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

[Geep7]

41 minutes ago, Mike Storey said:

 

Ah, but Rule 1 applies, which means the nearby cement works do not exist.

 

I think it much more likely to have a cement works here than a re-fuelling depot! But then, what reason will you have to run a number of light locos on to the scene? Tricky decision....

Ah, the fuel depot was actually more intended for heating oil for the local homes, and diesel fuel(?) for the ferry service to the IoW, although in 1967 - 72, would they still have been steam powered, rather than diesel? I can still trip in a couple of fuel tankers to drop off some fuel at the loco stabling point, although I wonder if the locos would be more likely to run light loco to Fratton to get fuelled?

[Ian Morgan]

2 hours ago, Geep7 said:

Actually, it does make me think. How do they get bulky materials across to the Isle of Wight these days, or even in the past? Just on the normal vehicle ferries? 

 

In the latter years, coal for the Isle of Wight mostly went into the railway's Medina Wharf, up-river from Cowes, which had its own set of sidings. Cement from the island went out that way, too. Earlier, there was also a busy rail-served dock at St Helen's, in Bembridge harbour. Railway locomotives and stock were mostly transferred using the Southern Railway's floating crane. There were exceptions though. The floating crane saw service up in Scotland during the war, and needed a thorough rebuild on its return, just when new(er) stock was needed on the Island.

 

So, Isle of Wight cement could be re-routed to Selsey?

 

 

[Nearholmer]

Yes, I was thinking of Beeding/Shoreham cement works, which had rail traffic in and out well into the 1980s. I cycled down through there and onwards to Brighton and Eastbourne last summer, and quite a bit of the works still seems to linger on.

 

Good railway picture here https://www.flickr.com/photos/108302915@N04/26597266022

 

The works certainly sent out bulk cement in Presflos and bagged cement in vans in earlier days.

 

Even better photo from a train make-up viewpoint https://www.flickr.com/photos/108302915@N04/26768538213/

 

 

Your oil terminal I'd always understood as you describe, heating oil etc. and for me it works very well as a concept. High Brooms near Tunbridge Wells had an oil, and I guess petrol, depot of this kind on a bigger scale, as did a few other places.

 

It had never occurred to me that locos would be refueled at WS. Even out-based 08/09 used to be sent miles at the dead of night to refuel at the nearest depot, and DEMUs went round the sun to meet the moon for fuel and maintenance, so a facility at WS seems more than a tad unlikely IMO.

Edited April 27, 2020 by Nearholmer

[Geep7]

I think you're probably right on reflection. The fuel oil depot does seem the more plausible of the two options. I'm not actually going to put any storage tanks in as I don't have the room, but I'll add a pump room and some pipework, but very little signage.

 

The presflos will have to appear on a freight which reverses in the station and goes off down an imaginary MoD branch (perhaps they have expanded the Thorney Island base? Unlikely I know....).

[leopardml2341]

Or an imaginary wagon repair works.......

[Ian Morgan]

Reading a bit more about about Isle of Wight cement, because it had to leave by ship, it mostly went for export around the world rather than just to the mainland. However, in the last years of operation, mainland cement was moved to the Isle of Wight for export, supplementing that produced on the island.

 

So offloading cement for transfer to the Isle of Wight would be a possibility.

 

I visited RAF Thorney Island on a school trip when they were still flying 'Andovers'. As a transportation base, being rail served would have been handy for delivery of stores and equipment from Bicester for airlifting to foreign parts.

 

[Geep7]

So today West Sands has a new addition to the EMU roster.

 

2-Hal 2639 has just arrived at West Sands on a Chichester - West Sands shuttle.

 

I just need to double check that #2639 survived into the 1970s in this livery. The relevant info. should be available on the Blood and Custard website. Hopefully I won't need to do a renumber....

 

I've also completed my Dogfish, Shark and Grampus wagons. They just need transfers to complete. The Dogfish and Grampus will also need prototypical loads, which I've already started for the Grampus. The benefit of adding a load is that I can get the wagon weight up to around 50g, which I find helps them run better.

 

 

The next wagon being worked on is a Cambrian SR 40-ton Hopper wagon.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Geep7

[Geep7]

I have spent some of today working on some scenics on the station building / oil depot board.

 

To start with, I've filled the gaps under the new concrete fencing along the road, and painted it brown. It's now waiting a covering of earth scatter to blend it in to the road, and then some bushes and weeds added.

 

I have also started on the point rodding for the loco release ground frame.

