This is a drawing of a railway line plan my husband drew in 1969 when he was about 16. He has always loved railways  and was on the last steam train to leave Manchester Victoria station to Rochdale in 1968. He tells me this was a Stanier black 5 steam engine 460 (which means 4 leading wheels, 6 driving wheels and no trailing wheels).

He actually made the minature railway layout , including bushes and trees, a signal box and a station building and railway tracks on Triang 00 guage.

He had a Jinty 060 number 47606 3F class, an 040 diesel and a GWR single, Lord of the Isles. I guess any railway enthusiasts out there will understand this, but others won’t.

A Jinty was a nickname for a particular type of engine that did shunting, banking, pilot duties and local freight. This was a small type of engine which had a short wheelbase and could get round curves easily. It was designed by Sir John Fowler.

47606 is just its running number which identifies it. 3F means its power classification   (3 freight).

040 diesel is a small dock shunter used by the sea or rivers to carry freight from ships.

A GWR single has a 422 wheel configuration. It’s classed as XP, (express) and could travel at 80 Miles an hour. It could pull up to 400 tons of passanger coaches  ( 6 coaches including the guard’s van).

He has so much knowledge but its locked up in his mind. when I asked him it all came out, how do people learn all this stuff!?