Wakefield Railway Modellers' Society

Hammeston Wharf is actually three related but unconnected railways, plus a tramway, each operating on its own level. The result is a layout which is full of operational interest along its whole length despite having fiddle yards at both ends of the mainline to enable a high level of train movements. The multiple levels give rise to two of the features of the layout, the retaining walls and rock faces. Many hours have been spent scribing foam board and carving plaster.

On the top level, at the left hand end, hiding one of the mainline fiddle yards, are the quarry buildings. Here, stone is loaded into narrow gauge wagons for the short journey to the wharf where it is transferred into mainline wagons and the middle level is a fictitious secondary Midland Line. The mainline reduces to single track as it passes the wharf providing an opportunity to stop trains at the signals as tokens are exchanged and brakes pinned down for the steep gradient down to the fiddle yard. At the bottom, a standard gauge light railway makes are brief appearance and provides a link with the canal.

The layout is set in the early 1920s around grouping. On the mainline in addition to Midland and the occasional LNWR trains, you will see LMS stock and maybe even some 'foreign' stock.