Sunrise at Brookford by P L S, on Flickr

Hello. I have recently started to take my O gauge DCC layout Brookford to exhibitions, although there's a great deal more to do on the model.

Brookford is an imaginary location on the Hampshire/Suffolk border, with leanings towards the ex-LSWR Southern Railway. It depicts an era from the late 1930s to the late 1950s, depending on what stock I feel like running.

Shed yard by P L S, on Flickr

BACKGROUND

The Brookford & South Western Junction Railway was incorporated in 1901 and built in the first decade of the twentieth century under the Light Railways Act 1896, and was initially operated independently. One of the original directors involved in establishing the line had previous experience on other light railways including the Mid Suffolk Light Railway (the ‘Middy’), another on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway.

Another founding director had close social and sporting connections with directors of other railway companies and had the knack of persuading them to offer stock and equipment for purchase at reasonable prices. It is rumoured that the presence of an autocoach originally built for the GWR on the stock list was the result of a sporting bet. The ex-GER Worsdell Y14 0-6-0, no 513, one of many that returned from service in France and Belgium during the Great War, was withdrawn in 1920 by the GER due to excessive damage. It was believed to have been scrapped, however in the mid 1920's the locomotive was seen at Brookford, in use on occasional Engineers duties on the line, its presence no doubt the result of another deal. It’s sister locos formed the J-15 LNER class which lasted into 1950’s on the Middy. Some say it was taken into BR stock as No 65454, but this is incorrect.

The line's locomotive facilities, turntable and engineering depot are also at Brookford station, effectively the headquarters of the line. However, a one and three quarter mile siding did in fact originally continue past the goods shed to the site of a military training camp located on the Downs nearby.

The line always failed to show a profit as many of the stations were sited miles from the communities they were meant to serve. The Southern Railway was reluctant to take the line on at the Grouping, and throughout the 1930's used every legal loophole to avoid doing so, during which time a limited service continued. Occasionally, however, special trains between Southampton and Victoria serving the Imperial Airways worldwide Clipper flying boat service were routed through Brookford, with Pullman cars for the wealthy passengers, in stark contrast to the ex-LBSC Stroudley six-wheelers the locals were used to on the line.

From 1939 War Department traffic once more kept the line busy but ordinary traffic was suspended. Following the evacuation from Dunkirk, the army camp was used to receive thousands of troops brought from Dover and Folkestone over the Southern Railway in Operation Dynamo. One locomotive used on such duties was Adams T3 class 4-4-0 No 571 which runs on the layout, and was depicted fresh out of paintshops on the front cover of the October 2011 edition of the Railway Modeller magazine, running on Weydon Road, the Farnham and District MRC's exhibition layout. It’s looking a bit more weathered now. The records show that this loco was withdrawn in 1943 and subsequently cut up, but in fact it was taken into use on the Brookford line without ever changing it’s SR livery.

No 571 on the turntable by P L S, on Flickr

THE MODEL

Brookford station buildings are based on those on the Middy, with the loco shed from Laxfield. The goods shed (originally a model built by Bill Hunt) is from Lambourne. The station also stables the line’s breakdown train, based loosely on the 15 ton Cowan Sheldon crane used by many lines from pre-grouping times onwards. An illustrated feature on the building of this model appeared in the July 2011 edition of the Railway Modeller magazine. Future projects include a weedkiller train, an Adams O2 0-4-4T loco plus a two foot gauge feeder line in O14, bringing aggregates to an exchange siding, hauled by various motive power, some of which was first used on the Western Front in the First World War.

I'm still pondering on where to have the 2-foot gauge track installed - probably just lightly laid track panels as per the prototype.

Cheers for now

Paul

Adams Radial tank No 3125 arrives with the local by P L S, on Flickr

Thanks to Matthew Cousins for this photo of his loco visiting Brookford at a recent exhibition at Tonbridge.