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Midhurst LBSCR Station 1866


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I see Gary is also taking an interest.

 

Yes Michael, I am doing my usual of watching silently with great interest, and learning from those who know much more than me. The only problem is it always leaves me wondering what I could use to scratch build what I am seeing!! I'm sure a Craven water crane would look good on Oak Hill!!

 

Gary

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Hello Alex

I have to agreee that whenever I go on to Andrew Stadden's website, I feel like a child in a sweetshop!

His figures are very relevant to what I am doing and my wife is actually enjoying painting the ladies in crinolines, to be placed on the platform

Certainly your name must be a 'spin-off' from his or vice versa

Michael

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not a lot to add to my previous posting. Many small jobs have been done, such as painting and adding loco crews to several of the locos (photos to follow below) but you will understand that trying to paint a figure about 24mm high has been difficult for me, due to the shakes, and in fact I have managed about one every day! I used to be able to knock these out by the dozen! Anyway it passes the time.


The big jobs that have been achieved are the replacement of the Stroudley water crane with a more correct Craven water crane with the help of Mike Waldron, who just happened to have one surplus to requirements. This is now in place.


post-5651-0-14094100-1504609816_thumb.jpg


Ian has placed a lot of the boundary fencing along the back of the layout, and in fact also turned up with a small diorama which is now in position against the fence. This shows a break in the colour of the fencing, and comprises a man standing painting the fence, with a wheelbarrow and drum of paint behind him and his mate sitting on the handles of the wheelbarrow. Apparently his mates job is to tilt the drum when more paint is required!


post-5651-0-53524000-1504609860_thumb.jpg


More work has been done on the Bepton Road part of the layout, including the erection of the bridge, but it is not yet ready for showing, as it is unfinished.


As not much else has been done, so  I am showing the locos that have had crews added below


post-5651-0-37778300-1504609923_thumb.jpg


This is an EB Models etched brass kit


post-5651-0-42409500-1504609968_thumb.jpg


Sharpes no 90 shunting a cattle wagon into the dock


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Scratch built many years ago 


post-5651-0-51292600-1504610037_thumb.jpg


Visiting Well Tank from the other side of the Bepton Road bridge, scratch built by me many years ago


Apologies for the quality of the photos.


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Killian Keane

You are correct as always. 'Brigand' is an interloper

 

Edwardian

Stick with what satisfies you. I wish I could  still do the things that were easy years ago. Castle Aching makes me very envious.

It has taken me forty years to realise the dream of 'doing' Midhurst LBSCR 1866, as I have never seen anyone else do it

 

Thanks both for the encouragement.

 

Michael

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Killian Keane

You are correct as always. 'Brigand' is an interloper

 

Edwardian

Stick with what satisfies you. I wish I could  still do the things that were easy years ago. Castle Aching makes me very envious.

It has taken me forty years to realise the dream of 'doing' Midhurst LBSCR 1866, as I have never seen anyone else do it

 

Thanks both for the encouragement.

 

Michael

 

Thanks, Michael.

 

If I have 40 years in me, which I doubt, I may even finish Castle Aching!

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Killian Keane

You are correct as always. 'Brigand' is an interloper

 

Edwardian

Stick with what satisfies you. I wish I could still do the things that were easy years ago. Castle Aching makes me very envious.

It has taken me forty years to realise the dream of 'doing' Midhurst LBSCR 1866, as I have never seen anyone else do it

 

Thanks both for the encouragement.

 

Michael

Thank you mike! I'm not always correct though, ask me about anything to do with a br standard class and I draw a blank! Looking in the March 1955 railway magazine I see Brigand and Corsair were built by Sharp Stewarts built in 1861 for the G&SWR to the order of Patrick Stirling (thus the GNR vibes it gives off), Edited by Killian keane
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  • 1 month later...

Hi Michael,

 

Having read your 'old' blog, I followed your instructions to locate your more recent postings. I was sorry to hear about the Parkinson's but can empathise as it also runs in my family and, frankly, I have never had a steady hand either.

