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Netherport and Basuto Quay Chronology

magmouse

Entry posted by magmouse in Basuto Quay

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I have started thinking about trackwork for Basuto Quay (getting ahead of myself, as I haven't stated the baseboards yet, but there are reasons...). This has led me to think about how old the track would be at my 1908 modelled date, since it makes a difference to some construction details. That led me to think about the chronology of Netherport and Basuto Quay's development, and I thought I would share it here to see what people think.

 

The notes below are in three themes, colour coded to help distinguish fact from fiction:

 

  • Dates - in black.
  • Notes on the GWR at Weymouth, the real-world base of the GWR's Channel Islands and cross-channel services. These notes are taken from "The Great Western at Weymouth: a railway and shipping history" by J. H. Lucking, published by David and Charles, 1971 - in green
  • Key dates in the history of the Bridport branch, the real-world location in Dorset that Netherport's counter-factual history occupies - in purple.
  • Key dates in the fictional story of the Netherport branch - in blue.


1854

Public meeting in Bridport - decision to build a branch line to Maiden Newton (to be served by the forthcoming Weymouth to Westbury line)

1855

The Bridport Railway Company established
Netherport Railway Company established
1857
GWR and LSWR rail services to Weymouth start (but no harbour extension at this point)
Weymouth to Westbury line opens (broad gauge). Bridport branch opens - trains owned and operated by GWR
Netherport branch opens - broad gauge.
1857
Weymouth and Channel Islands Steam Packet Co. Ltd. service starts. GWR provides through tickets for passengers and parcels


1871
GWR gets an act of parliament that allows it to own and work steamers between Weymouth and/or Portland and the Channel Islands, as well as other routes (but steamer service remained independent, but financially supported by GWR)

GWR act of parliament allows steamer routes from Netherport as well as Weymouth, but this facility is not used.
1874
GWR Weymouth line converted to standard gauge
Bridport branch converted to standard gauge
Netherport branch converted to standard gauge
1875
Discussions between GWR, Steam Packet Co., and the Western Railway (of France) regarding a Weymouth - Cherbourg service.

The Netherport town council, which manages the harbour, builds a link from the Netherport station goods yard to the harbour quayside, to encourage coastal, Channel Island and cross-channel trade. 
1878
Weymouth - Cherbourg service starts, with connections to London and Paris. Bus services in both Weymouth and Cherbourg to connect railway station and steamer.
1879
Little passenger traffic, and goods hampered by inadequate dock provision in Cherbourg. Schedule changed to a night service. Goods improves - “horticultural and dairy produce, wine, etc.”
1880
Improved facilities at Weymouth Harbour - cargo stage increased to 380ft, additional cranes, harbour dredged
1883
Plans for a new dock at Portland, some work done, but the project fizzled out
1884

Extension to West Bay opens. Plans to develop the harbour area as a tourist destination, but these are largely unsuccessful
Lack of capacity at Weymouth harbour prompts developments at Netherport. Netherport town council keen to invest in the harbour with the new 'Basuto Quay', suitable for steamer traffic to the Channel Islands and France (passenger and freight). Quay named after the newly created British crown colony Basutoland in South Africa. Plans to develop the area to the west of Netherport as a tourist resort - 'West Cove'.
1885
Cherbourg service ceases (at the instigation of the French railway, concerned about poor service due to inadequate steamers)

GWR invests in new ships to develop cross-channel business, shared between Weymouth and Netherport. Buys the Netherport branch from the Netherport Railway Co. Upgrades harbour extension and adds passenger facilities at Basuto Quay.
1889
GWR withdraws support from the Steamer Co., which then closes
GWR’s own Channel Islands service starts
New passenger and baggage facilities in Weymouth harbour. Tramway extended, with changes to allow passenger stock to access the harbour for direct transfer to ships
New GWR ships arrive to work the route - faster and more frequent service
LSWR order new ships for Southampton <> Channel Islands routes. Strong GWR and LSWR competition
1896
Harbour improvements at Weymouth, Guernsey and Jersey.

