Visit - Bleat Wharf

Reproduced for Educational Purposes Only

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Built by a member of the Stafford Railway Circle

Bleat Wharf, 4mm, OO

Bleat Wharf was initially conceived as a small run-down goods yard based on the former S&DJR branch to Highbridge in Somerset. Inspired by the BBC film “Branchline Railway” and set in the 1950s, the services run as required to the small yard which is slowly returning to nature. All stock is ready to run with items from Bachman and Hornby. Track is PECO code 75 with buildings from Bachmann and Hornby. All weathering and scenery by myself. Baseboards are by IKEA, lighting by LIDL.Bleat Wharf is a small inland quay 'somewhere in Somerset' and is at the end of a spur off the Highbridge branch of the S&DJR, set in the 1950s.

 

 

Goods only, the area is run down and approaching closure. Traffic is mostly vans or covered carriage trucks serving the few remaining quayside businesses. Services run as required and haulage is provided by wheezy ex-Midland 3F tender locos with the occasional 4F or 1P 0.4.4T.

 

The origins of the name' Bleat Wharf' are not what you might expect. The name evolved from the original name for the area, 'Scheepswerf' which is Dutch for 'Ship yard or boatyard'.

In the early years of the 19th Century, Jan Van Der Plank, a Dutch shipwright set up a small boatyard in the area. The boatyard closed when Van der Plank returned to Holland following his retirement in 1840 but the name for the area was adopted by the locals.

 

With the arrival of the railways to the area in 1850, a short branch from Highbridge Whard was created to what later became known as Bleat Wharf, named after Ebenezer Bleat, a local business man and importer of manufactured goods. Other cargoes handled early on were minerals and agricultural items, including livestock.

 

 

Both world wars saw extensive use made of the wharf and few original buildings remain with successive alterations being made over the years. During the Second World War, a number of tin buildings were erected by the Royal Air Force who operated a couple of Air Sea Rescue launches from there to patrol the Bristol Channel.

 

Moving along to the period modelled, the main industry is ' C K Maddocks ', a small precision engineering firm who took over the buildings previously occupied by the RAF in 1944/45. The original buildings of Maddocks were bombed in January 1941 by a lone Junkers 88, later brought down over the Bristol channel by Pilot Officer Stein of 263 Squadron flying a Westland Whirlwind out of Exeter.

 

After the war, things settled down and a general air of peaceful neglect descended on the wharf.

 

Maddocks continued to be a well respected producer of quality engineering but freight traffic was light, running as required by the time of the period modelled.

 

 

Overall size of the layout is now confirmed and will be 7ft x 2ft.

Baseboards will be my now usual IKEA shelfage.

 

Track will be PECO Code 75.

 

Buildings will be a variety of Ready To Plant from Bachmann and Hornby.

 

Locos will, as mentioned above, be ready to run Midland types from Bachmann. Rolling stock will also be ready to run. All stock buildings etc will be weathered accordingly.