 

Whilst the period that you have been modelling is many decades prior to the one that I am considering, it is great to see anything related to the area of Sussex that is dear to my heart. My surname is "Denyer", which is very much of a Sussex origin. Indeed, from the limited research that I have conducted into my family history it would appear that our branch of the family tree emirates from Bepton, not a million miles from Midhurst.

 

One thing that has always intrigued me about Midhurst is the 'trademark' of the Cowdry Estate - the yellow paintwork on properties owned by the estate. Do you happen to know how far back in time this 'tradition' started? Was it in place when the line from Petworth was first built (the routing of which was altered to suit the Earl of Egremont?

 

Best regards

 

Barry Denyer

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  • 2 weeks later...

Killian Keane

You are correct as always. 'Brigand' is an interloper

 

Edwardian

Stick with what satisfies you. I wish I could  still do the things that were easy years ago. Castle Aching makes me very envious.

It has taken me forty years to realise the dream of 'doing' Midhurst LBSCR 1866, as I have never seen anyone else do it

 

Thanks both for the encouragement.

 

Michael

Hello Michael

A friend sent me yesterday a copy of the  official track plan of Midhurst c1866. The Midhurst branch has always interested me and looking for more information on the Internet I came across a link to your model. Congratulations on a superb layout. How nice to see someone else modelling the Victorian scene- and so well. (I model Hayling Island in the 1890s). I suggested to Eric Gates that your layout would make an excellent topic for the next "Modellers' Digest" but he tells me that this is already in hand- so I look forward very much to seeing Midhurst in the Digest.

Do you live in Sussex?

Best regards

Richard

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Hello Michael

A friend sent me yesterday a copy of the  official track plan of Midhurst c1866. The Midhurst branch has always interested me and looking for more information on the Internet I came across a link to your model. Congratulations on a superb layout. How nice to see someone else modelling the Victorian scene- and so well. (I model Hayling Island in the 1890s). I suggested to Eric Gates that your layout would make an excellent topic for the next "Modellers' Digest" but he tells me that this is already in hand- so I look forward very much to seeing Midhurst in the Digest.

Do you live in Sussex?

Best regards

Richard

 

Hayling Island strikes me as an excellent subject.  Do you have pictures of the layout?

 

The 1890s seems a period fraught with change at South Hayling at least; transition to A1s (1892), station canopy, shed closure and demolition (1894), station building extension (1896), change to bullhead rail (1898) etc.  

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Hayling Island strikes me as an excellent subject.  Do you have pictures of the layout?

 

The 1890s seems a period fraught with change at South Hayling at least; transition to A1s (1892), station canopy, shed closure and demolition (1894), station building extension (1896), change to bullhead rail (1898) etc.  

About 1890 Hayling Island (or South Hayling as it was then) had only a run round loop, one siding and an engine shed, so rather limiting from an operational point of view. A friend gave me a transcript of the LB&SCR Engineering Committee Minutes for the period and I was able to establish the changes pre 1900 in chronological order. Ralph Cousins of Havant (ralph.cousins@btinternet.com) included this info in a booklet he has produced on the branch. This continually updated and now runs to just over 100 pages. The price is a very reasonable £6.

I have modelled the branch as it was between 1898 and the extensions of early 1900 but with rolling stock covering the 1880 to 1900 period. Following a move of house the layout is being completely rebuilt and I can't supply any photographs for the time being but I do have a photo taken prior to the rebuild.post-22880-0-63681000-1509203163_thumb.jpg

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About 1890 Hayling Island (or South Hayling as it was then) had only a run round loop, one siding and an engine shed, so rather limiting from an operational point of view. A friend gave me a transcript of the LB&SCR Engineering Committee Minutes for the period and I was able to establish the changes pre 1900 in chronological order. Ralph Cousins of Havant (ralph.cousins@btinternet.com) included this info in a booklet he has produced on the branch. This continually updated and now runs to just over 100 pages. The price is a very reasonable £6.

