Barleith Halt Nr Hurlford

[Jock67B]

Hello folks, hoping eventually to build a representation of Barleith halt on the Darvel branch, into a larger model of Hurlford MPD. Although I lived next to the shed in the fifties, and travelled from Kilmarnock and Hurlford, frequently using the halt as my dad was a driver there, I'm ashamed to say that I have no memory of the way passengers accessed the platforms. I've only seen one picture of the station, in the G&SWR volume of LMS sheds, but it's looking the other way. An OS map of 1936 seems to show steps down from what used to be the Dumfries road to the Darvel bound side, and level access to the shed side. The current road bridge and embankment, obviously a newer replacement, offered no clue when I visited a couple of years ago. Does anyone know of any pictures of the site or indeed have any knowledge of the configuration? Or is there likely to be a resource with more detailed maps or plans? I must have been too excited to take notice at the time as most of my rides were on the footplate with either dad or one of his friends,

Many thanks,

Jock.

[Jim49]

Hi Jock, I can suggest the Old-Maps website as a starting point. There is a post-1938 map @ 1-10560 which shows Hurlford along with the shed complex and Barleith Station.Put in HURLFORD as the location you want to view and then select the date & map from a list of choices which will appear on the right hand side of the screen. You can slightly enlarge the image by clicking the cursor over the map but the image is still on the small side. There is a facility shown as "ENHANCEMENT" which allowed the user to continually increase the image size but this is now only available to subscribers. I don't know how much the subscription costs but it may be worth your while checking it out.

 

Also, the shed & halt feature in Paul Smith's  Handbook of Steam Motive Power Depots, Volume 5, N. England & Scotland. As you describe, the northern platform is accessed by a short set of steps off the A76 Mauchline Road while the southern platform is accessed from a path sandwiched between the buffers of the mineral sidings to the west and the A76 embankment to the east. I can't make out the street name that the path comes off but there is a row of houses called "Railway Buildings" overlooking the mineral sidings which might help you pinpoint the location.

 

Good luck,

 

Jim

[Jock67B]

Thanks Jim,

Those 'Railway Buildings' are almost certainly the 'Blocks of Maisonettes' where I lived in the early fifties. I'll certainly follow up the leads and see how close I can get.

Thanks again and kind regards,

Jock.

[Anotheran]

Hi Jock, I can suggest the Old-Maps website as a starting point. There is a post-1938 map @ 1-10560 which shows Hurlford along with the shed complex and Barleith Station.

For Scotland those maps (and larger scales) are available at higher resolution free at maps.nls.uk. For Hurlford there are 6 mile to the inch (for 1895, 1908 and 1938) which you can zoom right in on. Hurlford station, for example, can be seen at http://maps.nls.uk/view/75494510.

 

Unfortunately while the NLS does have some maps for England and Wales it only has the full coverage for Scotland. For E&W the government decided that stuff that the tax payer had already funded should be sold to the taxpayer rather than given to them

 

Edited to say that NLS also has the 25 miles to the inch... Hurlford station 1937 at 25 miles to the inch is at http://maps.nls.uk/view/82867371.

[Anotheran]

Good morning Jock,

 

Very glad to hear on other threads that you had a good, if exhausting by the sound of it, Christmas.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing reports of your kit work here, maybe even plans of your layout, in the New Year. You add so much to other people's threads it's only fair we get the chance to return the favour

 

Wishing you a restful few days before Hogmanay which I'm sure as a Scot, even in Clacton, you won't fail to celebrate!

 

Kind regards, Neil

[Anotheran]

Good evening Jock,

 

Further to my PM I thought I'd post this here. I've taken bits from the 25" Ayrshire sheets XXIII.02 and XXIII.03 to show the environs around Barleith station on both sides. I've also added in the scale (at the same scale!) so that the dimensions can be taken of buildings etc. I had to use the 1908 map (published 1910) as sheet XXIII.03 isn't available in the 1937 map (published 1939). At least it's not available on the NLS site. But the sheet that is available for both years looks pretty similar around the engine shed, except that the turntable has moved and the coal pit has closed. I would expect, therefore, that the eastern side, beyond the mineral sidings, saw virtually no change. So I think it would be safe to use the 1908 map for the eastern side and the 1937 map for the location of the turntable and surrounding sidings if you're modelling the line in the period immediately before or after the war.

