mark.pannett

Apologies if you know all this already... There is a 1950 photo on p34 of The Cuckoo Line by Kevin Robertson, which shows these steps very clearly. They seem to lead to a small platform, just large enough for a slim person to stand on! I have no idea what this is for, but the steps and supports look to be well maintained. It looks like there is something attached to the top corner of the box, either a metal arm, or maybe telephone/electric/signalling cable, I don't know enough about railway operation to guess at anything else. Perhaps it was to provide maintenance access to that? You would need to be pretty talk to reach it though. Or perhaps it was a lookout point - was there something the signalman needed to see that he couldn't from the box, or from ground level? Also, regarding the door height, p145 of The Cuckoo Line by AC Elliott states that the floor height was 5' 6", so even with steps down, the door wouldn't be very tall. Hope the research is going well :-) Mark

Hi everyone, I actually signed up some months ago, but have only just got round to regularly logging on. I have restarted modelling after a break of about 45 years; it is something I have always wanted to do, and a recent illness got me thinking that I had better get started while I have the chance. I originally come from East Sussex, having lived around Heathfield / Five Ashes / Cross-in-Hand in my early years. I now live in Great Sampford (NW Essex) and work on the south edge of Cambridge. My original intention was to build a model of Heathfield station, which was on the Cuckoo (Primrose) line, and that remains an ambition, however the space I have available does not allow me to do it any form of justice. I am therefore looking at an imaginary terminus based on that line's architecture, track layout, and stock. I have the baseboard up, a provisional track plan, and some Peco sectional track loosely in place. I have never built a layout before, and as I started this with potentially limited time (it was a serious illness) I decided to go for ease of construction where I could afford it, so sectional track, off-the shelf stock, ready-made or kit buildings, and minimal scenery. As it happens I have recovered much better than I expected, so I am looking at doing more true modelling, which hopefully will give the layout a better flavour of the line. The most important aspect of this for me is to have fun, whether with the modelling / construction, operation (my main interest, and about which I know very little), or meeting other modellers here or at exhibitions. Thanks for listening :-) Mark