Ever since the railways reached the south coast they have been instrumental in the export and import of goods, to and from the country. Large and small ports dealt with different types of trade, but inevitably, fishing played a part. And so it was that somewhere along the south coast of England, Fareport Wharf was created. A contrast to the green and leafy hinterlands of southern England, Fareport was previously a small fishing village. However, the proximity to the continent enabled ships of all sizes to shuttle back and forth with regularity. Expansion enabled larger ships to dock and the Fareport Wharf Authority took over the management of the increasingly large trade. Used by commercial and leisure boats beside one another the variety of goods to be transferred steadily grew until we reach the late fifties and early sixties. Steam is still prevalent but one of the new shunters from Southampton Docks is on a trial visit to see if it sped things up. Goods traffic is varied with a daily fish train running to London via other south coast ports, the occasional military train and plenty of variety of other goods are also catered for.
The sandbanks off the shore from Fareport mean that a pilot is needed for ships entering and leaving the port and the pilots have a small office next to the customs house and a boat tied up at the end of the quay. Although not as busy as the larger ports along the coast, there is a constant shuttle of trains to and from the main line, with the need for the shunting of wagons to reform returning services.
Fareport Wharf is essentially two layouts in one. Incorporated in the cluster of points and sidings is a small shunting puzzle, operated separately and from the front. Operators will engage with the public, asking them to choose pictures of the next set of wagons to be shunted in the puzzle and occasionally letting them have a short go at solving the puzzle. All this while the larger trains come to and from the fiddle yard.
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