Backstory & Design

The DLR (Doxfords Light Railway) is very much based on two "what ifs":

What if the Doxford and Sons shipyard loco shed and infrastructure hadn't been demolished during upgrades to the yard?

What if a group of railway enthusiasts managed to acquire the shed and its immediate surroundings?

In my world these both happened and there is now a small heritage railway operating on the site. The running length is short at the moment but there are hopes to acquire more land and extend later. Although the original engines from the shipyard were disposed of to various places including the Beamish Open Air Museum the DLR has acquired a replacement Peckett Saddle Tank and an ex-NCB diesel shunter.

Design

There were sufficient photos available in books and on the 'net to give me a good idea of the setup around the engine shed so I used these as the basis for the design. Limitations in the available information, products and in my skills mean it's not intended to be a scale replica of the site but is a representation of it.

Compromises

There are two main compromises, firstly I've moved the shed from its original location to be adjacent to the road that runs past the top of the site. That provides for a better visual break with the fence at the back of the layout (which is a good representation of the authentic one that's still there) and better options for the backscene.

The second compromise was on the points outside the engine shed. The originals were Y points, these are available but not, at the time, as Peco Unifrog. I wanted to use these particular ones as they simplify the control. Using conventional points also made the two-track setup easier. The cross over is also not prototypical, the lines from the shed just curved down to join a single through track.

The track layout, the engine shed is at the left hand end