NOV 20 Little Bytham

Factfile
Layout name: Little Bytham
Scale/gauge: 4mm:1ft scale/OO gauge
Size: 32ft x 12ft
Era/region: 1958 LNER East Coast Main Line
Layout type: Continuous loop

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A general view, looking south from the MR/M&GNR girder bridge sees a 40-year-old Jamieson V2 heading a Down fitted freight on the fast lines. A B1 (much-modified Hornby) attends to the shunting of the daily pick-up freight. The juxtaposition of the various buildings is well-illustrated here. Nothing now remains of the railway buildings, apart from the crumbling booking office. The ‘Bytham’ sign on the end wall is a wooden, full-sized facsimile of that which was fixed to the signal box, made for me as a Christmas present by Ian Wilson. The original is in the Tobie Norris pub in Stamford.

I suppose it could be said that my model of Little Bytham has been over 40 years in the making. By that, I mean that it’s taken me over 40 years to make the locos and rolling stock needed to fully-stock this OO Gauge representation of this ECML station in Lincolnshire, as it was 61 years ago, in the summer of 1958 – a year before the station itself was closed and demolished. The actual construction of the layout began just over a decade ago when the baseboards were erected and track-laying and wiring-up took place. In the intervening 12 years and it’s now finished. It’s been featured through the decade at various times in BRM, in the MRJ, and in a book I wrote, published by Crowood Press. Now, I suppose, it’s time to complete the story, so to speak. It will certainly not be a ‘blow-by-blow; account; that’s already been written.

A closer overall view of the station itself, through which a Down express is passing hauled by a DJH A2 (built by me and painted by Geoff Haynes). Bob Dawson and his grandson Scott Waterfield made the island platform buildings and the signal box.

The Team

Though I greatly admire those who do everything by themselves in the building of their model railway(s), I’m afraid that’s not for me. I don’t possess all the necessary skills, time, or inclination to do ‘everything’, and, like all the model railways I’ve been involved in the building of, Little Bytham is very much a team effort – an extremely skilled team, it must be said. Those involved have been mentioned on numerous occasions, and their names are well-known, so I won’t repeat the list again. Gentlemen (and ladies), I thank you.

Looking north from a position above Marsh bridge we see a South Eastern Finecast A3 (Wright/Haynes) heading south on an Up express. It’s passed by a Down empty stock train which includes a Larry Goddard-built Royal Mail car. Anecdotal evidence suggests the stationmaster had the equivalent of a smallholding.

Why Little Bytham?

Look up any record-breaking runs (not just steam) published by the likes of Nock, Ransome-Wallis and Allen, and the name ‘Little Bytham’ will appear more than any other. It’s about halfway down Stoke Bank, the fastest section of railway (other than HS1) in the realm. Indeed, it was through LB that MALLARD went at over two miles a minute, just before reaching its ultimate record of 126 mph, in the summer of 1938. The location satisfies my own modelling interests perfectly. It’s East Coast Main Line, it’s an actual prototype and it could be fitted (with just a small amount of selective compression) in a space of 32’ x 12’. With regard to the last-mentioned, I wouldn’t entertain the notion of building a 4mm prototype-based main line layout in less than 30’. In my view, far too much compression will be necessary, resulting in far too tight visible curves at both ends if a circuit is contemplated.

The choice of 1958 was also quite simple; it was my own high summer as a schoolboy trainspotter at places like Retford, Doncaster and York, and, as mentioned, it was the last summer when the station remained open. Not only that, but it was also the last year that saw summer services on the ex-Midland/Midland & Great Northern section, which ran east-west across the ECML at the north end of the site, until closure at the end of February 1959. This system works as well (entirely independently), thus giving me two model railways for the price of one, though, I’m afraid, much more in the way of selective compression has been necessary on the smaller system.

Looking north from Marsh Bridge, the camera captures two Up trains. The Hull/York-Kings Cross express is headed by a DJH A1 (Wright/Haynes) in the form of 50A’s own 60121 SILURIAN, and it’s passing a fully-loaded coal train originating from the Notts pits in the charge of an old Nu-Cast O2 (converted into an O2/1). The leading van in the express is an ex-NER-designed bogie CCT, built from a Chivers kit. Despite the rise in quality and quantity of current RTR in OO Gauge, it’s doubtful that such a vehicle will ever be available ready-made(never say never!); hence my need to kit-build.