 

As a guide, I fortunately took a few photographs of the ground frame arrangement at Bere Alston a couple of years back, with this very thing in mind. Although the prototype is just for single point, interestingly, the ground frame is at the end of the platform at the opposite end to the toe of the point, and the rodding crosses under the point, and turns back on itself to get to the switch and FPL. If anyones interested, I'll post a couple of the pics later on, as they are on the main PC.

 

Using the Wills kit components, progress so far is to complete the FPL and rodding for the platform road point. It is rather fiddly work, even though the components are a bit overstate.

 

Still to be added is the rodding going to the other point. This will have to cross a baseboard joint, so I'll have to think about something sturdy at the joint. Maybe a compensator?

 

Here is a photo of progress so far....

Edited February 23, 2023 by Geep7

[Enterprisingwestern]

On 29/04/2020 at 21:10, Geep7 said:

I can get the wagon weight up to around 50g, which I find helps them run better.

 

, or in my case, fall off less often!

 

Mike.

[Fishplate]

On 02/05/2020 at 22:15, Geep7 said:

Still to be added is the rodding going to the other point. This will have to cross a baseboard joint, so I'll have to think about something sturdy at the joint. Maybe a compensator?

 

Hi @Geep7.

 

I've read your thread throughout over the last few weeks. There is a lot of great modelling going on for Southern fans such as myself.

 

I am also following the Warren branch by @chuffinghell . If you go to his post for April 25th he has devised a method to cross baseboard joints with point rodding which you might find useful.

 

I look forward to seeing more developments on your layout.

 

Best regards

 

John

 

[Fishplate]

Hi @Geep7

 

On Feb 17th you have a picture of the road into your oil depot from above and you asked if it looked ok. I knew I had a road vehicle swept envelope drawing from my early BR days that showed a similar road profile. I've located it today (straight away!). See below. Hope this helps and is of interest.

 

Best regards

 

John

 

ps, bang on the date period for your layout as well if you look in the bottom LH corner of the drawing.

 

 

[Calidore]

Hello @Geep7, just a brief hello to say I've been enjoying this thread on and off for a while and thought I should drop in and say so! Also reminding myself to catch up from the beginning when I have a few moments. The substation build has a really impressive level of detail, and I do like the look of your ground cover between the ballasted areas as well. Will look forward to seeing some more of that point rodding.

 

Adam

[Geep7]

Last Sunday I managed to get a little more of the point rodding done, so it now passes under the track to the oil depot.

 

I now need to continue the rodding down to the other point.

 

One thought that has popped into my mind is whether there should be a trap/catch point on the exit from the oil depot? It exits onto a run-round loop which does not carry any passenger traffic if that's any help. I'm sort of thinking there should be, but would be good to know before I put the rodding and ground frame in.

[Geep7]

Today I have been doing some work on the station building. I have given the brickwork an initial coat of paint, and sprayed the etched brass doors and windows in Green and White respectively.

 

I have also continued working on the platform canopy and concourse roof, starting with the trussing for the concourse. The girders are from some Dapol station canopy kits. I now need to make some trussing to space these girders out at the correct width.

 

A quick trial fit on the layout to make sure it's the correct size, and fortunately it fits exactly, it just needs a bit of packing on some of the uprights.

[Geep7]

Today I decided to make a change and work on some of the smaller items for on the layout, spurred on by needing to get a stretcher cabinet painted to attach to the station building.

 

So, left to right, we have a post box to go outside the station building, the aforementioned stretcher cabinet, a selection of cormorants and seagulls, and the station cat (a ginger tabby, at the suggestion of my wife), these all still need to be finished. And then finally some road signs, for the level crossing and the bridge.

 

The station building is progressing well, and the outer walls are now painted. It still needs some more weathering before I can add the windows and doors, which have now been glazed with clear plastic fixed in place with Klear. 

 

The roof still needs more work, and the latest issue of Railway Modeller has arrived with a rather timely article on the station building at Seaton. Having discussed it with a fellow REC club member, I think I'm going to include a glazed raised atrium over the ticket hall. Not only will this add interest to the roof, but will allow views into the fully detailed interior (still to be done of course).

 

So still lots of things to keep me busy through these strange times we're in, aside from the usual family and work duties.

[Siberian Snooper]

On 09/05/2020 at 18:15, Geep7 said:

Last Sunday I managed to get a little more of the point rodding done, so it now passes under the track to the oil depot.

 

I now need to continue the rodding down to the other point.

 

One thought that has popped into my mind is whether there should be a trap/catch point on the exit from the oil depot? It exits onto a run-round loop which does not carry any passenger traffic if that's any help. I'm sort of thinking there should be, but would be good to know before I put the rodding and ground frame in.

