Guest Layout - Little Bytham Junction, M&GN

Introduction:
Tony Wright is well known to many in Railway Modelling circles as a writer, photographer and demonstrator. He is also behind the popular exhibition layouts Stoke Bank (ECML) and Charwelton (GCR). He has now built an epic 32 feet long 4mm scale 00 gauge layout depicting Little Bytham (GN) . Little Bytham is also where the M&GN crossed the ECML and formed an end on junction with the Midland Railway. Tony has modelled this junction too. It is part of a separate operational layout, but integrated with his Little Bytham Model. Tony has kindly sent me these shots, with captions in his own words, for our Showcase.


Words and pictures by Tony Wright:
Class D16/3 62573 heads westwards at Little Bytham and is about to cross the ECML by the substantial girder bridge. It’s on a Kings Lynn-Nottingham three-set, comprising of ex LMS-carriages, BTK, CK, BTK. The loco is built from a Mallard kit (latterly Blacksmith), and represents the type still retaining the decorative valancing. I built/painted it and Geoff Haynes weathered it. The semis to the right still stand (much extended) though the wooden dwellings were demolished by the ‘60s. D16s used to work from East Anglia to the East Midlands’ cities. After the M&GNR closed in February 1959, the survivors worked over the Midland line through Stamford.
 

I must admit that I have no evidence that one of Cambridge’s ‘Royal Clauds’ ever ran on the M&GNR, but I think this makes a pretty picture. It’s representative of the loco post-Nationalisation, but still retaining LNER livery. I modified/detailed/renumbered this Hornby RTR product and Geoff Haynes weathered it. The Midland-style lower quadrant signals were built by Tony Gee.



I’m not a great user of RTR locos, much preferring to make my own, but this current Hornby B12/3 was too good to miss. All I’ve done is to renumber/detail/weather it to produce an M&GN-allocated example. It’s heading a short express from Leicester to the Norfolk coast; the train made up of BSL LMS cars. Ian Wilson and I built the characteristic Mildland signal box using the Ratio kit as a basis. Little Bytham was an end-on junction – the MR to the west and the M&GNR to the east. Even though it appeared to be double track heading west, after crossing the girder bridge it was just single track to Saxby Junction, with passing loops at the intermediate stations.



The same altered Hornby B12/3 is seen heading westwards this time, crossing the substantial ‘tunnel’ bridge spanning Station Road at Little Bytham. This wonderful structure fortunately still stands in reality, though trains haven’t crossed over it for 62 years! This time the train is composed of LNER cars, still in teak. Though the main line depiction on Little Bytham represents 1958, I’m much more fluid with regard to the time represented on the east-west route; that’s the last decade of the line’s existence, from Nationalisation to closure.


We see the real bridge as it exists today (from Google Street View.



Class B12/3 61530 heads eastwards towards Bourne on an express from Leicester to Cromer. I built the loco from a PDK kit, and Ian Rathbone painted it. Several B12s were allocated to M&GNR sheds in the ‘50s and this is one. A full coal rake plods southwards on the ECML’s Up slow behind an O2/4 which I built from another PDK kit. The railway semis (now privately-owned) were built by Bob Dawson.



The same PDK B12/3 seen in the last shot now has charge of the westbound ‘Leicester’, the line’s principal train. It was also the only M&GNR service which had a catering vehicle (attached/detached at South Lynn). I built this catering car from a D&S kit. The real thing had started life pre-WW1 as a GE Restaurant First, of which a few were built. The LNER rebuilt them (downgrading them to RUs) and BR re-rebuilt one or two, in this case into a Buffet Car. It would have been attached to the rear of the train at South Lynn, but, after the set reversed at Spalding, it then ended up at the front. In the last year or two of the line’s existence, it ran all the way through to/from Cromer. An overbridge (which still stands) takes a private road from Little Bytham to Lord Willoughby’s ancestral pile of Grimsthorpe Castle.



The magnificent girder bridge was built by Dave Wager, from etches designed by Jamie Guest. The real thing was erected in 1897 and demolished in 1963. Only the abutments remain today. You’ll note I change the stock from time to time.



Yet another B12/3, this one built from a McGowan kit (not for the weak-hearted!). I built/painted/weathered this some little time ago, but it’s terribly crude compared with the others on the line. Still, it runs well. It’s seen on two different expresses.






I think it’s slightly stretching a point to have a J17 on the M&GNR at Little Bytham, but I have a picture of just this engine, at Spalding, heading for South Lynn, so one never knows. In the first shot it’s on a Notts-Lynn three-set (composed of non-gangwayed carriages – some M&GN travellers must have had strong bladders!). In the second it’s heading westwards on a Lynn-Notts three set. I built the loco from a Crownline kit, and painted it. It awaits weathering.
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You’ll note I’ve mentioned the names of several contributors to Little Bytham. It is very much a team effort!

For those who wish to see Little Bytham in action, follow this link to