mikeandnel

Hello Gareth Wish I could claim the same but as Midhurst was an obscure terminus almost on the Sussex/Hampshire border ,so to run my South Eastern stock would be stretching things a bit far, Much as I would like to able to. Perhaps I can do it when no-one is looking!

I have never aspired to the standard that Mike Sharman attained, but do remember talking to him on many occasions and several of my earlier models did incorporate either his wheels, gearboxes or both. His model making was out of this world. Personally I refer to all pre-1923 as pre-grouping but, of course, amalgamations were going on right from day ! with small companies building lines which they then found they could not afford to run. Even what I am doing started off as the Mid Sussex and Midhurst Junction Railway

I have been exclusively a Brighton man for many years now, but before that I went through a South Eastern phase, and before that an LSWR phase, so I now have so much stock, that I don't know what to do with it! But now Brighton it is.

Hello Rory Don't forget i am only in The Fairway

Well spotted Killean Kean. It is from the days when I modelled the railways of early South Eastern England, but now all my SER/SECR/LCDR is going to be disposed of. Thanks Edwardian, your comments much appreciated Michael

Thanks Gary Glad you like it Michael

Saturday today and some progress has been made this week. The main progress has been in the making, colouring and scenicing of the part of West Lavington Hill which was cut away up to the point where the tunnel mouth is located.. The banking on the opposite of the track, which is cut away underneath to hide the layout controls , has also been shaped and part coloured but is not yet completed. The hill on the main or north side of the track has been created by Ian from a foam compound and he has also done the colour and texture of the face of the cutting. I must admit that I am very pleased with the end result. It is intended to finish this hill off with a line of scree at the base,to represent any fallen chalk or sand. The other work done this week has been the final laying of the goods yard gravelled surface, and a start has been made on defining and inserting the Bepton Road and bridge where it was adjacent to the turntable, but this is in the early stages. I have added a few more photos of the layout for anyone who is interested. Another view of the goods shed Another aspect of the platform and canopy And just to whet Edwardians appetite, this is the last loco I was able to build before becoming incapable. You can see that it was not up to my previous standard ​ More to follow

In order to show those people interested just what I have been able to model before my disability arrived, it is my intention to slowly post photos of my period trains, some of which pre-date Midhurst 1866 by quite a few years. What I am thinking of doing is to pose period trains on the assumption that John Chester Craven would have sent all kinds of obsolete stock to work on the Midhurst branch due to the LBSCR's parlous financial state at that time. So don't be supprised if stock as far back as the 1830s appears!

Hello Edwardian Many thanks for the comments I appreciate the fact that enamel signs did not appear until much later, and therefore there are not many shown. I have worked on the premise that the signs shown were done by a local signwriter! It is my intention to run stock that I have which does range up to the late 1800s and to do this I have to pretend that this station lasted longer than the actual 15 years. Due to my disability and lack of space, things will probably happen at this station which did not happen in real life. Many thanks for the comments about the ballasting. I like it too! Keep up the modelling Thank you Michael

Thanks Gwiwer for your encouragement and kind thoughts. Much appreciated Michael

Hello All My name is Michael, I am 84 and suffering with Parkinsons I, with help from friends, am building a EM gauge model of Midhurst LBSCR station as it would have been when built in 1866 I have obtained site plans from NRM and also have a copy of a painting of the station done in 1866. At present track is laid and ballasted, all electrics are done and working, all buildings have been made and are in place, and the scenic work is well under way. All rolling stock is of the period from 1864 to 1900, so I can run trains of various periods in the late 19th century, despite the fact that this station was only in us for about 15 years before it became obsolete and was demolished. I do have a forum entry under 'Midhurst LBSCR station 1866' if you want any further info.

Gary, I must say that your work is encouraging me to press on with Midhurst . The effect created with close coupling the coaches really does make a difference and looks much more realistic Keep up the good work Michael

Brassey Many thanks for the comment, and you could well be right. However, I had based my assumption on the Act of 1844 which required railway companies to offer facilities for the ordinary man to travel at a rate he could afford, which I know led the companies to make things as inconvenient as possible for non-first class passengers to travel. But the facilities had to be seen to exist!

