PART 4 - Progress, But at What Price

The winter months of 1987-88 were spent in trying to progress the track-work, although Roger Bartlett’s 7Fs were highlighting problems wherever they were run. Much track work was re-laid and if George Dyer left the clubroom of a Tuesday night without being tasked to hand-build another (replacement) point, he was lucky, indeed.


From left – George Dyer, Derek Stanhope, Mike Lloyd and Phil Crocker.
George and Derek discussing the latest hand-built point-work, while Mike and Phil work on the station’s Mk1 platforms.

The task of filling the gaps i.e. building the track-work across the baseboard joints also proved onerous; fortunately I managed to find plenty of willing assistance.


From left – Roger Tozer and me in the process of fabricating track-work across the baseboard joints.

Meanwhile Derek’s face took on an even graver look as he worked on the electrics, occasionally helped by Lew Peters and Alan Jeanes. Only Phil seemed to be making real progress on Tuesday nights as he perfected his scenic techniques on the hedgerows and open countryside. Geoff Youell, too, was making progress with the buildings, but finding the measurements provided by the S & D’s station steward to be mostly in error. To further compound the problems, the layout had out-grown the hall’s Committee room with the addition of separate sidings representing the Bournemouth end of the line.

The First AGM

By March 1988 the club had a bank balance of £243.22p, but as the committee pointed-out some heavy expenses lay ahead, particularly on the electric’s front. The secretary provided some more sobering news in terms of the vast amount of stock that would be required to run the Evercreech Junction layout, satisfactorily.

An invitation from Don Brown had been received and the membership gave agreement to exhibiting Evercreech at the forth-coming Portland Model Ex ’88 on 25th June, which would be the first public viewing of the layout.

Chairman Derek, Treasurer Phil and Secretary Roger were re-elected for another term of office. I got roped-in as vice-chairman, and George Dyer and new regular Roger Tozer were elected as additional members of the committee.

Summer Madness

With better weather came renewed vigour, not that the problems had gone away; but real progress was starting to become apparent. With Roger T helping me, the main lines became continuous and Derek was steadily providing power to the many sections and point-motors. In the meantime, Roger B’s 7Fs had struck again; the platform faces were too close to the track! Roger T borrowed a power planer to shape the ramps of the new platforms that Geoff and I had cut out of a block-board sheet, which had mysteriously appeared in my garage. It took a little while to figure out how the planer worked. Consequently, Roger T was taken completely unawares whilst looking into the swarf exhaust port when it cut for the first time and presented him with a face full of shavings.

Evercreech Comes Back to Life

With the new platforms, the station buildings, signal box with footbridge and the water tower, the layout came to life.


Notable missing items in this photo are: Water Crane, Gent's urinal, Dairy and Station Hotel

The main item missing was the level crossing with its asymmetric gates. This I built at home in the week before the first prestigious outing of the layout to no less than Bath’s Green Park station, on the 22nd October 1988. The exhibition in the old S& D station was organised by the S & D Trust and we were determined to put on a good show.


The south signal box built by Geoff Youell complete with squirrels.
Level crossing on the left. Platforms yet to be finished.

A van was hired (for the first time) to transport the layout to Bath, and Derek had volunteered to drive. He was clearly regretting volunteering by the time he’d reached the hall after collecting it on the Friday evening. Dubiously, with Roger T riding shotgun, he set off for Bath. My euphoria at finding that the van had made it to Bath OK quickly turned to horror when I discovered that the portion of baseboard I had cut-out, and built the level crossing on, no longer fitted in place. It had warped!

Praise Indeed

This Bath exhibition was the making of the layout and hence the club We ran fairly authentic trains to John New’s schedule distilled from a 1950’s summer timetable. This comprehensive schedule was comprised of some 50 odd train and light engine movements, which included the “Up” and “Down” Pines Express as well as the Pigeon special that temporarily lays-up in a trailing siding north of Evercreech as part of its protracted passage through the Junction.


Evercreech Junction’s station master house on the “Down” platform

The overall effect really impressed the public and delighted the S & D buffs. However, the attendance at the Bath exhibition did not pass without incident. Geoff left his jacket there, and Derek’s concern for the state of health of the hired van entailed Geoff and myself driving back to Weymouth behind the van, engulfed in evil fumes from both its exhaust and engine!

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