I must apologise for not posting any updates on this ongoing project.

The big news is ...

I'm at a crucial stage now - eleven locos already bought, one more to buy!

The final loco will be a Great Central Rly class, but I'm waiting to see when Bachmann's forthcoming J11 will appear in pre-grouping livery.

My most recent addition has been the NRM/Locomotion's Lancashire & Yorkshire limited edition 2-4-2T which will be amended to represent Wirral Railway no.6.

At one stage I nearly truncated my collection by not planning to buy Great Central and Somerset & Dorset representatives. However I reorganised my storage space and representatives of these companies are now (or will be) included. I chose the S&D's 7F 2-8-0 in black because this will reflect another aspect of locomotive construction, that of a design updated after the 1923 grouping but still appearing under the auspices of the joint committee which was dissolved in 1930.

Not originally planned as such, but because of their participation with the Midland in the Midland & Great Northern joint venture, I also bought a GNR Hornby N2 in LNER lined black livery.

I held off plans to modify and repaint locos in this collection pending on how they're going to be incorporated into my existing rolling stock operations.

My latest thinking is the Wirral and Great Central locos will form a pair in pre-group condition. The GCR had running rights over the Wirral Rly as far as Seacombe so that seems a natural pairing to make.

To run alongside locos such as my streamlined Duchess, Crab and GWR Hall, representing the late 1930s, Chester area,

the LNWR G2A will be in LMS livery, and the GWR 28xx will have "shirtbutton" markings.

The J72 could be re-numbered to represent one of the class allocated to North Wales or the Wirral, passing through to/from Gorton works.

A small group of locos will represent the situation in Norfolk during 1934-1936, to go with my Hornby B12 no. 8572:

The Midland 4F will be re-numbered 3913 to represent one of the locos loaned to the M&GN during 1934-36.

The Midland 3F will be modified and repainted to represent the rebuilt version (LNER J41) in their final M&GN umber livery.

The J17 will be repainted from incorrect GER blue to plain LNER black as 8217 (the preserved loco)

Hornby's N2 is likely to be re-numbered as an example in 1930s condition, which lost its condensing gear when they were transferred to Scotland, which will run with my Hornby D49 Cheshire (which I already own) and a NBR Glen class loco to be added at a future date.

The M7 and Terrier will both retain BR lined black.

Finally, the S&D 7F will be re-numbered as LMS 13809 so it can run alongside my LMS Crab and 4F to represent the situation pre-1949 on the Somerset & Dorset.