Well here we are, Sunday again and there has been a lot of progress this past week. Ian has the tunnel mouth well in hand, and also the high ground on each side of the tunnel mouth has been cut to shape. Next stage is to add a surface and start to add colour and texture before shrubbery and trees can be added. The banking on the other side of the track which is hollowed out to hide the switches has been roughed out and shaped so that the signalman has a clear sight line to the tunnel mouth. Goods shed Ian has built this to my instructions and made a very good building. My instructions were to use similar materials to those of the loco shed, as my interpretation of the site was that it was all originally built to a budget, bearing in mind that the LBSCR ran out of funds when building the Chichester to Midhurst line in 1865 and Midhust station was only finished in 1866. Again, due to the restrictions of the site area, I had decided that the goods shed would have had an end-on loading dock for carts, and therefore this is at one end of the shed parallel to the track on the station side. If there is anyone who can correct me on this, I would welcome info. Station building This has been sitting in a box for the past three years and has finally come into use The building was built to my instructions by Wessex Buildings but was very basic when received. The instructions given were based on measurements takes from the site plans supplied by the NRM and on a very poor painting done at the time by an unknown artist. The plans received from NRM show the platform to have been only 280 feet long and the station building taking up nearly half of that length. There were two entrances to the station from the entrance side, one possibly for first class passengers and the other for the peasantry! At least, that is my interpretation. The canopy was constructed by Ian and is supported by correct canopy uprights supplied by 5and9 models. The building has lights in five rooms, three lights under the canopy and one light over each entrance, all of which were wired and installed by me (and work!). I can still do some things (not a lot!) Ian also added the advertisements and timetables. In fact, under a very strong magnifying glass you can actually read the times of trains to and from Selham, Petworth etc. What I have tried to do in the following photo is to reproduce the picture from which the artist previously mentioned took his inspiration. The rolling stock is (I believe) all from 5and9 kits More to follow

It is now Sunday and not much progress during this last week. The platform is now under construction and has been surfaced with York stone and has been painted to give realistic colouring by Ian. Because of the confined space of the site, the platform fence has been made higher than normal due to the close proximity of the cattle loading facilities. This was done to protect passengers from the noise and noxious smells emanating from any cattle being loaded only a few feet away from the platform. The lamps have been installed on the platform and cattle dock and are wired and working. The construction of the fence is copied from a very early poor quality painting of the station, and the only difference with the model is the height of the running-in board, which I have lowered slightly. Also included for your info are pictures of two locomotives under construction, and as yet not complete or finished 1. ‘Hayling’, a ‘Gladstone’ class 0-4-2 tender loco from an etched brass kit I put this kit together and part painted it, and the finish and lining were completed by Simon 2. Stroudley No. 18 also from an etched brass kit by EBM models This kit was built and painted also by Simon Hopefully more to follow

Hello Shibushe Are you asking about loco kits, rolling stock or? Michael

Thanks Claude, Spitfire and Edwardian Many thanks for the encouragement. There will be more to follow when I can take some photos. Also running in some locos at the moment so info on those also to follow. I notice that in the turntable photo you can see the line which is where the hinged section is, but a small price to pay for the convenience of being able to sit and work on the underneath of the layout!

