The Layout seeks to portray Standish Junction some
ten miles south of Gloucester on the Great Western Railway (GWR) and Midland
Railway (MR) Birmingham to Bristol mainlines in 1921 immediately prior to
the Grouping.
Standish Junction was constructed originally in
1854 at the geographical point where the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway met
the Cheltenham & GW Union Railway from Swindon. Following the demise of
Brunel’s dream for Broad Gauge a number of consequential track alterations
and redevelopments were put in place for the junction.
The Layout therefore depicts the Junction as it
would have appeared in the period from 1903 to the mid -1930s. The year 1903
marks the start of GWR passenger services over the route not only via
Chalford and the Golden Valley to Swindon and onwards to Paddington but also
over MR lines between the Junction and Yate South Junction where they joined
the then new GWR South Wales direct line into Bristol. The recurrent
expenses of the Junction were shared equally between the two companies,
including the signalman’s wages; he in turn had to pass two lots of
Regulations. There were three shifts in the box and two boys were employed
to ease the work. Later on in LMS days there could be up to 80 trains to
each shift!
The Layout measures 11’6” x 2’6’. The trackwork is
a continuous oval and it is operated very much and unashamedly on the
basis of “watching the trains go by”. The intention is to seek to
recreate some of the atmosphere of the period; the beauty in the design of
the locomotives and the colour of the liveries employed by these two
companies, both ‘giants of their age’. Also to convey just a flavour of the
romance of such trains which in post-Grouping times would acquire such
evocative titles as the Pines Express (from Manchester to Bournemouth)
running south from Gloucester and Standish Junction across S&DJR lines via
Mangotsfield and Bath, the Devonian (from Bradford to Paignton and
originally a joint venture by the Midland and the LNWR to capitalise on the
developing ‘holiday traffic’ to the south coast), and the Cheltenham Spa
Express (unofficially known as the record-breaking Cheltenham Flyer).
The signalbox on the Layout has been constructed from a Ratio kit
but the farm buildings and all of the bridges are scratch- built from
Slaters Plastikard.
As Standish Junction is a permanent layout it is not available for
exhibitions.
