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West Sands - BR (SR) Electrified south coast branch terminus - MISSING PHOTOS SLOWLY BEING RESTORED


Geep7
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  • RMweb Gold

Right, step one is a plan of a typical sub of the period. The original is no better than this copy, sorry.

 

You won’t need anything like all of the outdoor gear at the end of a line, so later I’ll show you what you can manage without.

 

The rectifier transformer is big! The rectifier is indoors, but I thought you might want to see what it looks like. Known as a witches cauldron, for obvious reasons if you’ve seen the original Disney Snow White.

Wow, many thanks for the diagram and pix. They will go a great way to making a model. I've been on the thread you've linked to before. I think the model you speak of is one for Shelvington, an incredible model.

 

I think i'll obviously have to scale mine down, I don't have a huge amount of space to play with, but I should have just enough to represent the major components.

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It looks to me as if you need c40ft from the nearest rail to the retaining wall, if you want to include the re-cooler room. Lengthways, you might have to dig out a bit more of the embankment, but you’ve certainly got room for what you need.

 

One thought is that it is not a good idea from an electrical design viewpoint to put the substation right at the end of the branch, it is inefficient, and it is better about a mile or so from the end. Alton was where it was for extension reasons, and the distance from Newhaven Sub to Seaford was a little too long from the start, and became a bit of a PITA when the line was singled, however, they are such things of beauty, and so much a signature of the southern, that I encourage you to include one.

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  • RMweb Gold

I'm assuming the line diverges from the Redhill to Guildford line a small distance after Reigate in the Guildford direction. Reigate was electrified in 1932 as part of the Brighton Line electrification scheme (according to "Southern Electric"), so I could suppose the branch was electrified then. Or slightly later in '36, around the time of the Alton line / Portsmouth via Horsham electrification.

 

It would make a lot more sense if the last section was single track and the rest double. The single track section could have been built by the LSWR, with the double track LBSCR line coming a few years later.

 

Crikey! This is home territory. I was born in Betchworth! Your branch will head across through Reigate Heath, Leigh (pronounced Lie) and Newdigate, but rather soon find the LBSCR Portsmouth main line, somewhere near Ockley and Capel station, (the latter village being where wife Sherry went to primary skool). Electrification there was 1938, rather than the earlier ex-LSWR Portsmouth Direct scheme which included Alton. By the way, don't forget the railway from Redhill to Reigate and Reading was actually built by the South Eastern Railway. Railway history in Surrey can be confusing!

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Ok, a bit more.

 

Sketch and text shows what I think you need for this ‘end of line’ site. In theory, it would be possible to do without circuit breaker 2, but I think practice c1938 would be as I’ve drawn.

 

Also, a picture of such a circuit breaker.

 

Finding pictures of ‘modellable’ quality for the various bits will be a challenge, but if you decide to have a go, I will see what I can do. I’ve got a set of slides that I took of newhaven c1978, on a very gloomy day.

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  • RMweb Gold

Many thanks Kevin, so much useful information i've not been able to find elsewhere, and plenty to think.

 

Trying to fit all that into the space I have is going to be a challenge, but i'll give it a go. Even if I just give a flavour of how one should look, with the basic looking right, i'll be happy.

Seeing as I think all of it is going to need to be scratchbuilt, it will probably take some time to do.

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  • RMweb Gold

Yes, it certainly is. Early stages so far. Spent most of the time get a motor bogie into the motor coach. The sides aren't even attached yet.

 

But glad to see it is recognisable.

Edited by Geep7
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  • RMweb Gold

So i've been and measured up, and I have about 220mm x 85mm or 55ft x 21ft 3in's scaled up, to fit the substation in. I'm not sure that is quite enough space, even for a small one. I could probably cut back the embankment to get some more length, but I definitely can't get any more depth.

 

I wonder if a water tank would be a better idea, although not really what I want for the space....

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  • RMweb Gold

Also, a bit more work on the Tadpole set. It got pointed out to me at the model railway club last Tuesday that i'd got the height of the windows wrong. So i've gone back and redone them, and now they look right. Only one side done so far.

 

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Edited by Geep7
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

So not a huge amount done this weekend, except to make and add a couple of speed restriction signs.

 

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50 mph speed restriction when leaving station limits

 

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25mph speed restriction when entering the bay platform

 

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15mph speed restriction for entering the goods loop.

 

I think they are placed prototypically, they seem to be rather elusive in photographs from the period.

