Passenger Train Operating Companies map for Bridgtown.
Bridgtown is set in the West Midlands, in a similar location to Wolverhampton from the railway network perspective, which has provided a great deal of inspiration for this layout. The name Bridgtown was chosen for two reasons; firstly due to it being a similar name to the capital of a favourite holiday destination, Bridgetown, Barbados; and secondly it is the name of a town in Staffordshire, not too far from the intended location of the model.
The model is to be based around 2003-2005, primarily chosen as it was the changeover period of Virgin West Coast Trains services changing from the hands of Class 86/87 AC locomotive haulage to the Class 390 Pendolinos and Class 221 Voyagers. With the addition of the Class 220/221 Voyagers on Cross-Country services along with my favourite HSTs on both XC and West Coast services it allows an interesting mix.
Local services will be handled by a range of multiple units from Central Trains with a representation of the then new(ish) Arriva Trains Wales services.
Freight traffic will be largely Steel, Intermodal and Coal; although not a primary route it is imagined that due to engineering works elsewhere a large number of freight trains have been diverted via Bridgtown giving an excuse to run some of the trains more suited to the Trent Valley line via Lichfield and Tamworth. A local steel transfer terminal is served by several trains per day and the junction that allows access to the terminal is sited within the model, giving purpose to the steel traffic I intend running.