What you see here is the 'mark 3' version of Idleforde Junction which is a OO club layout presented by the Bassetlaw (North Notts.) Railway Society. The layout began its life as 14ft x 8ft and was housed between exhibitions in a member's spare room. Later, it was enlarged to 24ft x 8ft and, in this guise, took over most of the main room at the Society's new clubrooms in the old tearooms at Retford Station. However, with its own clubrooms, the Society became much more popular and the layout was in the way! It was reduced by just over 2ft in length and fitted kid-glove style into the smaller (now 'modelling') room.

The stock is a mixture of the Society's and members own, and covers any period from pre-grouping to the present day. At this exhibition you will see the diesel era from the early 1960s to the variety of liveries of today's TOCs. There is also a short section of overhead electrification with the distinctive catenary of the erstwhile Manchester to Sheffield system. Look out for EM1s, EM2s, and a Manchester, Glossop and Hadfield EMU.

The main station with its 'middle track', main platform and island platform as Retford as its inspiration. Indeed, the signal box is a mode of Retford's former south box. The colour light signalling not only works automatically but is also fully interlocked.