I have modelled the branch as it was between 1898 and the extensions of early 1900 but with rolling stock covering the 1880 to 1900 period. Following a move of house the layout is being completely rebuilt and I can't supply any photographs for the time being but I do have a photo taken prior to the rebuild.attachicon.gifDSCF7378.JPG

 

Very nice indeed!

 

I am tempted by the idea of a mid-1880s to 1892 setting.  The main change it would be necessary to overlook is the siding added in 1890, so far as I have been able to determine.  Aside from that, it means that one could run the 2 Sharp Stewart 2-4-0s, Bognor and even squeeze in a Terrier!

 

One could go even further back, and run the contractor's locomotives with the borrowed LSW set.

 

I guess you modelled the engine shed?  I can see the water tower.

 

Were you able to determine what the engine shed looked like with any certainty?

 

I will contact Mr Cousins, many thanks for putting me on to him.

 

I can probably claim to speak for all the habitués of the pre-Grouping forum if I say that we would love to see more pictures of the layout.

 

That is a wonderful train. I note the differences in the carriage liveries, a point one overlooks when contemplating the black and white pictures of the branch train at this period.  I realise that opinions differ as to the exact shade of IEG, which, of course, changes in appearance according to the lightening conditions, but I do think that you have Bognor in a very convincing shade.

 

A real pleasure to see, thanks for posting.  

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Very nice indeed!

 

I am tempted by the idea of a mid-1880s to 1892 setting. The main change it would be necessary to overlook is the siding added in 1890, so far as I have been able to determine. Aside from that, it means that one could run the 2 Sharp Stewart 2-4-0s, Bognor and even squeeze in a Terrier!

 

One could go even further back, and run the contractor's locomotives with the borrowed LSW set.

 

I guess you modelled the engine shed? I can see the water tower.

 

Were you able to determine what the engine shed looked like with any certainty?

 

I will contact Mr Cousins, many thanks for putting me on to him.

 

I can probably claim to speak for all the habitués of the pre-Grouping forum if I say that we would love to see more pictures of the layout.

 

That is a wonderful train. I note the differences in the carriage liveries, a point one overlooks when contemplating the black and white pictures of the branch train at this period. I realise that opinions differ as to the exact shade of IEG, which, of course, changes in appearance according to the lightening conditions, but I do think that you have Bognor in a very convincing shade.

 

A real pleasure to see, thanks for posting.

Speaking of the contractors locomotives here is the George England 0-4-2t (or rather 0-4-0t converted to 0-4-2t) 'Portsmouth', later named Phospho, 2' 10" drivers 3' trailers cylinders 9 1/2"x13"

Contractors-Locomotive-Furniss-No-2.png

Unfortunately no illustration of the other contractors loco 'Brighton' (a 0-4-2st with outside cylinders, haycock firebox and square saddle tank) am I aware of

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Batrapyr

Many thanks for your posting. Concerning the name 'Denyer', It certainly is a local name here in Midhurst and well recognised as such

Concerning the saffron yellow window and door frames, this was this was originally a political statement by the rather Liberal 2nd Viscount Cowdray, so if you can date him, then that will answer your query about the date that this came into being.

 

Richard78

Thanks for your posting. Yes, I live in Midhurst about 100 yards from the site of the 1881 station.

Eric Gates has compiled an article for the next Brighton Circle Modellers Digest, and hopefully there will be more to follow.

Your model of Hayling Island sound to be very interesting and the photo of the train is very evocative of the period.

The rolling stock seems to be from 5and9 (is that correct?) but is the loco from a kit or scratchbuilt?

What gauge are you modelling to? Mine is EM gauge as you know. Also where are you located?

 

Regularity and Edwardian, 

Thanks for the postings

 

Killian Keane

That drawing of the 0-4-2 is very useful and has set me on course to find some way of scratchbuilding it. This also applies to 'Egmont', a drawing of which I received yesterday. And then there is number 400!!!

Where does it end?

 

On Midhurst 1866 the passenger footbridge over  Bepton Road has been built and installed. Next to do is the fencing from the station to the footbridge.. Also installed are gradient posts and a 'Stop' sign from the LSWR connection.

