I have been a modeller for roughly 60 years in all aspects, but with regards to railways I started in HO American and then moved on to OO British, On3 American and finally 2 years ago into British O-Gauge.

The current, (and last) layout stands at 15 feet by 18 inches and is what I call a “working diorama”.

Living roughly half way between London and Brighton it’s no surprise that I am a LBSC/SOUTHERN fan boy at heart.

So my layout is, (very loosely), based in Sussex and is a fictitious heritage railway country terminus.

As mentioned by others this allows the running of what ever equipment takes my fancy. I know that this is viewed as being a bit of a “cop-out” and is not serious railway modelling but it brings me an enormous amount of pleasure both to build and run.

The larger size of O-Gauge brings with it many positives such as the increased detail and fidelity and the pure heft of the locomotives invoking something that the smaller scales cannot seem to do. 

The layout is operated by wireless DCC and all of my locomotives are sound equipped, which adds yet a other dimension to the layout. 

I have enclosed the “fake” history of the line for your perusal. 

There is no fiddle yard as such so I alternate the sets as and when I want to play trains! 

Very best regards,

Pete Coleman.

Fake history:

Located high up on the South Downs of Southern England, with views of the English Channel, the Abbey of St Mary’s was built at Colehurst in the mid 12th century AD. The Abbey was built close to a natural spring which according to local folklore held healing powers. The Abbey controlled the patronage of the spring as it was situated upon Abbey lands and a small fee was levied upon those wishing to avail themselves of the “Devine waters and holy shrine”. This fee went towards the upkeep of the Abbey hospital.

As time went by the Abbey started to fall into disrepair and with the advent of King Henry VIII’s reformation the Abbey was completely destroyed and the stone that could be reused was carted away by local “entrepreneurs”.

The Abbey ruins and associated natural spring gained attention once again when interest in amateur archaeology became popular during the Victorian era.

In the mid to late 1800’s “railway mania” was sweeping the country with lines being built “here there and everywhere” and a few local landowners had the idea of building a short line connecting the Abbey ruins and spring with the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. They formed a conglomerate and the licence to build the shortline was duly granted by Parliament in 1887 and was to be managed and operated by the L.B.&S.C.R.

The line opened to great fanfare between “Colehurst” and the L.B.&S.C.R. on June 17th 1893 and the little line was surprisingly successful for the best part of twenty years thereafter gradually entering into a steady decline. With only one other stop at “Withinglye”, it being a rather small hamlet and local centre for winter sheep grazing upon the Downs, traffic diminished alarmingly with just hikers and sheep being the only patrons to help keep things going. It was inevitable that the line would fall under the “Beeching Axe” and the line was finally closed on July 31st 1966 after 73 years of service. However this was not to be the end of the story for this little branch line as taking a leaf from the very successful and fairly local Bluebell Railway Preservation Group, another band of local enthusiasts formed a similar entity in the “Colehurst Spring Line” which had the advantage of still having a connection with the national railway system. Although only being 7.5 miles long the line leaves the mainline station and meanders through the Sussex countryside to “Withinglye” considered to be in the “foothills” of the South Downs. Upon leaving “Withinglye” the line starts on the 1/120 climb up to “Colehurst” and affords some spectacular views across the Downs and on a good day, a view out across the English Channel.

The former goods yard of the mainline station now forms the major headquarters of the line with the administration, locomotive and rolling stock preservation, maintenance and stabling all being based here. There is a modest engine shed, water tower, servicing and siding facility located at “Colehurst” Station with “Withinglye” being a simple station halt with a passing loop. The engine shed and water tower at “Colehurst” were donated by B.O.B. Developments Company Ltd from the land they acquired on the former “Lashwood” line. They were moved brick by brick and reassembled at “Colehurst” by a dedicated team of members over a period of three years. It is somewhat surprising perhaps that only being a short preservation line it can boast a varied roster of both steam and diesel locomotives and with the mainline connection, visiting locomotives and stock from other preservation groups often attend the various “galas” throughout the year.

Whether it’s the quaint “smallness” or the idyllic pastoral scenery, the line is going from strength to strength and currently foresees a bright future.

Located high up on the South Downs of Southern England, with views of the English Channel, the Abbey of St Mary’s was built at Colehurst in the late 1100’s AD. The Abbey was built close to a natural spring which according to local folklore held healing powers. The Abbey controlled the patronage of the spring as it was situated upon Abbey lands and a small fee was levied upon those wishing to avail themselves of the “Devine waters and holy shrine”. This fee went towards the upkeep of the Abbey hospital. As time went by the Abbey started to fall into disrepair and with the advent of King Henry VIII’s reformation the Abbey was completely destroyed and the stone that could be reused was carted away by local “entrepreneurs”.

The Abbey ruins and associated natural spring gained attention once again when interest in amateur archaeology became popular during the Victorian era.

In the mid to late 1800’s “railway mania” was sweeping the country with lines being built “here there and everywhere” and a few local landowners had the idea of building a short line connecting the Abbey ruins and spring with the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. They formed a conglomerate and the licence to build the shortline was duly granted by Parliament in 1887 and was to be managed and operated by the L.B.&S.C.R.

The line opened to great fanfare between “Colehurst” and the L.B.&S.C.R. on June 17th 1893 and the little line was surprisingly successful for the best part of twenty years thereafter gradually entering into a steady decline. With only one other stop at “Withinglye”, it being a rather small hamlet and local centre for winter sheep grazing upon the Downs, traffic diminished alarmingly with only hikers and sheep being the only patrons to help keep things going. It was inevitable that the line would fall under the “Beeching Axe” and the line was finally closed on July 31st 1966 after 73 years of service. However this was not to be the end of the story for this little branch line as taking leaf from the very successful and fairly local Bluebell Railway Preservation Group, another band of local enthusiasts formed a similar entity in the “Colehurst Spring Line” which had the advantage of still having a connection with the national railway system. Although only being 7.5 miles long the line leaves the mainline station and meanders through the Sussex countryside to “Withinglye” considered to be in the “foothills” of the South Downs. Upon leaving “Withinglye” the line starts on the 1/120 climb up to “Colehurst” and affords some spectacular views across the Downs and on a good day, a view out across the English Channel.

The former goods yard of the mainline station now forms the major headquarters of the line with the administration, locomotive and rolling stock preservation, maintenance and stabling all being based here. There is a modest engine shed, servicing and siding facility located at “Coleburst” Station with “Withinglye” being a simple station halt with a passing loop. It is somewhat surprising perhaps that only being a short preservation line it can boast a varied roster of both steam and diesel locomotives and with the mainline connection, visiting locomotives and stock from other preservation groups often attend the various “galas” throughout the year.

Whether it’s the quaint “smallness” or the idyllic pastoral scenery, the line is going from strength to strength and currently foresee a bright future.