South Western Potteries - Parkstone, Poole

[Guest Jack Benson]

The South Western Potteries - Parkstone, Poole

 

For the past few years, we have sporadically maintained a small blog about a line from Parkstone goods yard to Liliput Harbour in Poole. The line was extended to Liliput Quay in Poole Harbour to avoid harbour fees but in reality it was built to serve the South Western Potteries of George Jennings. Jennings was a local man (10 November 1810 – 17 April 1882) and an English sanitary engineer and plumber who invented the first public flush toilets. The railway was interesting as the local area was not particularly well endowed with industrial railways and it lasted until the very early 60s when the last loco, a Peckett W4 was reduced to scrap by the local scrap dealer, Trents at Wallisdown.

 

 

 

George Jennings received its general overhaul at Northam Iron Works on Southampton Water, this was subsumed into Vospers in 1929 but was the workshop kept open for repair work?

 

Cheers

 

JB

 

 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Guest
Images added from my collection

[Guest Jack Benson]

A recent discovery of a better detailed map of the pottery revealed the internal trackplan. It should be noted that their are two different systems shown on the map, the standard gauge track enters top left from Parkstone (SR)  goods yard whilst the 24" internal ball clay pit line enters from the top right and crosses the standard gauge track repeatedly. The standard system brought in coal for the gas works and Hoffmann ovens and took out the finished sanitary ware in vans.

 

There are no remains of the pottery except a row of workers cottages and a steeply graded line from Parkstone (SR) down to the pottery and onto the jetty at Salterns on Poole Harbour.

 

 

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi,

 

The essential bits of the pottery could be accommodated in a relatively small space, in reality it is just a single track entering from under a overbridge, a short run around loop with a couple of sidings at the end of the loop. The factory buildings could be bodged from laser cut components from ‘inthegreenwood’ or the resin factory/warehouse bits from Skytrex. No doubt there are some smaller RTP items that pop up on Ebay that will enhance the scene, they don’t have to be exLSWR as this is private property. For example, this Skaledale item is rather nice once the weighbridge is ditched.

 

 

 

[Guest Jack Benson]

Just before my battery expires, try this link for really nice 2D factory facades.

 

Skytrex facades

 

StaySafe

[Guest Jack Benson]

 

Based on the 1902 map above, this oversimplified trackplan is achiveable in a 84"x13" space using Peco BH plain and code 75 small turnouts buried to disguise their origins. The circle is a Hoffmann kiln

These buildings look to be adaptable for the purpose.

 

 

 

 

[Nearholmer]

I'm certain someone has built a really good small layout depicting the other end of the branch; it was in RM a year or too back. Very characterful little line.

[Guest Jack Benson]

7 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

I'm certain someone has built a really good small layout depicting the other end of the branch; it was in RM a year or too back. Very characterful little line.

A really nice model of Parkstone is currently being built.

 

StaySafe