THE TWO FOOTERS 

 “Next Stop, 2003 Convention”

Introduction

In the mid 1980s, several members of the Hayling Island Railway Society proposed that a narrow gauge railway be constructed on part of the track bed of the former Hayling Island Branch Line.  This was instead of a full size standard gauge railway.  However, Hampshire County Council had its own plans for the track bed, and it was then developed as the “Hayling Billy Trail”. 

Three members of the society thought that a narrow gauge railway would make an interesting attraction somewhere on the Island.  In 1985, a line running northwards from Mill Rythe Lane was proposed and planning permission sought.  Being near to “Warners Mill Rythe Holiday Village,” a great deal of support was received from their management, and when planning was refused for this line an agreement was reached with “Warners” for a line to be constructed in the Village, and planning permission was then sought and eventually granted. 

Mill Rythe

Building this line started in mid 1988 using track obtained via Alan Keef Ltd from the Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival. Work started from a site near the main gate, it proceeded down a straight by the car park later fenced by using angle iron from old bed frames.  By August “Oil Tank Curve” had been reached and the first passengers carried. The line was then extended down the roadway around a dog leg curve into “Exhibition Straight” through “Willow Tree Bend” over a simple road crossing to a set of points which formed the start of the balloon (return) loop.  The final length of rail being laid in the loop on New Years Day 1989 but, not without breaking a length of rail first! 

Initially, it was our intention to build a station near the engine shed, however, the Village management decided that a building that had been used as a cinema was not required by them and we could use it as a station and workshop. Which meant that once again we extended the line building in the process a level crossing over the main entrance road to the camp and a long curving embankment in order to reach it. 

A platform was built of sleepers, a run round loop constructed and sidings laid.  One of which ran into an extension of the shed built to house our rolling stock. Another siding stopped at the wall of the main shed, which was later, converted to a doorway to the workshop area.  In this workshop we built our first four-wheeled coach in 1992, which became a fleet of four by 1997.  Engines were repaired and parts for a new steam engine made.  Trains where run for visitors to the Village on most Sundays and Thursdays until the end of September 2001 when the line closed in order to use the materials to build the new seafront railway. 

The Seafront Railway

In 1988 Havant Borough Council published a Plan to Improve Hayling Beachlands, which included a railway to Eaststoke Corner linking various car parking areas.We approached the Council in November 1989 with our plans and at that time there were two other proposals which where later withdrawn. After many months which turned into years, our plans where presented finally to a meeting of the Council Planning Committee with the recommendation of their Planning Officers.  In their wisdom the Councilors rejected our plan, which was a bit odd, as they in the first place had the idea of a seafront railway! We then launched an appeal to the Department of the Environment, which was granted on January 17th 1997. 

A lease for the land required was promised but a draft copy was only obtained after involving the Ombudsman. More time passed and early in 2000 council officers gave reassurances that a lease soon be agreed time was running out, as the planning application was for 5 years only, so we had to start building the railway by the 16th of January 2002. 

Yet more meetings followed including one on August 22nd 2001 were the entire route was inspected once more. One thing in our favor was the fact that the station site at Beachlands was to be on land leased from the owners of the Funland Amusement Park.  So was the subject of a separate lease and a 10-year lease was obtained to run from November 1st 2001. 

We had a foothold, which allowed a start to be made on the construction of the station and workshop building.  55 tons of concrete were poured to make the footings. The Steel frame was transported and erected with the help of Rapid Response of Waterlooville. And throughout the Winter of 2001/2002, work continued to make the station building fit for use, cladding fitted, electrical supply laid in and many other tasks, too great to mention, undertaken. 

Then on May 28th 2002 a 25-year lease on the land required from Havant Borough Council was obtained, no time was wasted and we laid our first panel of track the very next day in heavy rain. 

We are using cast concrete sleepers spaced about 1 yard apart, of which nearly 2000 (each of which weighs 130 IBS.) and they were made at Mill Rythe which means there will be no rotting timbers on the beach.  The rails themselves are 8-yard lengths of 30 IBS per yard. The greatest length of track we have laid on one day is 64 yards, not bad when you know that we are only using hand tools, a very small digger and some very willing volunteers.  Together with a lot of support from local companies like Collectors Corner of Portsmouth who provided the 75,000 nuts used to fix the rails to the sleepers. 

Construction of the line continued throughout the summer months and by September we were building the passing loop and station platform at Hornby Halt near Chichester Avenue just under the halfway mark!  Construction here took longer than expected mainly due to an engine failure but, however by mid November we had restarted the drive to Eastoke and we had also, done a great deal of work upgrading the line laid so far, like laying many tones of washed Solent Ballast to match the natural stones of the beach area and giving the line an aged look.  Indeed, some users of the beach thought we where restoring an old railway! 

