Sidetracked

The Great Railway of Life (1937/47) by Montague Goodman

A railway with a difference, because it’s a sermon of sorts in railway form. This train journey takes us from from Cradleville to Gravesend!

From ‘Come to Tea with Me’, reprinted in the First Wantoknow Omnibus for Boys by Montague Goodman,

https://www.brethrenarchive.org/media/366559/goodman-montague-come-to-tea-with-me-wantoknow-series-2.pdf

available to download free or read for free as a pdf from the Plymouth Brethren Archive.

The Christian fiction book focuses on schoolboy age stories of (Sunday) school adventures, as wholesome and enthusiastic in tone as some of the Scouting, Guiding, Salvation Army youth books and Camp Fire Girls fiction and Scout yarns that I have read as part of my Scouting wide Games for the Tabletop project / blog.

Improving and entertaining literature for the impressionable young!

It reminds me a little of Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress (or the charming simplified young reader’s version by Enid Blyton called The Land of Far Beyond. This childhood paperback was almost my first RPG or D&D. The train version pops up in 1843, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Celestial Railroad.

Illustrator of Land of Far Beyond Horace Knowles’ biography: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/119780803/10/

The story opens with snow and so consequently few in class, sledding on the Sabbath and not attending class, by which I think they mean Sunday School class?

I remember Sundays being a much quieter family day in the 1970s and 80s with most shops shut.

Written in the late 1930s, The Great Railway of Life feels older in its enthusiastic, avuncular tone like a Camp Fire Yarn or moral Victorian or Edwardian children’s book?

Set in a Sunday School Class? Many of the class of boys are late and overexcited because of snowball fights on the way there …

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com

Gaming snowball fights on the tabletop is possible, skating on a frozen lake and sledding maybe not …

“You ought not to have cut class to go tobogganing” or sledding on a Sunday.

Once various characters have been introduced,
the ‘Railway’ of Life story gets underway …

Everybody is on a journey along the G.R.L.

There are “three classes on the G.R.L.” or “the Great Railway of Life …”

The line starts at a place called CRADLEVILLE …

and ends up at the important terminus GRAVESEND, where all change onto another system known as the F.A.E.R.

The F.A.E.R or For All Eternity Railway which has branch lines or branches heading to “two very different places” both beginning with H

Travelling through …

The Plains of Infancy, wide stretches of pleasant grassland, very peaceful to look at …

SCHOOLBURY

Industrial WORKINGTON with factories, mines, some parks and some spires of churches

WEDDINGBOROUGH, a pleasant town …

Other stations big and small including:

DANGERFORD slow down for this difficult gradient

DARKLEIGH, where the long tunnel is entered and the lights have to be turned on …

RETIRINGBURY, where the industry area and busy factories are left behind and a quiet valley between the hills is entered …

Till one reached the terminus at GRAVESEND, where the train comes to a standstill, everyone descends and the lights are turned out.

The writer or teacher then introduces Three Classes of traveller,

Third Class ticket inscribed “I don’t care”

Second Class ticket inscribed “I wish I were”

of which only the First Class ticket “I’m glad I’m there”, only these end up as a ‘very happy crowd’ (presumably this is salvation?)

Sunday trains on the same level as wars?
The infantry battle, cannons and cavalry are linked to two Biblical verses:
**Jeremiah** 9:22 “Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather *them*” (so part of the Broad Way to the fames of Hell …)

A medieval ‘heaven and hell’ wall painting in railway form!

https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2020/12/20/little-wars-railway-peter-dennis-paper-soldiers-54mm-civilians/

Tickets Please?

The Ticket to Heaven or Hell has maybe a second or double meaning, as in denominations like Methodism the congregation has a ‘ticket’ as a member:

“Methodist tickets (or “class tickets”) are historically significant paper or card tokens introduced by John Wesley in 1741-1742 to certify membership in the Methodist society. Issued quarterly, they served as membership credentials and allowed admission to exclusive meetings and love-feasts, often featuring Bible verses and decorative elements.” Primitive Methodist Class Tickets

Printed tickets also shown at Wesley’s Heritage website .

I’m not sure what Montague Goodman’s religious background or denomination was …

(Man of TIN blog is a tabletop gaming blog and is politically and religiously neutral)

…but The Brethren Archive (Plymouth Brethren?) has a biography and bibliography page for Montague Goodman:

Montague Goodman, an avuncular Baden Powell looking sort of a man.