 

 

I've had to reduce this file to get RMWeb to take it (though clicking on the image above will give you a bigger view of it), but I'd be happy to send the complete one if you pm me your email address. However, I've included all the relevant links in my pm so I'm sure you could pull it together yourself in MS Paint (which is all I used to stitch together screen grabs). You could do it an even higher resolution by zooming in more first and taking more grabs if you have the patience

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kind regards, Neil

[Anotheran]

Further to my last post... here's the comparison of 1908 and 1937 maps to the west of Barleith...

The only changes that I can see are the movement of the turntable (and enlargement of it - which is I assume why it was moved) and the reconfiguration of the line to what I assume is the coaling drop to make space for the turntable and the addition of three sidings adjacent to the drop - presumably because the traffic was heavier with more (and bigger, hence the bigger turntable) locos, so there was more requirement for coal wagon space. The signal posts and box all appear to be in exactly the same locations (as of course is the mile post!) and the buildings also all appear to be the same except for the removal of the small building to the SE of the end of the coaling drop line.

 

One thing I do note is that the run up the embankment to the coal drop is only two thirds the length, so significantly steeper, so I assume they were using much more powerful engines to push the wagons up there, or pushing fewer wagons at a time.

 

I don't know if you plan to model this far east, if so you have a big project on your hands!

 

Kind regards, Neil

[Jock67B]

Morning Neil,

Thanks for your efforts, and very well observed. The turntable was indeed increased to sixty feet diameter when more servicing of main line locomotives was carried out by the engineering department as I believe Corkerhill were struggling! The map doesn't show just how steep the coaling stage road is, or indeed what a 'snake' like 's' curve that the ramp had. However, the approach from the West was on a slight downhill slope, and often as not an ex- Caledonian 2F 0-6-0 tender loco would propel six or more wagons up there with a bit of a run at it! As to modelling, I realised long ago that an accurate representation would be impossible, both in terms of space and funding. Rule one will have to be rigorously applied and I envisage a simplified layout, encompassing the coaling stage/turntable area and the workshops and shed with a representation of the mineral sidings and possibly Barleith halt moved further west with the maisonettes appearing simply on an end'backscene'! For instance, after the 1937 map, the actual coaling building had been doubled in size and had become very ramshackle by the fifties and sixties when I was there - I've prepared drawings for one more like the original, taking pointers from those at Dumfries, Ayr and Corkerhill, with the idea of giving a flavour of the G&SWR. This is what the team who prepared the 'St. Mar nock' layout did. I would like to keep the shed at six roads for instance, but shortening is a must to fit it in!

Thank you once again for your interest - I propose to wait for my next scan in six or eight weeks time before I go out to buy the ply as I'm hoping to get some idea of my life expectation. After that, if I get a reasonable prognosis, I hope to start with a module containing the coaling stage, turntable, bothy and ash-pits - the drawings for this are at a stage where the next step is a 'mock-up' full size plan. I would proceed with one module at a time. If the prognosis is not good, I can see no point in leaving another burden for my wife, along with a large book and record collection that I need to dispose of!

I have started to kit bash a few old Airfix 16T kits for static display on the coaling stage and I'm currently trawling through the model wagon lists to see if I can get some close enough to modify to the old G&SWR wooden ones used for loco coal. I'm also preparing working drawings for the bothy, scaling it from the one gable end picture I've got!

Thank you once again for your help, I'm off to look at Doxey End and NE now,

Kind regards,

Jock.

[Barleith40665]

Hi Jock,

Have been searching for information on Hurlford Station and found your request for information about Barleith Halt. My father was a Driver there and my mother was born in the Blocks as her father was a driver there from G&SWR Days. Have many memories of catching the train there with one or other of my parents and going to the ticket office to get a PT Ticket

The passenger entrance to the Halt was as you stated by a flight of wooden steps from the side of the bridge on the Mauchline Road, down to the Darvel bound platform. here was a track level crossing over to the Kilmarnock bound side, where you needed to go for the ticket office which was along towards E Block, of the Railway Village. The other foot entrance was further along the Mauchline Road, going in the Road entrance to the Blocks and down the slope and round the bend and along in front of E Block.

 

Hope that this will be of some assistance for you.

 

Jim