Doncaster Locomotive Works plays an understated but key role in the smooth operation of McKinley’s Time Machine.

Surely H.G. Wells himself would have approved of a concept in which steam and diesel engines can travel as far as six feet from the exit tracks near Sheffield to a dystopian, post-apocalyptic wine rack mounted on a nearby wall? Unlike Wells’ bedraggled character, however, these time travellers need only go forwards or backwards for a maximum of 20 years, somewhat less than the 802,701 years facing their illustrious Victorian predecessor.

McKinley’s rolling era concept initially takes us back to 1956, a year of Elvis Presley, the Suez Crisis, the Hungarian Uprising, and the first Summer Olympic Games in the southern hemisphere. As the years subsequently pass steam locos begin to disappear from Britain’s railways to be replaced by diesels and, on McKinley, their home when not on operational duty is Doncaster. Locos do their service, are manually removed from the layout, and newer stock brought on to replace them. The cycle repeats until 1975 when McKinley’s Time Machine ends, and it becomes 1956 all over again. We hope Mr Wells would have enjoyed the journey.