The Mole Valley Line
Dedicated the the Mole Valley Line model railway. A site that will show my trails and tribulations in bringing the railway to life and how I hope to achieve this on a shoestring!
The Concept and History
The Mole Valley Line was planned as an extension from Epsom to Chessington South as a means of easing access to Chessington Zoo (later, Chessington World of Adventures). Plans were put in hand and land was purchased in the middle section around the early 1900's, but new road infrastructure around Epsom town centre and expanding house building meant that demand for land in that area was intense. It soon proved impossible to connect the line from Chessington South to Epsom and so the section of track never saw as much traffic as was intended. Following the Beeching axe, the line from Chessington South thru the stations of Malden Rushett, Mole Valley Halt and Horton Park was closed from 1968, co-inciding with the last steam trains.
The line would have been consigned to history and built over had it not been for the dedication of local enthusiasts. After much lobbying and fund raising, they managed to purchase the section of line with the Malden Rushett and Horton Park stations as terminii. Now they run the line as a heritage railway. As most of their funds were spent on land purchase, the Mole Valley board had little left to fund the purchase of locos and rolling stock. They currently run a 'hotch-potch' of steam engines, some restored, some borrowed. Occasionally, the odd Diesel will run a special. Efforts continue to restore the line and buildins and to purchase new stock. The old connection at Chessington South is still in place, although rarely used. This makes trasportation of stock a little easier.
The Mole Valley Line is entirely fictitious and is my first foray into the world of model railways. Here I hope to share some of the delights and downfalls of building my line up. The idea of a heritage line is a good excuse for me to run what I like and not worry (at this stage) about historical accuracy! It also means that glaring omissions in my railway history knowledge can be covered over easily. Possibly a bit of a cop out, but this may change as I research more.
Like most people, I have a tight budget and so my purchases are what I can pick up cheaply (or for free) from various sites and ebay. I hope to complete the line with as small an outlay over the years as possible.
Join with me on my journey!
