Scalefour Forum

Greetings all

I’m not sure where I nicked this photo, but I hope no one minds excessively.
Prior to it’s closure, the Swanage branch had this water tower with a small hut next to it.

It’s a nondescript structure - I suspect of corrugated iron. It isn’t terribly important, but I was wondering if it was a privy for the loco crews, or a small tool shed? There is a anotherr brick built hut behind the loco shed that was extended after preservation, but the original doesn’t look like it housed a toilet.

I was wondering if anyone has any insight? I don’t see any kind of ventilation on the little hut, which makes me think it was a store for odds and sods.

The picture in 'Swanage railway in colour' is a bit more straight on. The door is full height - which would imply it's not a toilet. I would expect to see the door have gaps top and bottom for ventilation!

An accomplice of mine from Evercreech, who is also building a model of Swanage up to the road bridge, says he has seen drawings showing this as an oil store. He wonders in return if you have any photos of the cattle pens and coal staithes you might be able to share.

Roy

The coal sidings and cattle dock seem camera shy. I guess most photos are taken from the bridge or the platforms. Dirty coal trains not always appealing. It looks like there was a lot of coal moving in.....

Thanks Neil. I expect that will be a useful shot so I will pass it on.

Roy

Albert Hall wrote:An accomplice of mine from Evercreech, who is also building a model of Swanage up to the road bridge, says he has seen drawings showing this as an oil store.

If it was an oil store (and I have no reason to doubt it), it was used to store lubricating oil (and/or, just possibly, diesel to fuel a pump to refill the water tower) as the door doesn't bear a standard SR "Smoking Prohibited" sign which it would have done if used to store lamp oil (and which, in turn, means that there must have been a lamp oil store elsewhere on the site.

I have a feeling that I have seen a photo somewhere of standard SR cattle pens at Swanage but I can't remember where - or even if they were the early (horizontal planks outside) or later (horizontal planks inside) version.

Albert Hall wrote:An accomplice of mine from Evercreech, who is also building a model of Swanage up to the road bridge, says he has seen drawings showing this as an oil store. He wonders in return if you have any photos of the cattle pens and coal staithes you might be able to share.

Roy

Roy - there is a picture taken lengthways down the goods yard in the 20s. Different look to the sidings with what seems to be a cattle dock most proximal.

See Jackson,BL - Swanage - 125 years of Railways - pg 122 (Oakwood Press 2010)

Thank you Neil. That is a book which is already in my friends library.

Looking at the author Brian L Jackson I believe he passed away last year. He was due to give a talk on the Railways of Portland to my club in a few months time.

Roy

Yes, sadly Brian Jackson died in late 2020 - there was an obituary in the latest ‘Paddle Wheels’ by John Megoran. As usual, obituaries tell you much more about an interesting man than you thought you knew.

Philip

I've been building Swanage for years and the yard is such a difficulty. The cattle dock was soon fenced in with what appears sleepers. There was a council yard behind it of which I have no photos and a mystery "ruin" after the dock but before the coal yard. The Petrol Station disappeared in the 1990s (I think) and I wish I'd taken more photos. The huts at the end of the yard and in the station approach are equally camera shy but I have a couple of views.

On the Francis Firth 1897 overview the cattle dock looks to be built on a mound of earth - could this be so?

nberrington wrote:
Prior to it’s closure, the Swanage branch had this water tower with a small hut next to it.

It’s a nondescript structure - I suspect of corrugated iron. It isn’t terribly important, but I was wondering if it was a privy for the loco crews, or a small tool shed?

According to the BR(SR) 1957 plan reproduced in BRJ it was an oil store.

Winander wrote:On the Francis Firth 1897 overview the cattle dock looks to be built on a mound of earth - could this be so?

It is raised up.

There was another oil store at the far end of the platform next to the gas meter hut.
The surviving yet extended building next to the shed was the staff room.

Here's my model of the platform oil and gas buildings. Oil store is the flat roofed one.
download/file.php?id=10137&mode=view

So I cobbled together a shell for the little hut. I new “environmentally friendly” laser board form Trotec. Lasers nicely. Doesn’t seem to blow up when wet. (Trocraft eco)

https://www.engraving-supplies.ca/engra ... t-eco.html

It’s designed to bury in the groundwork as in the cottage models at Pendon. I guess this is my equivalent of their famous privies. Next it needs a shell of corrugated material.

Some cladding
Next up door and paint shop

Almost off-topic but it is interesting that Swanage was subject to at least one visit from rebuilt West Country "Crewkerne" 34040 in the 60s. I know because we were staying there on holiday with a view of the station. I took a not very good photo of it (it was against the light in the early morning).

Wish I'd taken more photos now.

Rebuilt Bulleid Light Pacifics were regular visitors to Swanage. Nice picture of 'Crewkerne' in the Middleton Press book of the Branch Line to Swanage

stephenfreeman wrote: rebuilt West Country "Crewkerne" 34040 .....I took a not very good photo of it (it was against the light in the early morning).

Wish I'd taken more photos now.

I'd love to see it especially if it shows the stone and cosl merchants huts in the yard
Michael

Unfortunately it doesn't show any yard details.We were staying in Swanage on holiday and I took the photo from the bedroom window early in the morning hence the lighting problems. It was fairly near to the road bridge front facing towards the station. Apart from Crewkerne itself the only other details really were of some cars parked on the road behind it. I do have a better photo of the starting bracket signal if that is of interest.

Have had a tinker with them to make them better to look at.