It's My Train Set....

[Kris]

If you're happy with the trains that are running on your train set then all is good. I think that is all that matters.

[Pete the Elaner]

We all started in this hobby because we enjoyed it. Why get fussy now?

& if you hadn't started this thread, who would know?

 

If it't the third rail that worries you, remeber that this also appears in Liverpool, on the North London Line, the Euston-Watford line & the Moorgate section of the Hertford loop (ok, maybe the last two are not so useful). I'm sure it appears elsewhere too. 37's definitely ran on the North London line in the 80's. Stratford had loads.

 

I wouldn't run AC electrics without catenary at a show, but I would at home. I also run 30's LMS on my 1990's layout.

 

This thread has made me more determined to finish my Stanier Turbomotive so I can run it under the wires on my new layout

[Pennine MC]

I do believe Westerns and Hymeks worked across the North London Line to ER metals. Stratford certainly had diesel hydraulic visitors. I think one of the stipulations later on was that the Westerns had to have domino headcodes.

 

I think 'Fusilier' was the only one to get dominoes, and that it was a stipulation for it to run on the ECML on a KX - York railtour. So, close

 

Back on topic and to the 37 issue, they did work down the LSW main line towards Southampton on oil trains and (I think) Freightliners, even in the 70s

[coachmann]

I'll bet as children, we imagined our little toy train was such and such a train. Perhaps a train that took us to school, on holidays, or even as seen in a picture book. In otherwords, we probably started off modelling reality without thinking about it.

 

The great thing about modelling reality is it is actually easier. A station has to based somewhere and this dictates which loco shed provides the motive power for the workings in that area. This in turn dictates the motive power. At this stage it is useful to know which pre-grouping company built your railway as this determines style of architecture amonst other things. Whether the period is 1930, 1960 or 1990, the viewer will still know which line your model represent by just looking at the infrastructure. As regards motive power, a little thought or history reading will usually provide the perfect excuse for running a particular loco of ones choice, even if it is only working through with a railway society special!

 

In comparison,a work of fiction in its purest form must be hard going. Where does one start, and without restrictions, where is the discipline?

[PhilJ W]

Whenever I see the heading to this thread the pop song "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" by I think Little Eva keeps going through my head, as in "Its my train set and I'll play if I want to". If you want to add more words please do so.

[70022Tornado]

Kerdoinggggg!

 

"rather than worry about the fact that a class 60 would not have run on the same lines as a 4CEP."

 

And there I was driving across the road bridge over the Medway at Rochester when I saw a type 60 proceeding East with a train. My view was then blocked by a "Jaffa" cake 4CEP proceeding West. Date IIRC late summer 1991 or 2

 

70022Tornado

[ste234]

My layout is modern era, based somewhere in England, I run what I like, whether it be a Chiltern 168 or a Northern 156, Class 91 without any OHLE, and it doesn't bother me one bit, if it does someone else, then it's tough I'm afraid.

EDIT: also there's some Japanese stock that appears: (the white one by the way)

 

Given half a chance, I have a few steam loco's which appear every now and then, some no longer exist in the real world!

 

And the funny thing is, I'd be quite happy to take it to an exhibition and run it with varied stock, I don't know if other people would like it, but it's something different.

If I saw some out of era train running on a good exhibition layout, I wouldn't think twice about it, as it varies from what can sometimes become boring.

That's just my opinion though, and again, It's my layout, I'll do what I like

Ste

 

[chrisf]

Whenever I see the heading to this thread the pop song "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" by I think Little Eva keeps going through my head, as in "Its my train set and I'll play if I want to". If you want to add more words please do so.

 

Lesley Gore, actually. The first verse begins "Nobody knows where my Johnny has gone" and you are allowed to snigger. Little Eva's hit was "The Locomotion".

 

Chris

[Oldddudders]

Whenever I see the heading to this thread the pop song "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" by I think Little Eva keeps going through my head, as in "Its my train set and I'll play if I want to". If you want to add more words please do so.

Lesley Gore rather than Little Eva. The latter was Gerry Goffin & Carole King's babysitter, so they wrote a song for her called "The Locomotion". "It's my Party" was a Quincy Jones production. Given that he's a black American, you might be surprised to know he also wrote all the very English-sounding music for "The Italian Job", especially the famous song. That's called talent!

[DJH584]

Wollastonblue

 

As others have said, run what you like.

