The mountain tram set consists of a power car and a driving trailer. Both were made from the body shells of the Bachmann San Francisco cable trams once sold by Bachmann. The power unit uses a ‘stretched’ Swiss electric loco chassis by Lima. The open trailer runs on Lima bogies that also have power pickups to support the power car’s electrical pickup. The trailer always runs in front when the tram runs uphill, which is to be expected with a ruling gradient of almost 1 in 10. In future lights are planned for this unit.

The box cab electric loco is loosely based on the locomotives of the Kinlochleven aluminium ore railway. These were home-built on the chassis of old 3ft gauge trams from, I think, Glasgow. The box cab usually takes care of light goods work up the hill, but occasionally pushes a passenger trailer with an extra service. The current collectors on its roof, like those on the tram, are of the Hopkinson type used in the Isle of Man.

The C&DR steam railmotor Auld Reekie is a freelance example of the steam railcars used in the years leading up to WW1. They were meant as an economical steam train in the days when petrol engines were unreliable. This is an articulated unit, made up of a Peco Jeanette kit and part of a Golden Arrow etched brass Lynton & Barnstaple coach. The chassis is another Minitrix dock tank, doctored for smooth running and fitted with a Mashima motor, resulting in excellent running quality.

This is the CDR's inspection locomotive, numbered 9 and named Terry after one of my twin sons. The model is a loose interpretation of the 'Drummond bug' once operated by the LSWR. It was built around a Minitrix German 0-6-0 loco including the body casting, and fitted with a plastic sheet cab and a section of a compartment carriage. The chassis has been extended by a swinging rear unit made of half of another Minitrix chassis. Officially a 2-2-2, technically this is an 0-4-2 as it runs better that way. The rear of the vehicle is spring-supported by the trailing wheel unit.

The steam tram loco Marijn was named after my other twin son and is a reconstruction of an unsuccessful Dutch outline tram engine, now incorporating some properties of the Glyn Valley locos. The mechanism is another Fleischmann 0-6-0 diesel, with tiny cranks fitted to the centre wheels and very simple connecting rods giving an impression of movement behind the skirts. The original model was made in 1978, and for a time it was used on the branch steam tram. A good but noisy runner, it is now rarely used as there is enough conventional power for the branch.

Another Campbeltown engine, Chevalier, was built from the Chivers kit and uses a modified Minitrix 0-6-0 chassis. The chassis was modified by moving the rear axle one slot forward in the chassis block, which does away with the spur gear drive to the front axle. The body is heavy enough however to use it as a shunting loco at the distillery in Rae Bridge. It has dummy outside frames and runs very smoothly.

The vertical boiler loco Jock was built back in 1978 using a Fleischmann track-cleaning loco chassis. The all-plastic body is fitted with a vertical motion attached to the boiler which is driven from the motor. The loco also has a smoke unit and a red light in the firebox. This loco is a favourite during exhibitions, running along the baseboard edge with its motion revolving and laying a smoke screen across the layout. Normally it is used as a shunting loco at the Caledonia Foundry.

Lucky Luke is a freelance interpretation of an early Colorado narrow gauge engine that was originally (1978) built as a 2-6-4T, and recently converted to a more likely 2-6-0 tender engine. The model can only be regarded as a gimmick as the chassis layout is all wrong due to the short wheelbase of the Minitrix chassis and the connecting rod driving the trailing axle. It is fitted with lights and from time to time runs over the CDR with a matching American-style goods train lettered for the imaginary Curly Creek & Western Railroad.

This permanent way maintenance truck was made using a Mack H0 scale lorry kit, a Japanese Caramel chassis and some odds and ends. The running quality of the Caramel is mediocre, but the heavy weight on it helps a little. The model features a swinging pony truck with a cowcatcher and is colloquially referred to as ‘the Ant’.

A second and smaller utility vehicle is this one based on the Dart Castings Reliant 3-wheel delivery van. This can be fitted with road wheels as well and put up as a stationary model. The idea is a Reliant delivery van put on blocks on a skip chassis. The front wheel is supported with a bracket, the rear wheels were replaced with pulleys to drive the rear wheelset of the skip chassis from the rear axle of the Reliant... This one was made in the course of a draisine competition on the NGRM forum, and nicknamed the Biker Mouse. Then Tom Dauben, who still thinks it should be called the Midge, gave me a set of nameplates for either the Mouse or the Midge, so it became the Mouse...

This pretty little Bagnall wing tank was scratchbuilt in brass by my good friend the late Reinier Hendriksen. It features 4mm wheels, a split frame chassis, outside cranks and coupling rods and a flywheel, and it runs surprisingly well for such a small model. At present it is used little, but some day the colliery tramway will be put in operation and this little loco will come in very well to shunt the tubs into the screening house.

A simple conversion of a Peco Jeanette kit, done together with my son Axel many years ago, resulted in this attractive little engine. It was fitted on a Fleischmann 0-4-0 chassis, and although the casting deficiencies weren't removed before painting this doesn't show except under close scrutiny. This loco would be an ideal beginner's project for anyone. It isn't in regular service on the C&DR as it is too small compared to the other stock.

Two models that came to me from Klaus Olschewski, a H0e modeller from Germany. On the left a battery electric loco that he found overscale for his own railway. This runs on a Fleischmann 0-4-0 chassis. On the right is a conversion of an Egger locomotive - the one with the wooden box on one end. It was fitted with a tractor hood and after reception I painted it light blue and named it after my (then) young nephew Marnix, who like my sons wanted a loco named after him. Some chassis doctoring resulted in surprisingly good running performance.

The industrial diesel loco shown left was built in 2013. The chassis is an old Rivarossi/Atlas 0-6-0 rod-coupled diesel that came from a German V60 shunter. The motor has been replaced by a Mashima. The superstructure is a Chivers whitemetal kit with a few modifications. As shown in the photo, the model needs windows, a driver and some extra detail. The running properties aren't bad considering the age of the chassis and the fact that the wheels are pressed down a little by the worm, so it tends to jump a little if run too fast. Throttle down and it will do all right.

A saddle tank loco with tram skirts was rather rare. Here is an example from Stony Stratford. The model was made using a basic 3D printed shell made by Tebee Models, on a Kato tram chassis. The only tricky part was to seal the grainy surface of the model; following that the finishing and detailing with whitemetal parts was very easy indeed. This is a light loco suitable for branch or shunting service, next to the other tram loco mentioned above.

This 1917 Baldwin ex-War Department loco was presented to me by Don Sibley, who regularly exhibits in valkenburg. He built it many years ago, and it proved to run quite well. Tuning the Minitrix chassis and replacing the motor by a Mashima turned it into an excellent industrial engine for the Craigcorrie Colliery Company. I added one or two details and did some weathering. In consequence it looks a little neglected, but it is an excellent runner.