The model is scenically finished now, and here’s a gallery of reference and layout photos to give you an idea of it, This has been a successful team effort, with Norman Solomon and Brian Lewis starting the ball rolling with rails and buildings, and subsequently myself, Neil Podbery, Richard Ellis, and Nigel Smith taking care of the landscape, buildings and scenic cover. I’ll update this with more images as we get some magazine quality pics done.
A view over the junction to distance, but with the completed foreground visible. The old wooden P-way hut is by the footpath on the nearside of the lines, and the allotments appear just beyond the railway. The electricity substation for Wharf Lane and the local residential roads can be seen behind the safety fencing, between the houses, just to the right of centre. Neil Podbery
Overall view with Brian Lewis’s platform shelter, Karl Crowther’s yard crane on this side of the line, and the Wharf Lane allotments and house backs to left. The Royalty cinema and Parade shops are there, with the platform canopy and goods shed to the right. Neil Podbery.
Looking North East, to where the new industrial estate would be in a few yers time. The Telephone exchange building is still there, and we found an ideal post office telephone van to park outside, The phone vans were green instead of the letter delivery vans that had the current livery of pillar box red. Neil Podbery.
This view shows the back corner of the joinery shop. with ramshackle fencing and undergrowth.
Garage detailing with clutter. Neil Podbery
Autumn leaves and some of the bigger trees obscuring the view looking North West towards……
A rake of carmine and cream carriages rests in the interchange sidings adjacent to Thornbie House. Neil Podbery
This area to the south of the goods shed is basically done now and it was left fairly clear like this in most of the reference photos from the period. The siding nearest the camera was lifted very soon after this depiction, as was the branch line run around loop. Brian Lewis’s excellent goods shed features at the centre with a Fordson van backed in. Neil Podbery
An overview of Bourne End’s goods yard entrance with the ex coal office and it’s fenced enclosure seen to the right and side. This has fallen out of use and become overgrown, but I’m going to guess that the fenced and gated enclosure to the rear of the office was where the sacks were weighed and went for delivery or collection. It served as a cab office for a while, until becoming a cafe, and unfortunately was recently demolished after having been damaged by a vehicle
No 6001 King Edward VII in Bourne End’s High Wycombe platform. In truth, not many Kings (if any) visited Bourne End, but for display purposes we’ll just see this as a ‘royal visit’. Neil Podbery.
AEC Diesel Railcar W21W, in BR crimson and cream with a grey roof leaves Bourne End for High Wycombe. More detail appearing at the Wycombe end of the station now, but there is still more to come around the station entrance to the right. The light coloured wooden building to the far RH side was the Bourne End Nursery. Neil Podbery.
View over the waiting shelter with the nursery garden to the right. Neil Podbery.
Thornbie House and garage at the end of Donkey Lane. Neil Podbery.
Between the allotment fence and Wharf lane, there used to be an electricity substation, with a couple of small brick buildings, so we are just finishing off the safety fence and a DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE notice!
It’s Autumn 1955, and we are looking North over Bourne End’s junction signal box. The house backs of Wharf Lane, beyond the allotments, and the rooftops of Lock Bridge Rd and Sailing Club Road are present, obscured by the large tree on the left. The large detached dwellings of Oakfield Road appear between the established trees, and the shop backs of the Parade run North West in the middle distance. Beyond, the newer estates by Blind Lane are there, but without any mature trees between yet. Nigel Smith.
This is the backscene at the eastern end of Wharf Lane, with a view from the allotments at the gap between the doctor’s house, and the corner shop. Neil Podbery.
Platt’s Dell, looking N.W. from Donkey Lane, with a good view of the decorative chimney in the side wall. Beyond the Thames and Townsend’s boatyard, we can see the posh houses of the Abbotsbrook Estate among the mature trees in the middle distance.
View looking west from the yard and the first run of post and wire fencing has gone in.
Looking over the station canopy roof, with some large autumn trees and quite a tall hedge apparent behind the branch line, which is just out of sight behind the cream coloured railings.