 

Once I have got the track laid, an eclectic mix of loco's will make an appearance on the layout.

Our layout is not prototypical and its era is "set" from 40's to at max 1970 (give or take a year or two)

 

So for example part of our loco stock consists of :

2 xA4's

2XCl 108's

Heljan Cl47 Police

Heljan Kestrel

4MT

Schools class

Battle of Britain class

 

and then to add some variety we have

 

5 x DB BR locomotives e.g BR42, BR52 and BR81

 

and then for a bit of fun we have also got these:

 

 

And yes we will have great fun with all of them.

 

Regards

 

David

[Trevellan]

I've seen small shunters before David, but none so minimalist as the one in your picture. That could be a challenging exercise in 00!

[northendboy]

It was the ROD that broke the camel's back.

 

My layout was a pretty faithful reproduction of what I remember, WCML in Lancashire in transition period, but saw the ROD and just had to have one. That, I'm afraid, broke the floodgates and I now have far too many points on my modellers license to care. So the prototypes, class 14 and 15, and some way out of region DMU's have sneaked on. And to be honest, I couldn't care less. The era remains reasonably correct, but the loco allocation can be a bit wayward.

 

I also put together a mishmash of varied coaches, made a 'Railtour' headboard, stuck some passengers out of the windows, and hey presto! I can stick what I like on the front of that.

[Baby Deltic]

Whenever I see the heading to this thread the pop song "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" by I think Little Eva keeps going through my head, as in "Its my train set and I'll play if I want to". If you want to add more words please do so.

 

I had that bl**dy song playing in my head this morning as I looked at this thread. I was thinking "It's my layout and I'll do what I want to"

[mr45144]

That would be castle Moil, at Kyleakin then:

Gary

The Highland did have a Castle class of course....

[orcadian]

Hi, Woolaston Blue!

Can't help with references for 'late 80's', but I had a look through Colin J Marsden's ' Diesels on the Regions - Southern Region' published by OPC in 1984 last night. I found three Tractors on the Southern, as follows:-

19th Nov 1979 37130 Temple Mills to Norwood cross-London freight

15th April 1982 37021 Micheldever to Ripple Lane oil train (19 x 45ton two axle tanks)

17th August 1982 37041 Micheldever to Ripple Lane similar oil empties.

 

Colin Marsden's caption for this last one states ' three times weekly, 04.20 RL to Micheldever, 09.17 Mich to RL. Could be class 31, 37 or 47.

 

The book also reminds me that Class 45 also worked various coal trains into SR (all sections) and summer inter-regional passenger workings to the Kent Coast. Class 47 locos also got to Ramsgate and Dover on these workings, both along the Thanet Coast (Faversham & Chatham) and via Ashford & Tonbridge.) Class 31s and 25s also worked cross-London freights to South London destinations.

 

The 'top' Class 31 working was, probably, the Royal Train to Tattenham Corner on Derby Day after the Bulleid Co-Co electrics were withdrawn and S Reg had no steam-heat diesels available - and didn't Stratford go to town on buffing up one of theirs to show how it should be done!

 

Westerns and Hymeks went from Reading to Redhill (at least) via Guildford, and Warships got to the seaside too.

 

All in CJM's book - but sorry I haven't got anything covering the later 1980's - I don't like blue!

Who says the S Reg is just boring 'tramcars', 33s and 73s?

 

Oh, happy days!

Richard

[Baby Deltic]

I have a book called 'diesels On The Southern', but I can't remember the name of the author. It goes through class by class from class 15 onwards. You'd be surprised what appeared on Southern metals. I'll have a look tonight and get details of the ISBN etc.

[PhilJ W]

Lesley Gore, actually. The first verse begins "Nobody knows where my Johnny has gone" and you are allowed to snigger. Little Eva's hit was "The Locomotion".

 

Chris

Start with "Now that the (%^&) rivet counter has gone"

Followed by Baby Deltic's suggestion in post #38.

[Baby Deltic]

"Nobody knows if my syphons can run".........

 

.....or tractors.....

[melmoth]

I have a book called 'diesels On The Southern', but I can't remember the name of the author. It goes through class by class from class 15 onwards. You'd be surprised what appeared on Southern metals. I'll have a look tonight and get details of the ISBN etc.

 

It's by John Vaughan and was published by Ian Allan in 1980, isbn 0711009899.

