Diesel Locomotives
Most of the locos are steam however its not exclusively as there was diesel traction at work in the 1950s & 60s alongside steam. I've started with diesel as I have less of them compared to steam engines.
Dock Shunters
I have two old Tri-ang 0-4-0 dock shunters. These are great little machines that are not actually modeled on any real loco but are a generic shunter, that is entirely built on around a power bogie from the Tri-ang transcontinental sets from the 1950s. Tri-angs power 1950s power bogie/motor were/are really simple and reliable. I got my first dock shunter from ebay at a price of £6.70 and it was listed as a non runner, more out of curiosity than anything else. After I cleaned it up a bit and put it on a circle of track I quickly built it went like a rocket. After that I went back on ebay and bought the second one for £12. A little bit more expensive but still pretty cheap. The only criticism I have is they have older wheels with bigger flanges so they are more prone to derailing on my newer points, there are replacement more modern wheels for them out there but I am yet to obtain any. Class 06
This particular model is the Hornby Collectors Club model of 2008 (there are quite a few collectors club models) hence the Midland Pullman livery. I am yet to receive this years model which is also a class 06 in yellow Network Rail livery. Note that none of these liveries were ever carried by real class 06s, but thats what many people like about Collector Club models. The real class 06 were built by Barclay from 1958 to 1960 with 8 cylinder Gardner Diesel engines and were mainly used on the Scottish Region of British Railways. Class 08
Limia Diesel shunter
As is typical with the Lima products sold in the UK they are totally unauthentic based on North American or Continental European designs rather than British. However that does not put me off as I think freelance models give you more room to be creative without violating authenticity to much. As such I repainted and this into a Ministry of Defence livery similar to that seen on the locomotives working in the large depots that have internal rail systems like that at Bicester or the at military docks like Marchwood. Why the military livery? No reason really other than I thought it would be a bit different and thus bit more interesting. Class 33
Introduced in the early 1960s on the Southern Region of British Railways the class 33 were initially intended for passenger train and express work, but could be found doing all sorts of jobs throughout the network. Like quite a lot of my model railway stuff I got this second hand off ebay. It was actually pretty hard to find a relatively cheap one in the early green livery rather than the corporate blue livery applied in the 70s and 80s. This Lima model might not be as detailed
as other manufactures (I picked out some of the details such as the vent grills myself as they weren't painted separately) but you get what you pay for and when you weight these engines down you get a pretty decent runner. Although I have noticed the tires seem to come off this engine a bit but thats not really a big problem. This is still a cheap engine that can just about fit on my headshunt and I don't think it looks out of place shunting.
Collectors Club locos
And so now we move onto steam engines starting with those I have received each year when I choose to renew my membership of the Hornby Collectors Club. The each year hornby make a new model on an 0-4-0 chassis specially for the club members. As such some of these can be highly collectable if not entirely authentic.
D Class industrial tank engine
This was my first collectors club loco, which was the club loco for 2005 I think. Unique as its in Southern Railway green. The D class (a term which is rarely used by Hornby when cataloging these) was first introduced by Hornby in the early 1990s. Initially based on the real locos that worked on an Ironworks in Wales. Since then however it has sort of been the go to design by Hornby for small industrial tank engines and been produced in a variety of unauthentic or fictional liveries.
Class 0F Pug
The club model for 2006 the year of HM the Queen's 80th birthday. So to celebrate this the club model of that year was adorned in the Royal Claret livery used on the royal train with the running number of 80 and the name "Queen Elizabeth II" below the royal cypher. The locomotive for that year was an 0F class 0-4-0ST.
Holden Tank engine 101
The club model for 2007 a model of the experimental Holden tank engine in British Railways green livery with the early 'unicycling lion' emblem on the side tank. The original engine was a one off experiment by the Great Western Railway chief engineer James Holden. Originally built to test the concept of burning oil rather than coal, an experiment that evidently proved fruitless as the loco was converted to coal burning and used as a shunter at Swindon works until withdraw and scrapped in 1911. Like the D Class Hornby have adopted the design as standard 0-4-0T shunter/industrial loco and produced them in a variety of non authentic (such as this one) and fictional liveries.
