I have always wanted to model a prototype station and the terminus at Hayling Island was one of the smallest of LB&SCR terminii. Even so a little compression was necessary to fit the station within 11' 4”, to allow a “U” shaped layout in the 15' x 11' shed. The two station baseboards and the fiddle yard were designed to be easily removable and the platform, which spans both boards, was built as a separate unit. A recent move of house meant they could be reused, though the remainder of the layout had to be built again. The new home is in a garage 18' 6” long but only 9' 10” wide, restricting the radius to 4'. The station boards were angled to bring the throat close to the wall but the extra length will make it possible to model the road approach to the station. This, and a new triangular section behind the station, lift off to provide access. Passing over a lifting section by the door, the track traverses Langston Bridge, only 7' 6” long rather than the correct 25 feet! The fiddle yard is 5' 8”, with a 4 road sector plate 47” in length, with stub sidings at either end, to store spare locos, brake vans and coaches, thus minimising handling. One stub siding gives access to a wharf with two short sidings and the first two sector plate roads lead to a docking unit to locate cassettes, which are stored under the layout. These contain trains which only appear occasionally in the operating sequence, so as to free space on the sector plate. The idea and the cassettes came from the late Peter Korrison.

Baseboards were constructed of good quality ply. The track is laid on cork with two three-way tandem turnouts by Marcway and plain track by C&L. Turnout operation is by Tortoise slow action motors controlled from an ancient lever frame: working slotted signals will be added later. Ballast is a mixture of chinchilla dust, fine sand and cork granules. Langstone Bridge replicates the construction of the prototype and, positioned close to the backscene and with short rail lengths, the sound of trains passing over it is accentuated. In the foreground is an Arun sailing barge, beautifully built by Peter Korrison. Electrics have been kept as simple as possible with DC control by Gaugemaster hand held units. There are two operating positions, either of which can be switched out so that trains are always driven towards you. The wharf was added so that with two operators, activity in the fiddle yard balances that at the terminus. Raising the lifting section cuts off power to the station to avoid accidents!

Hayling Island station building was very attractive, unusual and complicated to build. The main material was Plastikard, with the red and white brick infills between panelling using some old Thornton embossed brickwork sheets. The roof is removable in three separate sections and the patterned tiles and valancing for the canopy were cut by Devon Lasercraft. The layout depicts as accurately as possible the station between 1898 and 1899. To vary the composition of trains spare vehicles are added or removed and can be stored in the siding behind the platform.

The weight limit on Langston Bridge restricted motive power to very small tank engines, after 1894 the almost exclusive province of Terriers. A typical train prior to 1900 was four 4 wheeled coaches. To add interest I have a set of early coaches hired by the contractor from the LSWR prior to 1872, a rake of Craven coaches for the 1880s and for the later period two rakes of Stroudley coaches, one oil lit and the second gas lit. Operation can be of one period or can gradually move from the early to late periods. The trains are supplemented by spare coaches, two special workings from the SER and the LSWR with a Saloon, Horsebox and OCT. Goods wagons cover two periods, the illiterate mark and the later “LB&SCR” lettering. Goods traffic was minimal prior to 1900 and mainly carried in mixed trains. Lack of space in the fiddle yard means that separate goods trains are run. Research into likely traffic led to a chance discovery that, in the 1890s, young oysters from Whitstable were sent to Hayling Island by rail in the autumn to overwinter and dredged up and returned the following spring. Contacts in the Brighton and SECR Circles provided copies of consignment notes with wagon numbers.

Hayling Island is fully operational but the scenery is still a work in progress! The advantage of modelling the Victorian period is that trains were shorter, very important when space is limited. The 4' radius is not ideal but trains on this section are partially hidden by hedges, which also help to separate the pastoral area around the station from the bridge and harbour. The landscape around the terminus was flat and the backscene was left plain, this being disguised by fencing, trees and telegraph poles. I wish that I had hand built the track, so as to better conform to the sleeper spacing of the Victorian era, though the depth of ballast tends to hide this short cut. There is limited operational interest in the terminus but the compensation is the view of various period trains moving through the landscape.