I think I’m going to build me a station (or a garden shed)

Right now, the temptation is getting a bit too much to resist. Wingham Canterbury Road calls too strongly. These stills from the Pathé newsreel were the last straw to be honest. For reasons that I shall expand upon shortly, the building has such character for me. The tall gentleman stood on the station platform really emphasizes how small the structure is. He makes it seem toy-like in a way, which just adds to the charm.

There are not many photographs of the building out there. John Scott-Morgan’s book on The East Kent Railway subtitled “The line that went to nowhere”, (Pen & Sword Books), has two clear photographs of the structure, and these are pretty much the same angle of view that can be seen in the photographs at The Disused Stations Website. 

I used to own a copy of the Oakwood Press book on the line and to be honest, I can’t recall any other different photographs of the structure in it. Perhaps if someone who owns the book could take a look and let me know. 

Scott-Morgan’s book has photographs of other station buildings on the line, and there does seem to be a “family style” to many of them, (and this is what really seals the charm factor for me). This family style seems to be based around the humble garden shed. But it is a definite style. All these “garden sheds” are arranged around a covered shelter area in different permutations. The buildings at Eyethorne and Staple were the same format but brick built, and Woodnesborough station was clapboard. The building at Shepherdswell, the start of the line had a section of tongue and groove at one end and clapboard at the other. Clearly garden sheds were on sale somewhere. 

A selection of East Kent Railway Station Buildings

Something else that conveniently ties everything into my garden shed theory. The most popular size of garden shed in the UK is eight feet by six feet, and the “units” that these structures are built around appear to be… You’ve guessed it. Eight feet by six feet. There’s no doubt that taken singly, each unit does look like a garden shed. 

With all the photographs in the book, it was quite easy to cross reference details, put things together and come up with a reasonably good drawing. It’s not exact, but I think it certainly captures the spirit of the prototype structure pretty well.

Wingham Canterbury Road Station. Early draft.

So the other day I slid over to my local hobby shop and stocked up with the various styrene sheets that I’ll need to start the project. Wintry weather may be a little late getting to Minnesota this year, but it will be here soon enough, and then I’ll be pretty well stuck inside for a while. I’d better get all my projects lined up.