Chessington (Chalk Lane)

As a layout Chessington (Chalk Lane) may well drive viewers around the bend, though that is intentional as it was built on a curve to cut down the distances walked by its operators! Built to EM gauge it is 14 feet wide and is a little over 19 feet long. It has appeared at more than 40 shows since its debut at the 1998 Hull show. It was featured in the July 2005 magazine.

The choice of an ex-Southern Railway location enabled the model makers to give full rein to their love of the SR’s Thirties ‘Art Deco’ style, as exemplified here in this delightful rendition of Chessington (Chalk Lane) station buildings.

No three-rail location would be complete without an electric locomotive or two. Here Class 74 Bo-Bo E6102 performs perfectly for the visitors. Note the rusty third rail and EM gauge track.

Like many successful show layouts Chessington (Chalk Lane) boasts many ’cameo’ scenes. Here a solitary figure is captured hard at work. The attention to detail and the way the structures blend into the baseboard is worthy of special mention here.