All caption text in italics by the Rev W Awdry. From the model railway scrapbook, part of the Awdry Study in the NGRM, Tywyn. Thanks to Chris White, Winston McCanna and Ron Whitaker.
Tidmouth 9:45 a.m.

9.45 am at TIDMOUTH

The Barrow/Tidmouth semi-fast hauled by Henry arrives.
N.B.
- Harbour Master's launch.
- Two ships, Nancy and Violet, built for W.A. by G.E.V.A. [Wilbert's brother George]
- Also insulated vans waiting for their load of fish from Violet.
- Percy, away up on shunting neck ready to take Henry's coaches
Tidmouth 10:30 a.m.
 TIDMOUTH 10.30 a.m.

HENRY has coupled to the FLYING KIPPER vans and stands (centre background) awaiting the "all clear"

NB The coaches from the "semi-fast" have been shunted into the carriage siding, and PERCY stands awaiting his mail job.

The Station buildings and plate forms are temporary only. They are relics of the 1927 layout.

Note also the Turntable, watercrane & coaling stage, also the lever frame out in the open waiting for the signalbox which was never built.

The Rev.'s layout at Emneth: James arrives with a train JAMES arrives with a train. Henry has gone.

The original Thomas railway, staffed by the popular characters of the early books. This was first conceived at Elsworth in 1948 and relaid on a grand scale at Emneth in 1953. It was often pressed into service to raise money to buy church materials, and also functioned as a literary muse in plotting Railway Series stories. It is known that Anglia TV have footage of this layout, from a local news item, but aside of the high charge to digitise, the original footage appears to have since gone missing :(. So a short distance out of Tidmouth, comes...

7:25 a.m. Knapford
7.25 am at KNAPFORD Dec. 1952 The Push-Pull (Thomas with Annie & Clarabelle), en route for CRONK; waits on the passing loop for the "Milk" to arrive, hauled by Edward, from BARROW. Houses are cardboard cut outs. The station platform and building, also the tunnel mouth are relics from a previous layout 1927-29 Built by W.A. and GEVA. at Great Cheverell. The colour light signals were installed to save time in fitting? over that required for semaphores.

Knapford 8:30 a.m. (Quarry)
 8.30 a.m. at KNAPFORD QUARRY Dec. 1952.

PERCY. Having run round them at the Main Line Station
propels wagons to Quarry for loading. Note Quarry men's coach.
ex Wisbech and Upwell - built by P.R. Wickham. Points at
Quarry were worked from the panel by solenoids.

Plan of the NWR drawn by PR Wickham
 A plan of the NWR drawn by P.R. Wickham

1952-53 Line-Up of the Rev. awdry's engines.
Line up of the early engines 1952-53: Toby, Percy, Edward, James, Henry, Thomas, Annie and Clarabel.

A never-realized layout plan drawn by the Rev. Awdry
A line within a line? This plan, never completed, envisages a jaunt through Elsbridge to Ffarquhar. But the Reverend's mind was thinking of a layout that was better suited to travelling and raising funds for the church. Ffarquhar was eventually realised as a separate 6' by 6' layout known as Ffarquhar Mark I

A thorough history of the Tidmouth-Knapford section of the NWR is contained here in a PDF made of 7 leaves from the model railway scrapbook concerning that railway, the muddy text from my photos interpreted brilliantly by Jim Gratton, to whom also many thanks in cleaning up the images.