I am assuming that there would have ben only one signal at the end of the platform (Starter) and the presumption is that all other internal junctions would have been controlled by points indicators. Still trying to work out a wiring diagram for these when they are built so that the lights on each side will change fro red to green dependant on the direction of the point setting. Then I have to build them!!!

 

More photos to follow later

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  • 3 weeks later...

Michael

I suggested to Eric Gates that he contact you and ask you for an article for the Modellers' Digest but he told me that is already in hand!

Hayling Island is modelled in Finescale 0 Gauge. The loco "Bognor" is scratch built- the late Peter Korrison constructed the components and I completed the loco after Peter died. It was painted beautifully by Alan Brackenborough. The first and third vehicles were completed using etches from Ian MacCormac. The remaining two were scratch built by me in Plastikard.

I live now in Ledbury but was Sussex born and bred! Sadly Hayling Island is just the wrong side of the county boundary but it was the only prototype LB&SCR station that I had space for in 7mm. The station is modelled as it was between 1898 and early 1900. The water tank was still in position then but the engine shed had been removed some time after its closure in 1894. Unfortunately I have not been able to find a clear photo of it. My rolling stock is of three periods: Craven, Stroudley oil lit and Stroudley gas lit.

Regards

Richard.

Batrapyr

Many thanks for your posting. Concerning the name 'Denyer', It certainly is a local name here in Midhurst and well recognised as such

Concerning the saffron yellow window and door frames, this was this was originally a political statement by the rather Liberal 2nd Viscount Cowdray, so if you can date him, then that will answer your query about the date that this came into being.

 

Richard78

Thanks for your posting. Yes, I live in Midhurst about 100 yards from the site of the 1881 station.

Eric Gates has compiled an article for the next Brighton Circle Modellers Digest, and hopefully there will be more to follow.

Your model of Hayling Island sound to be very interesting and the photo of the train is very evocative of the period.

The rolling stock seems to be from 5and9 (is that correct?) but is the loco from a kit or scratchbuilt?

What gauge are you modelling to? Mine is EM gauge as you know. Also where are you located?

 

Regularity and Edwardian, 

Thanks for the postings

 

Killian Keane

That drawing of the 0-4-2 is very useful and has set me on course to find some way of scratchbuilding it. This also applies to 'Egmont', a drawing of which I received yesterday. And then there is number 400!!!

Where does it end?

 

On Midhurst 1866 the passenger footbridge over  Bepton Road has been built and installed. Next to do is the fencing from the station to the footbridge.. Also installed are gradient posts and a 'Stop' sign from the LSWR connection.

I am assuming that there would have ben only one signal at the end of the platform (Starter) and the presumption is that all other internal junctions would have been controlled by points indicators. Still trying to work out a wiring diagram for these when they are built so that the lights on each side will change fro red to green dependant on the direction of the point setting. Then I have to build them!!!

 

More photos to follow later

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Hello Richard

Thanks for the posting. Hayling Island terminus in 7mm must be some thing to see. My problem, despite age and infirmity, is that I have built so much stock over the past 40 years, that to change to 7mm would require a pantechnicon, but I would probably be able to see 7mm easier!

There should be an update on my project shortly but a lot of what has been done recently is detail work, which does not seem to make much difference to the appearance of the layout.

But I know it is there!. Incidentally we both seem to modelling the same (Craven and Stroudley)

Regards

Michael

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  • 5 months later...

April 2018


Well, here we are again after a long period without postings. What with the weather, various illnesses and hospital visits with very little opportunity for modelling, some changes have been accomplished.


I must admit that the headshunt had me confused for a while, but I have now come to the conclusion that the bridge over the Bepton Road was built at a time when the weight of locomotives was much less and when the loco weights increased, then the bridge was declared to be inadequate to take their weight. Otherwise why would the headshunt be so long?