[rob D2]

As pennine said I've seen plenty of 37s on household coal from didcot to places like chessington in late 80s

 

I think the problem with the southern is that the 33/73 so defined the area, anything else looks a tad unusual.

 

I have the reverse issue, I struggle to justify 33s 73s !

[DJH584]

I've seen small shunters before David, but none so minimalist as the one in your picture. That could be a challenging exercise in 00!

 

Actually Trevor it's available in HO - have a look for Rivarossi HR2080. There are other variations of it and also a twin pack.

I bought ours through an Italian dealer who advertises on that well known auction site. It's DCC ready and has directional lights.

 

But as I said, it's for a bit of fun along with the gandy dancer.

 

David

[Deathsleigh]

Just to agree with everyone else, my tastes would put a kleptomaniac magpie with obsessive compulsive disorder to shame and I have stock that spans over 70 years!

Rather sadly,I actually have enought stock to run a believable scenario for virtually any region at any time between 1923 and 1993!

But,of course,I like nothing better than watching my Bachmann super-D on a rake of windcutters being overtaken by my Hornby HST...

My only personal stipulation is that every train should be reasonably appropriate to the loco hauling it (so no LMS liveried 8Fs on rakes of HAA hoppers for example)

I have to admit to being annoyed at exhibitions by layouts that run with willfully mismatched stock (e,g diesels running with GWR stock,etc) but I would definately go with if it's for your own viewing,do exactly what you want!

[Trevellan]

Actually Trevor it's available in HO - have a look for Rivarossi HR2080. There are other variations of it and also a twin pack.

I bought ours through an Italian dealer who advertises on that well known auction site. It's DCC ready and has directional lights.

 

But as I said, it's for a bit of fun along with the gandy dancer.

 

David

 

Good grief. I thought you'd have trouble getting a motor in there, let alone a decoder:blink:. Presumably the twin pack allows operation in top 'n' tail mode...

[marlbrook]

I just stumbled across these posts by accident, and I am so pleased I did. So many sensible remarks.

 

I do admire those who stick religously to 'realism', but I agree completely with those who advocate just running your model railway for your own pleasure.

 

Just at this time I have a COBO Class 28 sitting next to a Class 67 DB Schenker on one siding. Why, because I repainted the one, and made the other from a kit, and I love them to pieces. At the Station at one platform a Class 220, and at the other platform a Minitrix 'Der Adler' (like Rocket) very early steam engine. In the main siding there is a Class 66 with a rake of assorted rolling stock, some dating back to the fifties.

 

Sometimes I get a quite irrational guilty pang of conscience when I run lots of 'odd' assorted locos and mismatched stock at the same time, but usually I just run what I want to.

 

I live in Devon, and thank goodness we have two preserved railways very nearby. From time to time a very early diesel, or steam locomotive comes thundering through Totnes Station on their way to and from the preserved lines. At Christmas time even Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make an appearance.

 

The preserved railway seem to have no qualms about what rolling stock they acquire and use.

 

As to being able to really decide which locomotives or rolling stock ever appeared in a particular part of the Country, I doubt if anyone really knows. In the last few years lots of Companies seem prepared to lease stock to others from time to time, so how can anyone be absolutely sure which liveries might appear anywhere, albeit occasionally.

 

So I decided some time ago, my layout just has a very well stocked preserved railway nearby. That way I can justify any locomotive appearing, any era, any rolling stock. A great excuse to run anything that takes my fancy, except electrics as there are no overhead wires, but I have been known to couple one up behind a diesel and 'tow' it through, and even that happens in real life, Thunderbirds to the rescue.

 

So, if you want 100% realism, good luck and well done, but others can run anything they like as far as I am concerned ... just enjoy.

[Jol Wilkinson]

Start with "Now that the (%^&) rivet counter has gone"

Followed by Baby Deltic's suggestion in post #38.

 

Another knock at those modellers who try to achieve a sense of realism? Since joining RMWeb, I've come to believe that some of those who proudly and loudly proclaim "It's my train set, etc!" are actually trying to hide something, a sense of inadequacy perhaps?

 

So the first line of the "It's my train set" anthem should be

"Nobody knows where my credibility has gone."

 

While the second verse is;

 

"Ran all my locos, kept playing all night

But leave me alone for a while

Because I'm a sad person,

I've got no reason to smile"

 

Do your own thing, just don't try to justify it by criticising what others do.