This is my concept based on my experiences of seeing trains from my school and college days as a long term project with various options available depending on the space at my disposal.

"South Grayton" (name not decided) is a mainline wayside station in the South Western Division of BR Southern Region, originally built by the LSWR but its buildings were razed during the late 1960s/early 1970s in favour of bus stop style shelters though retaining its SR concrete footbridge.

However, passenger usage declined throughout the 1970s and a closure notice was issued in September 1976, however after representations by the local council and passenger groups, the Secretary of State gave BR permission to withdraw regular passenger services, but also stipulated the infrastructure must be retained on a care and maintenance basis for occasional excursion and special use, subject to council plans for a new super stadium to be built nearby. BR withdrew regular services from the start of the 1977 summer timetable.

Meanwhile the planning application was the subject of a public inquiry which was hotly contested, but the super stadium gained planning permission in late 1982. "South Grayton" had seen occasional use for excursions but the green light for the stadium meant that work began on refurbishing the platforms and installing new shelters. The station was ready for full reopening as early as April 1983 but due to work on the new stadium only having started in January, it was decided to retain it only for occasional use until the stadium was completed.

The new Priory West Green Stadium opened for business in January 1985 featuring covered stands and facilities for football and athletics. Full passenger services began again with the start of the 1985 summer timetable. Extra shelters were built to accommodate the expected increase in usage for events held there. The station received new Network SouthEast red bus stop shelters and signage in late 1987, after all it took ages even with Chris Green's vigour to make their mark.

Passenger services are provided by DEMUs with occasional Portsmouth Harbour-Bristol trains stopping during peak hours and for sports events.

Due to increasing usage for sporting events, park and ride and the construction of several business parks nearby, approval was given in early 1989 to rebuild the station in time for the Solent Link electrification in 1990.

This is the fiction ...

For quite some time I've been amassing just enough OO rail blue era stock to represent the situation on an average daytime weekday in 1977, 1983 and 1987, and have in a display cabinet a pair of partially completed platforms long enough to hold a 3-car DEMU set, minus signage, figures and station furniture ready for the time when I have the space to build such a layout.

I'm waiting for Kernow/Bachmann to bring out their Hampshire DEMU sometime next year.

Relevant stock have been tested on a small oval test track and other parts and buildings have been acquired or are being built, in the short term seeing use in other projects.

I can also model it as a Western Region, London area setup between 1985-1988, with a GWR covered footbridge and appropriate fittings, or a shorter central island platform, using bubblecars and 101s, as a smaller layout.

LATEST NEWS -- from now on the station will be called Westfield Green, named after two schools I attended.

Any work done on the layout including images will be posted in the layouts forum under the "Westfield Green" heading.