Freelance 0-4-0 tank engine
The Club model for the Diamond Jubilee year of 2012. Like the 2006 model it is in Royal Claret livery with the royal cypher and name "Queen Elizabeth II" however with the appropriate number of 60 and silver lining.
The tank engine here is not based on any real locomotive (freelance) but in fact is Hornby re-using the moulds for the Thomas the Tank Engine sets of the early 1990s. I actually had one of these sets (still do in fact although it boxed away) and they put thomas on their 0-4-0 chassis probably for cost reasons (despite the book & TV character being based on an E2 0-6-0T!).
0-6-0 locomotives
The most common type of steam loco wheel arrangement generally used for short and medium distance goods trains. I have two locomotives of this wheel arrangement which are along with the 33 the largest locos om the layout.
Fowler 4F
This is an old airfix model I bought of ebay for under £20 and is a descent runner. In fact the only problem I have with it is the couplings. It is only fitted for one coupling at the rear and this was a small interlocking type with a very small hook. However this did not interact well with my peco uncoupling ramps, and the fitting has proved difficult to replace with the larger interlock type which work better on my layout. I have resolved to glueing a new coupling which works but is by no means the ideal solution. The 4Fs were the workhorses of the London Midland & Scottish Railway being built from 1921 as the Midland Railway class 4 goods. Batches built by the LMS after 1924 had some minor improvements such as mechanical lubricators.
J15 Goods Loco
The most numerous class of locomotive ever to run in Ireland north or south. Built by the Great Southern & Western Railway between 1866 and 1903 making it the oldest type of real life loco used on the layout. They continued in use up to the end of steam traction on the railways of the Republic of Ireland in 1963. Following nationalisation in the republic they were found throughout the network doing everything from the goods trains they were designed for to branch line passenger trains and yard shunting. This loco is a scratch built/kit bashed model built on the chassis and using the motor of a Tri-ang Jinty.0-6-0T locomotives
Yes the "T" really makes all the difference as it denotes a tank engine. Unsurprising being a shunting layout most of the motive power is by tank engines. 0-6-0Ts were by far the favoured wheel arrangement for shunting engines in Great Britain a legacy still seen today by continued use of the Class 08 and other classes that are derived from it.
The Fowler 3Fs to use the official classification were built by the London Midland & Scottish Railway between 1924 and 1931, although the Jinty was really the final refinement of a design originating the 19th Century. Through various modifications, upgrades changes and other improvements gave the Midland Railway and later the LMS a large family of relatively similar class culminating with the Jinties.The Jinties were intended from the start for shunting and light branch line work, for which they were ideally suited which is unsurprising given they were a modern 'for the time' take on a tried and tested design.
Think of this as the east coast version of a Jinty. Kinda like the Jinty this is a 19th Century design however unlike the Jinty it was not really modified or upgraded (guess that means Jinties are west coast versions of J72s? ;-)) in fact they have the distinction of being produced pre grouping (pre 1924) post grouping and post nationalisation (post 1947) in virtually unchanged batches. Designed by Wilson Worsdell for the North Eastern Railway in 1898 and classified as E1, the J72 classification being received when they passed into London North Eastern Railway (LNER) ownership. This model is an old Mainline Models bought second hand and although noisy is a good runner. Painted in the unofficial British Railways branding used just after nationalisation on many goods, shunting and branchline engines due to a shortage of transfers of the "Unicycling" Lion emblem. Many retained this lettering well into the 1950s not receiving the new emblem until they required a visit to the works.
