Hornby Pannier

 

I've already got a couple of these open cab 2700 class pannier tanks, the Chinese manufactured version with the more detailed chassis, but you can never have enough of them. This one also has different plates to the two I've already got so a double incentive to add it to the motive power stable. Why not?

Branch Line Engine Shed Ideas

 

I've been sketching out some ideas for a compact branch line Engine Shed layout, with the idea being to run my expanding stable of GWR and early BR locomotives. It will also have some limited shunting to supply coal to the coaling stage. To keep things simple I'll use set track as most of it will be buried up to sleeper level, so it won't look too unrealistic. The engine shed will probably be scratch built or adapted from a kit. I'll have to plan it out properly but I think this will work well.

Mainline 43xx

 

The latest addition to the GWR locomotive stable is a very nice Mainline 43xx, which I've been after for ages and which cost me just over £25 on eBay. It's in immaculate condition and runs smoothly too, so I'm very happy. I now have a fairly impressive line up of locomotives, so a compact, engine shed shelf sized layout is looking like a really good idea, possibly in addition to a shunting yard, wharf or quarry layout for goods traffic. 

Another Bachmann 45XX

 

I've been after Great Western locomotives in early British Railways livery but, somehow, I have ended up with a second, second hand 45XX. Luckily, this one has a different number to the first one I acquired, although I do fancy getting hold of some etched brass plates to soup it up with. It's lovely model without any tinkering and runs smoothly in both directions, so a very good and not expensive addition to the stable.

British Railways Mainline Dean Goods

 

I've expanded my locomotive collection into the early 1950's with a lovely Mainline Dean Goods in early British Railways livery. It's in as new condition and runs pretty well for a model that must be forty years or so old. I'm now looking for at least one more ex-GWR locomotive, most likely a pannier tank, so that I can run them on either a shunting puzzle layout or an engine shed layout, as a variation on the earlier period. Very nice!

Minimal Space Branch Line Engine Shed Layout

 

I'm building quite a decent collection of OO gauge locos now, with most being 0-6-0 or 2-6-2 tank engines, with a couple of Dean Goods and a Collet Goods tender engines too. 

In fact, I have enough to think about a branch line engine shed layout, both as a learning tool for construction and wiring but also as a way to actually run some of my locomotive stable. The basic plan is outlined above, as a simplified version of my Moorswater inspired layout design. The engine shed itself acts as a scenic break and backdrop for the branch line, with a possible dummy exit scenic break at the other end, probably using a tunnel mouth or over bridge. 

The engine shed would be an extended version of the Wills single-track model, with the rear wall replaced with plastic card, so that the front side can use both of the textured plastic card sheets provided in the kit for a longer building. Either that or a similarly modified card kit from Scalescenes, which would be easy to customise to fit the layout design. There may or may not be an additional lean-to style extension. It's all a bit sketchy but I think it would make a nice and compact layout, with some scope for further development.

Bachmann 45xx

I've been after a second hand one of these for ages but they all seemed to go for silly prices. However, I found one on eBay yesterday as a Make an Offer auction, so I did and it was accepted. I suspect part of the reason was that the seller spotted my address and realised, as I subsequently found out, that he used to live literally round the corner! Funny old world but I now have a 45xx in pristine condition for my GWR branch line engine shed and shunting yard layouts. Excellent!

Lima 94xx Pannier Tank

For the sake of completeness, I decided to get hold of a Lima 94xx pannier tank at some point, even though it's a pretty old model and not up the standards of detail you find on Bachmann or the like. I found what I was looking for at the weekend on eBay, a nice runner in good condition, and so I popped in a bid. No one else was interested, so I now have a 94xx for shunting duties on my minimal space layout for less than twenty quid. You can't argue with that.

Hornby 14xx

I have acquired a second hand Hornby 14xx on eBay to replace my old, clanky Airfix model which I will now retire. The Hornby model has been fitted with a new motor and so should be a good, low speed runner but you never know with second hand kit. If the bodywork is not as good as the Airfix one I'll do a quick swap over, as the Airfix body is in excellent condition and it would be an easy un-screw then re-screw job. I won't be using this one with an autocoach, which is a bit predictable, but instead will use it as a shunter for my minimal space shunting puzzle layout, perhaps pulling a rake of three wheel milk tankers or some pick up goods. It should really be re-numbered in the 48xx series but I'll just leave it for the moment. It will be a useful addition to my motive power collection either way. 

Engine Shed Designs

I've found some more images of the engine shed at Moorswater, which is the prototype that I'm thinking of using for a scratch built twin track shed. The idea would be to construct a shell out of card then clad it in either embossed plastic card or scribed DAS clay, to recreate the course stonework. Ideally I'd like to find some scale plans but that will be a challenge.

