The LNER Encyclopedia

I'm thinking of combining 2 of my loves - the J71 and East Anglia - and am looking for a small location to model in a quiet rural part of Suffolk/Norfolk/Cambridgeshire etc with the rationale to be running a J71 in the 1950's. Be grateful for any ideas or shoves in the right direction from you experts

Many thanks

I'm hardly an expert on East Anglia however...

a quick look at Paul Bolger's "BR Steam MPDs- ER" (Ian Allan) shows the nearest as 2 J72s at Ipswich in 1950. (69012 & 69013). I couldn't see any refences to J71.

Chaz

Do you mean a J70 if so in the 1950s Colchester, Ipswich, Kings Lynn, Wisbech or Yarmouth South town have them allocated. The Nearest J71 to East Anglia would be Normanton.

Not much further forward on this. Trouble is I'm doing minimum space 0 gauge so am restricted to a branch terminus, a dockside or an industrial setting. I have a lovely J71 - that's the reason I'm not doing GWR, as I usually do, so LNER,NER,NB etc are all really new to me. I'm reading all I can but still haven't seen the spark that would make me start planning my layout in 'X' location and start deep research. I had hoped East Anglia might yield up something as I know the area well but apparently not. I know the Glasgow and south area a bit too if that helps anyone come up with a gem.

I would greatly value any relevant input from modellers and/or researchers.

Chaz

I've not seen any reference to Class J-71 working in East Anglia.

I note from the class description on this site, some went into colliery use, would that be an option - plenty of "modellers" licence then.

Regards
Paul

PaulG wrote:Chaz

I've not seen any reference to Class J-71 working in East Anglia.

No indeed. Weren't the only NER locos that appeared in East Anglia the G5s? The J72, don't really count as that last batch were built by BR.

Chaz

Chaz in another post on here ive been corresponding about J27s in East Anglia in the 1920s to 1940s. I will post address when i find it. Its in this post g-e-r-section-route-availability-t2821.html

Ah, yes, I stand corrected.

Chaz

J71 wrote:Not much further forward on this. Trouble is I'm doing minimum space 0 gauge so am restricted to a branch terminus, a dockside or an industrial setting. I have a lovely J71 - that's the reason I'm not doing GWR, as I usually do, so LNER,NER,NB etc are all really new to me. I'm reading all I can but still haven't seen the spark that would make me start planning my layout in 'X' location and start deep research. I had hoped East Anglia might yield up something as I know the area well but apparently not. I know the Glasgow and south area a bit too if that helps anyone come up with a gem.

I would greatly value any relevant input from modellers and/or researchers.

You don't say how big your minimum space is, but I have built a 7mm layout in my roof. The space available is roughly 14 x 10 feet. It was a real shoe-horn job with the length of the sector plate, the run round loop and the fiddle yard all arranged to suit the same length of train (tank engine + seven four wheelers + brake van or tank engine + 2 coaches + parcels van).
My advice to you is to plan out what will fit your space and, as you have a J71, set the line "somewhere on the NER". Keep the scenery/buildings non-specific. Choose small NER prototypes for any railway structures.
All my engines suit the south end of the ECML main line in the fifties/early sixties so my layout has a "London" feel, but it's not a scale model of a real place.
I think that a real place, in 14 x 10 feet, would be very limited in scope.

Chaz

Sorry J71,

Having read my previous posting it does read a bit negative. I didn't mean it to. Whatever space you have got 7mm is a possiblity. The scope of what you can achieve will be limited by the space you have - but that is always true!

Chaz

If you are looking for something a little different, that you can run a J71 on, has short trains to a branchline terminus - you could look at the Easingwold line. It ran from the ECML north of York at Alne, 3½ miles to Easingwold. It was an independent line run with LNER/BR J71 loco in later days - very compact station or the interesting junction at Alne.

Oakwood press have a book on the line if you can get hold of it.
In the same vein in the North Sunderland Railway from Chathill on the ECML in Northumberland to Seahouses on the coast. The NSR ran a J71 on trial, but favoured the Y7 0-4-0. Connoisseur do 7mm kits for both (and the NSR carriages).

Hope this helps?

Andy

G'Day Gents

I suppose you could always model a 'sold out of service' layout, very faded LNER livery, but set in East Anglia, in the 1960's , brewery, canal docks, on the fens???
manna