- EXETER CENTRAL Described by Ken Webb Photographed by Paul Plowman Photograph by David Taylor
2 Exeter Central Ken Webb describes his layout based on Exeter Central Photographs by Paul Plowman My layout is now about 15 years old and has been featured in the Railway Modeller a couple of times as well as some local magazines. On one side of the room the layout pretty well follows the prototype of Exeter Station as it was just before nationalisation and is instantly recognised by my many visitors. Of course every thing is scaled down to fit. I have built all the track work, wiring and 90% of the buildings mostly from balsa and cardboard working from old magazines and the many photographs, which I have taken of the area during my frequent visits to the City. Although I was born in Catford I lived in Sydenham until 1939 when the family moved to Herne Bay in Kent, which was supposed to be safe from bombing. I enjoyed living there as I had hardly ever seen a steam engine before, only Southern Electric trains. Now as I travelled up to London, through the town of Whitstable I passed the second oldest railway in England. There was an R1 Class 0-6-0T loco, which worked from the Harbour out to Canterbury. Like most boys of my time I had a set of Hornby trains. However when Trix Twin came on the market I changed over to HO scale. Some time later I decided to sell them at a shop in Canterbury, which was blitzed in the big raid on the City. That was the end of model trains for the time being. I did have a job with a firm Stewart Reidpath that manufactured model trains but was making models of Japanese warships for the Navy for recognition. Then off to war. Many years later in 1957 I bought a lot of Triang trains for my son in London for when he grew up. Some 10 years later we managed to move into our own home, which had a room under the house suitable for trains. In my job (TV service) I was often given tips, which I used to buy Triang and Hornby products. As I was out on the road all over Sydney I used to call in at the model shops most days and started to get a quite a collection. I changed back to buying Southern Railway and had built quite a nice layout. However my wife s mother needed looking after so we moved into a bigger home which had a very large double garage where I built a large room for my trains. Top: A T9 4-4-0 emerges from under New North Road Bridge as it departs from Exeter Central with a local passenger train. Above: The entrance to Exeter Central Station.
AUGUST 2005 3 Under the arches of Howell Road Bridge on the main line is a D15 4-4-0 leaving Exeter with a set of suburban coaches on a local run. On the other line a Z class 0-8-0 tank engine waits for its next turn of duty.
4 Battle of Britain 21C166 Spitfire has just arrived with a train from Plymouth. Spitfire was the Lewisham disaster engine and remarkably survived in un-rebuilt condition until the end of steam on the Southern. A view of the approach to the station showing the large signal box and behind this is a cattle dock. The signal box is on the large side as all lines are signaled for running both directions. A second signal box is situated on the up line platform from where the A.C.E. is ready to leave. A local train is approaching on the down line.
AUGUST 2005 5 View of the restaurant car being shunted between two sets of coaches to be joined, one from Plymouth and the other from one of the north Devon stations. A King Arthur or in later days a West Country loco will take the train on to London. The reverse of this procedure is carried out on the down platform with the Atlantic Coast Express being divided into separate trains for different destinations. A view along New North Road with the other entrance to the station and passenger bridge. At the end are the prison offices. New North Road leads to the City center.
6 Another view of Queen Street, the station and the pedestrian bridge with the Atlantic Coast Express at the up line platform picking up passengers. This is a view of Queen Street showing one of the main streets with the clock tower at the far end where incidentally I found a very nice Indian Restaurant, which I always went to when staying in the City with my research. The station entrance is the first building on the right with SR offices above.
AUGUST 2005 7 A SR Class E1/R 0-6-2T brings a milk train up the steep gradient from the Western Region station at Exeter St Davids. A brief view of the castle gardens the castle being in ruins. Two trains are about to pass on the up and down through lines. Dominating the back scene is a view of the large prison.
8 An ancient Jubilee 0-4-2 with a local passenger train bound for the coast passes through the Devon countryside. The Jubilee climbs the gradient towards the viaduct. A group of train spotters on the footbridge is busy collecting engine numbers.
AUGUST 2005 9 A view of the terminus with the Devon Belle in Platform 1. Above, on the viaduct, is the four-track line with passing loops leading to the Meldon Viaduct. The entrance to the terminus, which has five lines terminating at the platforms and one through line. Above is the 4-track line completing the main circle, which enables me to operate the whole system and to make a point to point when required.