[sambwoy]

I had proposed to build a fictitous Reading terminus of a line from Salisbury avoiding Basingstoke running via Bulford, Amesbury, Tadley and Hurstbourne Tarrant, finishing up at Reading (Whitley Wood) terminus. The time period would be predominantly '80s. I wanted to use Class 101s and 'Bubblecars', and possibly a Class 205 'Hampshire' when Dapol releases one, but then that got me thinking. In the way of being historically accuracy, given the controversy of the Salisbury-Exeter route becoming WR in the '60s, would the fictitious line have been a Western or Southern Region line?

 

[dwb]

My feeling is that your line runs right along the "watershed" between the two regions. Reading has Southern-ish connections to Basingstoke and Waterloo. The Great Western didn't really dip much below the Kennet valley?

What are the contours of the route like? When we drive south on the A34 to Southampton it's up hill and down dale all the way and your line will go across these diagonally. I guess it might be a lot like the "Watercress Line"?

David

 

[SRman]

I would agree with David. You could probably have a good mix of SR and WR stock, plus a few through trains from the LMR as well.

 

[7113]

I would agree in the main with the above.

My feeling is that it would have stayed Southern, and would probably have been downgraded in the 70's. As to stock, almost certainly demus (205/6/7?), supplemented by loco hauled 33, 73, and 47, possibly on inter-regionals. Also diverted WR locals and possibly mainline - an excuse to run the occasional HST!

Whatever you do - have fun.

Regards

 

[sambwoy]

I had never taken contours into full consideration. The idea had begun with just the terminus, which I set in Reading to provide the reason for DMUs, which is my main interest. I found that I could buy the Hornby 101 and 121 reasonably priced which set the region for the line. In this way a link could be provided with the GWR Reading-Basingstoke line so that DMUs could access Reading Depot. I 'plotted' the route of the line to the nearest sizable dwellings west going south-west of Reading. Some places I found weren't that big, but then thought that I could site stations anyway in order for them to poach passenger traffic from surrounding villages as well.

The line goes out almost dead straight west out of Whitley from the terminus (called 'Reading Whitley Central'). It passes over the Kennet and Avon and under Rose Kiln Lane. A branch to Burghfield continues west whilst the main route sharply curves southwards and crosses the river again. It then provides a 'Parkway' station at Pingewood, where there is interchange with the M4 and the Reading FC/London Irish Stadium. After that stations include ones at Spencers Wood (before passing under the GWR line), Tadley, Sydmonton, Litchfield (for A34), Hurstbourne Tarrant, Redenham, Tidworth, Bulford, Amesbury, Lower Woodford and ultimately Salisbury, joining with the LSWR main line.

Class 205s seem the likely candidate because I remembered that they definately ran to Salisbury and beyond to stand in for Class 159s. Could therefore have loco-hauled as well. If I wanted Derby-built DMUs I might have to move the location further afield.

I started making station and road signs. Being on bolser wood they didn't go so well through the laminator, so I could use tacky-back instead as means of protecting the signage. They're only printed on deskjet paper.

 

[dwb]

Not that it matters but I think there would have been a station at Kingsclere for the route of line you have chosen. It all depends on when your line was originally built. If this is a 19th century venture, was Tadley important enough - either in population or local landowner wanting a station of his own - to have a station? Most of the buildings there now look decidedly post WW2. Baughurst is more likely but there's not much to it either.

David

 

[sambwoy]

QUOTE (dwb @ 27 Dec 2008, 16:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Not that it matters but I think there would have been a station at Kingsclere for the route of line you have chosen. It all depends on when your line was originally built. If this is a 19th century venture, was Tadley important enough - either in population or local landowner wanting a station of his own - to have a station? Most of the buildings there now look decidedly post WW2. Baughurst is more likely but there's not much to it either.

David

Yes, Kingsclere did have a station. It would have been on the Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway if I am right. The fictional route would go straight across it, however.

I thinking the line could have been a 1900-1910 addition, around the same time as the Marylebone lines but I haven't looked that much into it. I am sure other modellers can get around the issues of population and development of villages, but like you say, not that it really matters so much.

At any rate, the layout currently only exists as an idea. Funnily enough I am working right now on a totally different layout. It is a fictional West Country single-track terminus on two 3ft boards. Not much in the way of trackwork. Just a straight single track with one siding.

 

[dwb]

QUOTE It would have been on the Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway if I am right

I'd overlooked that one which is rather bad since I cross one of its bridges every day on the way home from work.

QUOTE I am sure other modellers can get around the issues of population and development of villages
Or just use the examples of Aldermaston and Midgham stations just over the border in Berkshire neither of which are actually in the places named...

David

 

[sambwoy]

True.

I think I could be overcomplicating everything with the layout's location.

With the layout I am doing at the moment the setting is much more simple. It's in Devon between Exeter and Dawlish, set off the GWR main line at Kenton, near Powderham Castle. I was going to have mainly Bubblecars and Skippers running to it. If Hornby release the Regional Railways Class 153 I could vary the time period into about early-90s.