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I continued building kits for this shop after I started my career with British Rail, as it was quite enjoyable and I got to build a lot of kits and gain experience that I otherwise would not have had. I did eventually build the K's 14XX during this time (1984), together with 76027 - an Airfix kit with the much lamented Kemilway chassis kit. This loco has now been converted to P4, using Perseverence chassis.

75023 - Detailed Mainline body and tender with Comet chassis and RG4C motor/gearbox

I first started 'fiddling about' with locomotives in my early teens, having visited a few model railway exhibitions and seen what could be done. Around this time in the early 1970s I also started to subscribe to 'Railway Modeller' and began to look for inspiration. Some of my early efforts were perhaps touchingly crude, such as the conversion of a Triang 3F tender loco to a 'Dean Goods', by the simple expedient of painting it green and adding card overlays to the tops of the tender sides! I even scratchbuilt a freelance loco body to fit on a Hornby Doublo 0-6-0 chassis, although I could not have done this without the aid of Sellotape! I knew nothing of soldering at that time and very little about appropriate glues.

By the time I was 15, however, I had acquired my first whitemetal kits. These were a Wills 22XX (to fit on the Triang 0-6-0 chassis) and a K's '1363' 0-6-0ST (this was all I could afford as I had really wanted their 14XX, which was just slightly more expensive). The 22XX was completed first and even had brake shoes fitted to the old Triang chassis. The 1363 kit took a little longer as I started to come to grips with having to actually build a chassis as well as the somewhat easier body. I used ordinary Araldite epoxy, as the '5 minute' variety was not available at the time.

Thus began the gradual transition from train set to model railway (although some would say 'what transition?!').

My first real attempt at a scale model locomotive was the conversion of a Triang '8750' pannier in 1976. For this I was inspired by a similar job done by a friend, who had added wire handrails and other details. 8783 was completed in December 1976 and featured a quite fully detailed body and a chassis with Romford wheels, brake gear etc. A MW005 motor was used to replace the X04, but I failed to notice the fact that the Triang buffer height was too high. Still, the loco ran quite well and was to be the first item of motive power for my new finescale project based on fictional GWR practice in Herefordshire.

Around this time I bought another two K's kits (or more accurately I should say that I traded in several Triang-Hornby RTR locos for them) - a 44XX 'Small Prairie' and (at last!) a 14XX.

I built 4406 in early 1977. This featured the old style K's chassis with their own wheels and motor. The body work was quite straightforward and was assembled using epoxy glue. The chassis was a screw-together job and featured a K's motor with a flywheel. I thought it didn't look too bad and that it seemed to run well enough.

There then followed a long gap, during which I went to university and then started working for British Rail. I did very little modelling for myself during this time, but while I was at university I started to build loco kits for a local model shop one holiday, when I hadn't been able to get 'proper' job.

A couple of house moves later found me living in Bristol in 1987 and working on Bristol Temple Meads station. I was working on a joint project with my friends Simon Castens and Brian Clarke known as the 'cellar railway' (supposed to fit in Simon's cellar in Bath). I was building a module featuring a country station using SMP/C&L track, with a W.R. in the 1950's bias. It was around this time that I completed the weathering and detailing on 7795, a standard Mainline 57XX pannier tank, initially using the original Mainline mechanism.

However, fate was to intervene and around this time I met Sara. She must have known what she was letting herself in for as we met in the railway department of a local bookshop, where she was working at the time. We got married in 1989 and moved house again in late 1992. I didn't do much modelling during this time until 1993, when Simon finally badgered me into detailing and repainting his Hornby Hymek.

In the summer of 1994 I started work on my first exhibition layout 'Engine Wood', which made it's first outing at the Bath show in December 1994. I had been so busy building the layout that I hadn't given much thought to what motive power and rolling stock I needed. In the event I was only able to operate the layout by borrowing locos and stock from Simon.

I clearly needed more locos, coaches and wagons to run a decent variety of trains at future exhibitions, so in early 1995 I started building, commencing with 2291.

My policy is to use a commercial R-T-R product where this is appropriate, although I will invariably find some additional detailing to add. I applaude the recent trend towards commercial weathering of R-T-R locos by firms like Hornby, although for me this is always something I would wish to do myself according to the methods of Martin Welch, so if I am buying a new R-T-R loco to work on, I would always go for a 'clean' example.

Quite often, however, I find myself combining an R-T-R body with an etched chassis kit and sourcing other details from elsewhere, a policy of 'mix & match'. One such example is my 4F No. 44422, which I described in an article in Railway Modeller a few years ago. I would heartily recommend the book 'Plastic Bodied Locos' by Tim Shackleton, who's methods and approach I find I admire.

I like to add as much detail as you could reasonably expect to see from normal viewing distances. This tends to be closer when operating at home than at exhibitions. This would include lamp irons, all necessary handrails and pipework, all buffer beam detail and decent couplings (which will invariably involve a slight compromise between scale appearance and ease of use). I have found that the etched screw link couplings by Michael Clark (Masokits) to be the best as far as appearance goes, although I must admit to finding the Smiths range easier to use under exhibition conditions (slightly larger coupling hook!).

Some of my other locos are kits, either whitemetal or etched brass. Such is the amazing variety of R-T-R locos, kits and other products available today, there is not one loco on my current wish list that would require scratchbuilding.

