© Isle of Thanet Railway Society
Author: Steve Costin IOTRS Secretary
Bramleigh
N Gauge
Bramleigh is a typical but fictitious market
town, with a busy main line station set in a
cutting below the town the line running in a
tunnel beneath. Nearby is Foxborough a
small village served by a branch line and
both passenger and goods services run
regularly to and from Bramleigh.
The area modelled is somewhere not too far
from the coast to the west in southern
England and it is late September, the year
lg[l. Steam is still to be seen the local towns
and villages being served by the Southern
Region of British Railways, however
occasional Western Region traffic
movements can be seen. As history tells us,
steam is soon to disappear, many non
southern engines have migrated onto these
routes, even diesel locomotives are
operating, hauling both passenger and
freight in the area.
The scene is set in rolling chalk countryside; the
exposed chalk in both cuttings on the main line and
the branch station tunnel mouth confirm this. The
bridges, tunnel portals, retaining walls and many
buildings are constructed of sandstone imported
from nearby quarries to the west, however some
concrete southern region items are evident in the
station areas. Agriculture is the main stay of the
local economy, and large areas of good hillside
grazing for sheep and cattle can be seen. The
livestock is moved regularly from Foxborough to
Bramleigh, and then on to the local county markets.
Due to the local narrow roads, many provisions and
goods are still transported by rail to both stations,
and small, but thriving businesses supply goods and
services
to the district.
Little did the local people realise what was to come
in the very near future, and that these scenes and
way of life repeated all over England, would soon
vanish forever.
The brassier on Bramleigh
Street life at Bramleigh
Cat Whiskers DMU arrives at
Foxborough Station
Steaming across the Viaduct at
Bramleigh
Bramleigh at Folkestone Best of Show