The Oak Hill Branch - LBSCR / SECR 1905ish - New layout starts on page 129

[sem34090]

DEAL!

 

or no deal...

 

'Oil see wha' I can do fer yoo....

[mikeandnel]

Well done Gary and congratulations

I have followed your thread since it's inception and think you have achieved a lot.

If I get a quarter of the interest you have had with my Midhurst LBSCR Station 1866 I shall be very happy

Keep up the good work and the postings

Best regards

[uax6]

Wow, what a birthday pressie!

 

Now about your freight stock... What have you now got Sir, as I can't keep up!

 

Andy G

[BlueLightning]

Well Andy, that is a good question, as it turns out I don't know either!!!! So the camera has been out and a catalogue has been made!

 

So I present the goods stock of Oak Hill!

 

Cattle Wagons:

 

First there is this D&S LBSC Cattle wagon:

 

This repainted Hornby one:

 

This repainted Dapol one:

 

2 Mainline ones in BR livery, these are the type of cattle wagon I want to make up the bilk of my Cattle wagon stock as they are very close to LBSCR ones!

 

And a Mainline one in LMS livery:

 

I also have a D&S LSWR cattle wagon to build

 

Covered Wagons:

 

First we have this Dapol (Simply Southern) wagon in LBSC livery:

 

This one in Hook & Son's Dairy livery, this is a company based locally to me and the wagon will have the established date altered and phone number removed so it fits in better:

 

This Isfield Brewing company one, This will have the SR removed and LBSC insignia added instead:

 

This Kemp Town Brewery one, again the SR will be removed and LBSC added:

 

This 1860's LBSC wagon modified from a Tri-ang wagon that sits unused at the end of the goods siding:

 

This repainted Tri-ang wagon:

 

Open Wagons

 

2 Oxford 4 plank wagons, half way through a repaint into PO livery for Oak Hill's local coal merchant "R C Bareford"

 

The "new" SECR wagon:

 

A Slaters Thomas Meakins wagon:

 

This Dapol (Simply Southern) Byant & Company wagon:

 

This South and Gasson one:

 

This James Chandler one:

 

2 Repainted Hornby ones awaiting finishing:

 

and a repainted Tri-ang One:

 

Tank Wagons:

 

This Dapol (Simply Southern) Hook & Son's one, which will get the same treatment as the matching covered wagon:

 

This Bachmann WW1 wagon from the collectors club:

 

Brake Vans:

 

This modified Tri-ang representing an LBSC 15T brake:

 

and this scratch build Stroudley era brake van:

 

I also have a D&S SECR 6 wheel brake to build:

 

Others:

 

This container wagon, this will be modified into a machinery wagon:

 

A repainted Tri-ang Horse Box, I know these technically arn't goods but they can go here anyway:

 

A repainted Lima Horse Box:

 

And the Oak Hill Camera Wagon, which is waiting for a repaint:

 

I also have the 009 low-lowder currently awaiting construction.

 

And that is all the goods stock I have that stands a chance of being run!! I have a few others but most of them are facing the chop to make LBSC and SECR pattern goods stock, some of this may even end up with the same fate.

 

Gary

[uax6]

Interesting. I note that there isn't any stock from elsewhere in that lot. Having looked at lots of photos of the Highland Railway, it's quite noticeable how many foreign wagons there are in the pictures. Obviously there is the MR dia 299 open, but there are plenty of LBSC, LNWR, GW, GC, GE and the other Scottish companies wagons all on view.

In fact I got quite a surprise when looking through a GE Soc journal to find, sat in a siding at a station near Great Yarmouth, none other than a HR meat van!

 

I think what I'm trying to say is to avoid the pitfall that lots make when modelling pre-nationalisation railways where they only have indegenous wagons, when actually what you need is a good cross section of every large companies wagon stock.

 

Andy g

[Compound2632]

Interesting. I note that there isn't any stock from elsewhere in that lot. Having looked at lots of photos of the Highland Railway, it's quite noticeable how many foreign wagons there are in the pictures. Obviously there is the MR dia 299 open, but there are plenty of LBSC, LNWR, GW, GC, GE and the other Scottish companies wagons all on view.

In fact I got quite a surprise when looking through a GE Soc journal to find, sat in a siding at a station near Great Yarmouth, none other than a HR meat van!

 

I think what I'm trying to say is to avoid the pitfall that lots make when modelling pre-nationalisation railways where they only have indegenous wagons, when actually what you need is a good cross section of every large companies wagon stock.

 

Andy g

 

But that depends upon date. There are a lot of supposedly pre-Grouping images about which turn out on closer inspection to date from the 20s, i.e. after the pooling of open wagons that came about as a result of wartime conditions. Before the Great War, certainly in the Edwardian period, most ordinary goods wagons will belong to the owning company, with only through consignments from other lines coming in "foreign" wagons, which had to be returned pronto (and usually empty) to avoid demurrage charges.

