Templecombe turntable

[tingleytim]

Templecombe's turntable was always stated as being 50 feet in diameter, frustratingly just too small for a 7F or the standard 4-6-0s. Does anyone know if it was a Cowans and Sheldon turntable? Would the appropriate Midland Railway Centre kit be the best one to use at 4mm scale?

[Blandford1969]

Templecombe's turntable was always stated as being 50 feet in diameter, frustratingly just too small for a 7F or the standard 4-6-0s. Does anyone know if it was a Cowans and Sheldon turntable? Would the appropriate Midland Railway Centre kit be the best one to use at 4mm scale?

 

 

looking at lots of photos of the shed and the other turntables on the railway I think it looks like a Cowans and Sheldon, but cannot see a plate on any of the photos i have got.

 

sorry i can't give any definate answer, but will keep looking through photos.

 

Kind regards

 

Duncan

[tingleytim]

Thanks Duncan.

The best picture I can find in my collection of S&D books is on p39 of S&D Files No. 2, though there is no sign of any builders plate that I can see.

I note that the Midland Railway Centre's website (http://www.metalsmith.co.uk/4mmscaleCowansSheldonPre-Groupingturntable.htm) has an email contact address. I will send a photo to them and ask if its a Cowans Sheldon and when they expect their kit to be ready if it is indeed the right one.

Regards.

Tim.

[Blandford1969]

Thanks Duncan.

The best picture I can find in my collection of S&D books is on p39 of S&D Files No. 2, though there is no sign of any builders plate that I can see.

I note that the Midland Railway Centre's website (http://www.metalsmith.co.uk/4mmscaleCowansSheldonPre-Groupingturntable.htm) has an email contact address. I will send a photo to them and ask if its a Cowans Sheldon and when they expect their kit to be ready if it is indeed the right one.

Regards.

Tim.

 

Hi Tim,

 

Your other option if you want to be sure is to see if it turns up in their order book - which the Carslie record office have got.

 

Kind regards

 

Duncan

[tingleytim]

An immediate response from Dave Smith at Midland RailwayCentre models. He could not confirm thatit is definitely a Cowans Sheldon turntable but things are of course not assimple as that. There were a fewmanufacturers about at the time and those companies did vary their product suchthat details changed from one example to another. The topic would seem to be under researchedand there are very few people about who would be likely to contest a modeller’schoice of details. The MRC kit looks from the website pic to bepretty close to the Templecombe example and I don’t think there would beanything else closer available without a very time consuming scratch buildingjob! Dave expects the kit to be readymid-July.

 

Cheers.

 

Tim.

 

 

[Blandford1969]

An immediate response from Dave Smith at Midland RailwayCentre models. He could not confirm thatit is definitely a Cowans Sheldon turntable but things are of course not assimple as that. There were a fewmanufacturers about at the time and those companies did vary their product suchthat details changed from one example to another. The topic would seem to be under researchedand there are very few people about who would be likely to contest a modeller’schoice of details. The MRC kit looks from the website pic to bepretty close to the Templecombe example and I don’t think there would beanything else closer available without a very time consuming scratch buildingjob! Dave expects the kit to be readymid-July.

 

Cheers.

 

Tim.

 

 

Look forward to seeing the layout, I don't think anyones done Templecombe shed before.

 

regards

Duncan

[Stephen Lacey (92245)]

Look forward to seeing the layout, I don't think anyones done Templecombe shed before.

 

regards

Duncan

 

Last Year I had planned to build an O gauge model of the Loco Shed itself for a S&D based depot, but alas that never happened. I did however manage to get a guided tour of the outside of the shed by the kinds chaps at Thales and was allowed to take some photos of the shed up close. If anyone wants a few copies of these shots for modelling purposes, please feel free to drop me a PM!

 

Cheers,

 

Stephen

[Blandford1969]

Stephen,

 

i've dropped you a PM the photos would be very usefull in helping with drawings of the shed and associated buildings I'm working on for the S&D trust.