Was Montague a Goodman?

Montague left money in his will as a charitable bursary to support students through their studies at London Bible College.

Montague Goodman also ran or was involved with his brothers George (and Alfred) in developing in 1912 the Wallingford Farm Training Colony “which opened at Turners Court Farm, Benson. Colonists were trained in all aspects of farm work and then were found work with farmers” including overseas.

This agricultural training charity was set up for epileptic adults, then epileptic boys and later troubled boys:

https://heritagesearch.oxfordshire.gov.uk/records/O33/2/D1/19

“By the 1930s Turners Court’s focus had begun to shift from the training of men to that of boys. Children’s Committe’s from around the country sent boys aged between 14 and 18 for vocational and character training. Many of the boys sent to Turners Court were considered to be ‘problem’ cases, being of limited intelligence, or coming from severely broken homes. The focus on farm training also began to shift, with training courses in shoe repair, brick laying, and painting and decorating being introduced at various stages. The use of the word ‘colony’ was also thought to be unsuitable and in 1959 the name ‘Turners Court’ was officially adopted. Turners Court continued until 1991 …” https://heritagesearch.oxfordshire.gov.uk/records/O33

This sounds very public-spirited and character-forming in a Baden Powell, Scouts and Guides type of way.

On vicars, religion and railways …

The Vicar with an interest in (model) railways is almost a stereotype, ranging from The Titfield Thunderbolt to Thomas the Tank Engine written by the Reverend W. Awdry.

Some argue that Thomas and the railway engine characters on the mythical Island of Sodor have a religious moral element or subtext.

“On the Island of Sodor – Awdry’s Narnia – [author Brian] Sibley highlights a strong Christian theme that emerges in a majority of tales: it’s a place where justice is fair, where there is freewill to obey or not, and forgiveness and reconciliation is unreserved … Yet the biography does make it clear that Awdry is nonetheless a highly committed clergyman first and children’s writer second …”

“Another of his titles that possibly could have had even more far reaching results was Our Child begins to pray – a manual for parents based on Awdry’s experience in cultivating his own three children’s spirituality. His sermons, like his stories were short and to the point and he engaged children by using alliterative names – Thomas Trickletrout, Fred Fiddlestring – to illustrate profound truths of the faith …” (Baptist.org)

Victorian paintings of railways and passengers such as William Frith’s large canvas Railway Station deliberately and carefully show a range of characters and social classes.

Old Victorian Board Games such as Prince’s Quest reminded me of places named after virtues and vices, with an overall victory or failure,

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/06/19/the-princes-quest-board-game/

Visual Representation: A famous 1883 color lithograph, designed by Charlotte Reihlen of Stuttgart, vividly maps these paths with scenes of daily life, morality, and biblical references: see pictured here The Broad and Narrow Way (1880s)

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1999-0425-13

One railway train (taking ‘Sunday Trains’ excursions rather than visiting church) and soldiers and other military battlefield details can be seen on this detail here above (British Museum source).

The infantry battle, cannons and cavalry are linked to two Biblical verses:
Jeremiah 9:22 “Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them”

… which sounds like the aftermath of a 19th century battlefield.

Next, images of an invading army wreaking havoc on the local population:

Ezekiel 23:47 “And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.”

Prisoners of War? Jeremiah 17:4 and 15:14 “and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not”:

So all part of the Broad Way to the flaming gates of Hell?

Notice also the bicyclist couple!

A little like those Victorian Sunday school paintings of Pilgrim’s Progress:

https://buildingjerusalem.blog/2017/07/23/pilgrims-progress-ignorance/

And here:

Calling at … “Slough of Despond … The Celestial City … The City of Destruction … River of Death … Vanity Fair … Doubting Castle …”

Wikipedia source

One to compare to the illustrations and photographs of H.G. Wells’ Floor Games Railways:

https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/on-railways-and-floor-wars-the-lwr-fwr-the-hgwr/

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, March 2026

More superb Andrew Stadden 1:43 railway characters in O Gauge

Betjeman by the sea, maybe on **the Penedredful Branch Line**.*

* The Penedredful Light Railway is the garden creation of my fellow blogger Alan (Tradgardland) Gruber. Hopefully left alone by Dr. Beeching!

I am following up my Christmas gift of some 1:43 O gauge figures that I painted and sent to one of the railway modellers in my family, who is old enough (or young enough) to remember steam as a small child in the 1960s

when steam trains were still working on the national railway network before being phased out for diesel and ‘lectric and before Dr. Beeching cut many of the branchlines.