The fast morning Newcastle-Kings Cross express fairly flies through the station in the capable hands of roller bearing A1, 60155 BORDERER. The loco was started by friend Phil Ramsay, and I completed it by building the chassis and adding detail. Ian Rathbone painted it. The train contains the ex-Silver Jubilee streamlined triplet catering set. Its build was featured in BRM some time ago.

The build

As much prototype information was gathered as possible in the form of photographs, plans, drawings and documents, and the whole lot was drawn out to scale size. Very few (tiny) alterations were needed with regard to the trackplan and the siting of structures to ensure everything fitted, and the greatest care was taken with track-laying and wiring-up. Indeed, very little scenic/architectural/engineering work was undertaken before the layout was thoroughly tested to ensure ‘perfect’ running. Despite recent TV programmes, which have shown model railways being built against a tight time schedule, this advice is definitely wrong in my view. Why build something against the tyranny of time? That, in my view, is utter nonsense and time taken in careful planning and preparation is never wasted. Neither is time taken in research, for it cannot be rushed. Many are the occasions in the making of model railways where things have been done too-hurriedly, resulting in wasted time and then even more time used up in rectifying what’s been done incorrectly.

Pullman trains were a feature of the ECML for decades, and here the Up ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ (11 cars-long) sweeps majestically past Bytham’s ‘box. Typically, an A1 is in charge (DJH/Wright/Rathbone), though, on this occasion, the headboard is not carried by 60128 BONGRACE. My making of the point rodding is evident, and the signals built by Graham Nicholas and Mick Nicholson complement the scene perfectly. In the distance, the MR/M&GNR girder bridge is prominent. Friend Jamie Guest has done all the artwork to produce a complete etched brass kit for this bridge. This has now been made by Dave Wager, and can be seen in the moving footage.

Though L1 2-6-4Ts were common in both Grantham and Peterborough North Stations, evidence of their running between the two centres is limited. Nevertheless, I’ve got a couple which run through Little Bytham; including this one, built from an East Coast Joint Models kit, many years ago, hauling a Peterborough-Grantham all-stations ‘parly’. I built and painted it, and Tom Foster weathered it for me.

With everything fully tested and running to satisfaction, scenic/architectural/engineering work then continued apace, with a couple of years out because of a chronic illness on my part. Despite the fact that there are more than a dozen contributors to the project, the whole lot looks homogeneous with the various modellers’ contributions being entirely complementary (as I hope the photographs and DVD show). Some buildings were made off-site, and then fitted in once their ‘foundations’ had been laid. By that I mean that all the buildings fit into a cardboard rebate set into the ground, forming a ‘footprint’. That means no tell-tale shadow at their bases once they’re installed. Signals were also made off-site and installed when completed. All the signals work (including the little ground dolls). Non-working signals (particularly semaphores) is something I will not tolerate, except on a layout ‘under construction’, and then for no more than two exhibitions. Too many layouts have signals which are just nonsense in my view. The traditional ‘steam-age- railway couldn’t possibly have been run without working signals, correctly-sited. 

A view of the cattle/loading dock on Little Bytham. I made it mainly from Ratio parts, sitting on Wills cobbles, on top of a ply sub-structure. Though 'beasts' from time to time might have been loaded/unloaded through it, for most of the time any livestock vans in the dock were loaded with fruit and vegetables. The local farming in the area is mainly arable. One hopes the vans were cleaned out thoroughly first. 

The MR & M&GNR

A scene overlooking the end-on junction with the MR and the M&GNR, taken from the private road which leads to Grimsthorpe Castle from the Witham Road in Little Bytham. I built the nearer 4F from a SE Finecast kit and modified a Bachmann 4F to create the approaching one. Both these models have been described in BRM in the past. 44418 is waiting for the eastbound train to clear the single track section westwards towards Saxby Junction. Tony Gee made the lovely MR lower-quadrant signals for this section.

A scratch-built Ivatt ‘Flying Pig’ approaches Little Bytham Junction with a summer Saturday extra. Various folk have contributed to the making of this model down the years, two of whom have died. Another was injured in a road accident, and it came my way to complete. I built a chassis for it, a set of tender frames, completed the bodywork, painted and weathered it – so far without harm!

Fiddleyard

Two views of Bytham’s main line fiddleyard, absolutely bulging with appropriate trains. One can see now how 40 and more years have been needed to build this lot! For reasons of robustness and ease of use, Peco Streamline flexible was chosen for the fiddleyard.

