Bailey Gate

[RailWest]

Photos of Bailey Gate looking northwards from the road over-bridge seem extremely rare, but does any one please know of any (preferably later BR period) which show the Up Advanced Starting signal (No 15) clearly enough to be able to determine whether or not it had a ‘Rule 55 exempt’ diamond sign?

[bike2steam]

The Blandford  Railway Club is considering Bailey Gate as part of a possible future layout, as we have dropped the idea of Blandford Camp as not practical, and too limiting operationally. We are gathering in a collection of photos as part of the research, and will look thro' what we have so far.  

[geoffers]

From memory - no it did not. I have a couple of photo references which may help but will have to wait until I can access them this evening. One of the books is Mike Pope's Steam South and West (??). I think the sigtnal you refer to was at the back of our house when I was a nipper and I used to climb it for a look-out!!! The one going north about 200 yards north of the railway bridge, If this is so I am pretty sure there was no diamaond sign on it.

[RailWest]

>>>>The one going north about 200 yards north of the railway bridge....

 

That would be it. Since posting my original message I have had sight of a couple of pix from the Eyers collection in the 1960s. Both taken from about the bridge area, so rather a long way without a zoom lens for clarity, but it does /appear/ that there was no diamond.

 

Glad to hear that the BRC is still thinking about a model of BG, I recall a conversation somewhere at an exhibition last year about the arrangement of the sidings in the yard? I would be very interested please in any interior pictures of the signal-box if any turn up, even better if there is a Sykes instrument in view :-)

[Karhedron]

I don't know if you have seen it before but there is a nice clip of shunting at Bailey Gate below. Without knowing which one is Signal 15, I don't know if it shows what you need but it is a lovely clip to watch and just soak up the atmosphere.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ch7cBCgmno#

Edited March 3, 2015 by Karhedron

[RailWest]

The UAS does appear in the distant background in some of the early sequence, but far too far away without sufficient clarity :-( Never mind, some nice bits of film anyway, tho' rather confusing to have a short sequence at Corfe Mullen Jcn spliced in the middle!

[bike2steam]

The answer is no, as there was no track circuiting on the S&DJR, well not on the old DCR.

[RailWest]

Sorry, but you are wrong. Indeed, most of the S&DJR track-circuits were on the ex-DCR line!  See http://tinyurl.com/lewkly9 .

 

Also, the provision of a 'Rule 55 exempt' diamond was not dependant upon the presence of a track-circuit anyway, although that was a common situation.
 

[geoffers]

The picture in the Pope collection shows the down signal immediately by the bridge. I cannot find the photo looking north from the bridge but you have probably seen it as it shows 41320 on the April 1967 special returning from Blandford. Have searched what is left of my mind and can still find no memory of a diamond.

[RailWest]

Since posting my original request I have had sight of two views from the Eyers collection taken in the 1960s, both looking northwards from the area of the road bridge. In both the UAS is visible in the background - too far away to be as clear as I would like, but there appears not to be any diamond sign.

[bike2steam]

Sorry, but you are wrong. Indeed, most of the S&DJR track-circuits were on the ex-DCR line!  See http://tinyurl.com/lewkly9 .

 

Also, the provision of a 'Rule 55 exempt' diamond was not dependant upon the presence of a track-circuit anyway, although that was a common situation.

Probably, I was just going by what I was told by a former signalman at Corfe Mullen Junction.

[RailWest]

An odd thing for him to say, given that there had been a TC at CMJ

[bike2steam]

I have that problem - loss of memory, it's a problem when yer getting old !! But it answered the original question, no diamonds on the signal post, as I only moved to this part of the world in the mid-80's, all my info is secondhand - well that's my excuse.

[geoffers]

There is an irony here - I have a photo (taken with a Brownie 127 so it is not up to much) of this signal taken just to the south of the signal and looking north. It was taken on Sunday 6th March 1966 and I was in the middle of the two tracks and having just taken the shot was alarmed to hear a train rushing up the climb from Bailey Gate station. It was 80043 and 48706. Took a poor picture of these as I rushed off the track down the embankment. These photos are about the house somewhere but I cannot find them- too many years, house moves, and too much clutter. No doubt buried deep underneath something. If I ever find them I will post them on here if I am still alive and kicking. They are not up to much but may have a value for researchers.

 

Edited for spelling

Edited March 5, 2015 by geoffers

[geoffers]

Just thought of something that may be relevant for modellers. The home signal arm in question, as with the others around Bailey Gate, were the LSWR/SR crinkled type - instead of being flat faced they were those that had two crinkles, the dip in the crinkles being on the red side of the signals. Two of these signal arms reside here in Norfolk although I have no provenance apart from my word that they were bought after closure. Friend went down to Bournemouth Central and paid 10 shillings for each of them (he also bought some). He did get a receipt but I doubt whether it still exists as this was near 50 years ago.

