Decided to indulge in a little operating session during a break from construction, and try out some different train formations, as I wanted to run the latest additions to the stock - two Hornby Hawksworth coaches in BR maroon- a brake 2nd and a 1st/2nd composite.

These are the most modern and also the longest coaches in use on the layout ( and the only ones with the luxury of toilets onboard...)

In common with most modellers - I suspect, I have around 50% too much stock ( already!!) in the loco, carriage and wagon departments, but this does enable a variety of trains, albeit short ones, to be run. (I must get round to making some suitable storage trays - it takes forever to keep taking the stock out of the boxes and replacing again when finished....)

It also makes Sproston a busy place..

All of the freight, parcels, milk and passenger rolling stock now lives in the four hidden sidings - I have made up a fifth 'dead' road with buffers at each end - this is not connected to the fiddle yard and is simply to enable more storage capacity - ( although unfortunately still not enough...)

At present I use four tender locos, ( giving purpose to the stations turntable ) one tank loco and one single unit diesel railcar, as this seems to be enough at this stage of the layouts construction, - the other four tanks remain safe in their boxes - for now.

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I have one more tank loco 'on order' along with a further three bogie coaches and one four wheel npccs. This should be more than adequate for a varied operational timetable - when I get around to drawing one up!!

Anyway I hope you find the photos interesting.- of course the station could really do with longer platforms...( and a bigger loop,etc..)

Next construction job will be four Metcalfe GWR platform benches, although I reckon that double the quantity may be needed to fill the stations island platform sufficiently.

sigtech