2mm/2mm FS
Presented Richard Wilson
The town of Lambourn lies in the Berkshire Downs, some fifteen miles north-west of Newbury. The railway to Lambourn was opened in 1898 (The Lambourn Valley Railway) and taken into GWR ownership in 1905.
The model was constructed by Allen Martin in the 1980s and is built to 2mm Scale Association finescale standards. All track-work is hand-built to a nominal gauge of 9.42mm.
Stock and locos are mostly conversions from proprietary items, with some scratch-built stock thrown in for good measure. DG couplings are used to ensure ‘hands free’ shunting operations.
The scene is set around the time of the introduction of the Diesel railcars, say 1936-37. In reality the station had a very limited service of 5 or so trains a day, loco hauled up to the end of 1936, and after that generally railcar hauled. The normal mid-morning (10.45) was relaced by two trains (09.45 & 12.10) on Thursdays and Saturdays as these were Market days in Newbury. A goods train departed most weekdays at 8.15pm, with a return working arriving at 11.05pm). There could be a number of special services during the day for horse traffic. Lambourn was home for racing and stud stables and on race weekends at Newbury there could be a fair number of PACO Horse Box wagons around. Curiously for a GWR branch line, there was an auto-trailer carriage in use, but this was never used with an auto fitted locomotive, and was treated as an ordinary carriage, with the train engine (or railcar) being run-round the trailer at Lambourn and Newbury! The model is operated to show a far greater density of train types and movements.
The track plan for the model is essentially correct for the period up to 1936, however the head-shunt for the goods yard did not exist. The track plan was altered with the introduction of Diesel railcars in 1937. At this time the carriage siding between the platform and signal cabin was removed, and the platform mounted signal relocated to sit near the cabin. The old LVR engine shed is not modelled, as the original was removed around this time as well. In very early years, under LVR ownership, a carriage shed was provided near the Newbury end of the horse platform. This was, I think, removed at around the time of the Great War.
Running behind a Prairie Tank (Usually) on the model is a set of 4 & 6 wheeled coaches, these diminutive vehicles have been constructed from etched components by Worsley Works, have been glazed with real glass windows. Passenger stock of this type was very unusual at Lambourn. More appropriate Dean Clerestory stock is under construction. Both the original railcar No 18, and the later “razor edge” type make appearances on the model.
Things to look out for include the twin tank Cordon gas storage wagon, used to provide coal gas to refill the horse-box gas tanks for the vehicles gas lamps. A young lad standing on a bicycle eagerly watching the trains, a discarded station sign.