About ‘Iconic Engines’

Welcome to ‘Iconic Engines’ – a personal website documenting my railway modelling journey, projects and collections. My original ambition, inspired by 2025’s ‘#Railways200’ programme was to build an ‘online museum’, a searchable catalogue visually showcasing model locomotives from across Britains’s colourful railway heritage from Victorian times to present day. But I’ve not yet found a suitable technological plugin, so have shifted focus to showcasing my layout projects – watch this space though for the engines, before too long!

My Modelling Background

Craig (LH) with his model railway / first train set at the age of 5, with sister Carrie (RH). The Hornby B12 8509 and Jinhty 47606 remain in Craig’s collection today, as 1st and oldest models.

Like many ‘dyed in the wool’ enthusiasts, I have been collecting model trains since the age of 5, when Father Christmas had the good foresight to shunt a Hornby LNER B12 Goods Set under the tree. Over teenage years I built a number of overly ambitious model layouts, most notably of ‘Millers Dale’ on the Midland Railway’s High Peak main line from Derby to Manchester. 4 decades (and a number of home moves) later, as well as gradually building up a beautiful collection of display models, I also built 2 garden railways – near Bridgend, South Wales over 2007-19, ‘The Blackbury Line‘, and then from 2020 on moving ‘back home’ to Herefordshire, the ‘Wye Valley Garden Railway‘.

My main indoor modelling project since returning to Herefordshire has been a reproduction of nearby Hereford (Barr’s Court) itself, throughout it’s operational heyday from 1910s to 1960s; along with a couple of accompanying cameo scenes of Dinedor and Holme Lacy on the former Hereford Ross and Gloucester route, very much personal pet projects as my garden fence is that very stretch of line!

Having long been keen for the opportunity to exhibit at model shows – and also appreciating the joy that can come from small space, simpler, and scenic-led layouts – I’ve been delighted to offer new home and life stage to 2 very popular exhibition layouts: ‘Artists Valley‘, originally built for the 2023 Warley Show by Paul Bambrick and Neil Podbery; and ‘Penorwic‘, a 009 slate quarry layout first built (originally as ‘Maenorwic’) & documented by Chris Phillimore.

Craig as ‘Gulliver’ enjoying an LNWR / LYR running session on the Wye Valley Garden Railway, 2023.