Here is a selection of the locomotives I use on my layouts:

2291 started out as a standard Mainline 22XX. I discarded the chassis (didn't run very well) and replaced it with a Comet chassis and turned Romford driving wheels, with Ultrascale tender wheels. The lower part of the boiler was replaced on the loco body with a curved plastic section. I replaced the motor and gearbox in 2000 to improve running (it now has a Mashima motor with a 50:1 DJH gearbox) For several years I didn't get round to weathering it, but finally did so in 2001. (Photo - author)
7795 on a parcels train on Engine Wood	7795 started out as a standard Mainline 57XX pannier, but the running qualities of the original chassis started to deteriorate quite quickly with a little exhibition running, so I built a compensated Perseverence chassis with Mashima motor and 62.5:1 DJH gearbox in 1995.It remains on of the smoothest running locos that I have. (Photo - author)
53804 is an Alan Gibson kit and is seen here resting in the goods yard at Engine Wood. She has the standard kit components, together with Romford RP25 driving wheels, a Mashima motor and a High Level Models 60:1 gearbox.
	73051 is a bit of a 'mix & Match' product. The loco itself is a DJH kit, with the basic DJH chassis, Portescap RG4 motor, turned Romford driving wheels and Ulatracale bogie wheels. The tender supplied with the kit was the BR1B type, unsuitable for one of the original Standard 5s allocated to Bath Green Park in the 1950s, so I used a Hornby 'Britannia' tender as the basis for the BR1G type on this loco. I weathered it using colour photographs in the Ian Allen 'On Somerset & Dorset Lines' colour album, in particular the cover photograph showing 73051 working an up train at Maesbury summit in 1962. A short while later she was repainted in B.R. lined green. (Photo - author)
41296 is a standard Bachmann Ivatt tank, in use on Engine Wood and Bleakhouse Road. I have added a little extra detail such as scale lamp irons, couplings and motion brackets (a strange omission from the original Bachmann product, I always thought). It is weathered and is ideal motive power for both layouts. In this photo, 41296 is pictured on Engine Wood.
	The J94 0-6-0ST is officially owned by the NCB and used in the North Somerset collieries, including that at Camerton. However, the South Polden Light Railway has an agreement with the NCB to hire motive power when their own Black Hawthorn goes for repair at Templecombe shed, so this loco can also occasionally be seen at Bleakhouse Road. It has a Dapol body, which has been rebuilt with new and added detail and a compensated Perseverance chassis. It is powered by a Mashima motor driving a High Level Models 80:1 gearbox. (Photo - author)
I have always had a soft spot for the North Eastern's J72 class, and bought a second hand Mainline example in B.R. Black many years ago. I weathered her and eventually gave her the name 'Charlotte'. She didn't have much purpose until I built Engine Wood, when she became the alternative NCB colliery shunting loco (I know that no J72s were ever actually sold to the NCB). At this point she acquired the 'NCB' lettering. After the first couple of exhibitions her old Mainline chassis gave out and I replaced it with an etched Perseverence chassis, Mashima motor and DJH 62.5:1 gearbox. She now runs like a dream! (Photo - author)
	4406 is one of my oldest locos. She was originally built from a K's kit in 1977 and then re-built in 1984. She now has a scratchbuilt chassis with turned Romford drivers and a RG4C motor/gearbox. There is certainly not much call for a 44XX Prairie in GW livery on the S&D in the early 1960s, but there's always the world of preservation might have beens and railtours........(Photo - author)
43218 is a London Road Models kit, with additions to represent one of the former S&DJR 3Fs. She has a compensated chassis, with a High Level Models gearbox and Mashima motor. She would have been reaching the end of her revenue earning days by the beginning of the period I model (1959 - 1964), but I like the 3Fs, so am quite happy to stretch history a bit more to accommodate her!
	This is the standard Bachmann 08 model, with a few additional details and weathering. I have added the air tanks under the front buffer beam, together with buffer beam detail and scale couplings. In common with most other Bachman 08s, this one runs like a dream. Although not a loco that you would have expected to see on the S&D, this is another prototype that I like and I justify this by running her on the two layouts as part of my might-have-been 1967 green diesel sequence.
48706 was last featured on the 'New Projects' page of this website, when she was still under construction. She is now in service and is seen here crossing the Cam Brook to the west of Engine Wood. She was built from the Comet kit, which combines the (older type) Hornby 8F body as part of the kit, together with etched brass and whitemetal components. Romford RP25 drivers, a Mashima motor and a High Level Models 60:1 gearbox complete the picture. 48706 was another 'celebrity' S&D engine, having double-headed one of the final enthusiasts specials with 80043 on the final weekend in 1966.
	D7039 is a Heljan Hymek. As supplied, the buffer beams and cowling above them are in black, which is incorrect for the green-era models. I have rectified this using Precision Paints colours and feel that it is a big improvement. I have also fitted scale couplings and have weathered it since taking the photo. One coincidence is that Heljan supply the two-tone green version (with small yellow ends) as D7039. This happens to be my chosen loco, as it worked in the North Somerset area during the 1960s and features in the book 'Countryside and Coalfield' by Mike Vincent. I have yet to research whether it also worked demolition trains over the S&D in 1967 and 1968, but I can just imagine it working revenue traffic over the line, had it not closed in 1966......
This is a standard Bachmann WD 2-8-0, which I have weathered and modified to represent a Western Region example. I have also changed the bogie and tender wheels for Markits replacements, as the original Bachmann wheel flanges seemed to 'bump' along the inside chairs on my C&L track.
	A project for the future.... an OO Hornby 'Grange' sits in the loop at Bleakhouse Road. This loco is not for use on either Engine Wood or Bleakhouse Road, but I plan eventually to convert it to P4 and use it on Callow Lane.