RateTheFreight

Hi, Fluctuations in demand as is normal with rail freight plus limited storage for timber at Chirk which limits the amount of product that can be brought in and stored before being utilised. Rest assured the flow in question has a long future ahead of it :-) Greg

Does anyone know/have any evidence of the golden ochre Class 31 operating on either the Kings Lynn - Hunstanton or any of the lines surrounding Wells-Next-The-Sea? I’m guessing there’s a fair chance it may have at some point but it’s always nice to have some proof! Greg

Excuse my ignorance but what’s BtH an an acronym for? Thanks to all who’ve responded! Greg

Rather than go off topic in my other post about the late 50’s/60’s timetable for Wells Next The Sea and surrounding area; what were the classes of early diesel locos and DMUs that would have been found in North Norfolk in the late 50’s/60’s? I’m trying to work out what non steam stock would have been seen on routes such as Kings Lynn - Hunstanton, Heacham - Wells, Wells - Norwich etc. In turn I’m then trying to work out what I can get RTR in O gauge that I could use on my proposed layout. Given Heljan 31’s seem to be rarer than hens teeth now I’m hoping there were some other classes I can use. As a side, I’d also be keen to know of any single car DMUs that worked these routes. Thanks again. Greg

For those awaiting the next batch of O gauge Terriers; decorated samples were on show on dapols stand at the Gauge O Guild Doncaster show. The livery on both the LsWR and SECR versions looked great as did Fenchurch in umber (although I thought terriers only carried their names when in improved engine green livery?). The Dapol rep stated that they were expecting delivery in August. Greg

Thanks again all for the info. I managed to dig out a book on the branch which I’d forgotten I had that had some info on later freight workings. It looked like the service would essentially make it ways down the branch, stopping, shunting and dropping off wagons at each station before returning later in the day to pick up said wagons. Presumably this was what happened in earlier decades too? Either way lots of modelling potential! G

Thanks Russ; anything you can find would be grand. It is indeed a great idea for a prototype. I’d been looking for inspiration for a small O gauge layout I’m planning on building that had a small terminus station and freight facilities with the scope to do some shunting too. Wells fits the bill for a number of reasons albeit i’ll likely create somewhere based on Wells/other stations in the locale. I’ve always wanted to do such a model having been a visitor to Wells since I was little and my parents still having a caravan at Pinewoods and my having a great fondness for the area. It’s a shame there aren’t some suitable RTR steam locos in O gauge however I’m guessing I could use either the RTR class 15 or 31 and a DMU to represent the area/era. As a side i’d thought about using the forthcoming Dapol Sentinel as a shunt loco although as far as I’m aware they didn’t work near Wells but did work in Anglia at certain locations. Greg

Hi all, Does anyone know of what the timetable for Wells Next The Sea station would have looked like in the late 50’s/ early 60’s before closure in 1964? I’m particularly interested in the freight workings (there’s a picture on the Wikipedia page showing a cl 31 with an assortment of wagons) too although i’m Unsure how frequent they were. Thanks in advance. G

As a Colas employee and the original purveyors of the striking orange black and yellow livery I think we’ll be ok. The cost of freightliner re liverying their many hundreds of locos is not only significant but a cost the current freight environment can’t afrord. You might see a loco in all over orange with a yellow swoosh but I doubt you’ll see more then that. More likely green locos with the new logo.

Fortunately this promotion wasn’t aimed at the enthusiast community and their nit picking. As a side, given we’re a successful rail freight haulier I can assure you we do know the difference where it actually matters. As a model railway enthusiast who happens to work in the industry it’s always my frustration that when trying to present something positive, folks have to be negative. It’s a real turn off for trying to share info and be positive on this forum. Greg

Afternoon all, Just thought I’d let those of you who are awaiting the release of the Bachman Colas Class 70 i’ve had one through specially from China for our (Colas) stand at the Multimodal event at the NEC so believe the rest of them should be shipping imminently if they haven’t already. I’d add pics of it but can never remember how to on here. It looks a great model! Greg

As a side question, on the lines where typically there may have only been one coach in operation on a typical service, why was it usually a brake coach? Is the answer as simple as it provided additional braking or did such coaches have other useful uses such as being able to store packages, goods etc in the guards compartment? Greg

Morning all, Following on from my Colonel Stephens light railway question; what were the typical formations of mixed light railway services? I’ve seen pictures where there’s one or two coaches and wagons but wasn’t sure if there was a hard and fast rule about their order. Also, if conveying mixed traffic, ie passenger coaches and freight wagons, was a brake van required? Thanks Greg