These metal Stadden figures are beautifully modelled characters, free of flash and mould lines and a pleasure to paint.

The original pewter and painted figures can be seen at:

https://www.acstadden.co.uk/shop-6

There are a few painted examples available on the Stadden website. Painted copies are much more expensive, but beautifully done.

https://www.acstadden.co.uk/product-page/copy-of-modern-platform-staff-painted

Last Christmas I painted some generic railway staff for shunting and freight for one of my railway modeller family members.

https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/o-gauge-shunting-team-and-railway-workers/

These new March 2026 birthday figures include hi-vis more modern railway staff figures.

These will update the generic era 3D printed set of Yard figures that I painted as my part towards this Christmas surprise O Gauge Starter Set (Diesel Yard shunter) in 2025.

Crew in such hi-vis overalls or clothing are possible suitable train yard or platform staff as these Class 09 Diesel Yard Shunters worked from the 1960s and 1970s right through to the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some versions are preserved, others still working in 2026.

… whilst John Betjeman and Dr. Beeching could be enjoyed as opposing display pieces on the shelf or just as general platform characters – ‘Man with bag and hat’, ‘Avuncular loafer with hat’?

I gave them all simple grey painted MDF tuppenny bases to enhance the play and display options.

Dark grey undercoating done, acrylic painting was finished off with a mild ink wash with watered down Citadel Agrax Earthshade to bring out shade and shadow.

Then off by post this week as a surprise birthday gift …

I don’t often get to use orange gloss and white gloss Revell Aquacolour Acrylic colours, but they worked well for the Hi-Vis jackets, dirtied down with a light Citadel wash.

Some stray Sodor Shipping Co. freight awaits the next freight train to arrive at this quiet seaside station halt.

The two hi-vis railway staff are carrying Dispatch batons, white on one side, black on the other. Modern versions now have LED red and green options.

*** To mark International Women’s Day 8th March ***

The female member of staff has her train baton tucked behind her back or through her belt and hi-vis jacket.

Enjoying the same view decades earlier, Betjeman waits on a branch line halt beside the river, marsh and sea.

A quick who’s who …

Sculptor Andrew Statten is the son of the talented model soldier designer Charles Stadden or CC Stadden.

This account of Charles Stadden’s life on the Stadden website includes his interesting service in WW2.

Oh Dr. Beeching – please don’t close this branchline!

Sir Richard Beeching (1913-1985)

Trained as a physicist and engineer, Beeching became a household name in Britain in the early 1960s for his report The Reshaping of British Railways, commonly known as The Beeching Report.

Dr. Beeching inspects a not very busy Branch Line – soon to be axed in 1963?

This report led to massive and far-reaching changes in the railway network.

“As a result of the report, just over 4,000 route miles (6,400 kilometres) were removed from the system on cost and efficiency grounds, leaving Britain with 13,721 miles (22,082 km) of railway lines in 1966. A further 2,000 miles (3,200 km) were lost by the end of the 1960s, while other lines were reduced to freight use only.” (Wikipedia source)

“… despite substantial investment in the 1955 Modernisation Plan, the railways continued to record increasing losses – from £15.6M in 1956 to £42M in 1960. Passenger and goods traffic was also declining in the face of increased competition from the roads; by 1960, one in nine households owned or had access to a car.” (Wikipedia source)

Beeching called for the closure of one-third of the country’s 7,000 railway stations,

the shedding of around 70,000 British Railways jobs over three years,

the scrapping of a third of a million goods waggons.

Oh, Doctor Beeching!

Ian Hislop in his 2008 programme Britain’s Most Hated Civil Servant mentioned the effect on many rural parts of the country including my Southwest / West Country area:

“Huge swathes of the country were suddenly cut off, including a large part of Cornwall, where people still link the Beeching closures to the economic troubles that plagued the county in the decades that followed. Suddenly the means by which huge numbers of working class holidaymakers visited Cornwall’s northern coastline was gone, the fishing industry suffered and agricultural produce could no longer be transported so easily.” (BBC article)

An outcry followed Beeching’s 1963 report, with “demonstrations, petitions and protests at Downing Street, with poet John Betjeman at the vanguard of opposition … Where Beeching only saw balance sheets, Betjeman like many artists saw romance and regarded railways as part of the British landscape.” (BBC article)

A later BBC interview with Dr. Beeching:

https://youtu.be/GUHUwSGN7rA?si=yModk-QIy7zOKGTY

“Now, Dr. Beeching …” – Betjeman meets Beeching on a quiet rural Branch Line.

