Hessle Model Railway Group is based at Hessle near Hull (just next to the Humber Bridge). The group originally began as a night school class at the local high school. After a few years the lecturer decided to stop running the course but a few of the “students” decided to form a group and build a layout. Initially we were based in an old unheated, damp outbuilding in the school grounds but eventually we managed to move into some rooms in the local Town Hall which although a bit small were warm, dry and secure and we are still there today. Initially layouts were built in OO and N Gauge but Invermire came to be built after a few members decided to move up to 7mm scale around 2012. Since we had not modelled in this scale before, we wanted to keep costs down and our original plan was to buy a pair of the old Lima class 33s and update them and at the same time, convert them to class 26/27s. These would then be run on a Scottish Highlands based terminus reflecting the Kyle/Far North Lines with a bit of the West Highland Line thrown in. Once the 7mm bug had bitten, we soon moved onto more practical motive power for the layout in the form of heavily modified Heljan locomotives. The backstory for the layout assumes the Garve and Ullapool Railway was a proposed line which would have branched off the Kyle line at Garve and it received approval from Parliament in 1890. Although the line was never built, we have imagined that it was and an extension was granted later for the line to continue on through Morefield and onto the Rhue Peninsula where a moderate harbour was built for the transhipment of passengers and goods to The Summer Isles and the Harris Isles. The small town of Invermire grew up around the harbour and our interpretation of “what might have been” is the basis of the layout. The majority of stock on the layout is either kit built or heavily modified proprietary items. The remainder whilst ready to run, has also been modified to better represent the local traffic patterns. We base the layout in the 1980 - 1987 period before the influx of class 37/4 locomotives, but after the introduction of the air braked Speedlink network and this enables us to operate a wide variety of trains which might be seen on the rural lines of the Highlands in the period. As mentioned previously the locos are heavily modified Heljan items. As we are only running relatively short trains most have had one of the motors removed. The 37s and 47 feature complete replacement bodyshells from JLTRT whilst the 25 has had part of the cabs replaced with JLTRT versions. All have been further detailed with parts from JLTRT, Shawplan etc. Coaching stock utilises Easybuild kits for the Mk1s and the LMS inspection saloon, whilst the Mk2s are very heavily modified Triang Big Big coaches! Most of the wagons are kit built from the likes of Slaters, Parkside, PRMRP, etc. The latest addition is a Class 104 DMU in Mexican Bean livery based on a kit from J&M Hughes but with additional parts from Easybuild. The buildings are mainly scratchbuilt. The station building is based on Thurso and the signal box is based on Georgemas Junction. A row of crofters cottages line the rear of the layout and are built from resin castings supplied by 4 2 2 Modelmaking. We are currently constructing a ten foot long extension to the layout which features a representation of Loch Awe viaduct and part of the avalanche tunnel at Attadale on the side of Loch Carron. This tunnel provides a convenient break from the fiddle yard. The layout is run to a schedule which tries to portray the types of workings seen in the far north of Scotland. In particular passenger workings incorporating 16t mineral wagons, TTA tank wagons and even a specially converted Freightliner wagon.