Karhedron

It looks like it is mostly multiple-unit operation so you lose the shunting aspect. Perhaps this is where Minories Mk2 with the goods shed would be good as you could still have some loco-hauled services (parcels, newspapers etc) with a bit of shunting. Having said that it is a beautiful layout.

It is interesting to see how operational ideas evolved over time. Penzance as rebuilt in 1939 only had an engine release for platforms 2 and 3. Some stock shunting and a station pilot were clearly envisaged. I suppose an arriving engine could have used the crossover and then shunted its own train into platform 1 or 4 for form the next departure but I don't know if this was common in practice. Of course Penzance was not worked with anything like the same intensity as envisaged for Minories. I think in practice most trains had come a long way and would usually be shunted into the sidings for cleaning rather than being worked straight out.

I agree with this. I am a better modeller than engineer and my attempts at modifying the "worky" bits of model do not have a good track record. Plenty of my models will require modifying but if drop-in bogies are available as replacements then I would be interested.

Darn! I should have saved copies of some of the pictures while I had the chance.

The depth of field on this warship shot makes it look rather like a model. http://www.flickr.com/photos/barkingbill/3919899352/

You know you have made it as a modeller when you look at your work and think "that is really good" rather than "I wish I had done that better".

I have found a photo from 1961 of a train of mixed BR Mk1 and ex-GWR suburban stock in lined maroon. So if you do not fancy kit-building rakes of coaches, you can justify the Bachmann Mk1 suburbans. The photo shows a 5-coach train on a Maidenheada to High Wycombe srevice. It is behind a large priaire which looks like it has a GUV at the end (although it is hard to identify the last vehicle exactly).

I grew up in Maidenhead and was always fascinated by the by the old line to High Wycombe, I even walked most of it (long after the track was lifted). That layout looks superb, you have done a fantastic job of scratch-building the distinctive station building. You have really captured the look and feel, even to someone who only knows the site from photoghraphs. In terms of operations, there are a couple of good references if you do not have them already. "The Marlow Branch" by Paul Karau and Chris Turner is a good start. Whilst it focuses on the Marlow branch, it does cover some workings on the "main" line too. There are plenty of shots of trains at Bourne End, many of which would have run either too or from Loudwater. Issue 32 of the Great western railway Journal has a substantial article called "Taplow And The Loudwater Goods". This gives a good flavour of the regular pick-up goods workings. Below are some of the workings I know of starting with the most common. 6100s. The large Prairies were mainstays of the suburban services in the area. Typically they ran with 3-5 coach trains of ex-GWR suburban stock although I have seen photos of up to 8. This stock is not available RTR but kits are available from Comet. I do not know if BR Mk1 suburbans ever worked the line. Some did work out of Paddington but I have not seen any photos of them on the branch. They also worked some mixed goods. 1400s. The classic GWR auto-train that usually ran through to Marlow. The service patterns for these varied considerably. Before the war, it was normally a shuttle between Bourne End and Marlow. In the 50s however there were several through services from Marlow to both Maidenhead and High Wycombe using these trains so in your period it would be quite feasible to see one at Loudwater. The loco would almost always be at the north (High Wycombe) end of the train. Panniers. Worked a lot of mixed goods but could also sometimes be seen on passenger workings. At times they were used almost interchangably with the Prairies. Both 5700 and 9400 varieties were recorded on the line. 6664 This solitary example of its class was based at Slough shed in the 50s and sometimes used on the branch pickup goods. Halls. Apart from Regatta specials, the only regular working on the line of a tender engine was the weekly or twice weekly (depending on the season) coal working from Oxford. This would work down the line dropping off domestic coal wagons at each station. There was a return working of the same engine heading back to collect empties. Due to the lack of turntable on the line, the loco would often run tender-first on the return journey to save a trip to use the turntable at Slough. I have a picture of a Hall on this service but I have heard of a Grange being used on occasion. Regatta specials. Almost a law unto themselves. Locos known to have worked the line include Evening Star, Earl Baldwin, Trevose head as well as Black 5s and B1s. Diesel haulage could also be found on specials such as a class 40. A few links that might be of interest to you. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/58228-the-stationmaster-looks-at-bourne-end-the-one-on-the-wycombe-branch/page__fromsearch__1 http://www.mdrs.org.uk/wycmaidmarlow.htm

Good point. I knew that the Hornby formation was the shortest set physically possible but I did not realise it had actually run in that form.

