This page is a running update of CHUFFINGHAM, our new exhibition layout as we work on it. Link to the bottom of the page for the start of this project,
July 2024, the start above
Current project to the right
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2026 JANUARY 21st
A blitz of road/bridge/tunnel mouth building for the ‘north’ end of the Canal boards. All scratchbuilt from card, 3mm mdf & Scalescenes textures.
2026 JANUARY 10th
2 1/2 Steel barges built, just needing filling now.
2026 JANUARY 1st.
The fall has been a time of enjoying good weather, then into the workshop for landscape and wiring. An under-track road bridge was completed with it’s accompanying retaining wall. Buildings were sited, and pond ‘watered”; the canal is painted & canal boats being constructed. The canal ‘mimic’ panel has been wired from control boards to buttons and LEDs. We’re still working with getting the ‘code’ for the ESP32’s to work the way we like.
2025 SEPTEMBER 13/14
We participated in Heritage Park’s Railway Days. With more landscaping done the layout is starting to come together & we are also learning how we can operate the layout works best with a group operating it. (link to the Railway Days 2025 album here)
2025 SEPTEMBER 10th.
More landscape contouring was completed, and road bridges under the main lines were built. A couple of retaining walls were also added. We are using ‘SCALESCENES’ based buildings and papers for a consistent colour & shade profiles to unite the entire layout.
2025 AUGUST 15/16th.
We held a trial setup/work session/running session in a member’s garage. Any issues left over from Supertrain were ironed out, and the layout worked very well. We also put plaster-cloth over the foam contours, and have airbrushed the rails and sleepers to show rust and age instead of shiny metal and plastic. The weekend was ended with a warm and sunny club Bar-B-Q.
2025 AUGUST 8th.
After a long break for a well deserved summer, we began landscaping the scenic boards. On a rough concept of tape the contours were built up with insulation foam, which was cut and carved to create hills and valleys. Spaces were cut to create road bridges under the tracks. Existing buildings were used to get an idea of space and location for future buildings.
2025 APRIL 4/5
SUPERTRAIN 2025 The layout functioned very well with only a few glitches. We loaded it up with buildings from previous layouts to fill in where future buildings might go. We also created a few mockup buildings and bridges to get an idea of how our vision for the spaces might work. More photos on the Supertrain 2025 page, (link here)
2025 MARCH 22/23rd.
We were able to assemble the layout for the first time. IT WORKED! There were a few glitches to iron out but both DC and DCC worked just fine. We now have a rough looking but operating layout ready for Supertrain. There were lots of ‘high-fiving’ and self congratulations.
The wiring all works
The station buildings will fit nicely here
Our motley test crew minus the photographer!
Can we run 4 4-car multiple units at once?
2025 MID FEBRUARY
The Bridge sections is finally built and the track layed, connecting the Canal section to the Fiddle-yard. The second ‘snake’ delivering track power to the back (non-scenic) half of the layout has been started.
The access lift-bridge getting built and track added.
The access lift-bridge in place, track down, tested
2025 MID FEBRUARY
Mid February 2025 Switch control test board has been started. Push buttons on the Mimic panel are connected via a Button Shift Register board to the Control ESP32. It connects via WiFi to the Node ESP32 under the layout that connects to all of the servos through a PCA9685 distribution board under the layout. The Control ESP32 is also connected to a LED Shift Register board the distributes signals to the LEDs on the mimic panel.
A block diagram of how the switch controls work.
2025 JANUARY 30th.
The circuit diagrams for the 2 different Shift Register boards have been bread-boarded & tested, then the components added to the board, and connections soldered. Writing code for the ESP32s is underway.
Wiring up the Shift Register boards.
2025 JANUARY 25th.
The first loop of track power bus cable (or snake) built. It runs from the ‘Canal’ corner to the centre board on the opposite side. It has plugs for each board spliced in, and the Power Distribution Box built and wired to the other end. A second ‘snake’ will be built and wired to the Distribution Box to service the boards of the fiddle-yard and other non-scenic boards.
The power bus (snake) for the scenic boards
Working on the ‘snake’ is getting messy.
Wiring the ‘snake’ into the Power Distribution Box
Splicing leads in the ‘snake’ for a board plug
The Power Distribution box is getting messy.
Plug installed
2025 JANUARY 7th
Canal area (boards1&2) have all servos installed, the node (ESP32 & PCA9685) installed, all connected, tested & functioning. Track power tested and functioning.
PCA9685 and ESP32 ‘node’ installed
Under the board, track power wiring, servos and their leads, and the ‘node’ all installed in the Canal sections.
2024 DECEMBER
Point and uncoupler servos testing & mounting workshop.
Hard at work installing the servos for changing points( British for turnout or switches)
2024 DECEMBER
Front boards: raising main line, glueing roadbed and laying track. Boards 1,2 &3 connected and tested.
The ‘Canal’ boards finally connected for track and wiring testing.
2024 DECEMBER
Laying cork on the fiddleyard boards, glued down and weighted.
Trail spacing for track and cassettes on the fiddleyard.
2024 NOVEMBER
Carpentry work building the raised section for main line track laying track on some of the front boards, and finally track power droppers while the boards are upright.
Getting the track down on the ‘Canal’ scenic section, and wiring track power ‘droppers;
2024 OCTOBER
Laying track on the Canal boards, and starting the incline for the Main lines.
Getting track down on the first boards in the ‘Canal’ section of the layout.
Using foam sections to start the incline of the main lines to have raised tracks on the front boards
2024 SEPTEMBER 6TH.
Heritage Park’s Railway Days, running The Branchline, & demonstrating SCARM track program and trial track laying.
Track laying on SCARM track plans at Heritage Park’s “”Railway Days”
2024 SEPTEMBER 1st.
Track plan approved, budget approved, ordered!! Peco code 100 flextrack, wood sleepers, Peco insulfrog points. Great Day.
2024 JULY 31st
All 16 boards have been built, & and the layout on it’s legs, & assembled, & with a few hiccups all fit together well.
2024 JULY
Size of layout and boards were finalized. Lightweight self contained board plans were approved. Board construction started, 16 boards, 5 different types, Confusion occasionally reigns.
2024 WINTER, SPRING
Much discussion about the new layout. Multiple elements were needed to be decided: how big to make the layout, board size & construction, number of tracks to run, DC and/or DCC; what kind of track plan: main lines, shunting areas, storage sidings, type of landscape/buildings etc.; how to supply track power, how to control the points (British for turnouts), size and make of track, and a great many more. Things gelled during the summer, with many interesting discussions and meetings. It took until July to commit to layout size and board construction details.
2023 NOVEMBER
The decision was taken to commit to building a new exhibition layout as ‘The Branchline’ was too problematic for continued use.
2023 SEPTEMBER
Following exhibiting ‘The Branchline’ at Supertrain 2023 and Railway Days at Heritage park the club members realized that there were problems with this layout. At an Exibition the public likes watching ing trains running. With an end-tp-end layout it’s too easy to get one end clogged with rolling stock, requiring locos to be removed and put on the other end of the train to run back. Long trains were not possible, nor was the ability to run an normal line speeds.
Scroll up to see Chuffingham growing from lumber to a running layout.
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