Evening all, Apologies if this isn’t the correct part of the forum to post in. I’m looking to build a small O gauge layout based on a fictitious Colonel Stephens style standard gauge light railway. In theory it will be a hybrid of some of his Railways. My question is, did his light Railways share common themes, I.e type of traffic/stock, signalling/operation, general condition, purpose of the line, etc? Did they all have mainline interchanges or links with other transport modes such as canals/rivers? My hope is to create something that would be recognisable as an extension of Colonel Stephens empire without it being a direct copy of one of his Railways. Thanks in advance. Greg

Evening all, Does anyone know what livery the two terriers (and any other locomotive that may have operated on the line) that operated on the Edge Hill Light Railway would have appeared in? Ive seen pictures of the terriers with EHLR lettering on their tanks but couldn't find reference to a livery. Thanks Greg

Evening all, Is anyone aware of any ‘RTR’ trams for O gauge? I’m not fussed whether they are motorised or not but as a non kit builder I’m not so keen to tackle the 7mm etched kits that are available. I’m aware there’s some card kits which could work however in an ideal world I’d like diecast model or similar. I’m happy to be flexible on design, livery or region too (essentially my layout doesn’t have a specific geographic area). At present the tram/trams are planned to be a static scenic element on a road/bridge adjacent to the railway so it’s not vital that they are motorised. Thanks in advance. Greg

Afternoon all, So I’ve made a start planning wise using the peco o gauge templates which have proved really useful in determining what I can fit in the space (now revised up to a 6x2 board). Do Peco do a range of straights shorter than 400mm? I can’t find any online and need one roughly half the size to complete the headshunt in the space available. If not, how easy would it be to cut the track in half? Thanks again. Greg

The Brighton Atlantic looks spectacular. I’ve always liked ‘improved engine green’ but prefer ‘’Marsh Umber’, there’s something about it that just seems to resonate the historical period it’s from. Greg

Thanks all for you’re replies over the last 24 hours, all of which have been of great help and, pivotally, convinced me that I can do the kind of micro O gauge layout I had in my mind. I’ll keep following those of you who have active projects on the go in the hope of further inspiration. Likewise I’ll hopefully do my own project blog too. I’m rather excited about the next steps. A happy new year to you all. Greg

Hi JCM, I don’t suppose you know what minimum dimensions you might need for the 4-2-2 version? Greg

Hi Paul, Thanks for replying; love the idea of your layout, looks ideal for my space constraints. Out of interest what width is your layout? Greg

Hi Andrew, Thanks for replying, sounds like a really interesting an innovative idea and using similar space constraints to mine! Greg

Hi Jerry, Thanks for taking the time to reply; some useful and thought provoking ideas. Ironically I too had been considering doing a small OO layout (think inglenook) but there's just something about the size of O that appeals. My time spent 'playing' with my coarse scale O gauge trains enhanced this. I'm keen on steam so I'd imagine id be looking to run a terrier/jinty and a couple of wagons or maybe an autocoach. I've always liked being able to run different eras so a bubble car and an 08 could be an interesting combo with some wagons. I'd wondered whether I could create a smaller O gauge inglenook using less wagons but setting it somewhere ie a small station or yard even it the back line or similar was 'static' and used to pose other stock leaving a small siding to do some shunting. Greg

Evening all, Apologies if the above has been answered before or is a bit generic, repetitive, vague or all of the above. I'm curious as to the smallest O gauge layout that you could build with some limited operating potential (I.e at least one point so some minimal shunting could be done). I don't have much space for a permanent layout (something 4/5ft long by 2ft wide comes to mind) however have a nice collection of vintage/modern 'coarse scale' o gauge which I love the feel, look and size of. Traditionally I've run it on the lounge floor as a temp layout however as fun as it is to run its a pain to set up and put away. I've been tempted by some of Dapols smaller offerings loco wise and have thought of building a very small O gauge layout but can't find anything specific that's convinced me such a small layout could be viable and fun to build and operate. Given time constraints with work, other hobbies (football) etc i tend to just spend a few hours a week modelling/running trains for which a small layout is ideal. Naturally I appreciate that if such a layout is viable using modern (2 rail) track is preferable. Anyhow, if anyone has any thoughts, things they could share that might inspire me or otherwise I'd be very grateful. Thanks in advance. Greg