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Minchin Vale is unlike most

of the other club layouts in

that it is in 009

(00 scale narrow gauge);

it was also not built as a

club project but was

donated by late member

Tony Minchin when he upgraded to a new 009 layout.  It has since been heavily renovated by club members.

 

It takes the form of a folded ‘Figure of Eight’ with a loop at the rear to enable two trains to be run and a small station with a siding in a front corner.  It is powered by a Gaugemaster Combi controller and relies on the points for isolation.

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Initial testing and examination revealed that the track was heavily worn and the scenery had become battered.  Dave Griffin and others spent some time replacing the worn track and ensuring that the layout ran well.  In this state it was exhibited at a Bournville MRC Show as a ‘work in progress’.​

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Following this a small group, led by Angie Boden, undertook a major scenic renovation including the addition of a model of the (in)famous Crooked House at Himley.  The layout now has excellent scenery with a lot of small detail and a working lighting rig designed and built by Jim Webster.

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In this form we had the layout running at our 30th Anniversary event in November 2025.  Fortunately, Tony was able to see the end result before he sadly passed away in January 2026.  The finished layout made its exhibition debut at Wombourne in March 2026.

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There is a showcase video of this layout on the clubs YouTube Channel.

Click here to view the film...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For exhibition purposes, the layout is approximately 48 x 18 inches and can be freestanding.  It is analogue and requires one power point.  It is operated from the rear.