Glynn Huggins

Hi Ron,

I will ask Peter when I seen him next and post his answers.

Hi Ron,

Sorry this reply has taken a while and hope the answers don't arrive to late for you to use.

I spoke to Peter Reed today - have not seen him for some weeks. He tells me that all the Tonbridge Shed H Classes used on the Westerham branch were aligned with cab facing London. This meant on all occasions, the up service from the Tonbridge end would be bunker first. So the first movement of the day (at about 3.30am I think) was to position the engine to Dunton Green and then run a freight down the branch to Westerham. There was passing loops at both Dunton Green and Westerham but not at Brasted. Consequently it would not have been possible to just drop off goods vans at Brasted en route to Westerham as the engine was at the front of the train. It necissatated a return run back up to Brasted once the engine had run round the wagons at Westerham. Peter had no memory of the engine ever running bunker first into Westerham although he did not rule out this ever happening but had never seen any pictures illustrating this.

I hope this is of some use.

Glynn

Hi Ron,

I will ask Peter when I seen him next and post his answers.

An interesting thought on the train services: I was talking to a former engine driver on the Westerham line, Peter Reed, the other day (he was my examiner on a Personal Track Safety course on the Spa Valley Railway) and it appears that there was a frieght movement at the start and end of passenger services each day. This came from Dunton Green directly into/out of Westerham and then there was a movement back to Brasted if any wagons needed to unload there. I remember readling something about a dispensation for brake vans between Westerham and Brasted but am unsure how this worked. Does anyone know more?

Just a few pictures of my efforts to hide the end of the line, (for the time being). I am going to get another strip light which should improve the lighting at this end.

At the other end of the line... I have a few pics of my 'N' gauge model of Dunton Green which I posted today - I am very much aware of the shortcomings when compared to Adrian's marvellous efforts but spare a thought for my failing eyesight trying to detail in 1-148 scale!

This looks amazing. Looking forward to trying it when I get back to UK.

This is my first attempt at railway modelling since i was 15 I have wanted something to do since i retired last year. I remember the branch line from my youth when i used to cycle past the station. It is built in my garage and is 10ft x 2ft here are a few pics of whats happening so far. 95% of buildings are scratch built from card and plasticard the crown hotel is a modified superquick hotel.

When I was volunteering at Westerham Station in 1962, we were selling a small publication about the railway by G.T.Black. I have made it into a .pdf and if anyone is interested, please email me and I will send a copy to you. glynn.huggins@send-media.com

In Chris Gammell's "The Branch Line Age", published by Moorland in 1976, there is a John Smallwood photo taken on the up main platform, under the shelter, showing a double door with sign "Westerham Branch Trains", which implies a passageway - possibly covered? - between the two platforms. The footbridge is visible immediately beyond the end of the shelter. My other C Gammell album, "Southern Branch Lines 1955-1965", OPC, and also 1976, has on the cover a classic Dunton Green pic showing the branch train ready to depart, with the photographer standing on the "wrong" side of the tracks, rather than on the platform! That would have been typical Gammell. He and JAV Smallwood were friends and colleagues, which is why I'm fairly certain my late wife typed the original manuscript for the OPC book.

 

My Westerham knowledge has also been enhanced looking through a couple of other books just now - and finding a pic of a West Country leaving the terminus with 11 on in 1957......

Just found your reply and have placed an order for both the books you mention. I could not believe that they were both available via the internet and at a total cost of just £7 including postage! Excellent - thank you for the tip. Look forward to some serious reading soon. And yes, the walkway was covered but have yet to see a pic of it. However, my modelling goes on a pace, mainly from guesswork and a few pics including an interesting aerial one which unfortunately just misses out the branch platform but gives a good idea of the booking hall. When you work in 'n' guage, I think you are entited touse a modicum of artistic license!

According to the closure documents in 1960 the line's coal merchants were:

 

Westerham - South Suburban Co-operative Society

 

Brasted - Mr Bowser - though he may have traded under a different name

I think you will find this was Geo.Bowser & Sons who had their yard at Westerham. In common with many other coal merchants, they had another string to their bow, coaches, and traded as Westerham Coaches for many years until selling out to Skinners of Oxted.

Hi BigHerb, thanks for your reply, it seems that information on the goods yard is going to be difficult to find after all this time. all the best Adrian

I found a good picture of the store van at Brasted - hope this is of use

Hi Glynn, thanks for your post, on page  120 of the Westerham Valley Railway book by David Gould are a couple of pictures one of some young volunteers clearing the ash pit at Westerham with that little truck. and another one at Brasted Station of some more volunteers laying telephone cables (maybe you in the pictures?), I can pm the pics if you haven't seen them. All the best Adrian

Yes, I know the photographs you mean. but I am sorry to say I don't think I was in either photo - probably still in disgrace from putting on the brakes too sharply on the handcart to avoid running over the stones the yobs had kindly placed on the track..

There's always Dunton Green to build!!

 

Do agree that the Brasted building is superb.

 

Ian

It's a shame there are not many useful photographs available of Dunton Green. I am modelling it at the moment in 'N' gauge and although I have found a lot of pics in various places, nothing really shows the relationship between the main station building and the Westerham branch waiting room so I am going to have to improvise! If anyone knows where I can find pics please let me know...

Thank you,

                  this Link might interest you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsit-g18GSg

 The things people thought of in the sixties..A Hillman Imp on the Westerham Valley Railway. And before anyone asks no I am not going to model it!

Although I never got to ride on it, I remember the car-mobile well, At the time I was working at weekends as a volunteer with the WVRS and it was parked in the goods shed whenever I was there! We always had problems with the local youths who delighted in undoing all our weekends hard work in rigging telephone cables and other maintenance works. We used to go out on a little cart (not sure what you call them) and often got as far as Brasted station. I still have a whole pile of old waybills from the station loft.  One day, we were returning and the youths had put stones on the track just outside Westerham to try to derail us. I put on the brake too sharply and was then banned from the brake job even though I felt I had saved us all from a worse fate! Happy days...

I am currently modelling Westerham and Dunton Green stations (loosely due to space restrictions) in N gauge at the moment and your Westerham model is a great sourse of inspiration.

In a small fiddle yard, you could always fit a  D.P.D.T. switch to switch between ordinary DCC power and programming track power to the siding thus getting the best of both worlds. The switch will have six connections; the middle two being for +ve and -ve power to the siding and the other two pairs for +ve and -ve input from the power unit (assuming there are two separate outputs such as on the elink, one for DCC and one for programming.)

This works for me.

Glynn

I was a member of the Westerham Valley Railway Association around 1962/3 and used to spend my weekends oiling points and running telegraph wires whilst we all hoped to save the line.

Your model is so realistic it brought back fond memories. The modelling of the White Hart and St.Mary's Primary School (which all three of my children attended) are particularly realistic. Thank you for bringing back much pleasure and nostalga for days gone by.

(PS The bus is a 705 Green Line that ran between Windsor and Tunbridge Wells and was my only means of transport home on a Sunday when the 410 bus did not run!)