The layout is 4 mm scale, 18.83 mm gauge, and represents a location on an imaginary Midland Railway line between Saltley and Walsall, on the north-east side of Birmingham in about 1920. The layout has been built by a group within Westinghouse Model Railway Club at Chippenham.  The group also de facto forms the North Wilts Area Group of the Scalefour Society, and a warm welcome is extended to anyone interested in this or similar projects.  Phone Richard Dagger on 01249 65 86 18.

The layout consists of a single main line; a parallel goods line; a small marshalling yard; and a low-level canal interchange. There is assumed to be a connection with the LNWR on the Walsall side of the location. The marshalling yard is used to concentrate local goods traffic, canal interchange traffic and exchange traffic with the LNWR, as well as traffic for the adjacent brewery/maltings. Together with the predominant goods and mineral working, there is a Birmingham New St-Saltley-Walsall passenger service.

The baseboards are constructed from 12 mm and 4 mm ply, using Barry Norman's beam construction, whilst the layout is supported on a base of trestles and 'L' girders, as described by Iain Rice.  This system has several advantages: the base can be erected and levelled before the baseboards carrying the easily-damaged track and scenery are mounted; there are fewer legs and other components; and it can be used to support other layout projects.

 The plain track is based on C&L plastic-sleepered base; pointwork is built using the Brook Smith ply-and-rivet method with cosmetic chairs added later. Steel rail is used throughout, with excellent results.

Three-link couplings proved to be a severe test of patience on an exhibition layout, and we have now adopted Dingham couplings, which are fitted to both ends of locos and goods brakes, and the ends of rakes of goods and passenger vehicles. Dingham couplings much easier to fit than the (admittedly more inconspicuous) Alex Jackson coupling; have some compatibility with three-links; are fairly robust; and are reliable when properly set up. The Dingham electromagnets allow remote uncoupling.  

Signals are from Model Signal Engineering etchings cut down to scale size, with scratch-built posts and gantries using some Exactoscale parts and some invaluable small cranks from Alan Gibson. They are operated by memory wire actuators. Points and signals which would have been operated from the signalbox are worked from an interlocked lever frame; points which would have been worked on the ground are worked from the baseboard edge by wire rods. The layout is intended to be operated from the front as well as from the back. Fiddle yards are cassettes, with train-length and loco-length cassettes on plain baseboards.

We have Midland Railway 2F and 3F 0-6-0s, an 0-6-4T and an 0-4-4T, and there is an LNWR 0-6-2T Coal Tank to work the exchange traffic. There is still more to do: point rodding; lamps; more signals; more rolling stock (especially Birmingham area PO wagons and a greater variety of passenger stock and NPCS).

Midland Sidings has visited a number of shows already and is scheduled for more in the future - see Events.