John Betjeman

Many of his poems mention railways including Dilton Marsh Halt:

https://allpoetry.com/Dilton-Marsh-Halt

Former Poet Laureate John Betjeman (1906-1980) is buried near the sea at St. Enodoc churchyard in Cornwall.

“ … John lamented the loss of this railway line between Wadebridge and Padstow in 1967 but would have been thrilled that the old Wadebridge railway station has been preserved and repurposed. The main building of the old railway station is now The John Betjeman Centre a multi-purpose community hub.”

Quote from an article here: https://www.cornwallheritage.com/ertach-kernow-blogs-2022-2023/ertach-kernow-sir-john-betjeman-a-great-adopted-cornishman/

YouTube Betjeman on the Branch Line and Men of Steam (1962)

Interesting Betjeman statue at St. Pancras by Martin Jennings:

http://www.thecnj.com/camden/2007/110807/stpancras110807_02.html

Youtube BBC Archive – The End of the Line 1969

and more at the BFI Archive – Betjeman on Youtube – Railways For Ever (1970) https://youtu.be/Kg4wpL2f2RE?si=PxCNvTPC0syfKdCM

Blog post by Mark Man of TIN, 8th March 2026

Blog Post Script or B.P.S.

Maybe it’s the rhythmic nature of train travel or the speeding and slowing clickety-clack metre that has inspired writers, railway modellers and poets to record or recreate the once proud days and the sad mournful decline of steam and branch lines.

Edward Thomas’ Adlestrop is one of my favourite railway poems.

https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2023/12/18/adlestrop/

More railway poems by Betjeman and others here:

https://quavid.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/poetry-in-locomotion/

O Gauge Shunting Team and Railway Workers

One of my family members who is a railway modeller has been gifted a new O Gauge diesel shunter starter pack and wagons for Christmas.

So I said for my Christmas gift to them that I would find and paint some shunting yard and train crew figures.

After a long search through S&D 1/43 metal figures, I eventually chose eBay seller Narrow Minded Railworks

It wouldn’t be Sidetracked blog if railway figures weren’t shown with other O Gauge 40/42mm gaming figures for scale:

40mm Prussian home cast, O gauge train crew, 42mm Irregular British WW2, STS LBB30 Girl Scout (conversion), Lionel Trains train crew?

I bought 6 Unpainted Figures for £15 in 1:43.5 scale “suitable for using as Loco crew, the figures are around 39mm tall.” NG7 / O Gauge

The motive power is provided by a heavily weathered Class 09 in dirty BR Blue. My family have added a couple of freight wagons to be shunted.

The motive power is provided by a heavily weathered Class 09 in dirty BR Blue. The British Rail Class 09 is a class of 0-6-0 diesel locomotive designed primarily for shunting and also short distance freight trips along branch lines.

Painted and slight ink wash today, ready to send as a Christmas present.

Crew in such overalls or clothing could be from the 1960s to 1970s and beyond as these diesel shunters were still working in the late 1990s.

As the diesel shunter is supplied weathered, I went for a simailr look for the crew. They had first the black undercoat, then dry-brushed with colours then mild diluted black paint ink wash. They are train and shunter crews, they and their overalls would be quite oily.

Once they were dry and any minor painting faults sorted, these were wrapped and posted away in time for Christmas to complement the Guagemaster Shunter Starter Set.

Revell Aquacolor Acrylic paints – Colours for future reference

Tar black undercoat, matt

Blue matt

Panzer Grey matt

White matt

Flesh matt

Black watery paint ‘ink wash’

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 15 December 2025 / 7 February 2026

Monty Don’s Rhineland Garden Railways BBC

One of my family sent me the link to this Monty Don series on German and Rhineland gardens, as it featured a garden railway. Even better with young people involved!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002px5r/monty-dons-rhineland-gardens-series-1-episode-2

The blue object is a bubble blower on a waggon.

These must be G scale Garden railway people, locomotives and rolling stock.

Thomas May is a German railway employee but also runs his own railway in his allotment in a Schreber Garden, the Zeigulhutte, south of Frankfurt in Germany.

The railway passengers and staff are arranged and moved on the garden allotment layout by the gardener’s young daughter.

