That's looking very good now Paul!

As you say, the goods shed is fairly dominant -  I only got to see the station/platform let-into the surface of my layout board (before pulling the plug on the project), so its good to see the goods shed in its true proportion.

Still going to use the original water tower, or does your new scenario demand somthing a little bigger now, or is 'off-scene'?  The original (round and flat-topped), was slightly smaller than standard and only had to service the very infrequent branch loco (Dean Goods).  The traffic volumes you are postulating, would presumably need a bigger supply.

Also just spotted your GWR horse box, which reminds me I was told locally, that the rest of that level area and then slope adjacent to the rail by the cattle dock, was where horses were loaded/unloaded from those wagons.  Probably a well known fact to most (but I didn't) and seems obvious now, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

EDIT: Water Tower and Horse box unloading.

Thanks, Steve.  Your excellent work is already the centerpiece!

Yes, I will use the water tower even though it may be on the small size.  The reason is that the water quality at Shipston was considered by the GWR to be poor so water from the well was only to be used in an emergency.  the extra siding (which I am not building but which will be ghosted in as abandoned) next to the engine shed was for a tender of good quality water brought from Moreton.  The Shipston well water was, of course, quite suitable for washing down the cattle pens and ash pit.  Ash pit?  There wasn't one, but I feel that there should now be one, so it will go in front of the engine shed (the inspection pit inside the shed being used for all other maintenance issues).

Back to the water supply, all Moreton trains will have to provide their own water for the return journey.  The Ettington traffic will have first call on the Shipston water supply!

Good news about the horse box, but the space between the cattle pens and the good shed had a 40 foot coach body and a van on blocks (both of which I have suitable kits for).  So where did the horses load/unload exactly?  I could have them unloading through the cattle dock.

Paul,

Sorry, for some reason, I do not seem be getting notification of your replies any more.

Horse loading/unloading -  I probably did not explain myself very well.  This was carried out on that flat area at the top of the slope to the right of the livestock ramp leading to the cattle pens.  In other words, if your GWR horse box were just a few scale feet nearer the cattle dock (in the last picture above), it would be in exactly the right place.

That area does not look very big, but such valuable animals would presumably have been ridden to the station for transportation, or have drawn the owner's personal carriage there, prior to that vehicle being separately loaded into a covered carriage truck ('Python'?) or onto a well-type wagon ('Hydra'?).  Either way, the area required to load each animal singly into the horse box wagon, does not need to be that large.

HTH

Steve

Steve

Thanks for the above explanation - yes there is room!  Like you I don't seem to be getting any notifications.  I am back in France now but busy with other things for the time being that are not Shipston related.  My priority from SWMBO is to fit the fascia, etc. as we have family staying here in 6 weeks time.

The horse box will add more operational interest to the layout and I am sure there are other subjects that can be added to enhance the operational aspect of the layout beyond coal, animals and raw timber for the local saw mill (raw in, pit props out according to my research).  I need a GWR bogie bolster for the raw timber but they are not available at the moment.

Paul

Paul,

Sorry (again!), have only just come across your new repy by chance.  So this is the second time I have had to click 'Follow This Thread' -  hope it 'sticks' this time.

If only someone hadn't built a gasworks nearby, you could have had the 'Cordon' gas tank wagon traffic as well (LOL).  On the subject of goods traffic (and research); if you need any information on that score, I still have all my research notes, which I could knock into some sort of order and post here, if required.

Steve