On days when the weather is not suitable for track laying thanks to our shed at Beachlands we are still able to work on repairing and upgrading our rolling stock also, finishing some of the outstanding work on the shed. This has included fitting many storage areas for tools, completing internal walls, the making of together with fitting of window and doorframes.  On the rolling stock side all vehicles have had their roofs weatherproofed and a couple of our coaches have to be raised to cope with higher platforms levels due to Disability Accessibility Regulations. 

Support on the Island also appears to be growing, now that people can see that the railway is not going to be the Monster some had painted it to be. On some days working on the line, a great deal of time is given up to answer questions asked by interested beach users. It would appear that for every objector there are at least 8 people who give their support! This would seem to show that we have a great future ahead of us.

 Next Issue will discuss the current Fleet…

We put in a new switch on the main line.  This is the switch we had hoped to have had installed before you came up … so that’s running pretty much on schedule. 

We tore out 150 feet of track, put all new ties in, and re-laid the track.  I don’t know how you guys did yours, but after we dug the hole, we set the turntable, leveled it and then poured the concrete support for the foundation, which seems backward, but we thought this was more accurate. 

The turntable is 24 feet long and powered with a 1 1/2 horsepower electric motor, (which is reversible) and a 40-to-1 gear reduction.  When done it should be 1 rpm. 

Now about the locomotive … we were hoping to send you some pictures of “Baby” plowing snow, but we do not have any snow.  The photos below were taken 01/02/2003 with the plow on the locomotive.  The smoke from the locomotive is from the exhaust from the motor.  When it gets chilly out, we get smoke, which was an unexpected surprise.

The Paint Valley Railroad is located about 12 miles west of Chillicothe, Ohio.  I started my 24” gauge railroad about 5 years ago.  It is 1/2 mile long and made up with 20-pound and 16-pound rail laid on regular railroad ties cut in half.  It has 4 bridges:  a 40 ft., 37 ft., and a 20 ft., all laid on I-Beams set on poured concrete.  The bridges are what slowed the construction down for me considering the expense and time.  Even when you use second-hand materials and do it yourself, it is costly.  Also, there is a 4 ft. diameter used culvert under the railroad where a drainage ditch flows. 

I used mostly #57 crushed limestone for ballast.  The rail is spiked down with mostly 2 1/2” and 2” long 3/8 inch spikes and other small size spikes.  I used whatever I could find.  We also used a manual Jim Crow type rail bender on all curves.  This also slowed us down. 

I chose a curved dog-bone style to lay out my track.  This was mostly because of the way my ground was laid out and to conserve some tillable land.  The railroad is level to rolling and begins a grade on the loop of track through the woods.  Enclosed is a sketch of my track layout.  The track was completed on Labor Day 2002, and 3 hand-throw switches were installed with a 60’ long spur track. 

I’m sorry to say that I have not had the time or extra money to work on my engines.  I had 4 old gasoline National Amusement engines, all of which were in poor shape when I got them.  I’ve started rebuilding two of them.  Enclosed is a picture of one without a body on the track after being tested several times for problems with the engine and track gauge.  I hope to have something with a body this summer.  For rolling stock, I will probably start out with some old National cars and 2 old miniature train coaches that I purchased from Joe and Ray Haigh a couple of years ago.  Of course they all need to be rebuilt, repaired, painted, etc… before I can use them. 

I am enclosing some pictures from the various stages of construction over the past 5 years.  Also, over the past few years, I’ve talked to different members on the phone looking for rail, cars, engines, parts, etc… I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them. 

I’d also like to thank Tom, Greg, and Fred Bauer for taking on the responsibility and expense of this newsletter and sharing it with the rest of us interested in 2 ft. gauge railroads. 

My most immediate plans are to get my engine and cars in better running condition.  Also, I’m planning for a long siding and train storage building.  I hope this article is of interest to all.  Anyone with any questions, etc… please feel free to call me at (740) 626-2676.

Here is a clever way to get a car in and out of the train house.

JULY 31, AUGUST 1, 2 &3, 2003 

Time is running out to come on board for the 2003 Two Foot Convention.  If you haven’t already signed up, please do so by June 15, 2003.  There is still plenty of room and we would love to have you along for the ride.  To sign up, please contact us at tpbauer@alltel.net.  If you are unable to attend this year’s convention, watch for plenty of highlights in upcoming issues of this newsletter.

 Submit comments and articles to:

The Two Footers
534 Armory Road
St. Marys, PA  15857

 tpbauer@alltel.net

or

tom@thetwofooters.com

Return to home page.

Visitors: