Even though the Barchester web pages don't deal specifically with any of the prototypes that may be modelled I have plenty of links here which will take readers to sites that do deal with the specific. You may be just curious or perhaps want to compare the model you have just bought with the real thing. Maybe you are modelling a prototype and would like to see a photograph to assist you in your efforts. Whatever the reason there is plenty of prototype information here and a lot more will be added as time and research permit.
Prototype Index.
30 Years Of Photographs : The Tony Dunkley Collection.
Abandoned Railways Of The USA : This site is dedicated to the history of abandoned lines.
Acronyms : Ever wondered what all those different acronyms stand for. Find out here.
Ancillary Structures : Many bits and pieces and buildings that you may want to add to your layout.
Anniversaries : This is a selected list of forthcoming transport anniversaries in the British Isles
Aussie Photographs : The Graham Cotterall. Photographs of modern Australian prototypes. Beautiful pictures
Australian Prototypes : Links to prototypes all over Australia.
Australasia : 60's steam. Railways of Australia and New Zealand in steams last decade.
Bell Codes : Standard, British usage.
Birmingham : Slides of the 1950's and 1960's by Phyllis Nicklin.
BR Bell Codes & Locomotive Head Codes :
BR Engine Sheds : From 1948 to 1994.
BR Vans - Prototype information.
Branch Line Britain : Celebrating Britain's minor railways.
British Diesel : Photographs.
Britains Railways 1954 - 1978 : Great collection of photographs.
British Railways 25kv Overhead Equipment : For railway modellers. Many drawings of this equipment and how and where it was used.
British Railways Signalling : A great site with loads of information for the modeller.
British Railway Stations : One man's pictorial record of some of it's stations.
British Rail Chronology : When did things happen on British Railways after Nationalisation.?
BR Class 14's : Type 1's from Swindon.
British Railway Locomotives : Photographs from Andy Williams of the last 28 years.
British Rail Wagon Photographs
British Railway - Sulzer Type 2 : The classes 24 and 25.
British Railways Wagon Photographs : Very comprehensive.
British Steam : Photographs.
British Steam Railways : Sites covering from the beginning to the present day plus many more of interest.
Buckley Steam Railway : This is the line from Keyhaven to Meersgate that the preservation society has rescued from oblivion.
California's Railroads To The USA - 1861 To 1986 :
Callington Branch : Operated by BR (Southern Branch) and it's predecessors.
Canals & All About Them : Many photographs for modellers to take advantage of. Also a forum if you want to pursue your interest.
Canalside Camera : Lots of pictures to help the modeller with this ever popular subject.
Chessie Roster : This link takes you to an all time B&O Chessie Roster. Any unit that exsisted from late 1972- late 1986 is listed below.
Chiltern Railways & The Chiltern Line :
Class 40 Preservation Society :
Class 66 : This web site gives an overview of all Class 66 locomotives running round the world.
Class 9F Steam Locomotive Site : This site is dedicated to 92214, an ex-British Railways Class 9F steam locomotive, restored to working order at the Midland Railway - Butterley, and presently running at the East Lancashire Railway.
Collection By The Chief : A selection of railway photographs from the modern era.
Conrail Cyclopedia : Dedicated to Conrail modellers and enthuisiasts from 1976 to 1999.
Cornish Railways : 1984 and 1985.
Cornwall Mineral & Tramways : For the transport of ore from the mines to the coast.
Cumbria Railways : The Cumbria Railways website by Peter Burgess is dedicated to the lost railways of Northern Cumbria which have all closed during the last century.
Darlington Electric Tramway :
Diesel & Electric Photographs : Railway photography by Paul Robertson.
Diesels - The 47's : Plenty of photographs and also a section on the models of this prototype. Diesels - The 50's : Welcome to the largest online collection of Class 50 photographs! This site contains a total of over 3,100 photo's featuring all fifty 50's, contributed by more than 120 photographers. The collection spans the life of the 50's from their early days on the LMR, through their long tenure on the WR, the finality of the scrapyard or, for the lucky ones - preservation. Photo's are included of every nameplate and livery carried by the class. Diesels - The 55's : Whatever you want to know about the Deltics. Diesels - The 58's : The web source for all things class 58. Diesel Images : Hundreds of photographs of nearly all classes of diesel locomotives in action.
Disaster On The Rails : The story of the wreck of the US 'Big Boy' 4005 on April 27th 1953. A harrowing tale of a tragic accident.
Disused Railways : A good look at many of the lost railways of Great Britain. Another good one for modellers.
Disused Stations : Closed railway stations in the UK. Old photographs, ordnance survey maps and other oddments. Great for research.
Dorset's Lost Railways : This is a BBC site.
Engine Shed Society : Founded in 1986 for the study of British locomotive sheds and depots, both extinct and extant
Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways : This is the website of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways - two unique narrow gauge railways (both operated by the Ffestiniog Railway Company) with a fascinating past and an even more exciting future.
Flying Scotsman : The story of this world famous locomotive.
Forgotten Relics : Great photographs for the modeller to take advantage of.
Glenboig To Cumbernauld : The route of the Garnkirk & Glasgow. A former Caledonian main line.
GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank 9466 : The site is hosted and maintained by the Locomotive Group.
Great Western Railway Archive :
Great Western Railway : Liveries.
Gunzel Gallery, The : Great photographic gallery from down under.
Industrial Buildings : Many buildings that might find their way on to your layout.
Industrial Railways : Article from Wikipedia. Covers quite a bit of ground.
Industrial & Offline Terminal Railroads : Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx and Manhattan.
Keithe & Dufftown Railway : The "Whiskey" line. The Keith and Dufftown Railway is an eleven mile line linking the World's Malt Whisky Capital, Dufftown, to the market town of Keith. The line, which was reopened by volunteers during 2000 and 2001, passes through some of Scotland's most picturesque scenery, with forest and farmland, lochs and glens, castles and distilleries.
Kent Rail : This website aims to look at the railways of Kent and the general South Eastern Division from a historical perspective, mainly concentrating on the development of infrastructure (stations and actual routes), locomotives and rolling stock in the region.
Lever Frames : Describing the different types employed by British railways.
Lincolnshire Railways Gallery : Maps and photographs for you to study.
Loading Gauges : British and Continental.
Locomotives - 1981 to Now : Electrics, DMU's, EMU's, Steam, Underground and locations.
Locomotives - Steam & Diesel :
London Midland & Scottish Society :
London & North Eastern Railway Encyclopedia
London Brighton & South Coast Railway - About
London & North Western Railway Society
Metro Transit Light Rail : The "Hiawatha" line in Minnesota USA.
Narrow Gauge Heaven : A site dedicated to narrow gauge railways throughout the world.
National Railway Museum : Well worth anyones time visiting, good for the children too.
Nerail : New England Railroad photograph archive. Thousands of pictures to view.
New England : Railroad photo archive with over 74,000 photographs.
Norham Station : Great site with lovely photographs that are helpful to all modellers.
Northern Lines Railway : Railway of Minnesota, USA.
North Cornwall - The : The old North Cornwall Railway line, photographs and story.
North Norfolk Railway : The North Norfolk Railway offers a 10.5 mile round trip by steam train (vintage diesel trains on some journeys) through a delightful area of North Norfolk designated as being of outstanding natural beauty.
North Wales Railways - 1975 to 1983 : Here you'll find photographs and text showing trains on the North Wales main line railways, mainly taken between 1976 and 1983, together with timetables, signal box locations and other information for all lines from 1960 to 1991.
North York Moors Railway : The North Yorkshire Moors is the country's most popular heritage railway.
North York Moors Railway : A different site to the one above and also supplying many photographs and information.
Penzance : Photographs and text of how it is today.
Petrol And Diesel Engines : Early history.
Plumb Loco : Photographic collections from around the world.
Preserved Shunters : This web site includes details and photographs of former BR, MoD, and industrial shunters.
Preserved Diesels : There are 280 preserved mainline diesel locomotives in the UK based on variously privately owned railways, as well as a few running on the main rail system. This web site is intended to provide a photographic record of each of these engines as well as details of the lines on which they are based and details of any diesel events.
Queensland Railways : Internet photographic album.
Queensland Railways : Steam engines portfolio.
Rail Blue : Classic British Rail traction of the 1970's and 1980's.
Rail Cams : Live cams from all around the world.
Rail Photographs : From 2004 to the present time.
Railcar Photographs : Over 40,000 photographs, that's a lot of pictorial information.
Railfan Network : American site with more than 950,000 rail images.
Rail Industry Links : Links to many areas of the train industry.
Rail Pictures : Many great photographs of the American scene to study and give you ideas no matter what or where you model.
Rail Videos : Plenty of videos here for anyone interested in the USA prototype scene.
Railroad Picture Archives : Over a million photographs of the American prototype railways.
Railway Centre, The : For the latest UK and worldwide railway news.
Railway Photographs : Plenty of steam and diesel photographs, mainly diesel.
More Railway Photographs : British Railway photographs from the last 30 years by Andy Williams.
Railway Rolling Stock : UK rolling stock photographs and plenty of 'em for you to enjoy.
Railway Signs And Signals Of Great Britain : This is a brilliant site full of information on all the signs to be found round the railways of Great Britain. An absolute boon for modellers.
Railway Stations Of Great Britain : A great site for research or just interest in what is and what was.
Railways - Britain : Signal boxes, signals and other infrastructure.
Railways In Worcestershire : This site records the railways of Worcestershire and is the work of members of the Malvern Industrial Archaeology Circle (MIAC), formed by members of the Worcester Locomotive Society. The MIAC has been active for over 30 years recording railways in Britain and overseas. An increasing number of commercial and industrial concerns are kindly making information and photographs available for use on this site in addition to material held by the MIAC.
