I fancy Ocean Quay as a modelling opportunity. Originally built by the LSWR to compete with GWR for ocean liner passenger traffic.

I've not seen it done by anyone else (yet?), and I'm wondering where to find any pictures of the quayside station.

There's a few pics of the Stonehouse branch from Devonport station here on this Cornwall Railway Society page.

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/millbay-friary--stonehouse-branch.html

But no pics there of the station or quay themselves. The only pic I've found of the station so far is very grainy and small / far away.

https://wiki2.org/en/Ocean_Quay_railway_station+Newton#Ocean_Quay

Anyone found anything better?

Here's what the track looks like:

Am I correct in thinking that there's no topic in the Disused Railways section for the M&SWJR?  Has the M&SWJR been neglected? Well, in a way, that's entirely appropriate, as the M&SWJR was sadly neglected even when it still existed as "Swindon's Other Railway".

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Adrian Vaughan recounts an anecdotal conversation about the M&SWJR's operating methods; a man called Nelson Edwards is recalling pre-grouping days; with him are Bill Curtis, ex M&SWJR, and Sid Tyler, GWR:

"We were even short of goods brake vans. When we wanted to run a trip out to Moredon power station with coal we had a special brake van kept for the job—it was an old water tank. When I stood inside it acting as guard my head just poked out of the filler hole nicely, shorter chaps stood on a box inside."  

 

"Not only that," said Bill, "but we were short on tail lamps too. If a special had to run up to Tidworth we often had to hang a churn lid on the buffer of the last wagon." Nelson agreed that this was done on the Moredon trips too.

 

"Well I'm damned," said Sid, "what would you have done if the couplings had broken and you were in a water tank at the back of the train going up the bank from Rushey [Platt] to [Swindon] Old Town? You've no chance without brakes, down the hill and of at the first catch point!"

 

Nelson and Bill grinned happily at the fuss Sid was making. "It was a man at the rear of the train anyhow," said Bill. "That was better than nothing

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_and_South_Western_Junction_Railway#Operating_methods

The stretch of track between Chiseldon Camp and Ogbourne St.George is fairly uneventful, being almost dead straight, parallel to the A346.

Half-way in between was another hospital. But in true M&SWJR style, it didn't last long ...

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This isolation hospital for people with infectious diseases was built on the eastern side of the Marlborough to Swindon road, near the northern boundary of the parish of Ogbourne St. George. It was opened in the 1920s and became a geriatric hospital during the Second World War and , later, a smallpox hospital. It was demolished around 1965.

https://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getfaq.php?id=469

What does Ogbourne St.George have as a claim to fame?

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In the Middle Ages the manor of Ogbourne St George belonged to the Benedictine Abbey of Bec in Normandy. Ogbourne Priory was founded in about 1149 as a daughter house of the abbey. For some two hundred years the priory managed all the English estates belonging to the abbey.

Note the "all the English estates". Ogbourne Priory was "head office" for places like Tooting Bec. That lasted about 150 years before the kings of England realised all the profits from these priories were going to "multinational corporations" based abroad, in France, even while England was at war with France. Then they got called "Alien Priories", and King Edward I took control.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_priory

Note: this King Edward I (person), not to be confused with this King Edward I  (GWR)

What have we got for modellers? A nice passing loop, with platforms on both sides, plus a few short sidings, for the usual agricultural goods, some cattle and milk traffic. Some people still living in the village recall seeing cows being herded down the High Street to be put on a cattle wagon bound for Swindon Market.

After having mentioned Broome Manor and Draycott Manor, some might wonder what Ogbourne Manor's claim to fame is. Was it another GWR Manor Class loco? No.

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During World War II the address of the manor house was used atop a fictitious headed letter from 'Pam' to 'Major Martin' as a part of Operation Mincemeat

It was a great cover story.

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Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception operation of the Second World War to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily. Two members of British intelligence obtained the body of Glyndwr Michael, a tramp who died from eating rat poison, dressed him as an officer of the Royal Marines and placed personal items on him identifying him as the fictitious Captain (Acting Major) William Martin. Part of the wider Operation Barclay, Mincemeat was based on the 1939 Trout memo, written by Rear Admiral John Godfrey, the Director of the Naval Intelligence Division and his personal assistant, Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat

And so to Marlborough.

The railway path runs in a semi-circle round the east end of the town alongside the foot of Postern Hill before splitting into the seperate GWR and M&SWJR tracks.

For modellers, I see great opportunities here. Like, somehow, both lines were retained, and are still connected to the main line at Savernake. It's now become home to an "East Wiltshire Railway Museum". You heard it hear first! Complete with lots of "Rule 1" visiting heritage locos and rolling stock.