In terms of operation, at the start of day locos which have been shedded overnight run off the MPD to collect their trains or to shunt the station and yards – the tracks are assumed to be so tightly curved on the quayside that a couple of ex L&Y 040T “pugs” are allocated. There is a precedent for this at Bristol.
During the day, most locos run onto shed to be serviced and turned ready for departure and towards the end of the day arriving locos come on shed to have their fires dropped and be coaled and watered ready for duty the following day.
We have selected two periods to be modelled, late 1950s and early 1960s. In the first of these periods, ex GWR loco classes remained – Dukedogs, Prairie tanks and Collett 060s and Churchward Moguls and Manor class 460s, along with BR Standard Class 2 260s. Standard class 4 460s were also in evidence to haul the midweek land cruise trains, loaned by Oswestry. By the early 1960s the Dukedogs, Prairie tanks and BR Standard Class 2 260s had gone, replaced by BR Standard class 3 262s, class 4 264Ts and class 4 460s and later on 260s. All these classes are represented on the layout.