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Geep7

 

First off what a cracking layout you are producing and I look forward to future updates.

If you dont mind me asking where did you get your speed restriction signs ?

 

Stuart

The speed restriction signs are a kit made by Eckon. I bought mine online from a certain Cornish retailer, but i'm pretty sure most model shops sell them.

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I really have to support the substation idea. Those Brighton raft types are pretty definitively Southern.

You could get away with omitting the high voltage part - that's what the SR did at Woking (Portsmouth scheme, so 1930s, too), where they were built a short distance apart to allow space for the grade separation of the junction (haha!), so you could get away with only including the rectifier and DC parts, and claim that the HV is the other side of the bridge for some reason.

It would only have no more than two DC circuit breakers too, so wouldn't need to be very long.

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  • RMweb Gold

I've been spending a bit of time thinking about the substation, and I think i'll be cutting back the embankment towards the station by a couple of inches or so. I think this should just about give me room for the rectifier building, transformer and some rafts, even if they are compressed somewhat.

 

Thoughts have also turned towards the left-hand end of the layout. Whilst I am happy for the most part with the station building and level crossing, the short bay platform is proving a hindrance to operation, as I can't get a full 4-TC + Loco in the bay.

 

So the thinking is to extend the bay to be the same length as the main platform, and place a new station building across the ends of the platforms, similar to arrangements at Caterham, Hayes and Addiscombe.

 

Unfortunately this means removing the disused level crossing, but the addition of an 18 inch baseboard at the left end, will give better scope for a decent station forecourt. I also have plans to extend the siding off of the run-round to the left to form new oil sidings.

 

I still need to draw up plans for most of the above changes, and i'll post some here once they are done.

Edited by Geep7
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

So bit of an update. I have cut back the embankment to give a bit more room for the substation.

 

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I've also made a start to the rectifier building.

 

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This is based on photographs i've found on RMweb and the internet. I counter out the bricks, and originally made the side full size, but it looked to large, so i've brought the height down by about 5 rows of bricks and shortened the length, and it doesn't look too bad.

 

More updates as I continue the build.

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Looking good.

 

You can afford for the right hand, single-storey, part to be short, because in your situation you will probably need no more than two track circuit breakers. You can see from the photo above that Ascot had six, by counting the troughing routes up the embankment.

 

Kevin

Edited by Nearholmer
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So not a huge amount done this weekend, except to make and add a couple of speed restriction signs.

 

attachicon.gif20180211_180927.jpg

50 mph speed restriction when leaving station limits

 

attachicon.gif20180211_180952.jpg

25mph speed restriction when entering the bay platform

 

attachicon.gif20180211_181049.jpg

15mph speed restriction for entering the goods loop.

 

I think they are placed prototypically, they seem to be rather elusive in photographs from the period.

I doubt you would have a 25mph entry speed into a bay platform. Station limits would apply and maximum speed would be around 10- 15 mph.

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I doubt you would have a 25mph entry speed into a bay platform. Station limits would apply and maximum speed would be around 10- 15 mph.

From my experience the decrease down to 15mph for station limits its not often sign posted. For example; driving into Brighton, you're bought down to 25 (main) or 20 (east/ west coast) but then there's no sign for 15 at the Platform. It's just known. So same could be said here. The point work speed is 25mph but once you hit the platform its down to 15. :)

Edited by Fincra5
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  • 3 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

So, changes are afoot with Blackhurst. It is remaining the same region and era, however it is most likely moving location slightly and having a change of name.

 

With an additional 18 inches added to the left-hand end to provide space for some oil sidings, and extend the bay platform, i've taken the opportunity to completely rebuild the left-hand end of the layout. Gone is the LSWR style station building and disused level crossing. In its place will be a Southern Region Art-deco / brutilist inspired station building with station forecourt for buses, taxis etc.

 

So the change of location.... i've been thinking about traffic flows on my layout, and the reason for my station to have existed in the first place. I've never been entirely happy with the West Sussex, just north of Midhurst location.

 

So thoughts have been turning back to my original thinking, which was the line to Stokes Bay off the Gosport branch. However a small pier with a ferry service to the Isle of Wight doesn't seem enough to justify the size of station. So thoughts have turned to slightly further up the coast to Lee-on-the-Solent. I'll continue my alternate history in the next post.

 

However, i'm not sure if I should rename this thread, or start a new one? Thoughts please?

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