Being a kid of the 70s BR Blue was all I knew. Growing up in the south of Essex and commuting to school and college on the LTS and Southend Victoria lines not surprisingly EMUs were pretty much it.

But 30-odd (somtimes very odd) years on a bit of nostalgia is creeping in.

Not having room for another 00 gauge layout I thought, why not have a go in N gauge. And maybe build something that could be built and used in doors during the winter months.

I've deliberately kept it small for starters. Partly as storage is going to be an issue. But also it'd be a shame to start a layout that was going to be more of a burden to finish.

The layout is going to have a double track to allow trains to pass each other, mimicing a busy commuter route. And a branch to send freight traffic down. There will be a "half" station at the left hand end to add interest. And the possibility of extending the layout to the right hand side to lengthen the run. Fiddle yard round the back accessed by turn arounds at each end of the scenic section.

To date I've inherited some old and vintage GF steam rolling stock. But in time I want to get hold of appropriate BR Blue era items.

Why "Roding Reach"? Well every layout needs a working title and tracing my family back a couple of generations you'll find them dotted along the banks of the River Roding. And a lot of my early "spotting" years were spent waiting for 37s and 47s thundering past the Ilford flyover.

Thanks to all who have pitched in with thoughts on the EMU thread I started and also on the "freight on the Tilbury loop" thread.

That's it for now. Hope you'll stop by again sometime and see progress.