RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted December 23, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2014 Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year to you all, and thank you for sharing your layouts and ideas with us all. Some Christmas pudding is still available on post #1495 for anyone who didn't get any. All the best, thank you for following Adrian. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ChrisN Posted December 23, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2014 All the best Adrian, have a good Christmas and New Year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CourthsVeil Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 May I return your seasonal wishes Adrian, merry Christmas to you and yours too and a fine New Year. And – again – many thanks for sharing your musings with us ! Armin 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronstrutt Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 This picture has appeared on Ebay recently. It shows Sandhurst Halt on the Guildford-Reading line, which was built in 1909, roughly the same time as Chevening Halt. Its construction appears to be considerably simpler than that of Dorking Deepdene which was the subject of an earlier picture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted December 30, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) Hi Ron, unless a picture of Chevening Halt showing the platform construction in detail turns up, the one of Sandhurst Halt will do very nicely thank you. It looks just about right. Although it hasn't got the men with the moustaches on the platform, which was such a good feature of Dorking Deepdene. Many thanks and all the best Adrian. Edited December 30, 2014 by westerhamstation 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted January 1, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 1, 2015 Happy New Year to you all. I have just put all the aunties and uncles on the train, and I am off to have a pint. All the very best Adrian. 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&WR Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Hi, Adrian, just catching up with threads after very busy Christmas & back to work today. Belated happy new year to you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted January 5, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2015 A new year a new project. Whilst there is still work to do on Brasted and Westerham Stations it's only small details and odds and ends. So I am now moving down the line to have a look at Chevening Halt, and what a sad site that is as the photos will show, It looks like I am going to have my work cut out to clear the cutting, remove all the motorway junctions and get it looking something like it used to be. Time will tell if I succeed or not, but first a little bit of the history courtesy of wikipedia. Chevening Halt railway stationFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coordinates: 51°17′24″N 0°08′35″E Chevening Halt Site of Chevening Halt (1983) Location Place Chevening Area Sevenoaks Grid reference TQ495567 Operations Pre-grouping SECR Post-grouping Southern RailwaySouthern Region of British Railways Platforms 1 History 19 April 1906[1] Opened 30 October 1961[1][2] Station closed Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom Closed railway stations in BritainA B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z UK Railways portal The Westerham branch in relation to other railway lines in Kent Chevening Halt is a now-closed intermediate railway station on the Westerham branch line in Kent. The line was built as single track with provision for double track. The station was built by South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) and opened on either 16[2] or 19 April 1906.[1] It was unmanned and consisted of a platform sufficient to accommodate 2 coaches and small waiting shelter with access via a staircase to the adjacent road bridge. Operations were taken over by the Southern Railway with the 1923 railway grouping and thereafter by the Southern Region of British Railways which closed the line on 30 October 1961 ostensibly due to low patronage.[1] The line was the subject of a revival/preservation attempt which was scuppered by plans for the M25 which called for the use of much of the route of the line.[1] The former station site is today a rough piece of overgrown scrubland bordering Junction 5 of the M25; this motorway is infamous as having been responsible for the dashing of any hopes of preserving the Westerham Branch. In 1964, Kent County Council had demanded from the Westerham Valley Railway Association, an association seeking to retain the railway for heritage operations, the sum of £26,215 (approximately £337,000 today) for a bridge to carry the railway line over the M25; failure to pay this sum would lead to the immediate in-filling of the Chevening cutting (in which the Halt lay), which is exactly what happened when funds could not be raised.[3] According to one account, the halt platform was buried and remains there to this day.[4] I have just scrounged a quick flip with my old chum Biggles in his Tiger Moth, so hopefully some aerial snaps of the area later. (hope he is sober this time). All the best and chocks away. Adrian. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagpipes331 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Happy new year Adrian!! Just wondered if you are adding a west wing to your property Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted January 7, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) While I am waiting for the film to be developed from my aerial sortie over Chevening, I thought a little drive round might be nice. John Betjeman I am afraid was unwilling to do the voice over due to writing some poetry, but Michael Holliday said he wouldn't mind singing. Edited January 7, 2015 by westerhamstation 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigherb Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 John Betjam I am afraid was unwilling to do the voice over due to writing some poetry, but Michael Holliday said he wouldn't mind singing. I thought it was going to be the runaway train. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcredfer Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Lovely Video Adrian, Quite cheered me up after a boring day ................ While I am waiting for the film to be developed from my aerial sortie over Chevening, I thought a little drive round might be nice. John Betjam I am afraid was unwilling to do the voice over due to writing some poetry, but Michael Holliday said he wouldn't mind singing. ............. then totally depressed me, thinking about how inadequate my own efforts have been .... really must stiffen the resolve and put more effort into the job .... .............................. in the meanwhile, back to your Video for another bit of cheer .... thank you for showing the Vid ...... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 You have a wonderful knack of evoking the bitter-sweet. Actually, forget the bitter. Lots of things weren't wonderful - I was in and out of hospital a lot as a boy, and that was a painful experience - but otherwise, roll back the days. Hal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcredfer Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 At least, in those days ........ you didn't need ................. You have a wonderful knack of evoking the bitter-sweet. Actually, forget the bitter. Lots of things weren't wonderful - I was in and out of hospital a lot as a boy, and that was a painful experience - but otherwise, roll back the days. Hal .................... a Passport to get there ....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Alister_G Posted January 7, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 7, 2015 Brilliant bit of video Adrian, looking forward to seeing the aerial views. Al. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I agree with Al. Adrian, your scenic modelling is beyond excellent - it's inspirational, magnificent, and depressing at the same time! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Loved the video, other people were watching TV and I tried watching it to the end....LOL....I'll finish up when its 'quieter' ....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Have you considered modelling this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsit-g18GSg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted January 9, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 9, 2015 Have you considered modelling this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsit-g18GSg Hi Cromptonnut, you are talking about the fabled 'Prescott's Patent Railmobile' pictured here, taking a heavily disguised Ernest Marples (seen here in the middle with his back to us) away from Westerham Station. All the best Adrian. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcredfer Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 But .................... Hi Cromptonnut, you are talking about the fabled 'Prescott's Patent Railmobile' pictured here, taking a heavily disguised Ernest Marples (seen here in the middle with his back to us) away from Westerham Station. All the best Adrian. ................................. it still doesn't answer the question .......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted January 9, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 9, 2015 But .................... ................................. it still doesn't answer the question .......... Maybe/oneday/someday/who knows/what was the question/ just coming matron. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 9, 2015 What is (was) the point of those contraptions ? They don't save on fuel, or wear on the engine, the route is very limited... As a technical exercise they are quite interesting, but on a practical level, I can't see why they were invented.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronstrutt Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Hi Cromptonnut, you are talking about the fabled 'Prescott's Patent Railmobile' pictured here, taking a heavily disguised Ernest Marples (seen here in the middle with his back to us) away from Westerham Station. All the best Adrian. Yes, I never saw it in action but it survived in the locked goods shed at Westerham until at least 1964. Incidentally, I asked Pathe if I could use a couple of stills from their films, including one of the Railmobile, for my book. The greedy b******s wanted £50 per picture! Perhaps the preservation society should have charged them £10,000 for filming rights if they'd known how valuable the films were going to become. That would have solved their funding problems. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted January 9, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 9, 2015 I believe that the last vehicle to use the Railmobile was a Land Rover, and was the last moving thing to use the line, this was about 1964ish. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigherb Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) I had to go to the tip today as it was sunny I took some more pics of the site of Chevening Halt Standing on top of where the bridge would have been. The cutting to Dunton Green would be in the foreground you can just about see the course where the infill has slumped. The high tree in the background is the start of the trackbed. The other side looking west, the west end of the platform is under the south bound carriageway of the A21 Sevenoaks bypass which would have had to have been a bridge over the railway. The much maligned M25 does not really encroach too much on the trackbed just parts of the clockwise hard shoulder, a lot of it runs beside the line. Junction 5 is 100 or so yards north of the railway. The only part that goes over the trackbed is the section that filled in the Coombe Bank cutting. Not a good picture a snap shot taken from the dash cam of Coombe Bank Drive, the road was flat here and went over the railway, the cutting has been filled in and the M25 on the top of it, the road has been built up to cross the M25 overbridge. Edited January 9, 2015 by bigherb 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now