DGO

I just discovered 10 mins ago that Eling had a saw mill, as well as the grain mill, the line went from Totton station, it starts right next to the end of the platform on the Down Side, and certainly in the 90's the level crossing gates were still on the high street, but they have gone now, and the line seems to have mainly just been covered, often crudely with the result that in many places Google Earth still shows lines poking through, apparently the line was still in operation in the 1960's with a steam powered crane that also acted as a shunter . https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3698117 a tramway linked into the branch line via a turnplate with another turnplate halfway down the branch serving the Creosote works.

I only knew about Eling mill because as I said I worked for a while at Totton but I live on the edge of the New Forest at Barton On Sea, one day work finished early and I decided to go and see Eling Mill as there's a sign close to the station that points to it as a tourist attraction, a quick cycle from Totton took me to a pleasant location on the edge of the tiny Bartley Water and only the second Tide Mill I've ever seen, they still grind corn for the tourists by the way. Or did when I visited. Once upon a time the Eling Channel which runs down the western side of the River Test must have served the Creosote Works and Eling wharf, but the with the closing of the Timber Yard and Creosote works (One tank remains) there would have been no need to keep dredging the wharf and a and so it looks like the channel only serves the Mill area now and a few Yacht Moorings.

Once lockdown is over their visitor centre is well worth a visit https://www.elingexperience.co.uk/ 

If you wanted to add a smaller mill, what about basing one on the nearby Eling Tide Mill, just a little further up the line near Totton, the tide mill and the tiny attached Toll House on the bridge would make a pretty detail, in fact it's probably the Only pretty detail in Totton ( I worked there for a while) with the tidal pond to one side of the bridge and the marina (once a small commercial dock) to the other.

I Know a rail line came very close, certainly the old line can still be found behind the anchor inn which is at the other end of the quay side to the mill, which suggests to me that it probably ran along the top of the quay at one point, if only because I cannot see why else they would curve the track round there.

Technically the Gottard Tunnel is the deepest railway line at 8040ft below the surface but it's not below sea level, Mponeng Gold Mine is the deepest in the world, I may be mistaken but the attached picture appears to show rails in one of its tunnels which are expected to go over 4km below the surface.

7 hours ago, Dave John said:

The sides and ends are 20 thou SVS. I arrange them on the silhouette cut in a line. The silhouette will half cut through 20 thou so that gives guide for a home made scrawker cut from a snap off blade.  Straight edge to guide it then a scalpel to clean them up. Once scribed they can just be cut from the sheet. 

 

Good thing about a silhouette is that once designed you can make lots, so I did 3 sets while I was at it. same for the 10 thou metalwork. 

 

Are you saying you scribed the 10thou brass in a silhouette ? Or do you simply mean you did 3 sets of brass at the same time ?