Elmgate and Thatcham Railway

ELMGATE & THATCHAM RAILWAY

009 MODEL LAYOUT

My 009 model railway – ELMGATE STATION – was on the exhibition circuit for some years. 009 is to 4 mm scale, on 9 mm gauge track, representing narrow gauge railways of 2 ft 3 in gauge. (See the “009 Society” link). After some consideration, I decided to retire from exhibiting the layout, so the Chatham Show, June 2015, was the last. Thank you for all the comments received over the years. I intend to incorporate the Station into a home layout.

A great weekend was had by all at Chatham! Thanks to Simon, Richard, Martin, Simon and Dick for the help. We ran a “Last Train” hauled by loco 4 –

However, this is not really the last train, as my plans to build a permanent layout are continuing, so I will psot some pictures of the progress.

See the trackplan here.

The Model has been developed over several years, and featured in RAILWAY MODELLLER in Mar/April 2007.

Prior to the Crawley Exhibition in April 2014, I added some point rodding, and, at the behest of a colleague from the Sussex Downs Group, a pillar to support the footbridge over the Works line.

New pillar

Pillar

To fit the rodding adjacent to the points into the goods yard, it was necessary to move the signal box a scale 10′ or so to the left:

Signal box in new position

The rodding runs to all the main line points, and includes facing point locks, where required.

The latest addition to the locomotive stock is 0-6-2t PEARCELANDS, based on a Kerr Stuart design –

0-6-2t PEARCELANDS

I have a Youtube video of her at work on my Artmouth Cove layout HERE.

I have posted pictures of the layout through the years – HERE.

EXHIBITIONS

The layout visited:

Chatham and District MRC –   Medway Park, Gillingham – 13 – 14 June 2015

Croydon MRS – Warlingham, 4 – 5 October 2014

ASTOLAT, Guildford – 17 January 2015.

Crawley MRC – Horsham, 12 – 13 April 2014 [PHOTOS]

REC Woking – 14 – 15 Sptember 2013

Burgess Hill MRC – 11 May 2013

Brighton Modelworld – 22 – 24 February 2013

Haywards Heath United Reformed Church Model Railway Exhibition –
1 September 2012

Narrow Gauge South – Sparsholt, Hants – 14 April 2012

Brighton Model Railway Club – Patcham Community Centre on November 12th and 13th 2011

Sussex Downs 009 Group Members’ Day – 28 May 2011

Some recent photographs:

A passenger train waits in the platform at Elmgate

Loco 3 THATCHAM waits at the Platform. The station building is at high level. The line to the processing works runs beneath the road.

Hunslet CHARLOTTE sits at the loco sheds. The High Street on the painted backscene is thanks to Martin Collins.

The goods shed, with a traction engine awaiting restoration under a tarpaulin behind. The low relief shops merge into the backscene.

A view to the rolling hills of the Weald of Sussex, past the Paint and Repair Shop

It looks like the carriage shed roof needs repair! The advance starter signal stands at danger.

Earlier photos

(Copyright Chris Sanderson)

The carriage shed has received windows, and the brown plastic painted with a “creosote” finish. The original scratchbuilt Corris brake van has been replaced by a Rodney Stenning version.