 

If the the track plan on page one is still current, then no you shouldn't need a trap, but the other turnout of the crossover should be worked off the same lever as the one in the platform road. The first turnout actuater drops off the rodding to the 2nd turnout and dont forget there should be an equal amount of push and pull in the rodding, to balance the forces.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Siberian Snooper
To add detail on the rodding runs.

[Geep7]

3 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

 

If the the track plan on page one is still current, then no you shouldn't need a trap, but the other turnout of the crossover should be worked off the same lever as the one in the platform road. The first turnout actuater drops off the rodding to the 2nd turnout and dont forget there should be an equal amount of push and pull in the rodding, to balance the forces.

Here is the revised track plan. I'm not sure if it changes much?

[Nearholmer]

I’m always confused about trapping from bay platforms, so a signalling expert should comment, but I would put the normal lay of the points from the bay so as to be towards the siding.

[Geep7]

30 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

I’m always confused about trapping from bay platforms, so a signalling expert should comment, but I would put the normal lay of the points from the bay so as to be towards the siding.

Yes, you're right, and for some reason when I re-drew the plan above, I drew it wrong, again.... it also should have a facing point lock, as well as the first point on entering the station, and, I think, the point leading to the double slip too.

 

The place where I'm unsure if there should be a trap point, is between the level crossing and the engine release crossover.

[Nearholmer]

My gut feel is that doesn’t need one, but was there a practice of putting them on private sidings, and/or are there special provisions to protect level crossings and/or oil terminals????

[Geep7]

3 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

My gut feel is that doesn’t need one, but was there a practice of putting them on private sidings, and/or are there special provisions to protect level crossings and/or oil terminals????

My thinking was if there would be a trap the other way, protecting the run-round loop from the oil siding, but it's equally valid the other way round. Maybe there would be both?

 

I think it would be simple if it was going onto a main passenger carrying running line, but this would be just onto a freight only line.

 

Permanent way and signalling is such a difficult grey area, even with plenty of books on the subject, as each situation is different.

Edited May 17, 2020 by Geep7

[Siberian Snooper]

I posted a reply some hours ago, but it seem to have gone awol or perhaps it's just social distancing. I think that private sidings were usually fitted with trap points, I don't think that the sidings would be trapped if they were company owned. Overal it's probable that you will be damned if you and damned if you don't.

 

 

[Geep7]

Before doing the atrium on the roof, I thought it would be best to do the booking office interior so that I could get the correct positions of the supporting walls.

 

Here is the current, slow, progress.

 

We have a hatch for parcels and 2 ticket windows. Whether West Sands would really need 2 ticket windows is debatable, but I think it balances out the scene, not that it'll be easily viewed without the roof off anyway.

 

I've also created a checkered pattern floor in the computer and printed out. It's curled a bit where I sprayed it with gloss varnish to give it a bit of a shine, but should be fine once I glue it down.

 

Next job is to create some panelling effects around the ticket windows, as this inlaid section it supposed to represent wood panelling, with the rest concrete, probably a lighter concrete colour then the external surfaces. The ticket windows themselves will be made from clear plastic with opening cut in them. This will no doubt be a fiddly job. At least I only have to make 2.

[chris45lsw]

On 09/02/2020 at 20:06, Geep7 said:

 

They were a lucky find at the Southampton exhibition. I'm not sure of the providence of them, and I've searched around the internet and not found them anywhere else.

I've only just found this thread which I'm now following with great enjoyment.  The Bostwick gates are available from the Southern Railways Group, sales@srg.org.uk.  £2 per pair plus post, £1.50 (assuming small quantity), ref SR90.

 

Chris KT

[Geep7]

I wanted to wait until I'd done a bit more on the station building before doing another post, so here is the latest update.

 

I have now fixed in the windows and doors, which I did over a couple of evenings, as it was rather fiddly work, and also waiting for the glue to dry. Here are some views with them in place.

 

 

 

I have continued on with the interior of the booking hall, and the far wall is now completed and in place.

 

Before inserting into place on the station building. It will receive some posters and some timetables on the walls.

 

And in place. I wasn't particularly happy with the floor, as I stuck it down with Plastic Weld and it stained the finish, so since this photo I have done a new one, and glued it down with some PVA.

 

Next to come will be the front wall to the booking office, and then I can start on the roof. Then interiors for the ladies waiting room, taxi cab firm (although I may have opaque windows for this) and the cafe / newsagents (i'm undecided about this at the moment.)