Ritchie41

Conor Richard Benjamin James Callum Gregor Hugh Cruiarch Stromlin Mingulay Dun Lathshie Adriasch Alistair Klintoch Robert Mackintosh Ritchie (Born 20th April 1997 in Paisley, Scotland) is a British Satirist, Railway Enthusiast and Rugby Referee.

Early life

Born in Paisley, Renfrew in 1997, Ritchie grew up with the life typical of a family in the Glaswegian suburbs. However, at the age of 4, he and his family moved to Bebington, a town in Merseyside. He was educated at stanton road primary school then Wirral Grammar School for Boys. During March of 2012, It was revealed that Ritchie may not have been born in Glasgow, and may in fact been Born in Truro, Cornwall. this now places three locations as the location for his birth, Truro, Bebington and Paisley.

Echismark

In July 2011, Ritchie received a letter from the Kingdom of Echismark, stating that he was 34th in line to inherit the throne, and had been given the title of Grand Duke. he was in lineage due to his mother's adoption, and her Danish mother. His duties are the Echian representative to the UK, president of the cricket board and president of FC Vabrosik and FC Stinnvik.

Cornwall

Due to his biological Grandfather, he is in lineage to the cornish throne. He has self stylised himself as Earl of Mevagissey and Earl of Gorran.

Rugby Career

He started playing at the age of 10 for Wirral, and made 48 appearances (+ 10 sevens) before quitting. then, he became a freelance player, and played in Ireland and Scotland, making 30 appearances for Paisley in his native town at a new position of scrum half. He did have one match at fly half, and scored 22 points. During March 2012 Conor Ritchie attended a referee course.

Football Career

During his time in scotland, he played for the Paisley Football Club. He made 20 appearances as a centre back, scoring 6 goals. in the Aran Islands, he played 8 games and scored 10 at centre forward.

Railways

He is a railway Modeller, and has many layouts.

Barryn

This layout is a heritage railway, size 10' by 5', with three stations, Barryn, Great Warping and Copingham, a disused coal pit, Thatcher's pit, and ten locomotives, including the Bachmann City of truro and Hornby's Flying Scotsman. this is the main layout.

St Isambard Road

This Layout is based in Cornwall, at the (fictional) ex-GWR station of St Isambard Road, and focuses around a small halt and sidings serving the village of St Isambard. The layout is set in the present day, with class 153 DMUs and class 66 freight locos providing most of the services. However the layout can be switched to the GWR era, by replacing stock and some other small details.

Boardsworth cutting

Another modern era layout, similar to St Isambard Road but on a larger, more industrialised scale, Boardsworth station sees a sporadic passenger service, with class 153s and class 142 pacer units providing that service. there is substantial mineral traffic to and from the quarries in the area, to the small yard and MPD situated there.

Portillo Street

Portillo street, named after the politician Michael Portillo, is set in the London area during the BR Blue era. it caters solely for passenger traffic, and is inspired by CJ Freezer's Minories layout, set in a very urbanised area.

Trekernow and Mineral Road

Trekernow and Mineral Road is an interesting concept. A small layout, it is separated down the middle, lengthways, with one half being Trekernow, a cornish based GWR terminus, and the other being Mineral Road, an industrial layout set in LNER Yorkshire. Mineral Road is mainly freight, with small workers trains to the station, whereas Trekernow is a tourist orientated station dominated by autotrains and longer passenger trains.

Merlthwaite

Half the size of Trekernow and Mineral Road due to it only being one layout, Merlthwaite is set in the lake district during the 1950s, but can be brought back to LMS days. stock consists of LMS Standard coaches in LMS and BR liveries, fairburn tanks, ex LMS 'jinties' and freight wagons. it is set in a lakeside cutting, with Backboards on both sides, and could be fastforwarded and set as a heritage line, similar in all aspects to the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway.

