Interesting and rare geographical choice Narrowman. The Wrexham area is quite fascinating, particularly in the dying days of steam. Still a heady mix of scruffy ex GW, ex LM and BR std steam as well as loads of Sulzer type twos and EE type fours.

Add loads of coal and steel traffic and industrial and rural landscape all blended together - wow !!

One place I'd love to have visited in the early to mid 1960s was Croes Newydd or Crows Newid as the Bescot men used to call it.

Looking forward to seeing this develop. what period are you thinking of Narrowman ?

The whole area is quite fascinating railways wise - even today! Class 60, 66, 57, 67, etc!

Don't forget the ex-LNER class locos that used Rhosddu sheds and visited Wrexham Central (the clock in the waiting room was ex-LNER!)

Croes Newydd was an impressive shed to visit (and be chased off by the shedmaster - although he was fine if you asked permission). Lovely mix of engines in the early 1960s (including Dukedogs) and later they stored Class 24/25/40s in the old steam shed and around the triangle.

I was born in Bertie Road, Wrexham and the railway was visible from our front window. The walk to town was along Caia Road, passing the yard and there was usually a 14xx and autocoach around somwhere. Freight was usually by Pannier tank, as was the Saturday morning train, which was usually a B set or two coaches.

The period I intend to model is the early 1960s, pre 8th September 1962 when passenger traffic finished (I was on the last run!) up to 1981 when the line closed in its entirety. This means I can operate Class 24/25 and 47s on ball clay trains to Abenbury Sidings and oil trains to Wrexham Industrial Estate 9Fs and Class 40s - if the fiddle yard is big enough!

Kind regards,

Tony