They are traditionally divided into thirds – one third for a wooden building, one third for food production and third for leisure activities … like a garden railway?

I believe that these are Community or Schreber Gardens, a German allotment system found across many towns and cities.

“Today in Germany there are more than one million Schreber gardens (Schrebergärten), small, rented plots of land (200–400 sq meters) usually found on the outskirts of towns, used for growing fruits and vegetables or simply for relaxation.”

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 17 January 2025

https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/6/turowski.php

More Blowing Up Trains Norway 1940

Fra sabotasje mot jernbanebro. Foto: Vestfoldmuseene.
https://vestfoldmuseene.no/operasjon-betongblanding—da-milorg-sprengte-jernbanen-i-vestfold

This comment on my last post from Roger Halverson is worth rescuing from the ‘comments below’ section:

Roger wrote: “There were many sabotage actions in Norway through the whole war. Many of the railway sabotage actions intensified from 1944 when the German forces started to retreat from Finland and the most northern parts of Norway due to the Soviet offensive.

The purpose of the railway sabotage actions was to prevent or delay German troop movements to the southern parts of Norway and eventually Germany.

Towards the very end of WW2 there were even US troops supporting the resistance in this actions in the middle Norway region (Operation Rype).”

Rype means grouse in Norwegian.

That would be an interesting gaming scenario, US paratroop involvement in Operation Rype.

Book review from The Norwegian American website.

This also mentions three earlier British-Norwegian sabotage operations: Coton, Waxwing, and Woodlark.

Roger mentioned: “At March 14th 1945 there was a larger coordinated operation against the Norwegian railway network in the southern parts of Norway to prevent the Germans to transfer some of their 300 000+ soldiers from Norway to the fightings in Germany.”

This coordinated operation “contained some 43 smaller sabotage actions against the railway infrastructure. This operation was named Operasjon Betongblanding or Operation Concrete Mixer.

Roger suggests: If you ‘google’ Operasjon Betongblanding and Operasjon Rype you should find some interesting images online.

He finishes: “This photo above is from Operation Betongblandig and taken in the town I’m originally from, Tønsberg. This actual spot is just a couple of hundre meters from where I went to school.”

Thanks, Roger for the additional information. Lots of interesting history links to follow up.

Blog post by Mark Man of TIN, 2 January 2026.

Blowing up more trains – Norway 1940

1944 Norwegian / HMSO booklet photograph.

Several of the Norwegian war films such as Gold Run (Gulltransporten), Narvik 1940 and Last Lieutenant that I have watched seem to focus on the Norwegian railway network and blowing up railway bridges and tunnels.

The Norwegian Gulltransporten railway layout photo that started it all (thanks to Roger Halverson for the photo / post).

I noticed in this Norwegian / HMSO 1944 booklet Before We Go Back (about life in Norway and Norwegian exiles and refugees in WW2 ) this interesting aerial photograph of an ambushed German train at Drammen.

“German troop train derailed in Drammen in South Norway as the result of an explosion on the line.”

Sabotaged!

Rivers, railways, tunnels all lend themselves to a raid or gaming scenarios. (See my previous posts below).

Will the rail or road bridge be blown in time by the defenders or paratroopers?

Will the invading forces overwhelm the defenders?

Not all sabotage and resistance has to involve blowing things up.

Underground printing press news ‘zines and some great little Resistance cartoons. The charging Norwegian lion is a royal symbol and featured on a military uniform helmet badge.

Leve Kongen. V for Victory or Vi Vil Vinn – a painted wall slogan, a line of stones, some knitted mittens or a painted back! All types of the overt or subtle Norwegian resistance propaganda challenging Nazi German rule including reference to King Harkon the 7th 1940 or H7 symbols. (From the 1944 Booklet)

Train derailed at Drammen? And just to aid the book-let readers in 1944, a handy simple map of Norway was included in the book.

Previous blowing up trains related gaming posts – WW1 and ACW:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/05/blowing-up-desert-trains/

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 13 November 2025

Work in Progress on the Painting Desk – WW2 Norwegian infantry

First five Norwegian 54mm, almost finished in Sea Green

WIP – I have almost finished my first five 54mm Norwegian infantry figures, a mixture of paint conversions and hat filing conversions.

These were inspired by the recent King’s Choice, Narvik 1940 and Gold Run (Gulltransporten) Norwegian WW2 films and an unusual model railway layout based on the railways in this latter film (thanks to Roger Halverson).