West Cove, to the west of the main town of Netherport, is a thriving resort. Regular steamer excursions run during the summer months from Basuto Quay.
1897
Two new GWR ships, additional services
1897
Plans for a new harbour in Newton’s Cove, adjacent to Weymouth harbour.
1899
An LSWR ship sank in fog, with a loss of over 100 lives. Subsequent agreement between GWR and LSWR to offer a coordinated service and pool the receipts
1901

GWR buys the branch from the Bridport Railway Company

1904
Smaller, older ships (Lynx, Antelope and Gazelle) stop being rostered on passenger services, and used only for freight (Guernsey - grapes, flowers and tomatoes). Also used as tenders for ocean liners at Plymouth, and for excursions.

Potato, fruit and flower traffic from the Channel Islands and fresh produce from France well established, shared with Weymouth (where the harbour still has limited capacity).
1906
Antelope and Lynx chartered to a French growers association to carry strawberries between Brest and Plymouth.
Lynx chartered to run excursions around Jersey and trips to Sark and France.
1908
Regular, weekly Plymouth-Brest service, goods and passenger.

Date of Netherport / Basuto Quay as modelled.
1909
Act of parliament passed to allow GWR to run services between Weymouth and Plymouth, and all French ports between St Malo and Nantes, as well as Cherbourg.
1909
Regular weekly Weymouth to Nantes service.

 

The principle differences in the Netherport history compared to Bridport and Weymouth are:

  • traffic to and from the Channel Islands and France develop more consistently and earlier than in fact they did.
  • the development of Netherport's 'West Cove' area as a tourist resort is more successful than Bridport's attempt.
  • as a result, the GWR commits more fully to serving the channel traffic, but is unconvinced that Weymouth can fully meet that need and so develops Netherport as a secondary facility, both as a back-up and additional capacity (in reality, Weymouth did just enough to keep the GWR from fully committing to developing an alternative, while generally undertaking developments of the harbour slowly and as minimally as possible, according to Lucking's account).

 

At least I now know when the track was laid...

 

All comments, criticisms and expansions welcome!

 

Nick.

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Western Star

Fascinating novel composed of real (non-fiction) and imaginary (fiction) events blended with appropriate justifications and consequences.  Brilliant.

 

1909 and an act of Parliament in favour of the GWR.  Given that Weymouth and Plymouth were in GW territory with established tracks to support such a rail service... why did the GWR require an enabling act?  Or does the 1908 act refer to a possible service by sea?

 

West Cove - why do you not describe the introduction of a rail service between Netherport and West Cove?  To do so might require Netherport becoming either a through station (as per Bridport) or remaining a terminus in which a local West Cove working shuttles in and out of a bay platform (allowing for through coaches...).

 

My reading of the "history" of the Netherport and "junction" Railway (just where do services from Netherport meet the GWR?) is that the GW PW gangs would have had no authority over the branch until 1885.  If that premise fits with your ideas then...

 

1/ you may need to search for primary sources of the Bridport Railway Company to learn what that company did for permanent way.  Consider Bridport Museum as a source...   and Gerry Beale ("The Bridport Branch", Wild Swan).  Entirely reasonable that some of the BR Co. track could remain in situe for twenty years.

 

2/ if your "facts" of the takeover support an alternative consequence then, at sometime between 1885 and 1890(?), some or all of the Netherport branch would have been renewed.  This is the headache which you have to endure for a while.  Just what would the GWR have used in the renewal?  New material? (86lb rail and chairs similar to that shown in the Harvie pamphlet).  Or, re-use of pre-used rail and fittings?

 

My second consideration is attractive given that (A) the team is competent in 3DP track and (B) we have a prototype chair typical of the period.

 

Regards, Graham

Edited by Western Star
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magmouse
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36 minutes ago, Western Star said:

why did the GWR require an enabling act?  Or does the 1908 act refer to a possible service by sea?

 

Yes - the 1909 act was required to allow the GWR to run sea services to/from a wider range of places on both sides of the channel than the 1871 act.

 

39 minutes ago, Western Star said:

West Cove - why do you not describe the introduction of a rail service between Netherport and West Cove?

 

My idea for West Cove is that it is really part of Netherport, but given a separate name as part of the development of the town as a tourist resort. West Cove is the newer part of the town to the west, with esplanade, hotels, and so on. Basuto Quay has the harbour to the east, and the esplanade to the west, so it's passenger facilities serve both the steamers and tourist traffic.

