Shaw Twilley model railway

"Shaw Twilley" Is the working for the 00 gauge model railway I am curently building.

Requirements

• I like steam locomotives.
• I like diesel locomotives.
• Splash of colour on the stock would be nice.
• Varied Passenger traffic.
• Freight traffic to include rakes of identical wagons, because it looks good.
• Needs to be small and portable.
• Scope for mucking about with electronics.
• Use ready to run models, modified as whim takes me.
• Rivet counters look elsewhere for your gratification.

There are two obvious ways to combine steam and diesel on the same layout. One is to model "modern image" and allow the luxury of the occasional "preserved" train. The other is to model the transitional period of the early 1960's. The latter has a number of things in its favour. Quite a lot of diesel classes were about at the time, before BR standardised on a smaller number of classes and lost some of the more interesting specimens like the diesel hydraulics. The loco's I have from my youth ( Hornby 3F and Type 2 Sultzer diesel ) fit this period. Finaly, I was born in 1962, so lets go for the early sixties.

If the layout is to be small, forget your Mallards on Main lines. We are talking branch and suburban. Tank engines are the order of the day for steam. Diesels will be mainly the lighter 8 wheel machines. Definitely a case of work horses rather than race horses

Splash of colour is a bit of a problem. BR did like their green and black loco's. Early diesel traction comes to the rescue here with some colourfull examples, mainly experimental. Maroon "Warships" and Class 31's in electric blue and golden orche spring to mind. Crane's were bright red at this time!. I like Cranes.

Assuming that size restricts us to suburban traffic this is a good period to model for varied passenger working. Short rakes of suburban coaches hauled by either tank loco or small diesel are just as likely as first generation DMU sets. While push-pull working is alive and well, it is not exclusive so run around and coaling facilities will be required at the station.