Back in the day, the LBSCR & LSWR railways linked up at Havant, and following access disputes, the latter was granted running rights into Portsmouth (January 1859), then with further (fictional) extensions, by both companies, meeting up – again – at what is now known as Fairhaven, thankfully without a repeat of the earlier disagreements !
An end-to-end 7mm 0 gauge (might have been) branch line layout depicting a growing Country/Seaside town off the South Coast Railway, and located somewhere between Portsmouth & Southampton.
Presented as the Southern Railway just prior to nationalisation, traces of the pre Southern can be seen at various points :
Fairhaven Dairy/Cheese factory and sidings being the site of the earlier Brighton Halt, before the station re-located in it’s current position. The signals reflect their originating companies. Later Southern influences are shown by the station buildings, signal box, passenger footbridge, goods/engine shed etc., with the addition of a second platform, to cater for the growing population.
In its original layout form, only the station platform area existed with a small goods yard, having been gifted as a legacy by a former club member. Over a period of time it has been re-configured to today’s scene, depicting , in a small way, the growth of the area and the need for enhanced facilities with links to other parts of the country.
