James37501

I echo that comment, what a lovely and completely believable layout - love the scenic work, and the fact that you've reminded me of my childhood with the appearance of two narrow gauge characters! Looking forward to more lovely photographs of this one! Thanks, James

Having not had a project or layout to work on for a while and with a 00 scale layout very firmly still in the planning stage and perhaps not going to happen because of space (or lack of it therein), I have decided to build a small 009 layout. I have a few plans in mind - but I do have some stock already, the first one completed (just awaiting a chassis) is this Simplex tin turtle. Which I have just finished weathering this afternoon. I thought I'd share it here as a starter, hopefully between work and other commitments I can make a start with track and some scenic work and building soon!

The track on the site at the point of the photograph was quite reduced. AFAIK the train in later years would run down the branch loco first, it would propel tanks into the sidings at Maxwelltown if needed, and then run to the end of the line and propel into the ICI sidings. Certainly the impression given in Railfreight Today.

Thanks for that! Begs the question though given the track layout how did the loco get to the front, unless the tanks were at the ICI end in headshunt somehow and just picked up. AFAIK there wasn't a facility run round on the line?

Loved TE's little touches on locomotives. But 37501 is a favourite of mine!

Good that it's brought back memories John, likewise your name (the loco number which also features in mine) brings back memories of being allowed to look around Thornaby shed when I was younger!

There were (in the period I am looking into) no shunters on the line, and indeed the trains were propelled along the line to Dumfries Yard - this can be seen in a DVD from telerail... Traffic from ICI ceased before that from Scottish Oils did, so the wagons from Maxwelltown Station would have to have been propelled similarly.

Being a railway and topographical history geek it's very much of interest. Though if anyone knows of any online maps from the period I'm interested in that would be great also. As far as I can tell in the 1980's guise of the line, the operations were limited but involved a lot of shunting, particularly with a brake van shuffle and the changing of loaded and empty wagons. Thanks for all the discussion so far! It's interesting and appreciated.

There was a dairy at Kirkcudbright, also obviously it is the epicentre of scallop fishing in the area too, though I think dairy would be more likely for traffic flows?

I’ve heard mention of this but never seen any photographs. They certainly do sound like strange wagons! I don’t think (even with photographs for reference) I’d be up for scratch building these! I know by picking somewhere which ultimately had about one train per week towards the end of the branch’s working life I have limited what I can do operationally. But I still think with a none scenic section both ends there’s scope for some shunting. I also quite enjoy the scenic s side of things and I love the feel of the maxwelltown branch and I wanted to try and emulate that. Just hoping there are some more images out there that I can find.

Despite being busy at work, having very little time, and having had a layout planned for a while, my mind has been changed again. I was watching an old Rail Freight Today video, where I saw the truncated remains of The Port Road line being utilised for fuel trains, to the ICI works at Cargenbridge, and fuel to the former Maxwelltown Station. From a little research I also know that this line also had traffic in the past from the Carnation milk plant, and would have had trip working also. Operationally the trains ran loco first up the branch, with a brake van tagged on the rear, and propelled back to Dumfries yard, which is something I would like to replicate, hopefully with only one point planned on the layout they'll be no derailments! I am now planning a small layout based on somewhere on the line, maybe real location with some modellers licence. I have a few track plans in my head, but I wonder if anyone on here has any photographs to share or knowledge to impart of workings on the line, locations on the line etc... The period I would be looking to model would be 1980 up until line closure, but I might stray into flight of fancy mode - as if the line had remained, time to dig out my Class 26!! Thanks in advance. James.

Is that for the ballasting of the new board? ;-)

Can't beat a Leyland Olympian either... Thanks for sharing these images... Nick, no need for the thanks, the standards of your layouts are something that I, and others I am sure, aspire to. I look forward to seeing how the layout develops, and how any extensions to it come along. I know you have chosen to model in a particular time period, but you must admit - for a rural branch line it's had a lot of different traffic; nuclear trains, explosive freight, charters, 153's, saloon / weedkiller workings to name but a few. Forgive my lack of knowledge here, and I won't hijack this thread with questions, but was the explosives traffic on the branch sent to another location then forwarded by speedlink, or did it run to where needed just as is? J.

This excellent layout is providing me with a mountain of inspiration for a project I've had in the planning stages for a while, thanks for sharing it's construction and the excellent photographs. I recall seeing an image a while ago of the location with a DMU providing a shuttle service, maybe you could build a removable delightfully Heath Robinson platform to replicate this... J.

Roughly 32mm in n scale for main buildings...