Innerhome

You may find "Operation Torbay" xpress publishing helpful -gives Summer 1957 train formations. Up Torbay Express: Brake Third Corridor Third Corridor First Corridor First Corridor Dining car (BR std) Third Open (BR std) Third Corridor Third Corridor Brake Third Corridor Coaches of GW origin except the 2 BR stds. (There is a companion volume "Operation Cornwall")

I think the answer in part depends on how busy your terminus is - ie if it's a two track main line the siding would probably be fully signalled - if it's a relatively quiet rural terminus then the ground frame solution would be fine - as Michael Hodgson says you do need a trap point. I've had a quick look through a couple of the George Pryer signalbox diagrams books - couldn't find anything which was a direct replica - but Pulborough - sidings joining up loop - has a ground signal before the points on the platform line plus ground signal for the move into the sidings plus ground signal from the sidings - ie 3 in total (and the point has a facing point lock). Also Worthing West - in this case has a ground frame to control dock sidings joining the up loop - with the ground frame controlling ground signals from/to the dock lines with various slotting from the main signal box. The signalling record society has a large number of diagrams on it if you think of a similarish location to your layout which might help. So I think it can be as simple or as complicated as you like - and you may wish to apply rule number one !!

RCTS British Railways Standard Steam Locos vol 2 gives 75000 -75008 : 75016 : 75020-75027 : 75029 : text says all originally lined green but some later repaints plain green

Two sources which might help: R A Cooke - Track Layout Diagrams - Section 41 - LNWR Dowlais & Sirhowy Lines - shows how layouts changed over time : Furnace Sidings would appear to be quite extensive. Unfortunately NLS Scotland don't appear to hold a 25 inch map of this area. Possibly one of the record offices in Wales would hold a set of OS maps. There is brief mention - but no maps/photographs in The Merthyr Tredegar & Abergavenny Railway - Tasker - OPC. Note - Cooke gives the closure date north of Furnace Sidings as 1954 - with the line south remaining open to 1980 (?)

That's the first picture I've seen of a class 17 actually banking. Thanks for finding that. I've seen pictures of them on the shed at Tebay and doing the odd bit of quarry trip working. I assume they were tried out literally a handful of times and given up on quickly - and with the end of steam over Shap in December 67 and the decline in wagonload Tebay rapidly became surplus to requirements. I hadn't realised the 4mts had such a short life at Tebay - perceptions are affected by the large amount of photography as steam came to an end.

Two thoughts: Any sidings shunting you do may end up going part way round the left hand curve which is fairly sharp - that might give you problems with derailment - so if you could ease the radius a bit would be better (and also - if possible - extend the scenic section a bit to avoid the shunts going off stage. The fiddle yard as you've drawn it - is almost a branch line terminus. If you have the space could you extend the width of the boards a bit and if you wished you could then create a second station as a phase two. As an out and back that's where a lot of the activity will take place. Some similarities with Bodmin - although that was a different railway company.

You might find it helpful to build a small station neighbouring Salisbury - which you can later incorporate into the main layout. This will give you a feel of the amount of time/cost everything takes: provide a learning opportunity : and reduce the risk of you starting a major project then getting fed up and abandoning it as everything takes so long (something I've been very guilty of). In terms of Salisbury - I'd assume you'd use two of your walls for station/yards as Salisbury is almost a right angle: small station on the third wall and fiddleyards on the fourth.

The NSR Potteries Loop Line would have crossed the A50 around here - presumably near the site of Tunstall Junction ? - perhaps it's meant to remind of a long forgotten railway - but have to agree - without an explanation plaque seems a bit pointless.

There are a small number of photographs of Cynwyd in the following books : Llangollen Line Ruabon to Barmouth Rear & Jones - Foxline and Ruabon to Barmouth Line - Williams - Lightmoor Press. If you haven't got them the books may be of help in modelling the line - though inevitably most photographs tend to be 1950s / 60s.

This is a link for a picture on Flickr showing the DMU - blue and green on a Carlisle - Keswick working. I'm pretty certain I have also seen a picture of this combination on the shap route but can't remember where - sorry. DLW-for-Keswick_c1968 | Derby Lightweight DMU bound for Kesw… | Flickr

This is what I was thinking of: Great Western Railway Service Timetable Appendices, 1945 Hardcover – 1 Dec. 1980 Available on Amazon

I think there was a reprint of the Great Western Railway sectional appendix for 1945 (?) done by OPC at some point. IIRC - this contained line speed limits and speed limits over junctions. That said I can't see it listed anywhere on the second hand book sites. Signalling Record Society website might be worth looking at.

Thoughts: Either of your junction arrangements is possible - ie double junction or the trailing arrangement with single slip - the latter would allow more fun shunting. I would suggest you may need to modify the fiddle yard to handle a branch freight going clockwise up the branch. There is also the possibility of extending the bay to make a back platform line along the lines of Brent - or you could have a very simple arrangement such as Maiden Newton. A good source would be the Signalling Record Society site - paper diagrams under the sales section will allow you to look at low resolution drawings of various layouts - so for example Yatton West shows double junctions to both Clevedon and Cheddar Valley branches. Another consideration would be how you wish to operate the layout - ie are you mainly wanting to enjoy watching the trains go by - or are you envisaging shunting from branch to main - perhaps transferring a through coach or a milk tanker to/from a mainline train - in which case it might be a good idea to have a second trailing crossover on the main line to allow for extra moves.

Sorry - neither books mentions the load - and the pictures only show the front of the train. One more source - Summer Saturdays in the West - David & Charles - survey 27.7.57 - quotes 6860 & 6812 on 10.20 Penzance Swansea with 13 on from Plymouth - the book is a fascinating / nostalgic look back - on a day when an overloaded Western Region timetable fell apart west of Newton Abbott . All major trains double headed Plymouth - Newton Abbott with mainly 4-6-0 combinations. If you particularly want train carriage workings and train make up - then see xpress publishing - operation cornwall and operation torbay

Have you got the Ian Allan book - On Didcot Newbury and Southampton lines - this is an A5 (roughly) sized hardback - circa 70 pages - with I think (I've mislaid my copy) - colour pictures of the 50s/60s era - which would probably answer most of your coaching stock types/livery questions. Available for a few pounds on Amazon if you need a copy.