 

Of course this means you will have a D299 (a) because south will have been receiving much of its manufactured goods from the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire and (b) they were so very numerous.

[BlueLightning]

I do intend on getting some foreign wagons, including midland D299's obviously!! I have no idea what yet as I want to make sure it can be justified.

 

I was actually surprised by how much I had as I have never really tried to get wagons and have just picked up bits I liked when they were released, and being friends with the owner of Simply Southern has obviously made sure I have a lot of his wagons!!!!

 

I am hoping to increase my goods stock to be a better representation of what would be seen in real life over this year. My exhibition layout has quite a decent sized goods yard so I will need to make sure I have enough to fill that!!!

 

Gary

[sem34090]

So the Oak Hill Branch! First, some explaining: In my thread, Gary suggested that Oak Hill was situated roughly where Penshurst sits in reality, so taking that as my starting point, Fordcombe as my mid point and Groombridge as my end point I drew the LBSCR Oak Hill branch onto the map, in IEG of course! I then added various sidings and a branch to a quarry at South Park, which was evident on both the 1880's OS Map for the area and on Google Earth today, a loop at Fordcombe, plus a few sidings (Taken from, then simplified from Rudgwick on the Guildford - Horsham branch) before heading for the junction at Groombridge. The LBSCR Line is about 4 1/4 miles when I looked last. I have then, as a way of explaining the obvious SECR influenza influence at Oak Hill, I've taken the liberty of adding a second branch from a junction at Oak Hill up to a junction near to the (real life) Penshurst station on SECR territory. This line is shown in green, and a potential avoiding line (either closed by the period modelled or yet to be opened!) is shown in blue. By not having the Oak Hill avoiding line, SECR trains for Eastbourne, Lewes and Brighton would have to reverse at Oak Hill (More fun operationally!), LBSCR Trains bound for the SECR would have to do the same. For dual-fitted stock (I think the SECR was a Vacuum for passengers: one went in and it was an awfully long time before one left the train! braked?) an LBSC train could arrive at Oak Hill from the South, the loco go on shed, and an SECR loco could come off shed to take it Northwards. For mineral traffic to/from South Park quarry, the way I have arranged it is that the wagons are tripped, possibly sans brake van, from the quarry by either a small LBSCR 0-4-0 tank (Oak Hill? Or even No.400...) or a loco belonging to the quarry company, dropped in the loop, before the 0-4-0 is released into the headshunt. A brake van should have been left in the siding at the end of the loop. The loco to take the train onwards (E2, C, C2, O1, whatever... depends who's brake van is to be used!) then backs/shunts onto the fiddle-yard end of the train, pushes them into onto the brake van, then away to wherever. Empties could be done by the inverse operation.

 

Anyway, enough timetabling: Maps!

First, a map showing the Oak Hill Railway's placement within the real world, with now disused lines added back in.

 

The Oak Hill branch itself, with South on the right... just to confuse you. The first image is of the line overlayed onto modern imagery, the second is 1960's imagery.

 

Oak Hill station and Junction.

 

South Park Quarry Branch

 

Fordcombe

 

The SECR Line.

 

Hopefully this helps fill a few gaps, and maybe even affect your wagon fleet! Anyway, now I know roughly where the line is going, I can attempt a Train Simulator version!

 

As always,

 

B. Looming, T. Ired (BED, SLE, EP) & S. Nore

Edited January 27, 2018 by sem34090

[BlueLightning]

WOW!!! THAT IS BL00DY BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Although also suffering from the extreme tiredness, I will have to re-read and comment more fully in the morning!!! but I love it!!!!

 

That is a lot more than I was expecting!!

 

Gary

Edited January 27, 2018 by BlueLightning

[sem34090]

**Yawns for theatrical effect**

 

Thank you sire, I aim to please!

 

We'll discuss it further later on today...

[BlueLightning]

Well having read it all again. I still love it!!!

 

I am going to need some wagons for the Quarry! and the trip workings seem like a great reason for the ageing Manning Wardle 0-4-0 (Oak Hill) to still exist!! Using that has always bothered me a bit as I could not see any real work for it, so that's a problem solved. I think these would have needed a brake van, so I shall have to make another!! Perhaps another early Stroudley type, but this time with the lantern lookout removed!

 

I had never considered an SE&CR connection to the north but it makes sense for it to be there, with the SE&CR running trains to London.

 

I notice you have managed to match the location well well, including the roads on the layout and even the need for a tunnel with how the real landscape lies!!

 

I had always planned an intermediate station on the branch, even before I had settled on where Oak Hill "is" as I said on your thread with the location and story of the branch that has already been established, Fordcombe seems the ideal place for it it, and having the loop allows the 2 train running that I planned on the line having.

 

I also notice you have made the map in Google Earth. Is there any way you can export it as either a KML or KMZ so I can have a good look around on my laptop?