I had made a mistake when applying the backscene to the layout and was left with a gap between the base and the beginning of the backscene. Fortunately it was behind the shed and could only be seen from a certain angle. I came across this non motorised airfix kit of a Class 21 pug from the 1970s with parts missing and though if I built it with some extreme weathering to look abandoned for scrap it would fill that gap nicely. Due to its nature it was only £0.99 so I snapped it up. There were indeed some important parts missing such as one side of the chassis but that did not bother me as it did not impact what I intended for it in fact it helped a bit. I built it not even using all the parts, leaving the roof off to make it look more abandoned and scattering some others about the layout as 'spare' parts. The buffers I used on the Limia tank engine. So I built painted and roughed it up a bit and now although it can only be seen at a certain angle hides the gap in scenery perfectly. As it can only be seen at a certain angle I call it the lost engine and it adds a bit of interest to the layout when I invite people viewing it to see if they can spot it.
Jinties
The Fowler 3Fs to use the official classification were built by the London Midland & Scottish Railway between 1924 and 1931, although the Jinty was really the final refinement of a design originating the 19th Century. Through various modifications, upgrades changes and other improvements gave the Midland Railway and later the LMS a large family of relatively similar class culminating with the Jinties.The Jinties were intended from the start for shunting and light branch line work, for which they were ideally suited which is unsurprising given they were a modern 'for the time' take on a tried and tested design.
My first Jinty in late British Railways livery is a Hornby product bought second hand. I had the horrifying prospect of damaging the wire on top of the motor one day when removing the body for cleaning but fortunately it was nothing a little solder couldn't fix.
The Jinties were not only found on the LMS but also on LMS owned or partly owned lines like the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway. My second one is in Northern Counties Committee livery and is an example of two that were regauged and sent to the LMS owned lines in Northern Ireland. It was a limited edition produced by Bachmann (and is I have to say more detailed than my Hornby one but was also more pricey).
J72 tank engine
Think of this as the east coast version of a Jinty. Kinda like the Jinty this is a 19th Century design however unlike the Jinty it was not really modified or upgraded (guess that means Jinties are west coast versions of J72s? ;-)) in fact they have the distinction of being produced pre grouping (pre 1924) post grouping and post nationalisation (post 1947) in virtually unchanged batches. Designed by Wilson Worsdell for the North Eastern Railway in 1898 and classified as E1, the J72 classification being received when they passed into London North Eastern Railway (LNER) ownership. This model is an old Mainline Models bought second hand and although noisy is a good runner. Painted in the unofficial British Railways branding used just after nationalisation on many goods, shunting and branchline engines due to a shortage of transfers of the "Unicycling" Lion emblem. Many retained this lettering well into the 1950s not receiving the new emblem until they required a visit to the works.Pannier Tank
An icon of the Great Western Railway, that companies earliest pannier tanks were originally saddle tanks but when the GWR upgraded these with belpaire fireboxes this required the removal of the top of the tank leaving two stradling the boiler on each side. Crews and staff favoured pannier tanks to conventional side tanks as they provided easier access to key areas. They were used for shunting and branchline work This class of pannier tank is a 5700 class which although not the final refinement were the most iconic and among the last to be withdrawn by British Railways in 1966. although some sold on by British Railways soldiered on shunting on National Coal Board collieries and even the London Underground. The last not being withdrawn by London Transport until 1971 (making them the last standard gauge steam locos to be withdrawn on the British mainland accepting private lines). This example in early British Railways livery was produced by Bachmann.
Terrier
Another Victorian design that lasted to near the end of steam, although I am not quite sure how as they were limited by there small size to pu it lightly, they were in the lowest power classification for British Railways standard gauge locomotives. They were built by Brighton Works between 1872 and 1880 for South & South East London commuter trains. They were well suited being light and fast. However this helped grow the suburbs of the metropolis that meant more people commuting into the city which meant heavier trains which the Terriers were unsuited for, so in a way a victim of their own success. Even before the 20th Century they were being deployed on other duties across South England, mainly shunting and running on branch line that were lightly laid and unsuitable for heavier more powerful locos, they famously worked the railway on the Isle of Wight. This superbly detailed model in lined British Railways livery with the early emblem is by Dapol.
Built by the Caledonian Railway between 1885 and 1908 as the 264 Class specifically for shunting. The term 'pug' being a nickname for a Scottish industrial saddle tank loco.
Many continued working through LMS and then British Railways ownership. It was the LMS who classed them as 0F.
