‘OO’ GAUGE LAYOUT GCR NORTHGATES LEICESTER
A revelation in elevation
The lockdown gave Keith Pell the time to build a tribute to the Great Central Railway, and where it ran through Leicester cit y.
Words: Chris Gadsby Photography: Chris Nevard
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What makes this layout great?
“Even though the track plan is simple, Keith has executed it and the surrounding scenery to great effect. Rather than look like an afterthought, the scenery has been carefully suited to the layout, and the two go hand in hand with perfect balance.”
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We are sure many of us would love the idea of having a life-sized railway at the bottom of the garden, and sitting outside and watching trains go past. But having had Cardiff Central station underneath my 13th-floor window for a year at university, I can tell you that a train a minute with the occasional horrendous flange squeal gets old fast, not to mention the 2.30am rail-grinding (thank you very much, Network Rail). It would be far nicer to be in Keith Pell’s situation, with the Great Central Railway (GCR) passing at the bottom of the garden. With a wide variety of locomotives and stock, as well as lots of visiting motive power, there’s plenty of inspiration for a GCR layout, which is exactly what Keith has created.