I’m keeping the Norwegian infantry paint scheme simple and trying to keep these paint conversions distinctively different from their opposition,

namely Airfix 54mm German Mountain Troops, Afrika Korps in bergmutz ski caps and German Paratroops that might be drafted in as opposition.

‘Before You Go Back’ booklet, an interesting little bit of 1944 Allied history or PR. A recent acquisition from HMSO 1944, one that I will feature in a future blogpost on Norway in WW2.

I haven’t modelled bergen rucksacks, gasmask bags or the bulky boxy front ammunition pouches, I have just paint enhanced simple details such as the belt, webbing and pouches that are already there.

I still have some detail such as faces to paint on, potentially with classic toy soldier face and possibly gloss spray varnish? Rather than a more realistic grungy ink wash?

Revell Acrylic Aquacolor – paint references

Sea Green matt – 361 48 – uniform grey green colour

Brown matt – 361 85 leather pouches, webbing

Leather Brown matt – 371 84 – rifle

Tar Black matt – 361 06 – boots, hair, rifle metal (before gun metal dry brush)

Flesh matt – 361 35 – flesh

Light Olive matt – 361 45 – puttees, water bottle cover, hair

Still to add

Red uniform piping?

The silver and red cockade or button at front of ski cap

Cheek dots, eyes, mouth – classic toy soldier face.

Gun metal / silver or steel and black mix for weapons metalwork?

Base – grey neutral rather than snowy white?

Roger Halverson’s faux box art for Airfix 1:32

Uniform Reference posts so far

https://manoftinblogtwo.wordpress.com/2025/11/07/norway-1940-figure-conversions-from-airfix-german-mountain-troops-1/

https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/what-if-airfix-made-1-32-norwegian-infantry-1940/

Very much WIP – Work in Progress – watch this space.

Posted by Mark Man of TIN, 1st December 2025

B.P.S. Blog Post Script

Quite unasked, AI insists on pitching in and summarising my Man of TIN / Sidetracked Norway 1940 posts

AI summary indeed.

What If Airfix made 1/32 Norwegian Infantry 1940?

Roger Halverson created this great Airfix What If? Box Art illustration:

https://modelrailsandwargames.blogspot.com/2025/10/airfix-132-scale-railway-enthusiasts.html

I have recently seen some Airfix box art animated online with the familiar Airfix box art characters coming to life (presumably by clever A.I?)

Chat GPT A.I. basics couldn’t do that animation for me but it did develop Roger’s box art ideas as if the figures were marching out?

My bit of A.I. Airfix fun … or are they slowly turning into simple Chinese Infantry?

Having watched the film Gold Run (Gulltransporten) on BBC Iplayer about saving the Norwegian gold reserves in WW2 by rail, boat and lorry and having seen Roger’s photographs of such a model railway layout in Norway, I can think of a possible Norway 1940 skirmish version of Stuart Asquith’s Wheel Meet Again scenario of a broken down Norwegian lorry laden with a gold transport and small waggon guard requiring rescue from pursuing Germans. They need to reach a railway station or port to pass on their gold shipment.

As no one makes plastic Norwegian Infantry, I have raided my store pile of those very versatile Airfix German Mountain Infantry:

https://manoftinblogtwo.wordpress.com/2025/11/07/norway-1940-figure-conversions-from-airfix-german-mountain-troops-1/

*Finnmarkslue* Norwegian infantry ski cap (left), filed down from the pointier German ski cap (right).

Painting them as Norwegians as best I can to distinguish them readily from the other Airfix German Mountain Troop figures requires getting close to the right sort of Norwegian green or grey-green 1912 uniform.

Some of the film stills or screenshots of recent Norwegian WW2 films such as Narvik 1940, The King’s Choice and Gold Run (Gulltransporten) were also helpful.

Green uniform from the back minus the rucksack, slung water bottle. Screenshot image: *Gulltransporten*

Grey Green Norwegian uniforms (*Narvik*) and light brown leather webbing.

