Backstory: The idea from the start was to have the bulk of stock movements based on serving a quarry located on the estate. The original quarry railway went directly to the mainline interchange at Cottesmore, but the flooding of that route due to a landslide meant that all trains had to divert via the mansion station using an old service tunnel. In later years, the railway attracted members of the public interested in real working railways and an enthusiasts group was started and soon expanded. The model depicts the official Opening Day when they were able to open to the public.
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| Flooded track and diversion. |
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| The 'Tunnel' goes to the quarry and the Fiddleyard goes to Cottesmore West. |
All movements to and from Cottesmore West are via the 'mainline' which runs on the front of the layout, to and from the front part of the fiddleyard. All movements to and from the quarry go via the tunnel at the rear, close to the workshop and then through to the rear part of the fiddleyard. Stock going in and out of Edwards Yard also passes through a central opening into the middle of the fiddleyard.
In the fiddleyard, stock is held on 'cassettes' that can be moved between the 3 routes or to adjacent storage areas. There is also a cabinet on the public side where stock can be displayed.
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| 1: Quarry 2: Edwards Yard 3: Mainline to Cottesmore |
