Until a few years ago, I wasn't really much of a diesel buff. Pretty much preferred kettles to diesels, to be honest. After all, the S&D was a steam-only line when it was open and before that, my interests were more for the Great Western in the 1930s.

However, all the diesel releases of recent (and not quite so recent) years haven't been in vain and have begun to make a bit of an impression. So much so, in fact, that Callow Lane will be my first layout to have a 100% diesel sequence, when the time comes (although the plan is to alternate the late 1960s/early (pre-TOPS) 1970s sequence with the still-favoured early 1960s mostly steam sequence.

Callow Lane is a freight-only yard set in south Gloucestershire, to the north-east of the city of Bristol, just a couple of miles from the former Midland Railway marshalling yard at Westerleigh, so in a 'proper' incarnation it should feature mostly W.R. diesel hydraulic types, such as Hymeks, D63XXs, 'Teddy Bears' etc, together perhaps with an 08 and may be a Brush Type 4.

However, these days I just can't leave the space-time continuum around Callow Lane alone, and a whole parade of unlikely and frankly naughty deployments of various improbable diesel types is beginning to emerge. I had a play with a few of them earlier. I'm convinced that this version of history is as valid as any other.... although I haven't been able to find much supporting photographic evidence from local photographers of the day...

To start off with, things are relatively normal and as you might expect. Here's a typical W.R. diesel hydraulic at work in this former M.R. goods yard, an innocuous Class 22 runs light under the road bridge:

A Hymek arrives with some 16t minerals - nothing to alarm the historians here...

But what's this?! - a 'Sulzer' Class 25 has turned up from Westerleigh Yard with a solitary oil tanker in tow. Probably worked down with a 'go anywhere, any time' Saltley crew on it...

And if that wasn't enough, another Saltley crew has brought this Class 20 in with a local tripper. This is normally an 08 duty.....I don't think the Bath Road crew that usually work this turn sign Class 20s, and surely the Saltley men don't know the road to Callow Lane as well?!

And... just when you thought that was stretching it a bit (and I haven't told you about the Class 15 yet either, have I? ), this loco turns up to collect that Fina tank wagon!

My friend at work tells me he saw a Class 27 on a Christmas parcels at Temple Meads around 1967 or 1968, so that was excuse enough to get one of these at a bargain price at my local model shop's sale about 12 months ago...

You will have noticed that I've managed to keep the tablet catcher recess well hidden in these views......

And finally, don't worry about the railbus...

..it isn't staying. No, that's right, it's 1967, and now that the Eastern Region has decided they don't want them anymore, so rather than scrapping them, a couple have been sent to Somerset to try to bolster traffic levels on the 4' 1½" Somerset & Dorset system on the Somerset Levels...

Just had a thought, I may have to extend the layout this year... I don't think the full length Blue Pullman will fit!...