 

Once again thanks for doing it, it is excellent!!!

 

Gary

 

PS. I may steal your images to put in the first post at some point!!

 

It is very good to have Oak Hill actually fit into the landscape.

[sem34090]

Glad you like it. I'll try and export it later.

 

With regards seeing Oak Hill in the landscape, just wait until I get it into TS! By importing real terrain data, and making use of the Google Earth overlay, I can get a fairly 'accurate' impression of the branch. I think I'll start Modern, then backdate to the BR era, then SR, then try and get someone to reskin some of the buildings and the track, and go back to 1905.

 

H. Appy

[sem34090]

Upon starting Google Earth, I found that the route had disappeared, so unfortunately I can't send you it! Sorry.

 

I've just opened the Spa Valley route in TS...

[BlueLightning]

Never mind! We still have your pictures!! I guess I'm gonna have to buy Train Sim!!! and some Terriers!!!

 

Gary

[Northroader]

What sort of rock was coming out of the quarry?

[sem34090]

I'd suggest holding off on getting TS until there's a steam sale, or even just a TS Sale. I'll let you know when... don't get the Terriers until you have TS, and buy the 'Falmouth Branch' and 'Isle of Wight' routes as soon as possible. The IOW Route forms a base for most freeware, and also a base for the excellent IOW Network route (Which comes FREE with a very basic Terrier, and a rather nice O2, along with appropiate wagons and coaches. It also forms my main source of Southern Railway assets, as well as some early types of signalling.). The Falmouth Branch is not only a nice route (Includes a Hall and 5700 Pannier), but has two key asset packs that most freeware requires.

 

If/when you get the terriers, make sure to buy them through the 'Steam Sounds Supreme' website under 'Multipacks' to ensure you get all the variants, coaches and liveries.

 

I'll look later with regards the quarry. Looks like chalk to me, but I'll double check.

[BlueLightning]

I would imagine chalk. the ground is mostly made of it around here. but I would have to find somewhere to look it up to be sure!

 

Gary

 

PS. I will wait before buying Train Sim! Please do let me know!!

Edited January 28, 2018 by BlueLightning

[BlueLightning]

For those interested I have finally uploaded some video to YouTube of my trip to the Bluebell in September!

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLswNrMNIgc4lpHpsSnRhxqj3tpJ0LMHUv

 

Gary

[Ruffnut Thorston]

Another Pre- Group (ERA 2) Bachmann Loco....It was hiding with th eWD locos from a bit later on!

 

I have added it to th eoriginal list posted earlier in the year!

 

EDIT:

 

To add.

 

Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway Class 7F 2-8-0 Tender Loco S&DR Black Livery No. 89. 31-014

[Ian Simpson]

Well, that's my favourite for the Academy's "Best Documentary Railroad Film of 2018". 

 

The way you built up the tension waiting for 323 to run around the train at East Grinstead was masterful!

Edited January 29, 2018 by Ian Simpson

[BlueLightning]

Thanks Ian,

 

I was going to cut out the start of the run round video, but when it came to it I really couldn't be bothered!!!!!

 

Gary

[Ruffnut Thorston]

The Quarry would most probably be Chalk....

 

But there is / was a Gypsum mine on the SECR St;Leonards-Tonbridge line...

 

I do like the mapping....

 

Much along th elines of my imagination....See Ffrwd Locks for more?

[sem34090]

Well, I may have some screenshots to post later...

[sem34090]

Said screenshots: note, these show only 100 - 200 yards of track laid to form a junction on the 'heritage' version. I have yet to lay more, and will relay this bit. It was done on my laptop, but I will be making the route 'proper' on my Desktop.

 

ex-LBSCR Class A1x No.650 'Sutton' (Currently under overhaul on the Spa Valley) takes the branch just to the East of Groombridge with a rake of 4 MK1's, bound for Oak Hill.

 

'Sutton' carries on its way to Oak hill,  whilst an Austerity waits with a train from Tunbridge Wells West.

 

Anyway, I hope you like the teaser! And I will post here, or on one of my threads when TS is next in a sale: I will be looking for the sales anyway in order to pick up payware - I only buy it during the sales: the Terriers and Birdcages being an exception!

 

E. Missenden

[sem34090]

I think the Oak Hill Railway (Or South Park Quarry Co.?) should have one of these: small, wonderful and ancient!

I took many photos of No.5 'Shannon' for a future CAD project...

 

And, Aaand, I, I,

I, I, I took a picture of a modern electric train. I'm sorry, I betrayed you all, you may now excommunicate me to Slough, and I can rot on one of these GWR Green horrors. I deserve the worst for my sin. I have failed in my duty to uphold all that is right, proper and pre-grouping in this world. I even had the audacity to post the horrific image in a 'modern' thread on this forum.

 

I am sorry, I shall now take my leave...

 

I'm going outside.

 

I may be some time.

 

E. Missenden