 

Regards

 

Duncan

[tingleytim]

Stephen,

Your offer of a few copies of the shots sounds tempting and valuable for my attempt at reproducing Templecombe Lower.

Forgive my ignorance and newness to RMweb. I presume that a PM is a personal message; what and how do I send one to you please?

Many thanks.

Tim.

[Oldddudders]

Forgive my ignorance and newness to RMweb. I presume that a PM is a personal message; what and how do I send one to you please?

Just click on a member's name, and up comes their profile page. Below their picture/avatar you will see "send me a message" so click there and away you go. When they reply, you will receive a notification in whichever way you have chosen to set up, but in my experience messages always produce a red figure next to your user-name on the top right of the screen when you log in. The red symbol will stay there until you click it, which opens your message folder. Much more complicated to describe than to do!

[tingleytim]

Thanks Ian. Hope I get used to these things with a little practice.

Tim.

[2ManySpams]

Thanks Duncan.

The best picture I can find in my collection of S&D books is on p39 of S&D Files No. 2, though there is no sign of any builders plate that I can see.

I note that the Midland Railway Centre's website (http://www.metalsmith.co.uk/4mmscaleCowansSheldonPre-Groupingturntable.htm) has an email contact address. I will send a photo to them and ask if its a Cowans Sheldon and when they expect their kit to be ready if it is indeed the right one.

Regards.

Tim.

 

Thanks for the link - this wasn't a product I'd come across before.

[Blandford1969]

I was sorting the listings of drawings the S&D trust have for the website today and noticed it lists a drawing of a turntable for Templecombe. I don't know the detail yet, but have dropped an e mail (in case I can add it into the Templecombe gallery)

 

will let you know

[tingleytim]

Not much to report on finding a 50 foot Cowans and Sheldon turntable kit which I wanted for Templecombe Lower; Midland Railway Centre still showing theirs as not yet available. I have, however, tried to make progress around where the turntable will go, so will resurrect this thread to report what has been done so far.  Pictures uploaded to flickr on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tingleytim/sets/72157642546896494/

Always interested in new info on the shed roof; signal box dimensions also needed.  Wondered if Midsomer Norton's box would be the same width, based on common features in their elevations?

Cheers.

Tim.

[RailWest]

From the limited info available, Templecombe No 2 Junction second signal-box (the 1880s one) was probably much the same from front to back as other Type 2 boxes, just rather more of it in timber than usual. A lot taller of course, being 3 storeys rather than the usual two! However the length certainly varied after it was extended at the north end in 1933.

[unravelled]

Only just spotted this thread. I've a few photos of Templecombe from 1964/5. Can post them here if that's of any use.

 

A bit of shed roof detail (possibly...)

 

 

And the turntable.

 

 

Another angle on the shed.

 

 

Some more similar, plus several of stored, unidentified locos.

 

hth

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Blandford1969]

Dave, lovley photos, the last is especially usefull showing the detail round the Station agents house.

 

Tim, love the model. In terms of the box it is the same width as other boxes on the northern end of the line, however the pitch of the roof is different to that at Midsomer/ Binegar and as Chris said is different in terms of the extension. The window frames are also not the same lenghts, as is the case with the windows on the northen elevation. My son decided to get me up at 03.30am for a feed and I could not get back to sleep so have already done part of the southern elevation. I have taken Mrs C to look at a new, new car and now am about to take her for a hospital appointment. then I will be back on with that drawing.

 

Don't forget that the drawings of the running line side will be showing the gradient. a different of 3 bricks from end to end. I will see how far I can get. The station agents house is still prooving to be a pain. I am just not happy with the porch. However I now have a contact who can pass the drawing onto someone who worked there which might bring some information.

 

Best regards

Duncan

[tingleytim]

Thanks Chris, Dave and Duncan for your responses.

