I blogged about Coleraine Junction in December 2012 and since then nothing much has happened. I have been gradually been amassing information – historical and mapping.
For example here is the site on the 1942 inch to the mile map.
I have also been looking at the Working Time Tables that cover Coleraine Junction. There are three lines – one little used line to Penshurst and Warrnambool, the branch to Coleraine and the main line to Portland and Mount Gambier. In addition as the depot for Hamilton was situated at Coleraine Junction there would be light engines going to and from Hamilton. When you put all that together Coleraine Junction would have been quite a busy box.
Last weekend (June 2015) I was in the area for a workshop and arranged with Jane to spend some time at the site of Coleraine Junction. Of course it is heavily altered and there is little original fabric left except for some culverts and concrete facing but i was able to get a feel for the setting of the signal box. To do this I took about 100 photos and made field plans and sketches.
This is the site of the signal box taken from the (new) bridge looking roughly south east. The signal box was roughly where the bush is growing. The open flat area above was the site of a Departmental Residence.
This is the view from the Coleraine branch looking towards the junction. The trees would form a useful block behind the track and in front of the sky.
Looking north at Coleraine Junction from the Penshurst line, note the trees, landscape and a culvert in the mid-ground.
This is only a selection of the 100 odd images but it does help crystallise some design elements. The embankment and cutting and bridge would at the Hamilton end would form one end. The Departmental residence, fence and trees would form one side and more trees could be used with modelling license to screen tracks and the loco depot.
This layout would not be a shunting layout but one with a passage of trains through the junction (accompanied by the appropriate bell codes of course) which would allow for a display of a collection of rolling stock and locomotives.
I am now going to look for a good quality aerial image and then try and sketch out a design.
(Note this post was written around the time that Google disabled Live Writers functionality and Microsoft did nothing, now it seems to be fixed).