Railways Of Warwickshire : This site is created for the railway enthusiast, local historian and railway modeller by fellow enthusiasts. It is not intended to be the definitive history of the county's railway nor hopefully will it be just the work of the current contributors
Railroad Picture Archives : Over 700,000 photographs to browse, with 72,000 locomotives.
Really Good Trains : British Railways between 1985 and the early 1990's, arranged in alphabetical order.
Rivers & Waterways Of The UK : Canals &rivers with many details.
Rolling Stock : Photographs and videos.
Severn Valley Railway : Great site with photographs from all along the route.
Signal Boxes Of The Great Railways :
Signalling : From the pages of the Railway Technical site.
Signals - British : Principles, drawings and descriptions.
Signals - British : Photograph gallery of signal boxes and equipment.
Signals - BR - Mechanical & Fog : Very nice article on mechanical signals. Great information for the layout.
Signal Lever Colours - British : The following table is based on information found in the Railway Group Guidance Notes GK/GN0525 dated October 2003 and published by the Rail Safety and Standards Board
Signspotters : The Australian road and rail sign and signal photo gallery.
Southern Group : Enthusiasts, Historians and Modellers of the Southern Railway, including its predecessors and successors, corresponding over the Internet.
St. Erth : The last stop on the GWR mainline before Penzance. Some good photographs to help modellers.
Station Colours : Very helpful for all those modelling the prototype.
Steam Locomotive Archive : By Richard Leonard. A very big site for all lovers of US steam from the 1950's foreward. If you like the steam scene then you will love this site.
Steam Train Galleries : For the UK enthusiast.
Talyllyn Railway : Historic narrow gauge steam railway set in the beautiful Welsh countryside.
The Deltics : Introduced in 1961 and surviving until 2nd January 1982 the Deltics clocked up a staggering amount of mileage between them.
The Signal Box : This site with the one shown above should tell you everything you ever wanted to know about signalling.
The History Of The Class 108 : I have made this a separate entry because of the introduction of the Class 108 from Bachmann.
The Iron Road : Railway photography by Scott Borthwick. Many beautiful pictures.
The Railcar Association : The Railcar Association is formed of owners of preserved multiple units. This site is dedicated to the history, technology and preservation of first generation DMUs.
The Siding : A collection of British Rail photographs, steam, diesel, emu's, dmu' everything.
The Terrier Trust : What is a Terrier? It is the pet name ascribed to an original class of 50 small 0-6-0 tank locomotives built by the London Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) between 1872 and 1880.
Toton Rail : Some great photographs on this site. Well worth a visit.
Train Formations Of The UK : There are some blank pages on this site, especially for the big four but still worth looking at if you are after this type of information.
Trainiax : Here you'll find drawings, recordings, photos and loads of info that relate to one of the world's most fascinating modes of transportation. A very big mine of information from around the world.
Transition From Steam : David Hey's collection of BR steam and diesels during the 1950 - 60's and 1980's.
UK Railways - North Wales : Local information for the train spotter, photographer, film maker and railway enthusiast.
UK Rail Rolling Stock : Plenty of photographs covering all kinds of rolling stock.
Ultimate Steam Page : Steam locomotion in the 21st century.
Union Pacific : Double Diesel Locomotives.
U.S Photo Archive : Photographs by Ron Lehmer.
Victorian Goldfields Railway : Plenty of information about it's current activities.
Victorian Railways : Australia. Plenty of pictures, rolling stock and motive power here.
V/Line Cars : Comprehensive information on this Australian prototype from a surprisingly young man.
Vulcan Foundry Locomotive List : A site with the locomotives built by this foundry, with photographs, plans and other information.
War Department : War department steam locomotives from 1939 - 1945.
Welsh Highland Railway Project : This is where you can find out all about the project led by the Ffestiniog Railway to rebuild and operate the Welsh Highland Railway, a neighbouring line running through the mountains of Wales which closed in the 1930s.
Western Champions Railway Photographs :
Welsh Railwatys Research Circle : The circle has been bringing together researchers and modellers who are interested not only in the mainline and branch railways of Wales and the Border Counties, but also the tramways, tramroads and the many rail connected industrial locations across the Principality.
Western Region Nostalgia : 1971 to 1975.
Western Region & Wales : 24 greqat black and white photographs of years gone by, a must look for all GWR fans.
West Somerset Railway : Loads of information and photographs here.
Wiveliscom Station History : Lies on the former Taunton - Barnstaple branch line. A 00 gauge 4mm scale model of this railway has been included in the Layouts section.
Good photographs of a lot of the differing designs of various companies. Great reference for modellers.
Pre Grouping - (Up to 1923)
Glasgow & South Western
Great Central
Great Eastern
Great Northern
Great North Of Scotland
London Brighton & South Coast
Midland
The Big Four (1923 - 1948)
Great Western
London Midland & Scottish
London & North eastern
Southern
British Railways - (From 1948)
Eastern
London Midland Region
North eastern Region
Scottish Region
Southern Region
Western Region