 

Interesting pics, Dave - thanks.  The first looks older than 64/5 judging by the wooden wagons and what looks like one of the older 2Ps in store, maybe 40505 or 40509, from the curved LHS steam pipe. (Only just noticed that those 2Ps had that steam pipe on only one side.) 

Must get some more of those high sided wagons!  The other pics show good new detail of the shed’s south elevation plus the blue bricks around the window in the station master’s house and the reddish tint in some of the stone.  I have noted pictures from all the S&D books, calendars, etc but it is always good to see new ones from different sources.

 

Chris - I see the size of the 1933 box extension at its north end shows up well on the picture on p37 of S&D Files No. 2.

 

Duncan - thanks for managing to find a spare moment or two for the drawings; it’s not so many years since there were sleepless nights here too!  I do have a gradient alongside where the box will go so have noted your point about the three bricks difference from end to end.   I may struggle to achieve that degree of accuracy on the rear elevation where I suspect my height difference on the raised running tracks will be less than it really should be. 

 

Cheers,   Tim.

[RailWest]

"Chris - I see the size of the 1933 box extension at its north end shows up well on the picture on p37 of S&D Files No. 2."

 

I will take your word for that. not having said publication <g>, but thanks for the 'pointer'. Certainly I found that it was more obvious from the rear than the front.

[Blandford1969]

It is certainly clear from the back. I agree on the difference in brick height of 3 bricks end to end Tim. I managed about 30 minutes today, hopefully I will get a bit more time on them tomorrow, even if its just the basic outline without the details. The only thing I cannot tie down is what happend at the bottom of the stairs from the locking room level to the lower yard level.

[unravelled]

The rest of the Pics.

First the 1964 ones, I'm pretty certain of the year. An inspection saloon, and stored locos.

 

 

The next are 1965, BW around July, colour around September

 

 

hth

 

Dave

 

 

 

[Captain Kernow]

Wonderful photos, Dave, thanks very much for posting these. How refreshing to see some new, previously-unseen images of the S&D!

[Blandford1969]

Stunning photos, the one of the end of the goods shed in providing an image the bricks can be easily counted from. 

Duncan

[tingleytim]

Dave,

Thanks from me too for the extra pictures.  There’s a wealth of detail that will be really useful, from buildings to lamps and ground conditions.  They’ve triggered a few questions/ thoughts:

1.  One of the first three you posted was taken from Throop Road and I thought it was looking over the tender of a 2P.  One of your later postings was taken from a few feet further along clearly on the same day and shows that it was a 4F not a 2P.  Always looking for a reason to sift through Ivo’s books again, I noticed that a couple of 4Fs he pictured on the S&D have this LHS only steam pipe - numbers 44146 and 44167. (Anyone know why just a few 4Fs seem to have it?) Enlarging your pic as far as I can on the screen, the number on this 4F could be 44167.

2.  There’s a curious structure on the ground in front of the bufferbeam of 75073 which comprises two metal posts with crossarms and wires between them.  Anyone know its function?

3.  A shame to see 41243 with cloth over its chimney after so much use on the S&D over many years.

4.  Seeing 80059 being turned on the turntable makes me wonder why these engines came so late to Templecombe.  The 75XXX class was too long of course and often had to be sent tender first to Evercreech.  The shedmaster would have had to make sure that his locos of this class were facing the right way for the needs of the day, starting usually with the 7.35 for Bournemouth (or the 7am to Bath?).

Tim.

[unravelled]

Glad the pictures are of some help.  They have been reduced a bit for rmweb, so if (slightly) better  better copies would be useful, perhaps for brick counting, please PM me.

 

I think the structure in front of 75073 is a rack for fireirons of various types.

 

The1964 photos were taken on a school railway society trip. Oxford Reading Salisbury Templecombe  Bath Oxford. As there is interest I'll post some of the Bath ones in a separate thread, with my other S+D pictures. They will be up on flickr eventually...

 

Thanks

 

Dave