Suitable Motive Power for WMCQR/GCR Wrexham Based Project

[MartinWales]

Hi All

Due to the previous project stalling and eventual abandonment, I am currently focusing my energies towards an ex GC (WMCQ) project in the Wrexham area, as other than Geoff Kent's superb 'Black Lion Crossing', (which I have been fortunate to see on several occasions), I feel this is a somewhat neglected part of the former LNER system.ily have been seen

I am well aware that Wrexham shed was home to the likes of J68/J72/N5/C13's etc, but other than say ex CLC section motive power, what would neccessarily have been seen in the area in the mid 1950's?

[Hatfield Shed]

Almost immediately after nationalisation infiltrated by LMR 3P 2-6-2T 'bread vans', and this process continued with steady increments of 2251, 56xx, 57xx, LMR 2MT 2-6-2T, BR Std 3MT 2-6-2T through the 1950s. (I had a railway enthusiast colleague at one time. He had grown up in Wrexham and much lamented the steady loss of the once fascinating collection of mainly GCR locos.)

[Pyewipe Junction]

Have a look here: http://www.brdatabase.info/sites.php?pa ... nap&id=618

You can also select any other date of your choosing. As you can see, there were still a lot of ex-LNER locos around, including a J72 and a Y3.

IIRC, the 'Westernisation' of Rhosddu shed didn't really begin until after it was taken over by the Western Region on 1 January 1958.

[MartinWales]

Many thanks for that useful link!

[Mickey]

In a short Transport Publishing dvd about the Wrexham, Mold & Connah's Quay Railway Ron White an old school knowledgable railway enthusiast who was around photographing and filming steam on a cine-camera during it's declining years of the 1960s and was also involved in Colour Rail railway photographs claimed on the dvd about the line that even though the line was an ex LNER line you would have been pushed to see a ex LNER B1 working along it by the late 1950s although there is some short archieve amateur film footage that features a B1 on a ballast train travising the line sometime during the mid/late 1950s that is featured in the dvd.

[coachmann]

Going of the old cine to video railway programs, locos up DMU arrival were GCR Pom-Poms, N4,N5 and C13's. Coaching stock looked to have a fair proportion of LNWR non-corridors amongst it.

When I rode the Chester Northgate-Wrexham line by DMU in the early 1960's, I saw GWR 16XX Panniers and 56XX 0-6-2T's on freight.

[MartinWales]

Thanks to you both for those links! Having recently found some Yeadons at bargain prices it looks like 1957/58 would give the maximum variety of stock

[MartinWales]

So plenty of variety then, and 1958 seems to be the best year for my purposes, as I plan to use mainly ex NE motive power but leaving room for several possibles (ex LM or WR) stock

[croesnewydd]

There are pictures in "The Buckley Railway Album" of the following
Wheatley
Kenyon
7 The Duke
9

and later

J62
J63
Class 5 GCRD2388 (May 1961)
GWR Pannier - no date
J69 1955
LNER 6408 1934
68595 1955
No 6 no date
68531 1956
68585 no date
68595 J69/1
GWR 1618 1966
Very nice pictures of Buckley Station - still there
N5 5922 1934
Diesel Class 25 1969
Plus a number of the brick carriers that were loaded onto standard wagons and then down the Buckley Railway to Connah's Quay Docks

There were also 3 (probably 4) Class J72 used on the Buckley Railway - these had the chimneys cut down to fit under the LNWR bridge

Also there is the Wrexham Mold and CQ Railway by James Boyd which is full of detail.

John

[MartinWales]

A somewhat late update...

Two of the four J72's are now in hand with components secured for the others

Bachmann J11 acquired ready converted to EM

N5 being built by a colleague

Two 16xx kits acquired ready for their turn in the queue

B1 being fettled and weathered

High Level chassis ready for a possible later '61 session

More? Keep you posted!!