Standard Gauge Light Railways - Goods Stock

[south_tyne]

They'd be bang on, ubiquitous, either as NE or appropriate PO livery

 

Dava

 

 

But, with the pooling of wagons you need not restrict yourself to LNER. They could be LMS, or even SR or GWR, though the latter two had relatively few mineral wagons.

 

'Internal users' could be almost anything, ex railway company or even old private owners. Really, if you can't find something suitable on a second hand stall at a GOG event I'd be very surprised. There used to be quite a trade in second hand wagons, which is why (to give but one example) Great Eastern and Midland wagons ended up on the Isle of Wight.

 

In the 1930s you can even get away with odd main line wagons still in pre-grouping livery. I wouldn't go mad with this, on a small layout, but you could have one or two to add interest.

 

 

Thank you guys that's really useful. I'm really grateful for your input, they may seem like basic questions but I just want to get things right and not make any silly mistakes (especially when 7mm items are so pricey!)

[Nick Holliday]

Hi John - In reality I prefer a 1950s setting. Now I know it is stretching the boundaries to imagine an independent light railway would be clinging on in this period but 'rule 1' and all that and I take inspiration from Easingwold in particular. The intention would be for it to be a freelance line set up Swaledale, as an extension beyond the NER at Richmond towards Reeth etc. To be honest, the most fun I've ever had in my modelling is when doing freelance narrow gauge (009 scale and the only layout I've ever finished) and I want to try and bring some of this eccentricity to my standard gauge modelling. I tempted to acquire an eclectic range of wagons and simply repaint in my own livery, a drab grey from instance and lettered with 'SLR'. Highly un-prototypical no doubt and likely to make the serious modeller have a fit(!!) but as I say it's my trainset... I suppose in the style of an American freelance shortline

 

I've always had a dream of modelling an entire 'railway' - so that would be having all the locos and stock of the light railway... maybe a loco, a dozen of so wagons and a couple of 4-wheel coaches. That's the dream in any case and was the reason I ask about the GWR wagons. My thought was a few of these then some more geographically relevant LNER types (and maybe an example from the SR/LMS or some ex-private owner stock too for luck) in my own livery, as if the railway had acquired secondhand them in the 1930/40s from the main companies. There seems to be no prototypical precedent for it but it is something I'm still keen to look at pursuing. As I said, serious modellers turn away now...

 

Cheers,

David

The Derwent Valley Light Railway has been mentioned a couple of times, but no-one seems to have pointed out that it survived as an independent line until 1981!  No stretching of boundaries required.  Unfortunately for your scheme, apart from some early petrol railcars and other oddities, from its opening in 1913 it hired locos from the NER, LNER and BR to run its services. Towards the end of its days it bought some ex-BR 04 diesels, although that didn't save the line, partly because BR closed their line which was the principal feeder to the DVLR.

 

Slightly off-topic, but showing how far wagons could rove, I found this photo of a Great North of Scotland Railway wagon half-way up a rope incline in Leckhampton Quarry in deepest Gloucestershire.  It seems unlikely that it was just visiting, but whether the quarry company had bought it or was just borrowing it I cannot say.

[MarcD]

Interesting to see that the GNoSR wagon has 3ft1 wheels rather than the 3ft7 wheels that were normally fitted. Also interesting in its location.

 

 

This type of wagon was fixed side on one side with a centre door on the other.

 

Marc  

[Dava]

Here is a photo of the Easingwold Railway 6 wheel carriage, ex-MSLR, which was saved on the Derwent Valley Light Railway at Cliff Common by the manager, SJ Reading, after the Easingwold closed, then moved to Chasewater where it survived  at least one arson attempt and is being restored at some length.

 

 

Dava

[Dava]

There is a feature on the Easingwold Railway in the December 'Railway Bylines' with some good photos of the line just before closure, useful for modelling.

 

Dava