think that I was criticising, It was just an observation, on what I think is one of the most realistic layout I have ever seen. Just knock 'em about a bit more LOL

[@grahamoxborrow1512]

@@CODHELPUS No criticism taken - I agree! And they are probably too high too!

[@davidplatten9872]

I thought that was real !

[@bbproductions8975]

I would like to know where you got the sound decoder for the class 108

[@aseeker2109]

I thought this was real until I read, "Model Railway".

[@mikewilliams4438]

Envy, I was taught, is a very ugly emotion, but what else can a man be if he's watching this. Well done to you all.

[@unixbadger]

Gosh! The audio!

[@christrickett3291]

What about the rest of the set?

[@johnlunnun9769]

Well almost, but not quite! So many otherwise wonderful layouts are spoilt by the addition of what I suppose is meant to be weeds on the track bed. It just doesn’t convince, or should I say, it doesn’t convince me. Looks as though some alien ectoplasm has landed from outer space. It’s a shame, because the rest of the layout is superb, and utterly convincing!

[@railwaymechanicalengineer4587]

NICE LOOKING LAYOUT - BUT WITH NO COMPREHENSION OF OPERATING RULES !!! Nice looking layout. Shame they don't understand even the basic rules of marshalling freight trains ! Which requires "bauxite" coloured wagons which are "Fitted" to be placed behind the loco, and "Grey" wagons (unfitted) to go behind any "bauxite" coloured ones. For obvious braking safety reasons !!!! This is made worse by a clear lack of understanding of semaphore signalling types and the associated rules !!! Explanation below. Further no comprehension of Semaphore (Electric Token Block single line) signalling. As the position of the "Advanced Starter" signal seen at 2:25 in front of the road overbridge, requires a second signal arm below the one seen, with a large letter "S" attached to it. (A "Shunt Ahead" arm). As any train that has to gain access to the siding with the Blue Malt wagons in it, requires to pass the "Advanced Starter" also known as the "Block Signal", before shunting back into that siding. Which is forbidden ! The Block Signal cannot be cleared, for any reason except to allow a train to proceed up the line to the next Signalbox area ! And only then if the train departing has the necessary single line Token in its possession, and the next Signalbox gives a "release" to allow the "Block Signal" to be cleared. So to avoid all the problems of tokens & clearing the "Block ahead", another stop signal arm with a large letter "S" screwed to it is position about 5ft below the "Advanced Starting" arm on the same Post. This arm is NOT interlocked into the Block Signalling & Token machines. So when it is cleared for the necessary shunting move. The Driver knows he has permission to pass the Block Signal at Danger solely for the purpose of shunting and MUST NOT pass a "Limit of Shunt" board which would be placed probably about 400 yds beyond the overbridge. Signalling is understandably Complex, and this particular problem is itself quite rare. Indeed real train Drivers today (post BR) are unlikely to have ever even heard of a "Shunt Ahead" arm, or "Reversing Signals" or "Warning (overlap impinged) Signals". But if you model the pre 1980 era, there were many more signal types in those days, and if you more Pre War there were even more Signal types !!!!! NOTE: These unusual signals are all included in the "Model Signal Engineering catalogue" available from Wizard Models (the manufacturer) as etched brass parts. And are all designed to be fully functional.