West Sussex Junction Railway

00, British Railways (Southern)

In 1864 an eleven mile long railway called the West Sussex Junction Railway (WSJR) was proposed between the London Brighton and South Coast Railway at Steyning and Pulborough. From Steyning the WSJR would have followed the A283 via Washington, Sullington, Storrington and West Chiltington to Pulborough. The line would have been in the Stor Valley between Sullington and Pulborough.
The use of Junction in the railways name implies hopes of significant through traffic. This was unlikely except in emergencies, during the World Wars, and possibly some from the Midhurst line. Passenger trains would run between Pulborough and Steyning. serving an area with a population of 3,871 in 1931 and 6,840 in 1961 so passenger traffic would have been light. Goods traffic would have been more important as services could tap the quarries and farms on route and bring in coal, agricultural, and general traffic. To the north of the WSJR sand & gravel is quarried and concrete blocks and related products manufactured. To the South of the WSJR chalk (actually soft limestone) quarried and burnt - Amberley Quarry now the Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre worked and burnt the same strata. Agriculture is market-gardening, growing barley, wheat, oats, & root crops and grazing sheep & dairy cows.
Lost Railways of Sussex. Oppitz, Leslie. Pp.40.
Victoria County History - Sussex / A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2, Bramber Rape (North-Western Part) Including Horsham.

The layouts would be set between the mid 1950's and mid 1960's. Broadly this was period when British Railways started to loose significant traffic to the roads and local traffic become unprofitable. The response was to modernise, close rural lines such as the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, and centralise goods facilities. In modelling terms this means down playing goods yard traffic and emphasising private sidings.