Blue

Oh my God, its brilliant and just how i remember it.

The paper dock on the down side was still in use up until the late 1980's as i recall unloading from the morning paper train (we were not meant too, but we got our papers for the day..2 of each if i recall).

Believe it or not, it was a dead mans shoes type thing. Parking season tickets were handed down father to son etc. We were also shown evidence that some were part of house sales agreements and several left in wills!!!!

The hard standing is in fact the far end of what was Car Park number 1 ( which was a season ticket only car park and had a 20+ year waiting list ) The portacabins were due to the resignalling, telecoms I believe but were hardly ever used.

Not sure if you have seen this

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4HZw9IFNPrg

Charing Cross to Hasting in 1968 Sevenoaks is about 7 minutes

Thanks Blue - reading what you said about the up south sidings, I remembered my Video 125 DVD which has a driver's eye view of a Hastings to Charing Cross train. It was filmed in 1988, and you can see some disused Hastings DMUs parked in these sidings. I managed to get a few screenshots from the Sevenoaks portion of the DVD, they're not terribly good quality but I thought they were quite interesting in showing the track layout and appearance of the station at the time!

 

14.jpg

 

Oooh my word......the man walking along the track (the third from last photo) looks like a signalman called Tom Hiller who really had a bad habit of walking along the track to the signalbox for his shifts.

That's interesting, I was trying to get my head around how the track layout has changed in this area - the up and down mains seem to be placed quite far apart as well.

Up util the late 80's or early 90's (i cant remember when) platform 2 was the main up line and platform 1 was the termination platform. You was also able to reach the branch line from platform 2 but was only really ever used for the odd freight train, the 1623 school train and for diversions. It was decided that swapping platofrms would allow faster non stopping services.

 

The up sidings south was a double track sidings that was also removed in the platorm alterations. In my time at Sevenoaks, the up siding was only ever used to hold condemmed stock. And i have a nagging feeling it was also non electrified like the up sidings north.

I can't remember which pics I have posted before, see below where you are modelling now.

L-035 Sev 1-8-94.jpg

 

Your modelling is very life like.

Not had a chance to resize the later pics I took.

Cheers.

This picture gives a good idea of where the old up siding south used to be before they were removed.

I spent a 8 hours a day for seven days flagging the down signal just outside the tunnel in the mid 90's and that is almost exactly how I recall it. You have the sleeper fencing too a T, well done.

Does that footpath under the railway have a name? You could use that if it is not too specific.You could use Eastcombe (there is Eastcombe Avenue and the Eastcombe estate not far from the junction.)Or, nearer Woolwich Dockyard, what about Maryon? Or if you want a neutral name, how about Park Terrace?

The footpath is Ransom Walk.

I am extremely impressed with the bridge supports. Looks exactly how it is!

 

I like ve looking at old photos and whenever i see them, i wonder if i was working that day.

The ganger hut is a very interesting looking structure - although my layout is based on what's there currently, I'll be running stock from 80s to present day on the layout so could justify modeling it!

 

Blue, love the story of the haunting of the sidings - it always looks like such a gloomy place going past it, I don't envy the railway worker having to be there alone at night! .

In the mid 90's after a major signalling problem, i spent about two weeks on the signal just outside of the tunnel mouth, doing earlies and lates. I can assure you it was cold, damp and very very spooky lol but due to its location, when we needed the loo, we tries using the loo beside the pway hut, but as there was no water, weonly used it for a day or two!!

The Sevenoaks tunnel ganger huts. They were in use up until the early 90's

 

I would like too add that some people thought that the sidings were haunted by an old driver who had been "seen" by P-way staff and the odd shunter and driver!

Dont forget that although they do look large, they are on a very step sloping embankment, so look bigger than they actually are.

This is really interesting, and excellent modelling too.

Bit "late period" for my tastes, being one of those who was never a great fan of the "architecture", which I thought looked cheap and nasty even when it was new. The previous decaying timber-work had more atmosphere!

Anyway, I'm delighted to see mention of the substation (all third rail layouts need one IMHO, and they are very rarely represented accurately) ......... When you eventually get to that bit, you may find that the visible electrical equipment takes a bit of "getting your head round" if you aren't familiar with it ........... PM me a reminder if you need help, and I will try to advise.

Also, I remember there being a mechanical detonator-placer, operated from the signal-box, on the up branch road. A tad microscopic for modelling perhaps, but maybe one of the other followers could tell us how long it lasted - it seemed a late survivor to me.

Kevin

I don't recall the detonator being there when i was in the box from 1984

Wow i love it.

You have the upside entrance looking almost exactly as i remember it. I hated that side. It was a magnet for flys in the summer and we could spend several hours sweeping up dead ones. The downstairs buffet was hardly ever used, and if it was, it was only for the morning rush for newspapers. The ticket office was open for about two hours each morning, and when we got the gates, it caused chaos for weeks until the passengers got used too it.

The portacabins were there for the engineers doing the work resignalling work for the then new Ashord IECC.

Here is a track plan i copied into my note book when i was incident response from 1993. Obviously it isnt to scale, but i hope it will help you.

I am not sure, but i think the sidings was originally related to the coal yard (which is now where the car park is) i will always remember the look on a drivers face when taking a class 73 in there when all of a suden he came to a grinding holt amd had to change over from electric to diesel it wasnt used that much.

Blue, love the pics! Thanks for posting - I hope I will be able to capture the character of the station, your input will be very gratefully received! Particularly like the last picture, nice to see this end of the junction and a bit of the substation which I do hope to include on the layout; I am now thinking I'd quite like to feature the signal box as well!

Anything you are unsure about, i will try to help.

 

I was there between 1984 to 2000 with a few breaks where i was in other signal boxes. Oposite the signalbox was a unelectrified siding which was used by tampers, wickham trollies etc

The country end used to have two sidings. The upside siding (2 roads) was used to stable old condemmed stock (when i was first there). The down sidings was and still is used for holding empties.

 

The paper dock was used as you suspected to unload papers directly into newsagents vans or if the lifts were out of service to get disabled passengers on/off trains.

 

The up mainline used to run via platform 2 and terminating trains would use platform 1 but it was decided that trains would travel faster via platform 1 so during the remodeling around the late 80's the platform roles were reversed. If i recall, it was at this time the point work that conected platform 2 to the Bat and Ball Brach was also removed.

London end of the station

The signalbox panel.....

I look forward to watching this layout progress. I used to work at Sevenoaks both as a Signalman and as a Duty Station Manager.