[Blandford1969]

If you do a model of Bailey Gate I have done drawings of the main building and signal box if of any use?

[bike2steam]

If you do a model of Bailey Gate I have done drawings of the main building and signal box if of any use?

Oh yes please Duncan, that would be very helpful, if you still have Dave Cash's address can you post them on to him, and mention that I asked you to do it - thanks.

[RailWest]

Any chance of the SB drawing here too please??? 

[Blandford1969]

Hi Both,

 

I have mislaid Dave' s address and will post on. Chris I will e mail a copy and will get round to those others you were after (sorry pressure of work/ family and railway commitments)

 

I have also had a look through my negs and sadly have none of that signal.

 

Duncan

[RailWest]

Thanks Duncan.....I've got plenty to keep myself busy on the S&DJR for a while anyway

[tingleytim]

I’ve been trying to identify the trains shown on the Steam Tube video in Karhedron’s posting.  There seem to be 8:
1.  0.15 secs.  The 4-6-0 with the large tender is likely to be 75071/72 or 73.  The train is probably the 6.35 Evercreech-Poole and looks to be passing without shunting. 
2.  0.45 secs.  75008 would have brought the 2 milk tankers out of the creamery sidings and is shown running round them and setting off northwards along with a van.  Northbound milk tankers used to be added to either the up mail at 4.15 (using loco from the 3.05 up freight from Poole) or at 4.45 - the return of the 3.35 Templecombe-Blandford. But I see from my 1955 WTT that there was also a 5.30 milk train from Bailey Gate that ran as required to Templecombe Upper.  Perhaps 75008 was working this service. Note the passenger headcode.
3.  2.15 mins.  Again probably 75071/2 or 3 perhaps on the return 3.35 or 5.30.
4.  2.22 mins.  Yet again probably 75071/2 or 3 on the 6.35 Evercreech-Poole.
5.  2.37 mins.  Same occasion as 3. above.
6.  3.17 mins.  80XXX tanks heads towards Broadstone at Corfe Mullen, mainly hauling vans.  Would this be the rump of the Blandford fertiliser service from Avonmouth that was diverted off the S&D via Poole using Bournemouth engines? I photographed a very similar train in August 1965.
7.  3.40 mins.  Up passenger at Corfe Mullen.  Very little detail.
8.  3.54 mins.  4691 with bogie van and 1/2 milk tankers.  Would this be the 5.30 also?  Freight headcode this time.

Some questions about this 5.30 departure:
1.  How often did it run?
2.  Did it continue until the end of the S&D?
3.  How did the loco get to Bailey Gate?  (There seems to be nothing in the WTT that would bring the loco from Templecombe.)
4.  What was the point of it when it seems to duplicate the 4.45 departure?

[71H]

Probably, I was just going by what I was told by a former signalman at Corfe Mullen Junction.

 

Not Bob ..........?

 

I use to work with him years ago before he retired.

 

He was the last S & D signalman if i remember rightly.

[71H]

If you do a model of Bailey Gate I have done drawings of the main building and signal box if of any use?

 

 

I tried modelling the station.

 

I looked at the photo's & spent ages counting the bricks !!!!

 

Somewhere, i still have the photos of BG.

 

It's still my intention to build BG but i.m struggling to find the correct track plan as the ones i have seen don't match up.

 

Bill Coomers book is fantastic.

 

It's a great shame that the photo's in the book are not clearer.

 

I wonder if Bill is still alive ?

[bike2steam]

Not Bob ..........?

 

I use to work with him years ago before he retired.

 

He was the last S & D signalman if i remember rightly.

Yep, the very same Bob Downes, a good chap, but I'm beginning to wonder if the memory is as good as it should be ???

 

I tried modelling the station.

 

I looked at the photo's & spent ages counting the bricks !!!!

 

Somewhere, i still have the photos of BG.

 

It's still my intention to build BG but i.m struggling to find the correct track plan as the ones i have seen don't match up.

 

Bill Coomers book is fantastic.

 

It's a great shame that the photo's in the book are not clearer.

 

I wonder if Bill is still alive ?

We have track plans, via a couple of our members who are also members of the S&DT.

I'm not sure that Bill Coomer ( a long time resident of Stur' Marshall) is still alive , I can check as our (Blandford Railway Club) inglorious leader is/was a good friend of his.

[RailWest]

With all due respect to Bill Coomer, whilst his book is indeed nice - I have a copy on my shelf -  I would treat some it was a certain amount of circumspection. For example, I'm very puzzled by the apparent first-hand contemporary reports of the double-track to Blandford being opened in 1904 (IIRC), when in fact that took place in 1901. Clearly there is some contradiction/confusion, but it was not challenged/explained in the text. Likewise I feel that Bill placed slightly too much reliance on the accuracy of OS maps without considering the effect of partial updates.

 

As regards the track plan, for what period exactly are you seeking such plans and what are the discrepancies which you have found? With some clarity about the 'issues', it might then be possible to answer them.