Six Sweet Potatoes

Looking at the popular press and many of the models out there you would be forgiven for thinking that modeling the GE region was about Victorian blue elegance or LNER Clauds or BR Britannia's. East Anglia is know for its large sweeping trains and even larger locations, and sometime we forget there is another side to modeling this region.

The region is not renowned for being an area synonymous with industrial railways but if you look a bit closer we have a fine collection of prototypes just crying out to be modeled.

Although my main interests lie within the Victorian/Edwardian period of the GER i have a real soft spot for industrial diesel shunters, a breed that is often neglected in comparison to their steam or mainline cousins.

So to try and address this fact i thought it would be good to share with you 6 of my mixed collection of East Anglian themed diesel shunters. not all are finished as you will see from the images however i hope they will inspire you to have a go yourselves. they have all be photographed next to a BR class 8 shunter for scale, i think this will go to show that although this is thought of to be a small loco its huge in comparison to its industrial companions, it just goes to show.... you don't need much space to run one of these locomotives.....

They are all 4mm scale by the way......

Hunslet 35t 230hp 0-4-0DH 'Barton'
Rebuilt a few times over the years this was my first ever etched kit (from the Judith Edge range) build and its taken some time to actually get tit to run well. A similar (albeit EE) loco worked at the sugar beat factory at Wissington, and later there was a locomotive of the same class at Bressigham Steam Museum (on which i got a cab ride at the age of 4!). if you want a superb first kit to have a go at building a Judith Edge Kit like this one is highly recommended.



Ruston 48DS 0-4-0 'Upton'
These tiny locos were used by contractors, small works and various industrial concerns all over the region, there is is even a superbly preserved one on the Mid Suffolk Light Railway, which is particularly appropriate as another member of the class was used in the demolition of that line. The model is the old A1 models kit, which has now been superseded by the superb Judith Edge Kit and more recently the Hornby RTR version, but i like my one although it desperately needs a new chassis, and maybe a coat of paint.

 

Muir Hill Tractor Conversion 'Filby'
Kitbashed from a Branchlines Kit on a modified motor bogie this model represents a much earlier form of petrol shunter. Muir Hill based in Bristol converted Fordson tractors to run on rails and many ended up in the 20s and 30s on the various light railways across the country, smaller than a wagon this little loco is probably the most useful piece of rolling stock I own. It can go anywhere do anything and due to the DCC onboard control and stayalive circuit never stops or glitches on point work.



Ruston 0-4-0 'Fox'
The region is not really known for its narrow gauge railways however if you go north west, into the fens you will find the remains of a whole host of narrow gauge railways that were built to server the various farms and estates of the area. although freelance this ruston (built from a Chivers Finelines kit) represents the larger type of locomotive that were used on some of these lines.



Baugely 0-6-0DH 'Wasp'
If you aren't interested in agriculture how about military? there were a number of military establishments along the Thames estuary that featured internal narrow gauge tramways, and many of them operated right into this century. this loco was scratch built onto a N gauge chassis and in total cost £12 to make so a real cheap job.... its had a few guises and even operated on my exhibition layout back in 2009..... it represents that later type of locomotive that was used by the MoD until very recently and now many have found their ways to the preserved establishments.... i do realise that i should finish the painting....


 

Ruston LB 0-4-0 'Nat'
How small can you go? well tiny is the answer, this loco was built from a no longer available Brian Madge Kit and it works, although i am struggling to work out where to put the DCC decoder..... these little Locos got everywhere and can be used for all kids of applications, possibly one of the more famous ones was based at the BR central materials depot at Chesterton Junction just north of Cambridge well into the 1980's  so as this particular 08 was based at Cambridge this pairing might have actually happened!