Midhurst LBSCR Station 1866 Well it has been three years since I last posted an entry in my blog and this one will probably be my last project. Also I am having trouble with the blog, so have decided to do my entries by posting, rather than blogging, so apologies to anyone who has been following my blog. Thanks for all your support. I have reached the age of 84 and am now suffering from Parkinson's Disease amongst other things, which means that I am now unable to hold things still while soldering or detailing or lining. Other than that, I am fine, but had posted a request for help in completing some of the my kits which were still not completed and have had a good response offering help, As a result I have been able to commence work on the one layout I have always wanted to build, which is Midhurst LBSCR Station as it was when constructed in 1866. The early first map below shows the station and platform from the end of the line as far as the wagon turntables. The second map shows the other part of the yard and sidings . The map above has north on the lower side and shows that the station was built on a partially artificial embankment, as the original land sloped towards the south. The track at the top of the map was connected to the LSWR line by a bridge over the Bepton Road, although I have not been able to learn why the head shunt on this line was so long, as it stretched as far as the LBSCR signal box, a distance of several hundred yards. Immediately adjacent to the Bepton Road was a 42’ turntable at the end of the platform road, and locos coming off the turntable were straightaway on to a turnout which served the platform road and the run-round lines. A crossover connected the line from the LSWR to the run-round track just after the turntable area. At the eastern end of the platform were three wagon turntables serving the goods yard, which consisted of three sidings, a cattle dock with end-on loading facilities, a goods shed and coal staithes on the single long siding. This siding also incorporated a turnout which could be used either to access the loco shed or for trains using the goods yard. The loco shed line ran through the shed, past a coal loading dock and connected with the main running line. The baseboard has been constructed on top of a line of cabinets along two walls of the room, and this gives me a 10’ Scenic section and an 8’ fiddle yard. The baseboard is 10mm MDF on a rigid frame and was originally fixed down to the cupboards, which was a bad mistake. A lot of time and discomfort was expended trying to work and wire under a fixed top, and after a year of doing this, I decided to remove the whole top with the help of a friend. A batten was fixed along the wall at the required height, and then the baseboard was laid back in place and fixed to the batten by a series of hinges. This meant that the baseboard could be lifted from the front and fixed in a vertical position so that we could work of the underside with it at face level. So I was able to completely rewire the layout in a sitting position I have Ian of Perfection in Miniature to help me with laying the track, some buildings and scenery, many of my unfinished kits have been finished off by Simon Howard of S.H. Modelling and I have received a great deal of help and advice from members of MERG since I joined, especially from Dave in Rome, Rodney Hill, and Tim Pullan, and I am deeply indepted to all the above for their help, work and patience. As a member of the Brighton Circle, and a life-long railway enthusiast, I have always read anything about railways that I could get hold of, and the South of England railway companies were what attracted me to modelling .I started as a fan of the LSWR, transferred to the SECR and it’s components, and finally decided to stick with the Brighton from it’s inception up to the end of the Stroudley era. I have a few later ‘brown’ locos, but most are IEG or various green colours. I have found the Brighton Circle magazine and forum to be a very good source of information and advice. The Circle has Stewards for every aspect of railway operation and someone has always been able to answer any question I had. I have also been through the records at the NRM and National Archive at Kew and learnt a lot more. My concept for the layout is not strictly proto-typical, so there may be times when rolling stock may appear which would not have happened in reality, and this gives me the option to run trains from lines that were proposed to run to and through Midhurst but the lines were never built. Trackwork The track layout has naturally had to be somewhat truncated due to the room available but still gives a good representation of the original The layout is being built to EM gauge, as that is the gauge of all the stock I have built over the past forty years. Plain track is SMP and turnouts are mostly custom built by me using copper-clad sleepers, but with two or three ready made turnouts from Marcway Operation of the turnouts (at the moment) is by Tortoise motors on the approach and exit to the platform road, and on the runround. All other turnouts are operated by Mercontrol using slide switches to change polarity, but the possibility of changing some of these to servo operation is being investigated. Track is laid on a 3mm cork base and Ian has ballasted it to my instructions to represent shingle ballast, using a mixture (in equal parts) of Woodland Scenics brown and buff ‘N’ gauge ballast held together with Cascomite powder glue. This makes for a quite realistic ballast as can be seen from the following photo. Operation of the layout is by DC Analogue as I don’t understand or have the budget to change forty locos to DCC, and takes place from where the scenic section ends and is done with two banks of switches, one bank for the track section power and the other using slide switches for the turnouts. The system incorporates a potentiometer to control the turntable speed Turntable This is from a London Road Models kit and was built for me by Simon. When it was installed I had a problem with being not able to see when the tracks were aligned, as it is ten feet from where I sit. Having joined MERG last year, I asked for advice on their forum and had a fantastic response from various members. A lot of advice and then Dave began asking me about various measurements etc., and the next thing I knew was that he had constructed a jig to replacate my set-up, had worked out an electronic indexing system and posted it to me from Rome. Then Tim got in touch and arranged to come and install it for me. Now I can run a loco on to the turntable from where I sit, press a couple of switches and the turntable rotates slowly until it is in line and then stops, so I don’t even have to be anywhere near it. Wagon turntables These were built and installed by Ian but do not rotate. (life is too short!). These are located on the LSWR headshunt, the entrance to the cattle dock and the back siding as per the map in Part 1. I subsequently constructed a walkway to join the three wagon turntables which allows the horse to negotiate the intervening track without tripping over. Midhurst’s locomotive shed was opened on 15th October 1866 by the Mid-Sussex and Midhurst Junction Railway and later taken over by the L.B. & S.C.R., to replace the locomotive shed at Petworth. The shed was located to the east of Midhurst station on the north side of the line and was a timber built single track straight through shed with a pitched roof. The Facilities included a coal stage and a water tank. After the 1881 Midhurst station was built, the shed was left to fall into disrepair and was closed and demolished in 1907. In 1877 Midhurst shed staff comprised four drivers, two firemen and two cleaners. Below is a photo of the shed built by me some fifteen years ago in place on the layout Construction is on a thick card base, with the addition of real mahogany strips to represent the planking. These mahogany strips were obtained from a veneer supplier and stuck to the card base. End doors were fabricated from Plasticard scribed to look like planking. Finally all sprayed black to look like the pitch covered planks used for the original construction . The building has been wired by me and is fully lit internally and externally. The windows were made by Ian, I think using a laser cutter. Coaling stage This was fabricated by Ian and is based on my interpretation of what might have been. I have added a working light to the stage for the loco crews to use during the long winter nights!. Signal box. For me, this is a work of art. Ian first made a dummy model of the box, which itself is good enough to be used elsewhere, constructed taking measurements from a photograph . He then made the final version from Plasticard using a laser cutter. The verandah was a noticeable variation from the standard Saxby & Farmer box of the period The interior is fully fitted with the number of levers necessary to operate the turnouts and signals yet to come. A photo is shown below ​Hopefully more to follow as it progresses

