Idridgehay - A Derbyshire Midland Railway Branch Station

A single-platform wayside station on a single-track branch isn't your typical Midland station but it's teeming with typical Midland structures and details! I like in particular the classic economy measure of two signals, for opposite directions, on one post. I note that the far end of the loop is controlled from a lever stage, presumably being deemed too far from the signal box; the loop is purely for shunting the yard, certainly not for passing trains. 

 

This would make a lovely model. What period? Perhaps c. 1908-1912 with one of the M&GN 4-4-0Ts with a converted Pullman - them Midland's first experiment with motor trains.

What scale/gauge Nick?

4mm / 00 finescale.

Hi,

 

does anyone have a scale drawing of the station building? it looks pretty similar to Wirksworth i think - but they are smaller buildings than whats on the S&C, and so may work for my 7mm layout

 

Thanks

 

Chris

The Midland Railway Study Centre catalogue doesn't show up anything particularly relevant - there doesn't seem to be much in the way of architect's drawings from the J.H. Sanders era. The buildings apparently still exist, though I assume as private property - I suppose one could try turning up with tape measure and camera doing one's level best not to look like an escaped lunatic - or use the outline dimensions from the 2-chain plan together with period photos (such as that beautiful one in your header) and reference to details of contemporary buildings such as the S&C and Mangotsgield & Bath stations.

 

Googling, it seems a well-photographed station at various periods - the SM's house too. For instance, this photo would get you a long way.

Edited March 5, 2020 by Compound2632

These people have most of the dimensions - no point re-inventing the wheel if you can avoid it !

 

https://www.nottingham-modelrailway.org.uk/layouts-idridgehay.html

"All the buildings are scratch built from plasticard and are taken from photographs and site measurements. The buildings in the goods yard are freelance but are typical of the L.M.S"

Take care not to build a model of a model, though. Looks like there's enough info to cross-check - though that will undoubtedly expose some unresolvable ambiguity.

21 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

The Midland Railway Study Centre catalogue doesn't show up anything particularly relevant - there doesn't seem to be much in the way of architect's drawings from the J.H. Sanders era.

 

I take that back. Browsing with different search criteria turns up the drawing for Wirksworth station building, Item 12246.

There's drawings of Shottle station building (the next station south) in 'The Wirksworth Branch' by Howard Sprenger (The Oakwood Press) P.22.  Also in 'Modelling Branch Lines A guide for Railway Modellers' by David Wright (The Crowood Press) page 167.  He measured up the building as it is today.  I suspect that would be closer to Idridgehay than Wirksworth.  Both books have plans of all four stations on the Wirksworth Branch, with the former having several drawings of Wirksworth station's major structures.  The latter has an artists impression of Hazlewood Station.

 

I would argue that 'A single-platform wayside station on a single-track branch' isn't untypical of the Midland.  Even with my little knowledge of the system, sticking to Derbyshire, off the top of my head I can think of several stations on the Doe Lea branch and the Crosshill and Codnor station.

 

Chris