The model and the real thing

An official BR photograph from the mid-‘50s looking south.

My attempt at replicating the prototype picture (06). Simple physics (the size of my camera) mean that it’s impossible to get exactly the same view, but I’m pleased with the ‘realism’. Norman Solomon’s excellent trackwork is evident here.

Operation

Over 50 trains have been made/modified to give a representative sequence on 'Little Bytham', resulting in some 60 train movements in just over two hours (if the operators are concentrating). This, for a daytime service (on the real thing) is nowhere near enough but one has to accept compromises. To represent every train, I’d need the lifetime of Methuselah, a site 10 times bigger and a bottomless wallet! What I’ve done is use the appropriate BR working and passenger timetables from the period, plus the BR carriage workings, to arrive at a ‘representative’ selection of the trains and locomotive classes to be seen. Several of the named trains have been created, and some of these will be seen in the photographs and on the DVD. Out of necessity, much of this has involved the making of many, many kits and/or extensive modifications to RTR products. To end up with over 130 kit-built locos should explain my over 40 years of making them. How these run is entirely up to me, so I make sure they do – run well! Every type of locomotive class one might have seen in 1958 running through Little Bytham is represented, including the early diesels.

The ‘Leicester’, the principal train on the M&GNR heads westwards towards Melton Mowbray and Leicester. It’s in the hands of a B12/3 (PDK/Wright/Rathbone), and the leading car is the line’s only catering vehicle – an ex-GE Restaurant First of pre-WW1 vintage. I built this from a D&S kit, fitting it out as a Buffet Car. Hornby now does a splendid RTR B12/3, fully-finished. Needless to say, I don’t own one! The carriage roof boards are from Ian Wilson’s Pacific range. The future? Well, with it now complete, its main reason for existence is to ‘entertain’ the numerous visitors it’s my privilege to invite, either as individuals or in groups. It’s obviously not an exhibition layout, so having such wonderful guests gives it a chance to be really run. Speaking of running (prior to Covid), the sequence is run on a (flexible) monthly basis, by a regular team of operators who spend a day in their ‘time machine’. The ‘perfect’, two and a half hour operating sequence is yet to be achieved; not because of layout or stock failure, but because we’re all getting older and older!

Additional images

A fast, new morning service between Kings Cross and Edinburgh (and the other way, of course) was introduced by BR in 1956, called ‘The Talisman’. A year later, an afternoon service was introduced as well. Here’s the Down morning ‘Talisman’ racing north through the station behind A4 60034 LORD FARINGDON. This loco consists of a modified Bachmann body, under which I built a SE Finecast chassis and added a SE Finecast tender. Ian Rathbone did the splendid painting. The train is all modified Bachmann Mk.1s, and featured in BRM well over 20 years ago.

The Down ‘Northumbrian’ heads north behind yet another A1 (DJH/Wright/Rathbone) in the form of Tyneside-based 60116 HAL O’ THE WYND. The catering triplet in this train (just visible) featured in BRM’s pages last year as part of an article on making carriage interiors. The engineering train in the siding to the left has also featured in BRM’s pages. The tall, co-acting home signals were necessary because of the proximity of the girder bridge.

Stoppers at the station were not that frequent, though some could carry express lamps. In this case it’s a Kings Cross-Grantham service, hauled by a B1 (Bachmann body on Comet frames – Bachmann’s old split chassis are very poor runners, though their new ones are excellent). The train is a mixture of kits built by Tony Geary and me.

Looking south, two passing trains are observed. The Down express (consisting of 14 carriages!) is in the charge of A3 60063 ISINGLASS (SE Finecast/Wright/Rathbone), and it’s passed by a K2 (Nu-Cast/Wright/Haynes) on an Up ‘parly’, preparing to stop at the station.

Though the inexorable rise in RTR offerings diminishes the need for kit-building on a large scale, there are still some loco types not available just by ‘opening the box’. One such type is the ubiquitous J6. I built this from the recently re-introduced SE Finecast/Nu-Cast Partners product, fitting a London Road Models’ tender to give a different variation.

Looking south from the goods yard along Station Road, the Willoughby Arms pub is prominent. This lovely building still stands, of course (and is a splendid hostelry, serving a range of ales and excellent food). The model was built by Bob Dawson. In the distance are the three stone cottages (they still stand as well), the (model) construction of which I described in the pages of BRM some little time ago.

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