Creech Bottom 1984...

Earlier this year I worked over a pair of Hornby Sentinel's in pseudo Planet Industrials livery, hinting they may be destined for a joint project with my good friend Steve...

Well plans change, go on pause etc etc and who knows when or if we'll ever undertake the project but I thought I'd share some of the work I did on developing the concept of Creech Bottom a little further.

Imagine that, as in real life, ball clay extraction was continued at Furzebrook after the lifting of the narrow gauge lines in the 1950s, and the siding to Furzebrook survived the closure of the Swanage branch. In the cold war the expansion of the MOD range at Povington led to the extension of the 'siding' along the old narrow gauge formation, necessitating the improvement of the bridge at Creech Bottom in the late 1950s before the mine was closed in the mid 1960s.

Fast forward to the 1980s and imagine that a continued demand for clay, and a modernisation of techniques saw the construction of a new mill at the site of the old Creech Bottom mine. The MOD branch beyond Creech Bottom was in a poor state and so the range's 2'3" gauge line was extended east to the new mill sidings at Creech Bottom, bringing narrow gauge to the area again.

This rough outline plan and some sketching out of track scheme, as well as plotting a route on OS Maps online allowed the feasibility of the whole thing to be tweaked to just this side of unbelievable, landing in 'unlikely'... That's good enough for me! Roping Steve into the project the idea that due to the restricted height of the bridge at Creech Bottom mainline engines couldn't work the private siding, so industrial diesels were used. Rather than ECC buying Pike and Co, PICC came into being...

Planning got no further than the above really, working out another small plank exhibition layout in the cameo style to replace East Works. Steve was contemplating building another scene along the line... the idea was we'd use the 1984 setting, with PICC running the clay, Pi branded Sentinels bringing MOD stores along the private siding once a week, provided with a BR brake van for the armed military escort. A small 60hp Baguley Drewry would operate the MOD narrow gauge feeder.

The clay and stores trains would use separate services, and I've got most of the stock needed to build this - just a lack of space, and a multitude of other project ideas in the queue, including Peasmarsh Road, Ruabon Brook Tramway and some other industrial sprawling shunting layout. Will time see this plan built, quite possibly, there is something about the Purbeck setting that brings me back round to modelling time and again, and it would be good fun to revisit Creech Bottom with a new totally different concept. I hope you've enjoyed reading this rambling story, I find a plausible back history, combined with geographical research to plan routes, financial and political research, to find what might have been going on at the time and then the model making all come together nicely. If you'd like help with your own project, then do get in touch for a personal proposal. More soon...