The Sheep Chronicles. A Sheep dips his hooves in various bucolic backwaters.

[NHY 581]

You are a very Baaad boy.

Have you considered some of the long and lonely lines that crossed the upper parts of England.

I, too, have a growing interest in the Midland lines, and getting the two books off you earlier in the year didn't help this growing itch.

I have no doubt that if I were 10 years younger, something base around Hay on Wye on the route from Hereford to Three Cocks Junction, would be a strong contender from my usual fare of Welsh BR(W).

Glad they were/are of interest. Hay is quite delightful. I do have a soft spot for Ivatt moguls and their standard 2mt successors. I have a good stable of Midland locos but aside from a S&D environment, I could see them in an ostensibly Bristol setting. Small, fictional urban terminus etc, etc.

Rob.

 

[James Spooner]

Glad they were/are of interest. Hay is quite delightful. I do have a soft spot for Ivatt moguls and their standard 2mt successors. I have a good stable of Midland locos but aside from a S&D environment, I could see them in an ostensibly Bristol setting. Small, fictional urban terminus etc, etc.

Rob.

Yes, they are rather lovely. Cambridge and Colchester, between them, had a handful mostly for the Stour Valley lines, so I couldn’t resist… It is Bachmann, but with a Comet Darlington chimney, renumbered and regauged to EM then dirtied up a bit…

Nigel

 

[Tim Birch]

Hi Tim,

The DVLR is fab but Neil hereon is tinkering with that particular nugget......No, the Easingwold looks fun but I really like the rather basic look of the North Sunderland.

And I seem to have enough stock..er....in stock, to make a decent go of running a looky-likey North Sunderland service. Y7, six wheel coaches ( though 4 wheel coaches were used ) Y1/ Y3 Sentinels and assorted wagonage.

Could happen.......

Rob

Of course, you could be sensible and model something from the north-west. The Garstang and Knott End in any of its guises? Two good books - a recent one from the Cumbrian Railways Association, and an oop one from the Oakwood Press, both of which include useful drawings.

 

[NHY 581]

Of course, you could be sensible and model something from the north-west. The Garstang and Knott End in any of its guises? Two good books - a recent one from the Cumbrian Railways an oop one from the Oakwood Press, both of which include useful drawings.

View attachment 227861View attachment 227862

Morning Tim,

Indeed. There are lots of such lines out there but I really don't need any more rabbit holes........or books !



The reason I've been reading up on North Eastern based light railways is simply the acquisition of a couple of the Rapido Y7s. I've come to realise that I prefer running locos in appropriate surroundings and the Y7s are definitely out of my comfort zone.

To explain further, perhaps an overview of layouts I've built since my return to proper railway modelling in 2015 might help. ( I hope the following is not taken as a "look how many trains I've got" thing. It isn't meant as. )

Sheep Lane ( now sold ) was always a S&DJR layout for the Jinty, 3F and 4F locos.

Mutton ( now sold ) was seen as being on an Ex- L&SWR branch for the Adams Radial.

Bleat Wharf ( now sold ) was another S&DJR based layout.

Sheep Dip was an industrial layout for the Pecketts to play on as they looked wrong on the other layouts. It also sees other industrial types as well as BR green shunters of various types ( mainly 08 )

Ewe was built for the J70s and a couple of diesels ( 03s/04s , the occasional 08 and a class 10 as and when it happens )

Blackwater will have the ability to swap guises, but its fundamentally light railway setting will allow it to flt from coastal GER to coastal SE&CR to highly unlikely Kentish light railway It will accomodate pre-grouping GER, pre WW1 SE&CR ( Terrier, P class occasional O1 ) , as well as late 1920's East Anglian L&NER ( J15 and J67 ) and finally a touch of the light railway ( waiting on the Manning Wardle L class from Rapido ). Talk about getting your money's worth out of a layout !

Flaxfield will most certainly be 1950s Mid Suffolk light railway based and populated almost exclusively by various J15s though J67/68/69s will feature.

So, that leaves somewhere for the Y7s. Therefore, a very small, very simple BLT inspired by, but certainly not a copy of, Seahouses could happen. Services are handled by the Y7 and as an alternative, a Y1/Y3 Sentinel and a J72.

What the above list doesn't take into account are the large number of East Anglian based diesels and DMUs in stock, along with the other larger, Wainwright liveried SE&CR locos, the Ex-Midland, BR locos and stock ( primarily S&D based ) and the selection of small Southern based tank engines. The most likely of these to result in a layout anytime soon are the green diesels and the S&D locos. Therefore, there may be some movement of items to clear the decks but not yet. That will take time to adjust to !

If anything, the above waffle should illustrate how a lack of modelling focus and 'purchase management ' can develop........

Rob

 

[NHY 581]

Oh, and there are also the Italian locos and the pre 1989 Czech locos and stock.......Of these, the Italian Steam selection will be moved on and the two diesels will stay.

The Kof ii and the Badoni are just too gorgeous to go anywhere.

There is a plan in hand for the Czech stuff.....as and when.

Rob

 

[AJC]

Yes, they are rather lovely. Cambridge and Colchester, between them, had a handful mostly for the Stour Valley lines, so I couldn’t resist… It is Bachmann, but with a Comet Darlington chimney, renumbered and regauged to EM then dirtied up a bit…

Nigel

View attachment 227854

A type the Southern didn’t have, which I’m always a little sorry about, they’re handsome beasts but I really can’t justify the effort/cost!

Adam

 

[Allen M]

Selsey is of course very yummy indeed.......

And a nice little 2-4-2 to work the trains.
My 7mm version





Regards
Allen

 

[Phil O]

Another one in LNER territory is the Derwent Valley Light railway running from a terminus in York. Characterful stations and a history of good support for the local farming and industrial communities. There is a history in an Outwood Press book, probably out of print, but available second hand.

I had a ride on the line back in the mid 70s, when I had an enforced stay in York, very bucolic and rundown line, excellent.