Bottom Works Sidings is a representation of a small part of a fictitious network of lines built to serve an equally fictitious steelworks on the southern outskirts of Wombwell in South Yorkshire.
It’s assumed that, while most traffic accessed the steelworks from a connection with the former Midland line, a secondary connection ran out onto the former Great Central line, and served a coking plant that was on a separate site to the main steelworks… the model is based on the exchange Sidings between this secondary connection (served by BR trains) and the coking plant (served by internal movements); given the GC line was electrified at 1500v DC as far as Wath Yard, this has been continued into the yard, adding something a bit unusual to the model.
The layout was built as an entry into the Model Railway Journal Cameo Competition and made it to the finals. It is a fiddle yard to fiddle yard arrangement with a 4ft 6in scenic section in the centre. Total length is 9ft 6in.
To the rear of the layout, a single line splits into 3 exchange Sidings before continuing off scene towards the steelworks. This is joined by another single line running from the coking plant, with a couple of Sidings to the front of the layout used for storing surplus stock.
An article on the layout appeared in Model Railway Journal No.279, published in August 2020.
Any questions please feel free to ask.
The Model Railways of Oly Turner and Chris Matthews 