Acton Main Line/Dragonby

The Cuckoo · August 08, 2011, 09:19:56 PM

After recently seeing Dragonby at an exhibition I've been searching online for more information about this layout but have turned up very little apart from the fact that it's had a name change at some stage in it's history. I wondered if anyone knows if it has been featured in any magazines in either guise, if so which magazine covered it and when?

Jason

grid078 · August 08, 2011, 09:57:58 PM

If its the "Acton main line" it was a very well known modern image layout on the exhibition circuit in the the mid to late nineties i think. I would image it was featured in magazines but which i wouldn`t like to say.

Stuart

grid078 · August 08, 2011, 10:03:31 PM

Quick google search has thrown this up.

http://www.rainhillmrc.org.uk/marchexhibit.htm

Scroll down the page to the third exhibit.

Stuart

BernardTPM · August 09, 2011, 10:26:02 AM

Yes, Dragonby was Acton Main Line, though the stock built for the layout didn't go with it when it was sold. If I remember correctly, the layout was first shown around 1991 in the early stages of construction and was retired in October 2004 at the Croydon Show (it was the Croydon Club's N Gauge layout). It was in the March 2004 issue of BRM; quite a good, long article. I was fortunate enough to be a fairly regular operator on this layout which travelled all over the country, I think it did about 130 shows in 13 years. It's hard to believe it's nearly 7 years since then!

grid078 · August 09, 2011, 04:45:20 PM

I was fortunate enough to be allowed a play on Acton main line when it was shown at the Colchester exhibition, somewhere around 2000 but not sure of the exact date. This was my one and only time i got to watch/view the layout, and i have to say very well modeled too.
I did find a 32 second clip on youtube too, in its Dragonby guise.

Stuart

The Cuckoo · August 12, 2011, 11:09:50 PM

Thanks for the replies, I'll keep an eye out for a copy of that BRM magazine.
It's amazing to think that the layout is still going strong after all this time and all those shows

Jason

H · August 20, 2011, 01:31:45 PM

Acton Main Line was featured extensively (16 pages) and in depth in the preview issue of 'ModelRail Digest' (at the end of 1995)

H.

Busybee · November 17, 2015, 12:53:59 PM

It as featured in BRM October 2011, Model Rail, October 2012
Great British Model Railways volume 1 August 2013
Rail Express Modeller 2013.

I hope this is of use.