They remained in use doing the same job until the last was withdrawn in 1962.
They were known to often run with homemade tenders as their bunkers did not have a great coal capacity to put it mildly.
These have been part of the Hornby range since 1983 with the appearance of Smokey Joe.
This model has continued as part of the Hornby range to present and proved to be very popular being their best selling locomotive. It was inspired by an old Glasgow engine in the twilight of steam that had the nickname chalked onto the side of its tanks.
Of the four I own (one already mentioned) two are 'Smokey Joes' however one of these has been repainted weatherd and had the early 'unicycling' lion emblem of British Railways applied onto the side of the tanks, in order to conform more with photos of the real 0F 56025.
The other is in the original Caledonian blue livery.
0-4-0Ts
On top of the 0-6-0 tank engines there are a number of 0-4-0 tanks that aren't Hornby Collector Club models. 0-4-0Ts were popular on many industrial lines which has sharp curves which 0-6-0Ts might have found difficult.
0F 0-4-0ST 'pugs'
Built by the Caledonian Railway between 1885 and 1908 as the 264 Class specifically for shunting. The term 'pug' being a nickname for a Scottish industrial saddle tank loco.Many continued working through LMS and then British Railways ownership. It was the LMS who classed them as 0F.
They remained in use doing the same job until the last was withdrawn in 1962.
They were known to often run with homemade tenders as their bunkers did not have a great coal capacity to put it mildly.
These have been part of the Hornby range since 1983 with the appearance of Smokey Joe.
This model has continued as part of the Hornby range to present and proved to be very popular being their best selling locomotive. It was inspired by an old Glasgow engine in the twilight of steam that had the nickname chalked onto the side of its tanks.
Of the four I own (one already mentioned) two are 'Smokey Joes' however one of these has been repainted weatherd and had the early 'unicycling' lion emblem of British Railways applied onto the side of the tanks, in order to conform more with photos of the real 0F 56025.D Class
Another example of Hornby's go to design for an industrial tank engine, accept it is modeled on a real D class. One of the earlier batches of D Classes from the 1990s modeled on a Dowlais Iron Works loco from South Wales. The real life loco was built by the Iron Works in 1907 and actually named in 1911 in honour of a visit by the King who actually named the engine personally. The D class are unusual for industrial 0-4-0Ts as they have some mainline engine characteristics most noticeably belpaire fireboxes.
Limia Switcher
Like most of Lima's forays into the British market this model in unauthentic to anything on the UK railway and is based on tank engines built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO). However it was a cheap buy and a descent runner. So I have kit bashed it a little bit to try and angliscise it a bit so it looks like a freelance imported industrial tank engine (which is supported by the very short wheelbase).
Other locomotives
These two engines are not locomotives that run on the layout but nonetheless might still be seen on it.
Ajax
Ajax is a narrow gauge (009) 0-6-0ST that was bought for my first attempt at a proper layout which was a narrow gauge halt. Bought off ebay it has never worked and sat to the side until shelvetop shed came along and I found I had a LOMAC loader wagon with no load. So I decided to put Ajax on it as if it was being transported to or from the workshops.
Lost engine
I had made a mistake when applying the backscene to the layout and was left with a gap between the base and the beginning of the backscene. Fortunately it was behind the shed and could only be seen from a certain angle. I came across this non motorised airfix kit of a Class 21 pug from the 1970s with parts missing and though if I built it with some extreme weathering to look abandoned for scrap it would fill that gap nicely. Due to its nature it was only £0.99 so I snapped it up. There were indeed some important parts missing such as one side of the chassis but that did not bother me as it did not impact what I intended for it in fact it helped a bit. I built it not even using all the parts, leaving the roof off to make it look more abandoned and scattering some others about the layout as 'spare' parts. The buffers I used on the Limia tank engine. So I built painted and roughed it up a bit and now although it can only be seen at a certain angle hides the gap in scenery perfectly. As it can only be seen at a certain angle I call it the lost engine and it adds a bit of interest to the layout when I invite people viewing it to see if they can spot it. 
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