For Wenlock, Mike Oxon & Mikkel Many thanks for all your comments. Very encouraging for an 'old fella'! I will try to keep it coming as the layout progresses between myself and my helpers

Midhurst LBSCR Station 1866 As a member of the Brighton Circle, and a life-long railway enthusiast, I have always read anything about railways that I could get hold of, and the South of England railway companies were what attracted me to modelling .I started as a fan of the LSWR, transferred to the SECR and it’s components, and finally decided to stick with the Brighton from it’s inception up to the end of the Stroudley era. I have a few later ‘brown’ locos, but most are IEG or various green colours. I have found the Brighton Circle magazine and forum to be a very good source of information and advice. The Circle has Stewards for every aspect of railway operation and someone has always been able to answer any question I had. I have also been through the records at the NRM and National Archive at Kew and learnt a lot more. My concept for the layout is not strictly proto-typical, so there may be times when rolling stock may appear which would not have happened in reality, and this gives me the option to run trains from lines that were proposed to run to and through Midhurst but the lines were never built. Trackwork The track layout has naturally had to be somewhat truncated due to the room available but still gives a good representation of the original The layout is being built to EM gauge, as that is the gauge of all the stock I have built over the past forty years. Plain track is SMP and turnouts are mostly custom built by me using copper-clad sleepers, but with two or three ready made turnouts from Marcway Operation of the turnouts (at the moment) is by Tortoise motors on the approach and exit to the platform road, and on the runround. All other turnouts are operated by Mercontrol using slide switches to change polarity, but the possibility of changing some of these to servo operation is being investigated. Track is laid on a 3mm cork base and Ian has ballasted it to my instructions to represent shingle ballast, using a mixture (in equal parts) of Woodland Scenics brown and buff ‘N’ gauge ballast held together with Cascomite powder glue. This makes for a quite realistic ballast as can be seen from the following photo. Operation of the layout is by DC Analogue as I don’t understand or have the budget to change forty locos to DCC, and takes place from where the scenic section ends and is done with two banks of switches, one bank for the track section power and the other using slide switches for the turnouts. The system incorporates a potentiometer to control the turntable speed Turntable This is from a London Road Models kit and was built for me by Simon. When it was installed I had a problem with being not able to see when the tracks were aligned, as it is ten feet from where I sit. Having joined MERG last year, I asked for advice on their forum and had a fantastic response from various members. A lot of advice and then Dave began asking me about various measurements etc., and the next thing I knew was that he had constructed a jig to replacate my set-up, had worked out an electronic indexing system and posted it to me from Rome. Then Tim got in touch and arranged to come and install it for me. Now I can run a loco on to the turntable from where I sit, press a couple of switches and the turntable rotates slowly until it is in line and then stops, so I don’t even have to be anywhere near it. Wagon turntables These were built and installed by Ian but do not rotate. (life is too short!). These are located on the LSWR headshunt, the entrance to the cattle dock and the back siding as per the map in Part 1. I subsequently constructed a walkway to join the three wagon turntables which allows the horse to negotiate the intervening track without tripping over. More follows later

