Now 10 years and 50 exhibitions later Little Brimton is due for retirement . It is designed, after removal of legs and back scene, to be stored under my son's bed (at my wife's' insistence) and so is only 8 inches high.
Set on the Hants/Dorset border it is a Southern Railway Branch line circa 1936. Although we run trains into Nationalisation (1948) and up to about 1958. This gives an excuse for running a lot of my own loco and coaching stock of the early BR period and liveries.
Photographs courtesy of Trevor Jones, Model Rail.
The single track line approaches the village through a tunnel from the eastern end of the downs, curving past some allotments at the back of a row of ”2up / 2down” outside "privy" terraced houses. The line then crosses the main road into the village via the level crossing, entering the station where there is a small passing loop. A small second platform on the southern side of the line is linked to the main platform by a typical SR. style concrete footbridge. The main platform of the station has a stone built booking office and waiting rooms etc., but the other platform has no shelter at all, ( the locals have petitioned the SR. for a small shelter but so far to no avail) only a couple of bench seats. Between the booking hall and the cliffs/downs is the station car park which also gives access to the small local "Brimton Ale" brewery (rated by the local drinking populace as a national asset) which having it’s own loading dock, is served by it’s own siding.
At the Western end of the passing loop, a siding branches off to a cattle dock and a return siding from that runs back past a row of coal staithes (run by the local coal merchant "I.M.Black and sons" ) and through a small single road goods shed which backs on to the loop platform. There is also a second siding running from the loop line. The main line then curves off to the North West and through a tunnel under a heavily wooded part of the downs in which deer can be seen. The main road leaves the village via the level crossing, passes some more terraced houses and climbs up the face of the downs finally turning North towards the town of Bigger Brimton on the junction of the main LSWR line from London to somewhere or other.
Rolling stock is mainly Graham Farish ; Peco and Ultima with a quantity of etched brass sided kits and scratch built coaches. Buildings are all either Ratio or Dornplas kits with road vehicles mainly from PD Marsh.
