26th October 2020

Ryedown Lane.

A bit of background and a look round the terminus.

 

Development of Ryedown Lane started around 2010. The original plan was to build a small self- contained layout in a space of 4ft by 1ft. I wanted to create something that invoked the atmosphere of a light railway, particularly those associated with Colonel Holman F Stephens, in 009 (4mm scale, 9mm gauge). As it turned out, the layout has gradually morphed into something larger and is currently 11ft long, incorporating the original Ryedown Lane terminus, a through station at Winterbourne Road and a 3ft fiddle yard.

The layout in its current form. Seen in the rather lavish setting of Stowerail back in 2017.

There were a number of prototype influences but in particular two lines from the Stephens empire provided inspiration, the 3ft gauge Rye & Camber Tramway and the standard gauge Hundred of Manhood & Selsey Tramways which I hope may be seen in the finished layout. There is also some influence from the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway which, while not a Stephens railway, has so many of the features that I associate with this type of line built in the early years of the 20^th century, including simple corrugated buildings and multiple ungated level crossings. The W&LLR influence is particularly noticeable at Winterbourne Road, which will be covered in a future blog).

The setting for the layout is somewhere in ‘Wessex’ in the early to mid-1930s, a time when most independent light railways, standard and narrow gauge, were in terminal decline as they fell victim to increasing competition from road vehicles. In true ‘light railway’ fashion, we imagine that the station at Ryedown lane is located some distance away from the rural community that it claims to serve. The line was originally intended to go much further but a lack of finances resulted in construction being halted and the creation of a terminus in a cramped location next to the road leading to the village.

The main features at Ryedown Lane are the station building (based on the one at Selsey on the above mentioned Selsey Tramway in its later years), a small engine shed and associated workshop (originally based on the small loco shed at Rye on the Rye & Camber but now somewhat enlarged). The small ground frame hut is inspired by a photo of the one that once existed at Tenterden Town on the Kent & East Sussex railway, and thus maintains the Stephens link. The water tower is based on those on the Welsh Highland Railway at Porthmadog New and Beddgelert.

We’ll take a look at the other parts of the layout, and the locomotives and rolling stock, in a future blog.

 FR Bygones Weekend 9 - 11 october 2020:

a little bit of normality

In a normal year I usually manage one or two visits to north Wales to coincide with one or other of the many special events on the Ffestinog & Welsh Highland Railways. 2020, of course, has been anything but a normal year, with the F&WHR, like every other heritage railway in the UK, closed for a good chunk of its regular operating season and facing some very real issues. The truncated service on the Ffestiniog, running only as far as Tan y Bwlch using smaller locomotives and heritage stock, which has been in operation since July has provided some income for the company and some enjoyable days out for those who managed to visit the area. 

Sadly, this year's big event, the Fairlie Eventful weekend, in late June had to be postponed and we will have to wait in hope that the celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the famous Fairlie locomotive trials will go ahead in 2021. The other big event each year is th Victorian weekend in October. This too was cancelled but wit charcteristic Ffestiniog determination the Ffestiniog refused to be beaten and rolled out Bygones weekend as a substitute. Still subject to restrictions, nevertheless the weekend provided a chance to enjoy a little bit of normality and enjoy some of the many wonders that the railway has to offer.

Foremost among the weeknds happenings was the naming and dedication of the recently restored large England tank Welsh Pony, which has been a mainstay of the summer service this year. The ceremony took place, for invited guests only, at Dduallt on the Saturday morning, the train then continuing to Blaenau Ffestiniog. 

Welsh Pony ran another service to Blaenau for FR Society members in the afternoon before switching to a similar service to Beddgelert on the Sunday, swapping over with Prince. These were the only services running further than Tan y Bwlch and pretty much the only trains running the entire length of th FR since March.

Other passenger services were operated by the Penrhyn Hunslets Linda and Blanche.

 

While Palmerston spent the weekend operating a demonstration goods train to Rhiw Goch. 

 

While only a shadow of the usual Victorian weekend, the Bygones event was an enjoyable distraction from the grim reality of 2020. Let's hope it's not long before we can enjoy the sight and sound of a double Fairlie storming up the line with a heavily laden ten coach train full of happy holidaymakers.

Prince returning from Beddgelert on Saturday.