Midhurst LBSCR Station 1866 Well it has been three years since I last posted an entry in my blog and this one will probably be my last project. I have reached the age of 84 and am now suffering from Parkinson's Disease, which means that I am now unable to hold things still while soldering or detailing or lining. Other than that, I am fine, but had posted a request for help in completing some of the my kits which were still not completed and have had a good response offering help, As a result I have been able to commence work on the one layout I have always wanted to build, which is Midhurst LBSCR Station as it was when constructed in 1866. The early first map below shows the station and platform from the end of the line as far as the wagon turntables. The second map shows the other part of the yard and sidings . The map above has north on the lower side and shows that the station was built on a partially artificial embankment, as the original land sloped towards the south. The track at the top of the map was connected to the LSWR line by a bridge over the Bepton Road, although I have not been able to learn why the head shunt on this line was so long, as it stretched as far as the LBSCR signal box, a distance of several hundred yards. Immediately adjacent to the Bepton Road was a 42’ turntable at the end of the platform road, and locos coming off the turntable were straightaway on to a turnout which served the platform road and the run-round lines. A crossover connected the line from the LSWR to the run-round track just after the turntable area. At the eastern end of the platform were three wagon turntables serving the goods yard, which consisted of three sidings, a cattle dock with end-on loading facilities, a goods shed and coal staithes on the single long siding. This siding also incorporated a turnout which could be used either to access the loco shed or for trains using the goods yard. The loco shed line ran through the shed, past a coal loading dock and connected with the main running line. The baseboard has been constructed on top of a line of cabinets along two walls of the room, and this gives me a 10’ Scenic section and an 8’ fiddle yard. The baseboard is 10mm MDF on a rigid frame and was originally fixed down to the cupboards, which was a bad mistake. A lot of time and discomfort was expended trying to work and wire under a fixed top, and after a year of doing this, I decided to remove the whole top with the help of a friend. A batten was fixed along the wall at the required height, and then the baseboard was laid back in place and fixed to the batten by a series of hinges. This meant that the baseboard could be lifted from the front and fixed in a vertical position so that we could work of the underside with it at face level. So I was able to completely rewire the layout in a sitting position I have Ian of Perfection in Miniature to help me with laying the track, most buildings and scenery, many of my unfinished kits have been finished of by Simon Howard of S.H. Modelling and I have received a great deal of help and advice from members of MERG since I joined, especially from Dave in Rome, Rodney Hill, and Tim Pullan, and I am deeply indepted to all the above for their help, work and patience. More follows later.

At 84 years of age I must admit that I agree wholeheartedly with all the comments posted. I am trying to create a model of Midhurst LBSCR Station as originally opened in 1866 and I am sure that there will be some criticism when I start to publish details of what I am doing. There will be no-one alive who remembers it, but some will still criticise. Gary, you keep on with what you are doing. It looks OK to me Michael dJS

Hello Rory Where abouts in Midhurst are you. I also live in Midhurst and am building a replica of the original LBSCR station of 1866 which was situated where Oakwood Close is now. I have also been to the NRM and done a lot of research and have all the original track plans for the various three stations in Midhurst. Maybe we can get together? Michael

Hello Gary Attached are some photos of my version of LBSCR Loco 'Midhurst'. Sorry about quality but my phone and light don't get on well together Michael

Hello Gary Attached are some photos of my version of LBSCR Loco 'Midhurst'. Sorry about quality but my phone and light don't get on well together Sorry but can't work out how to insert photos Can you send me off-line e-mail contact details? Michael