Hello MartinWales/Argos and Co. I've been a Killin/C&O enthusiast ever since seeing Peter Fletcher's lovely N gauge "Glen Doran" layout in RM in the early 1980s, followed by his "Lawers" layout in EM, to which you rightly alude, Martin. It's a delightful layout and small too! There's quite a lot in print on both Killin and Aberfeldy if you hunt around back issues of "Railway Bylines", "Steam Days" and "British Railways illustrated" (I think). Amazon lists a number of specialist books on both branches too, at reasonable cost although I've not found the photos in these to be too useful or of great quality. "Aberfeldy's Railway" (C J Stewart, Highland Railway Soc) shows a 26 taking water from traditional steam-era water crane on the platform, presumably for the steam-heat boiler. It also shows a Black 5 on a freight on the Aberfeldy branch. One of the Bylines articles has a glorious shot of a green 25 on a one-coach train (Thompson brake 3rd) on the Aberfeldy branch. Chris Ellis' "Scale Model Trains" had a layout feature on building a model of Killin and Loch Tay many, many years ago. What always deterred me was the gravity round-round manoeuvre at Killin, to get the coach on the "other" end of the loco for the return trip to Killin Jct - how do you do that in model form without using the Big Finger? That and, of course, the absence of a r-t-r 0-4-4 Caley tank (yes, I know DJH did a 4mm kit). Sad to relate but in N gauge, those hideous proprietry couplings put me off bulding any form of branchline, I'm afraid, where you need to uncouple the loco from the stock. (This is a man who bought the original N gauge Wrenn/Lima Standard 2-6-4 once upon a time and subsequently found that his Bachmann "new" version didn't run any better either!)
I'm planning a 4mm layout "inspired" by Aberfeldy/Killin myself, using a green 25 and green 26, plus the lovely Bachmann 4MT 2-6-4 and one of the gorgeous new Hornby Thompson coaches (I too missed out on the BR Gresely suburban brake - 'sound familiar?). Did these 4MTs ever work the Aberfeldy branch? Would it be stretching credibility too much to run a Bachmann Ivatt 464XX 2-6-0 on such a branch - they did work the Ballachulish branch, after all?
Killin has EVERYTHING going for it, IMHO: the "classic" branch line set-up; wonderful scenery; great locos, large ( not so large) and diesel (with a modicum of modellers "licence"); simple track layout; scenery; the isolated engine shed at Loch Tay station; more gorgeous scenery; fascinating operation; much of the stock is available r-t-r now too. Here's to all Killin/Loch Tay/Aberfeldy fans! Please can we enjoy the fruits of your labours please, on these pages to inspire those of us who are still at the "planning stage". Good luck with your layouts!
Lastly, does anyone want me to post a list of all the Aberfeldy/Killin articles and photo refs I've been able to collect over the past 30 years then? Happy to oblige if it's of any interest? Yes, the Vol 3 DVD (see above) is excellent: is Vol 4 of much relevance to this geographical area and operation (he asks out of ignorance)?