*Finnmarkslue* Skiing cap (Image screenshot: *Narvik*)

Grubby / Off-white skiing anorak or mountain jacket (camouflage?) Image screenshot: *Gulltransporten*

A variety of tones of grey green Norwegian infantry including greatcoats and foreground Major / Officer in kepi hat (Image screenshot: *Gulltransporten*)

Add to this some uniform references from a previous post:

https://manoftinblogtwo.wordpress.com/2025/11/07/norway-1940-figure-conversions-from-airfix-german-mountain-troops-1/

Norsemen miniatures: Narvik grey green infantry

A lighter ‘field-grey’ 1912 green uniform and ski pants in Preben Kannik, *Military Uniforms of the World in Colour*

Unknown internet source photo showing either British troops in greatcoats or Norwegians wearing British steel helmets (issued to Cavalry and Artillery). The older dark blue Norwegian greatcoat is seen lower right, middle & upper left.

But which green to use from my many grey green shades of Revell Aquacolour Acrylic paints?

L to R: Revell Acrylic Black Green 40,
dark undercoated Dunkelgrun or Dark Green 68,
**Sea Green 48.**
Jon Hodgson Winter backdrops.

To distinguish these from German Mountain Troops, the Finnmarkslue caps have been filed and sandpapered down from the peakier bergemutz German ski cap.

The latter Sea Green 48 is probably going to be my current choice for my Norwegians? I shall paint up some trial 54mm figures.

Distinguishing these Svenmarck figures from the GrosReich Opposition?

The camo smocks came later, 1940 German paratroops were more plain and grey. Airfix veteran 1:32 figures that I painted back in the 1980s.

Norwegian green or grey-green needs to be less like German feldgrau grey uniforms?

My opposing Germans are likely to be Airfix German Mountain Troops, a few Infantry and Paratroops in 54mm, although you could equally do this with the smaller OOHO Airfix figures at railway scale.

The German Mountain Infantry and others are likely to be marked out by carrying more automatic weapons.

Norwegians had rifles or the Madsen LMG, which could be crudely improvised with a scratch-built curved cartridge clip onto the German Mountain Troops’ MG42 pair.

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/peter-laing-15mm-and-airfix-54mm-german-paratroops/

Preben Kannik, Military Uniforms of the World in Colour – Germans 1939/1940

The Airfix box painting notes noted the paratroop helmet as Luftwaffe Blue Grey.

The figures might even be gloss varnished toy soldier style.

These mountain troops remind me a little of my past 28mm freebie sprue kitbashing of not quite WW2 or Interbellum ImagiNations:

https://manoftinblogtwo.wordpress.com/2023/04/23/alpine-troops-painted-fiddly-28mm-mini-multipose-fun-continues/

Blog post by Mark Man of TIN, 18 / 19 November 2025

Thanks Roger!

Wikimedia images and commentary on Norwegian infantry notes the varied uniform colours from green to grey: “In 1914 the new ‘mountain-grey’ (fjellgrå) uniform with red piping were standard for all troops. The colour had been in use by some units since 1902 and varied from dark green to clear grey.”

GullTransporten or Gold Transport Norway April 1940

Roger Halvorsen, wargame blogger and model railway enthusiast in Norway, visited a recent railway exhibition there and posted some photos:

https://modelrailsandwargames.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-model-railway-exhibition-in-norway.html

Photo by Roger of this fascinating Gulltransporten themed Norway WW2 layout

There were some atmospheric snowy scenes and even a tiny Z Scale railway layout.

I noticed an interesting military themed layout amongst the dozens of photos and videos that Roger posted and shared online.

On this my occasional Sidetracked blog, I keep an eye out for military themed railways or potential wargames and model railway crossovers.

Gulltransporten was one such interesting layout.

A film has recently been made of this dramatic journey (See trailer here on IMDB ) called Gold Run (Norwegian: Gulltransporten), a 2022 Norwegian film about the gold’s transport –

available in UK on BBC I Player free https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001qnrm.

This seems to overlap with the events of The King’s Choice (recent Norwegian Film ) with its dramatic snowy battles:

“As German troops advance towards Hamar, the royal family and the Cabinet relocate to Elverum, where the decision is made to send Olav’s wife and three children to [neutral] Sweden while the King and the Crown Prince remain in the country. Just after midnight on 10 April, the German paratroopers attack a roadblock at Midtskogen, and are beaten back by the Norwegian volunteers.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King%27s_Choice

The gold transport appears to have had an overlap at Midtskogen with planned evacuation of the King and Royal Family to Britain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midtskogen

“The gold stayed at Lillehammer for a few days before having to move again due to the German advance. It was loaded onto a train and travelled across country away from the German advance. Meanwhile, the Norwegian government and King Haakon VII were separately evading the German advance.” (Wikipedia)

German paratroopers attempted to reach Lillehammer in buses to capture the dignitaries and gold, but were stopped by an improvised defence at Midtskogen. Norwegian troops from Jørstadmoen were deployed to Lillehammer to guard the train.”(Wikipedia)

Scenario ideas – one of our lorries has broken down?

