The former LSWR railway routes of North Devon and Cornwall have long held a certain fascination for me although, as a child of the sixties I have little recollection of them at first hand. Instead, sunny pictures in books and  magazines featuring the River Torridge around Barnstaple with distinctive curving girder bridges carrying an attractive mixture of LSWR steam and first generation diesel hauled trains have lodged in my mind. This in turn has resulted in holidays spent exploring the area/cycling the old railway trails and the accumulation of yet more associated material, as well as items of rolling stock for a possible model. Discovering the 'Withered Arm' DVD by B&R videos and purchasing period Working Timetables for the 1960s has further inflamed by interest and curiosity.
More recently, thoughts of modelling a prototypical location gave way to the attraction of combining most of my favourite aspects of the LSWR into a ficticious blend of location and scenery with a healthy flow of trains (important for an exhibition layout). Priorities included: the wide, shallow and gentle flowing River Torridge as seen between Bideford and Torrington, being crossed by one of the low, curving girder bridges, as was to be found at Barnstaple; Dapol helped too by announcing their class 22 loco, whilst the Beattie Well tank and T9 'Greyhound' types have also been produced in 4mm model form. Bulleid and Maunsell coaches in the attractive deep green shade are also available from several manufacturers.
Mental images of a wooded valley containing the River and a LSWR style junction station with lattice signals controlling a 1960 to 67 spread of suitable rolling stock, to show the prototypical progression, have resulted in various layout/trackplan sketches and enquiries as to suitable baseboard construction.