Happisburgh

Happisburgh (pronounced Haysboro) in reality is a small resort on the north east Norfolk coast. Behind the lighthouse on the high ground to the south of the little town spread acres of rich agricultural land and in the growing season Happisburgh sits surrounded by a sea of sugar beet. In 1896 the Great Eastern Railways' directors met to discuss proposals to extend the line from North Walsham, first to Happisburgh, then south east along the coast towards Great Yarmouth. Unfortunately the GER decided that the proposal for the line to Happisburgh would not pay and so the town was never served by a real railway.

However, Happisburgh is the setting of the MRC's 7mm scale exhibition layout. For the purposes of the model, we have assumed that the proposed route eventually left the Norwich to Yarmouth line at Acle and ran up the coast through Horsey and Sea Palling to terminate at Happisburgh. With construction completed, we then imagine that another branch was built, curving northward to join the Cromer to Mundesley line at Paston. Thus the emphasis is on GER's services to Great Yarmouth and Norwich rather than the M&GN's to Mundesley and Cromer.

Plan of Happisburgh layout

We have a fine and very varied collection of locomotives, coaches and wagons to provide services for Happisburgh. Our chosen period (1950's - early 1960's) may not provide a chance to portray gleaming locomotives in glamourous pre-grouping colours, but we are happy to live with elderly engines in uncleaned BR black, rust creeping through their paint, carrying lime streaks, stains and the odd battle scar, as they haul a motley collection of ex-suburban coaches in faded maroon or red. Of course, the newer, larger engines such as the B1, B17 and K3's are slightly less unkempt and the BR Mk 1 coaches look presentable enough in their carmine and cream colours. However 'new' English Electric, Brush and Sulzer diesels, together with green liveried DMUs are just putting in an appearance and offer a shining and efficient contrast as the 'the old order changeth'.

Being a seaside location, Happisburgh would have had a busy summer passenger service that would be scaled down for the winter months. However, the local sugar beet traffic offers a lot of possibilities during this season and traffic includes coal, molasses in tank wagons and bagged sugar by the van load, while by-products and waste mash of the refining would be turned into cattle cake and be bagged up for transport in covered wagons.

Happisburgh Goods, situated just beyond the main station area, is a typical general purpose yard. This area, like the sugar beet factory, can be operated independently of the main control panel, giving much scope for intensive shunting activity. As the majority of our freight stock is fitted with 3-link couplings, the operator needs a fair degree of skill handling the shunting pole, together with a large measure of patience!

To make operation somewhat easier in the busy station area, passenger and parcels vehicles, together with nearly all the locos, are fitted with 'Kaydee' auto couplers. Couplings are activated by electro-magnets and some permanent magnets, situated at strategic positions.

Nearly all the buildings are scratch-built and most are based on prototypes found at various former GER locations. Of particular note is the station building, where every brick was stuck on individually! The prototype can still be seen at Hertford East.

Trackwork is predominantly C&L Finescale, with the mainline crossover and that in the refinery and goods yard being hand-built to fit the locations. A working turntable can be found at the station end of the engine shed which, together with the points and signals, is operated from the purpose-built control panel.

One particular delight of our chosen period is the opportunity to incorporate some semaphore signalling with a mixture of pre-grouping and later LNER and BR(E) equipment.

Happisburgh, in its full operational size, extends to nearly 51' and is 5' deep at its widest point. Apart from operational space behind the layout, there is a need for an additional 2' space at the end of the goods yard and in front of the layout. Several permutations of the layout are available: (1) Main layout = 50' 3" (2) Main layout + short fiddle yard = 44' (3) Main layout + full fiddle yard - no goods yard = 42' 3" (4) Original layout with short fiddle yard - no goods yard = 36' (5) Goods yard + station board = 14' (6) Goods yard + fiddle = 12'. The first four of these permutations is only viable for exhibitions lasting at least two days and requires the hire of a 7.5 tonne truck and accommodation for a crew of up to eight. However, this still represents excellent value if you equate the total length of the exhibit/per operator.

Happisburgh Goods, with or without the station, is available for exhibitions as a stand-alone layout in its own right. It only requires a basic Transit type van and a crew of three.

In its' full form the layout provides plenty of spectator interest, often with several simultaneous train movements controlled from three separate hand-held controllers. The main control panel, where all the points, signals and train movements are co-ordinated, is situated centrally behind the layout. Apart from the fiddle yard there is a further small control panel at the front right hand end of the layout for the sugar beet factory sidings. As this is one of the quieter corners of the layout it allows spectators the chance to chat to the operator, and in some cases even 'have a go' at a bit of shunting.

If you are an Exhibition Manager and think Happisburgh would suit a forthcoming show, please contact either Nick Freezer or David Coasby at the Model Railway Club.

Photography by Tony Wright, courtesy of British Railway Modelling and club members.

Because Happisburgh is a constantly evolving model, details may differ from those shown, or described in this article.