The goods yard has now had a crane installed, which incidentally took me the best part of a month to build. I did put a request for Crane information on to the LBSCR Group  and Ian MacCormac very kindly came up with a drawing of a crane which had Seaford written on it. My friend Ian reduced the drawing to scale size, printed it on to Plasticard, and very kindly cut out the two boom sides for me. With the help of Mekpak, pliers and shaking hands, I have managed to complete the crane to the drawing. It is now a fixture outside the goods shed.


post-5651-0-43123900-1524473253_thumb.jpg


Also cosmetic point levers have been added to the goods yard turnouts.


More fencing has been added alongside the Bepton Road boundary, The walkway from the LBSCR station to the LSWR station has been completed, together with the pedestrian bridge over the Bepton Road, and the view from the station yard towards Midhurst has been finished, along with a group of Scots Pines. At the time the station was built, the road to Midhurst would have been a country lane with trees either side, as all houses along the current road would have been built after the station. Gates have been added at the entrance to the station yard and the photo shows  Miss Sugden driving her dog cart into the station forecourt in order to meet her Aunt Julia who should be arriving on the next train from Petworth, There is also a new gate at the base of the ramp leading to the cattle dock in order to contain any animals that might escape from the pens.


post-5651-0-88918500-1524473328_thumb.jpg


post-5651-0-18819500-1524473412_thumb.jpg


Also, as can be seen at the end of the layout, the LSWR station  (or a photo of it) has been added. The LSWR station is taken from a black and white photograph, which my granddaughter Jessica took and completely coloured for me on her computer.


A small hut has been added to make the engine men more comfortable when not on duty, coal staithes have been added at the end of the back siding in the names of I.L.Stent and H. Farley, who were the local coal merchants, and Coal Merchants office buildings have been created and installed by Ian.


post-5651-0-77261100-1524473483_thumb.jpg


Gradient posts have been installed, together with a speed restriction indicator on the turnout connecting to the LSWR headshunt. The LSWR headshunt is in the process of being fenced off from the LBSCR lines and a gate has been installed across the connecting track.


post-5651-0-83118900-1524473559_thumb.jpg


post-5651-0-34227600-1524473608_thumb.jpg


On the station a sign has been erected pointing the way for passengers wishing to cross to the LSWR station, drains have been added at the base of the station roof downpipes, and cattle have been added to the cattle pens. The cattle are the correct size and colour to represent Sussex cattle which were smaller than other breeds at that time.


The tunnel mouth has been finished using a photograph of the  actual tunnel including the fencing across the top which has been perpetuated on West Lavington Hill. Black strips of tissue paper have been attached to the rear of the tunnel entrance to attempt to give an impression of darkness whilst allowing trains to run through in either direction by the train pushing the tissue strips aside, which fall back into place after the train passes. (At least, that is the theory!)


Locomotive stock has been increased by ‘Edward Blount’, acquired from the estate of the late Roger Steele and other locos are in the pipeline.


post-5651-0-38115700-1524473686_thumb.jpg


Here we have the first of the figures to be added to the layout. These are Victorian passengers from Andrew Stadden  which have been painted by my wife Nel. She doesn’t think they are very good but I am pleased with them. The scenario suggests that the three ladies on the left are talking about the two ladies on the right, who are either going on holiday with their luggage, or are fleeing Midhurst  because of the gossip about them.


post-5651-0-85112800-1524473748_thumb.jpg


I have been looking at my rolling stock and it seems to me that I will have to stretch my imagination in order to be able to run some of the trains in my possession. I will perhaps have to think that the 1866 station was in use for a longer than reality, that the Bognor to Midhurst Railway was actually built, and that the West Sussex Railway had running rights to Midhurst. That would then allow me to run LBSCR stock up to the Billinton era, and also my few pieces of WSR stock, The idea of seeing ‘Ringing Rock’ with one coach and a wagon  or the Ford Railcars seems quite appealing.


Anyway, I would only run those when none of you are looking!


More to follow.

Edited by mikeandnel
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Certainly looking very good! One small correction, they are SCOTS pines. Scotch is an amber nectar!

 

Jim

 

Sorry for the error. and thanks for the correction

How do I edit it after later postings?

Please put it down to being a senior moment

As a teetotaller, I would not know what amber nectar you are referring to!

Michael

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