 

Netherport is thus the equivalent of real-world West Bay, with the inland Up Nether the equivalent of Bridport.

 

43 minutes ago, Western Star said:

just where do services from Netherport meet the GWR?

 

Regrettably, the only surviving historical map of the Netherbourne valley is damaged, so it is unclear quite where the junction, Wanton Abbas, is located on the GWR network. Perhaps further research will reveal this information, but don't hold your breath...

 

45 minutes ago, Western Star said:

the GW PW gangs would have had no authority over the branch until 1885.

 

Good questions of yours following this point. The GWR provided and operated the locomotives and rolling stock, but as you say, what about track maintenance and renewal? Further investigation of the real-world Bridport branch arrangements is in order.

 

The timing of the renewal of the branch (fictional or real) as a whole would presumably be based on the gauge conversion in 1874 - the track work laid then might reasonably last for, say, 20 years, or even more depending on traffic. If, though, as you suggest might be possible, the GWR was not responsible for track maintenance before ownership, it might have wanted to renew soon after taking over responsibility for the track (1885 for Netherport, but not until 1901 for Bridport).

 

As always, more thinking and research needed!

 

Nick. 

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Western Star
1 hour ago, magmouse said:

The timing of the renewal of the branch (fictional or real) as a whole would presumably be based on the gauge conversion in 1874 - the track work laid then might reasonably last for, say, 20 years, or even more depending on traffic.

Ah, you are contemplating wholesale replacement of the permanent way!  Suppose that at the time of conversion the method of doing the necessary was to reduce the length of the transoms (by cutting something like two feet from one end) and then slewing one rail towards the other (until the shortened transom meets a longitudinal).

 

Knowing how the Bridport branch was converted ought to help to decide what the Netherport branch looked like after 1874.

 

If the conversion was cut and slew then the inevitable question is... how long might the pre-existing wood timbers and wood packing last after conversion.  This is "how long before the timbers rot" rather than replacement because of increasing traffic.  You may benefit from looking at a GWR drawing of rail sections, preferably one which illustrates the rails used on longitudinal timbers and one which gives dates for period of use for permanent way.

 

Rgds, Graham

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Mikkel

Mikkel 25,914

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Yes, a nicely weaved history, Nick. Fictional layouts are lies, and as we all know lies work best when they are closely interwoven with fact 🙂

 

I mean that in a positive way: One of the wonders of railway modelling is that we can - if we want - weave history and imagination, as you do so well here.

 

I am trying to get a feel for the atmosphere of the layout, e.g. how busy will it be and look. Is it more this...

 

IMG_0050(1).JPG.93f11a0c96b17a7dd0e60ab031cd4da5.JPG

Penzance

 

... than this:

 

 

IMG_0049.JPG.2ec351638353c5ee418da470d280956a.JPG

Weymouth

 

Or a bit of both?

 

Edited by Mikkel
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magmouse
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Thanks, Mikkel - I’m enjoying trying to make a reasonably convincing back-story for Netherport, seasoned with a touch of whimsy.

 

The two pictures you post are wonderfully atmospheric, and ones I haven’t seen before. I am aiming for a level of busyness somewhere between your two pictures - that’s one of the reasons I have been careful to keep the central space on the layout open (the area within E, F and G):

 

BasutoQuay2-GrannysRoomv10B.png.7e848baa784c08adbd5de80396c4155b.png


The idea is that this area can have a variety of temporary cameo scenes, such as loading/unloading a horse-drawn vehicle, or a pile of goods waiting to be dealt with, or a group of people passing the time of day. No idea where the inspiration for that might have come from….

 

Also, all the quay and warehouse sidings C, D and E, from where they meet the ‘main’ track at F, will be buried to rail level, probably in stone setts. Hopefully this will make the quayside feel like an expansive open area, surrounded by the warehouses and other buildings at each end, and bordered by the water and the railway on the far and near sides - a scenic space within which the everyday drama of trains arriving and departing, ships loading and unloading, and traffic to and from the warehouses can take place, sometimes busy, sometimes quiet.

 

The key to making this work will be not cramming too much in that is fixed, and I am still working on that. I think I can fine-tune things with the scale and colour of the buildings and quantity of smaller detailing items.

 

Nick.

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