Quarry Hoppers

I have one of these old Mainline hopper wagons, which I bought in a bundle from eBay, as I thought it would be a good addition and would fir in well with my GWR shunting layout plans. The Hoare Brothers quarry was just outside Tavistock on the old Tavistock to Launceston branch line, so would be a good subject for a small layout. It had four sidings and produced gravel and hard core for road construction. You can find these hoppers quite easily on eBay although they tend to be a bit overpriced, so I will try to get hold of three or four more to make up a reasonable train. I like the idea of having private owner wagons but not the wide variety that you often see on layouts, as I'm sue this would have been fairly unusual.

GWR Goods Rolling Stock

A shunting layout wouldn't be much good without any goods wagons or vans to actually shunt, so I've been steadily adding some assorted rolling stock to the set up. These include half a dozen GWR vans by Mainline and Bachmann, so I have enough to be starting with. I do need some open wagons, flat wagons and cattle trucks, however, as well as more early British Railways goods stock for the NE Region project. I'd really like a rake of three or four private owner tank wagons too assuming they fit in with the layout theme.

Dairy Milk

Here's one of my ideas for a rural shunting layout, based on the Ambrosia Ltd creamery at Lifton in Devon, a stone's throw from my family home. I know this isn't a new idea but I think it would fit my parameters for a small GWR shunting operation with a distinctly rural theme, as opposed to a more urban factory or industrial setting. There's lots of scope for some interesting goods traffic too, from six wheel milk tankers to standard vans loaded with churns and even coal wagons delivering fuel for the boilers. 

John Ahern's Brilliant Books

I dug out my old original copies of John Ahern's model railway construction books, which I inherited from my granddad, in search of some inspiration for lineside industries for my shunting layout. If you are familiar with these books you will know how inspirational they are, not to mention really useful as a source of scratch building plans and layout features. A possible idea is to model a small rural dairy or creamery, which would definitely fit a GWR branch line setting somewhere in Devon or Cornwall, for example, while another option would be a lime works, corn merchants, sawmill or similar small scale light industrial facility. Some of these are all included in the books and so I have plenty of scope for some scratch building of my own, with plans and notes to give me a good starting point.

Engine Shed Layout Prototypes

I recently designed a layout for a GWR branch line engine shed including a coaling stage, which I thought was a bit extravagant for such a small facility. However, I've found some photos of just this sort of thing at Stratford upon Avon. The layout is very similar to my one and includes a twin track shed and a small coaling stage with an incline for wagons. This is a perfect basis for some scratchbuilding and would look great, as well as offering some interesting shunting operations. It's not quite the rural scene I'm looking for but there's no reason why I couldn't relocate it to somewhere more rustic.

Engine Shed Layout Tweaks

A tweaked version of the engine shed layout, with the erstwhile coal wagon siding changed into a branch line spur, with a scenic break at the right hand end of the baseboard. The break is inspired by the bridge at Combe Junction but would be a dead end, although there's scope to develop it as a link to a fiddle yard or branch line extension board. The view in the opposite direction at Combe Junction captures the look I'm after but without the incline and with the overbridge at the far end of the spur. It's just another idea but I quite like it?

Triang Clerestory Brake Third

I now have one of these for no particular reason other than I always fancied having one! The idea is to enhance it with some interior work, underframe gubbins and possibly new bogies, then have it as a branch line off cast, probably with something in tow for additional goods delivery. It looks like someone has already had a go at repainting and tarting up this one but I think it will need a bit more work. The GWR often passed on it's old or inherited coaching stock for branch line use, so that makes sense, and it would fit onto a minimal space layout. The alternative would be some of the old ratio 4 wheelers, a B Set or an auto coach but these are so often seen on GWR branch line layouts that they are a little bit boring?

Hornby 2700 Class Pannier

I've just acquired another second hand Hornby open cab pannier locomotive via eBay to add to my stable of Great Western engines. It's one of the Chinese manufactured models with greater detailing and a better chassis, so will look good alongside the more detailed Bachmann 57XX models. I'll add some more detailing and weathering eventually but, for the moment, I'll keep it as it is. In the longer term, I'm going to re-paint the other open top pannier that I have in a better shade of GWR green and Great Western lettering, so that the two models are less similar. You can also get a 3D printed saddle tank body for the Hornby 0-6-0 chassis that looks really good, so I could even add one of those at some point, which would be brilliant.

GWR Pannier Swap

The Bachmann pannier tank body arrived in the post today, so I have unscrewed the one from the damaged Replica Railways model and swapped it over with the new one. I'm really pleased with the end result, as it gives me an earlier livery version of the 57XX in a lovely shade of GWR green, so that I can run a layout in different time frames. I do really like the 1920's Great Western lettering as well, so it's a good result all round.

GWR Pannier Tank Body Shop

I found a brand new but second hand 57XX Pannier body shell in Great Western livery on eBay, so will swap it over with the damaged one that I have already, which will hopefully be just a case of unclipping the old one and slipping on the new one. Excellent! I was going to try and fix the damaged one but I'll now use it for spares and repairs.