The layout set up in John's home (without skirts!). Note the very attractive drop-down display boards fronting the layout, featuring a potted history of the prototype along with some historic photos - which all add to the air of authenticity

Another view of the whole layout set up for photos in John's home, looking from the station area towards the works

The industrial end of the layout. A number of highly detailed little vignettes have been incorporated into the overall scene, giving the whole area a sense of vibrancy

A closer look at the hopper loading area. The two diesel locos in this view were converted into simple but effective 009 locos by the addition of larger scratchbuilt cabs to the Ibertren N gauge kof shunting locomotive.

A view looking up the layout towards the station. The line then disappears off-stage towards Corfe Castle, which can be seen in the background

Passenger services are mainly provided for by this railbus, converted from the Peco/Merit Maudslay bus

A train of loaded hoppers is ready to depart behind the ancient Manning Wardle locomotive "Tertius"

The blacksmiths forge has been named in memory of the late Terry Baker, a modelling friend and past member of the Surrey NG Modellers

A busy scene around the goods shed

The loco shed with more interesting and original engines on show

One of the kof-converted diesels shunts a short train of tank wagons onto the motorised wagon turntable where they will be received individually by the waiting Kerr Stuart loco

The Kimmeridge Fisheries rail lorry approaches the station whilst the stone train seen earlier behind Tertius heads off down the valley.

A closer look at the rail lorry. This is based on an actual vehicle that existed on a metre gauge railway in Portugal. John's model has used parts of the well-known Airfix RAF refuelling set, with a rear-wheel drive chassis converted to single axle drive from a small Japanese bogie that John obtained from 009 Society Sales

A Purbeck workman's train - none of your girly Welsh covered quarrymen's coaches down here in Dorset!

A close-up of the tiny and intricate Simplex loco seen in the previous photo. This is a Nigel Lawton kit and it runs superbly.

Two Stephen Lewin locomotives, which were quite common forms of motive power in the industrial railways of the South West a century ago. John has made very attractive little 009 engines by using the significant features of the design.

Ancient Manning Wardle Furzebrook Railway loco "Tertius"

This tiny engine is a Bagnall "Ferret" class. It is another authentic model of an actual minimum loading gauge industrial prototype

This is a scratchbuilt model of a Belgian La Meuse loco built in 1923 for La Sucrerie Maizy and and was on the Tramway Pithiviers a Toury before moving to its current location at the CF de la Vallee de l'Ouche where it has recently been restored to steam.The loco uses an excellent Fleischman 2-6-0 chassis.

A really excellent Baldwin gas-mechanical from the 1st World War era and made from a Meridian Models etched brass kit.

This loco, running on a Minitrix chassis (the expensive detailed one, not the basic "dock tank"), used parts primarily from the well-known Roco HOe loco body - but John has done an excellent job of both disguising the origin and creating a much more English looking loco than is normally achieved using this loco body.

A French Crochat railcar, built from a rare resin kit, of which I understand only about 30 were ever produced

This wagon is authentic and John has photos of the prototype on his display to prove it! It was known as the "school coach" and was used to transport the children of clay-workers living in the area to school daily. No Elf'n'Safety constraints in them days!