My preferred theme for a layout has always been industrial, as I find the theme more interesting - trains moving through an industrial landscape gives plenty of scope for different building styles and scenery. Heavy freights and the variety of locomotive liveries are something I find most appealing.
Driving around Sheffield, Rotherham and Leeds for work, I saw plenty of industrial themes to try and replicate. By not modelling a specific area or place, I didn’t restrict myself, instead it opened up the imagination for planning and viewing for the public.
I took my time drawing up ideas and thinking about what size I could fit into the house. Like most designs, I went through a process of refining my ideas to create a realistic trackplan and maintain operating interest. I finally settled on two 4ft × 22in boards built in box form.
The boards were kindly constructed by Neale Burrows of the WMRS from 25mm × 50mm box cross sections of MDF and 9mm MDF top. The ends were also 9mm MDF, as was the backscene board. The front fascia was deep enough to allow for the depth for the Tortoise motors. The finished boxes were