I think that is a wish rather than a hint. Would not mind being proved wrong though.

As well as easing the curve radius at the corners, avoiding the sudden change from straight to curve banishes any hint of trainset. If you look at Iain Rice's books, he usually uses the same sort of geometry on his continuous run plans.

I will be using this method in future. Going back and restoring electrical connectivity after the event is a lot harder than doing it right in the first place.

I hate ballasting because the glue has ruined the electrics on both of my most recent N gauge layouts. No matter how careful I am, the glue seeps into the fishplates and turns every one into an isolating rail joiner. I am currently having to go back and add wired feeds to every single piece of track on my layout.

Hi Dave, Do you plan to use the same approach of supplying unfitted name and numberplates for the N gauge versions as well? Also will Osborn's N gauge D1000 come fully fitted as per the 00 gauge example?

Looking very nice indeed, I hope the N gauge version is not too far behind.

Looking forward to seeing the NEM conversion kit. Is it for bogie stock only or can it be fitted to 4-wheeled wagons?

Perhaps I am looking at this the wrong way. Maybe I should be looking at WR locations that also saw some SR workings. Does anyone know how often SR trains used the GWR's Plymouth - Exter route? I know that there were the runs mentioned above to retain crew knowledge. I am guessing that the route was sometimes used "in anger". Would it have been possible to see a light pacific and a shortish rake of bulleid coaches at Dawlish for example? I am wondering if Totnes might make a good prototype as it has a lot of operational interest without being too big. The biggest drawback is the existence of John Birkett-Smith's outstanding model of Totnes in 2mmFS. Oh to be that good.... http://www.small-but-perfectly-formed.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/totnes-change-for-ashburton-branch.html

Thanks for the info. Do you know if the light pacifics would have been hauling WR or SR stock? I think I have seen photos of these workings but I cannot seem to find them at the moment (maybe in a library book). I model the WR in N gauge but I would like an excuse to add a light pacific and maybe a 3-coach set of Bulleids (or even a short portion of the Devon Belle).

Just out of curiosity, is there a similar list of SR loco types that could be found on the GWR mainline between Pylmouth and Exeter? Would these trains have had SR or WR stock?

Thanks for the info. It is nice to know i can legitimately push the boat out and use Halls as well. It sounds like the book you reference would be handy. I will have to see if I can find a copy. Do you know if the WR trains would have hauled WR stock or SR stock?

I have just come across Okehampton which seems to have a lot of potential. GWR trains rans there and I have photos of Manors, anyone know if anything bigger like a Hall ever ran through there? On the SR side, Pacifics on short trains seemed common too. I have even found a picture of a WC hauling a 3-coach Devon Belle. Now that would really look sweet. http://album.atomic-...evonBelle01.jpg

Plenty of nice shots. Pleasantly suprised to see a 4575 at Penzance as I had read Long Rock only had the flat topped 4500s allocated there.

I remember seeing a couple at Crewe in 1992 and thinking how unusual they looked (being an innocent lad on my first spotting trip outside the south-east ).

Thanks, sorry for not searching more thoroughly before asking. I am sure either of the late crest WC locos would be perfect for converting.

Just out of curiosity, have any names/numbers been chosen for the SR Pacifics yet? If not, please can I get my vote in for 34002 "Salisbury" as the late crest loco. It was not a rebuilt example and was on Railtour duty in the mid-60s, thus justifing a nice clean loco. Notably it hauled the Cornubian special to Penzance in 1964, the last steam loco to go there prior to preservation and the only SR Pacific ever to go there. I know I can rename/number a loco but I thought it would be a good suggestion to get in now.