BYWAY Motive Power Depot (MPD) was originally developed as a demonstration board to show off my work as John’s Model Centre, and after taking it to shows as a trader, I was often asked if I would consider taking it to exhibitions just to show the layout. Byway MPD has subsequently progressed from there.

The plan came about at my local model railway club, High Wycombe Model Railway Society.
Members of the club suggested I should have a small layout to demonstrate the installation work I was doing in locomotives, such as Digital Command Control (DCC) sound installations, firebox glow, working lamps and additional lighting. An Ian Futers track plan design was decided upon and proved quick and simple to create.

The baseboard is a simple 4ft 6in x 1ft affair, comprising a 2in x 1in frame topped with plywood, and took just a couple of months to build as I needed it to be completed for a model railway show later that year – that was just the board at the time.
It took around six months to change it all around and create a full exhibition layout.

The setting is urban and it is not based on a particular prototype but it is distinctly steam era, with a Midland Region 1960s theme.
The first train ran on the day I started building the layout, such is the constructional simplicity.
Since then, practically everything apart from some wiring underneath the layout has changed.

In terms of scenery, space is at a real premium, so I have made extensive use of low-relief structures.
The shed along the back is an old Airfix kit that I had discovered at my old model railway club, which was assembled but unpainted.
I took the complete model over to the bandsaw and cut through it, leaving me two halves which worked well as a long low relief building.

The layout is used at shows to demonstrate my collection of sound equipped loco’s.
My main interest is in the technical side of model railways and I am happy to answer any questions you may have, be it DCC sound decoder installation, layout lighting or DCC control.

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Youtube: World of Railways Interview