Village Green Preservation Society
8'x4'
Submitted by Coffers. The Village Green Preservation Society was formed some years following the Beeching cuts. Its purpose was to fight to reopen the branch line from Dunbee to the the twin stations of Eastdale and Westdale. The society name was picked as a tribute to the cult album of the same name by the Kinks. After a long hard battle the fight was won, funds were found to buy up the existing track and station buildings and the hard work then started; to buy and restore various old locos and rolling stock to populate the preserved lines.
However this wasn't enough for the society as the available track wasn't particulary lengthy, so having secured more funds the society lobbied Parliament for the right to run scheduled steam services on BR/Railtrack owned lines to and from the twin dales. It was another well orchestrated battle that was won when an act of Parliament decreed that as long as all stock met current day safety criteria then the societies restored locos could use the main line on an agreed timetable. Today we see modern day locos travelling between Westdale and Eastdale mixed with steam traffic shuttling between Dunbee and the two stations on a regular timetable. The layout utilises 2 double slips and a three way point. I used 8'x4' as that is the standard size board that is available in most DIY stores over here. It was envisaged that Westdale was a former LMS station and Eastdale was owned by LNER so that mixed preservation stock might operate out of Dunbee.
However this wasn't enough for the society as the available track wasn't particulary lengthy, so having secured more funds the society lobbied Parliament for the right to run scheduled steam services on BR/Railtrack owned lines to and from the twin dales. It was another well orchestrated battle that was won when an act of Parliament decreed that as long as all stock met current day safety criteria then the societies restored locos could use the main line on an agreed timetable. Today we see modern day locos travelling between Westdale and Eastdale mixed with steam traffic shuttling between Dunbee and the two stations on a regular timetable. The layout utilises 2 double slips and a three way point. I used 8'x4' as that is the standard size board that is available in most DIY stores over here. It was envisaged that Westdale was a former LMS station and Eastdale was owned by LNER so that mixed preservation stock might operate out of Dunbee.