Helixton

By far the smallest layout constructed, Helixton was built on just 2 30cm rulers side by side for the scenic section, hence the name (Helix make rulers). all stock and buildings were scratchbuilt, and it is supposedly the other end of the Uttering Light Railway. Ritchie's 186 class DMUs are the mainstay of the small fleet.

Uttering Light Railway

The layout is supposedly the same railway as helixton, and uses similar stock. it is a Colonel HF Stephens inspired line, which uses custom made stock and small branch line stock to complement Ritchie's 'class 186 DMUs'. one notable feature is the use of Hornby Skaledale's Cricket pavillion as the Wormswood station building.

The Milk Line

Designed as a layout to utilise Wills' station halt kits, the layout has four stations: the two halts, awaiting names, and two termini, one with exchange sidings and loco servicing facilities, the other with milk collection sidings and a small passenger platform. it is a Modular GWR Layout.

Future Layouts

This is a list of future layout projects Ritchie has plans to construct over the coming years.

Remembrance Fields

This layout is being built at the moment and is a Memorial orientated layout, which Ritchie hopes to have running by november 11th 2012. The Passenger stock will be operated mainly by 2 of Hornby Railroad's LMS Patriot locomotives, named The Unknown Warrior and Absent Friends, and will feature two stations; Youd Street, named after a former teacher at his school, and Armistice Lane, which will contain the Locomotive servicing facilities. Other notable features will be a Cenotaph, and poppy fields.

Gresley Hill and Bruce Castle

A larger version of Trekernow and Mineral Road, this layout retains the LNER but the GWR has been replaced by the SR. Gresley hill is a station on the LNER network served mainly by LNER celestory coaches behind a small tank engine or B17/2. there is freight traffic here, being fish trains and mineral traffic, no doubt the latter coming from Mineral Road or even Boardsworth cutting. Bruce Castle is a seaside town on the SR network, with the castle ruins behind the station itself. the track is all embedded in concrete, as it is a harbour, with the station buildings behind the three lines, with the other two being used for freight traffic.

Lomond Road

A scottish region layout, set in the west Highlands, will feature two stations and is supposed to be modern Image/BR Blue, and will focus around a Castle Hotel, Loch, and small village.

Heritage centre

small layout, set at a railway centre with GWR background, will feature train shed with railmotor set and autotrain (this shed also has a station building), Loco shed (for 3-4 locos, Small Priarie, Pannier, 4-4-0 County, and possibly small industrial GWR Loco), Carriage shed(6 carriages, 2 B set, ratio 4 wheeled coaches and parcels van), Station and platform, and signal box. there is a possibility of a rail traction engine being built and 'swindonised' and at least one small coach (based on those at Helixton)

Others

Eastern Region

It is rumoured that Ritchie is planning on making a small eastern region layout, utilising the RM Jan 2012 free signal box model and possibly scratchbuilding a station building, or using the new (2012) Hornby NER station building models.

SR Headshunt

SR Based wayside station and headshunt, using mainly RTR stock and buildings, rolling stock provided by Hornby 4 wheeled coaches and/ or Smallbrook Studio SR coaches

Kinlarge

Northern Irish based layout, using British outine stock, albeit slightly adapted, will feature two stations- Kinlarge and Lough Gragh, and may feature a station or halt at a Castle.

Loft Layout

Plans have been drawn up for a GWR layout in the loft of his house, with two stations, a twist format. the loft could also be home to the planned settle - carlisle layout or his idea for a major terminus.

Elm Fields

A light railway, using loco-hauled trains instead of the railcar sets, planned to be severly overgrown. inspired by Ivydale and Blissgate.

Scottish setting

Layout planned to be set in the highlands, seaside port either west or east, possibly aberdeen-Inverness area, or Lochinver-Kyle of Lochalsh. if set in the modern era, it is likely to feature a small shed with steam locos in for railtours.

Rumours

It is also rumoured that Ritchie would like to create some more micro layouts, possibly the completion of the ULR in modular form, which is the form they are most likely to take shape in. alternatively other periods and many industrial possibilities will be looked at, including layouts in A4 Box Files or in bookcases.