This would be an interesting scenario to use the versatile ‘Wheel Meet Again’ broken down waggon or lorry scenario that I played as a Stuart Asquith tribute back in 2019.

Imagine one of the requisitioned lorries carrying gold broke down and got left behind …

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/11/17/wheel-meet-again-a-tribute-ancients-game-for-stuart-asquith/

Suitable figures could be improvised in 1:32 or OOHO for Norway forces from Airfix German Mountain Troops and for Germany from German Paratroopers.

Early War Miniatures do metal 20mm Norway 1940 figures.

Norsemen Miniatures or Tinnsoldater in Norway do 1:30 or 60mm military model painted figures https://tinnsoldater.no/en/products/norsk-menig-soldat-narvik-1940

Anyway back to the scenario …

Scenario 8 – Wheel Meet Again

“A lightly guarded convoy of wagons has run into a spot of bother. One of the wagons has suffered a broken wheel and had to be left behind with a guard by the rest of the convoy. On reaching their destination the scouts pass on their news about the disabled wagon. At once a relief column is organised, complete with spare wheel to put the wagon back in service and sets off.

Meanwhile the enemy is also interested in the immobile wagon and its small escort and decide to investigate. The wagon guard, on the alert for just such an event, open fire on the inquisitive enemy, hoping that relief is at hand.

This scenario is fought in three stages.

Firstly the wagon guards attempt to keep their attackers at bay.

Next reinforcements arrive and deploy to allow the wagon to be repaired.

Finally the wagon and its new escort have to gain the safety of the eastern edge of the table once more. A moderately complex, three-part engagement follows and offers numerous permutations for the solo player …”

Stuart Asquith, p.74 Solo Wargaming (1989)

The Norwegian National Treasury of Gold was eventually evacuated under German fire and air raid by three different Royal Navy ships and Norwegian fishing boats via the BEF British armed forces in Norway area and the Royal Navy including HMS Galatea.

Despite the British chaos and improvisation of British involvement in Norway (which brought down the Chamberlain government and led to Winston Churchill as Prime Minister), there developed strong ties between Britain and Norway, still celebrated each Christmas by the gift of a Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square from the people of Oslo in Norway to the people of Britain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafalgar_Square_Christmas_tree

At the base of the tree stands a plaque, bearing the words:

This tree is given by the city of Oslo as a token of Norwegian gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940-45.
A tree has been given annually since 1947.

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN blog, 24 October 2025

B.P.S. Blog Post Script

I thought I recognised the name HMS Galatea, later sunk in the Mediterranean by a German Uboat, as one of the crew who died is featured on a local war memorial research project in Cornwall that I was involved in.

A little Light Railway reading

Warning! This way Railway Madness lies …

The attractive 1930s style website header for https://kesr.org.uk

and a couple of sample pages from Cornwall and Devon (Toot Toot for the West Country) with maps and postcards

The ‘Withered Arm’ sounds like a Sherlock Holmes or M.R. James story

Or the Sheppey Light Railway, which reminded me of Bob Cordery’s Wargaming Miscellany recent marshes gunnery fort railway challenge recently featured on this Sidetracked blog.

There is more about Colonel Stephens on Wikiepedia including a list of his mostly vanished Light Railway lines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._F._Stephens

I was disappointed to find ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’ was not amongst them. Shooting for this was largely carried out near Bath Bath, Somerset, on the Camerton branch of the Bristol and North Somerset Railway, along the Cam Brook Valley. Cam Brook valley.

Stephens’ military WW1 and Territorial / volunteer experience is also mentioned.

This rabbit hole was inspired by an article in The Micro Model Railway Dispatch magazine Issue 12 2024 (p.16)

The magical words The Light Railways Act of 1896 …

https://micromodelrailwaydispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Issue-12-2024-final-2.pdf

Many hours can be fruitfully spent reading through this free online magazine full of fine modelling detail on micro layouts, Inglenook shunting puzzles, pizza box circular railway, all inspired by the late Carl Arendt. (Thanks for the tip off, Alan Tradgardland Gruber)

Micro Railways – Multum im parva indeed!

https://micromodelrailwaydispatch.com

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, another rainy day, 5th December 2025