4mm/P4 Gauge
Presented by Simon Harris
Having gained a reputation for modelling the somewhat unusual it was going to be a tricky challenge to find a replacement for our previous P4 layout, the ‘Ulpha Light Railway’, but with our two previous offerings having a distinct northern flavour it was agreed that we should, as a London based club, model something closer to home. Certainly, when it comes to railway modelling, we’re no southern softies and Blackfriars Bridge offers and eclectic mix of a mid-Victorian London main line station with some unique features, combined with a challenging research project – and it all started with an old OS map!
Challenges along the way have not just been an apparent lack of information or even inspiration, but other problems have impacted on progress, not the least being the loss of our club rooms (on more than one occasion) and the limited number of modellers involved. The research has been a project in itself and it is amazing what has turned up in the records from so many sources. Some of the more interesting include the original rating plan (showing not just the track layout, but also the various parts of the two-storey building), a Francis Frith photograph of Blackfriars Road Bridge with the station in original condition in the background and sketches of the station frontage onto Blackfriars Road. Even now something new may be discovered and we are constantly revisiting our own archive to decide what details should be included. With almost every aspect having to be bespoke it is only now we have found ourselves making significant progress on this project (although extra pairs of hands are always welcome), but it is still a ‘work-in-progress’.
Opened in 1864, Blackfriars Bridge represents part of London, Chatham & Dover’s ambitious and successful attempt to gain access in to the city as well as tapping into lucrative goods traffic from the north. This route, known as the ‘Widened Lines’ saw agreements with the Great Northern, London & South Western and Midland Railways, all of which secured running powers in exchange for capital investment and whose stock is represented on our layout. In addition to the imposing station building designed by Joseph Cubitt, the station contained a turntable and a pair of hydraulic wagon hoists which feed the lower-level goods depot – a working turntable and wagon hoists are also a feature of our model.
Set in 1873, our model will be an accurate replica of the station in the prime of its brief existence before the opening of St Paul’s (or Blackfriars as it is now known) and the closure of Blackfriars Bridge to passenger traffic on 1 October 1885. Most of the main station building was then demolished and the site restructured as a goods depot. Even in its short life as a passenger station the track layout was changed several times: we have chosen to build it before the opening of Hopton Street Goods and the spur that was put in to link the line to the South Eastern Railway.
Website – www.blackfriarsbridge.wordpress.com