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Rivercider

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Rivercider last won the day on January 15 2018

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    Atmospheric Teignmouth in Glorious Devon.
  • Interests
    The Grecians, Fermented apple juice, the Withered Arm, West Country freight traffic. Local history and researching family history. Coastal shipping.

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  1. In the early 1970s there would still be a lot of Fisherton Yard and the East Yard in use. Have a look on Flickr for example. I took photos later in the early 1980s. Here is a view looking into Fisherton Yard with the pilot 08658 stabled between duties. By this date the yard was used mainly to stable the exhibition coaches I believe. 23/4/80 The East Yard was still busy into the 1980s, it handled ballast trains to/from Meldon Quarry, and also Speedlink traffic though in the 1970s it would have been busier, there are a number of MOD depots in the area that saw a lot of traffic. Looking from the platform towards the East Yard, 7V00 for Meldon Quarry approaches behind 47152, 17/7/85. For a layout set around 1970 these yards would be active, but in order to make it fit in a reasonable space I would leave them out and imagine them to be off scene, or heavily rationalise them, just as the plan posted by Cruachan. cheers
  2. That is uncanny, I had never seen that plan before, but is pretty much as I envisaged. I think I might have left out Fisherton Yard to make the board narrower, perhaps just retaining one road there. One other thing I don't like there is a departure from the up bay runs wrong road into the fiddle yard, but otherwise that looks a good plan cheers
  3. Salisbury has always been an interesting place but even if someone had plenty of space, time, and money then compromises would still have to be made as explained above. By leaving out the former GWR station / coal yard / exhibition carriage sidings to the north then the width of the layout would be manageable. To me the spirit of Salisbury includes the bay platforms, particularly platform 6 at the east/London end, which would make the layout very long, though the severe curve at that end can be used to advantage. By leaving out the former steam shed at the west end, and Salisbury East Yard at the London end then it might be possible to recreate something of the character of the place. In his booklet 'Track Plans' CJ Freezer shows how he was able to produce plans for a version of Exeter Central. In real life the station area including carriage sidings at each end stretches for about 40 feet in 00, pretty much straight too. He was able to produce a plan that fitted into a 25 foot x 10 foot room that kept much of the original, though at the expense of leaving out some sidings to reduce width. He was able to produce an even smaller plan to fit a 15' x 8' room that kept many of the main features. Getting hold of a copy of the booklet would give you an idea of what might realistically be fitted into a space, Edit - I have a few memories of travelling through Salisbury at the end of the steam era, but more of the early diesel era. If I wanted to recreate services through Salisbury in 1970 I would accept a compromise of a loco plus 6 coaches for the Waterloo - Exeter line. A loco plus 5 coaches for Cardiff - Portsmouth, A loco plus 4 coaches for Salisbury - Waterloo semi-fasts. A 2-car DEMU for the Salisbury - Southampton stoppers, and a 2-car DMU for the Salisbury - Bristol locals. Even then the station length is going to be about 10' including platform 6 at the east end. To do justice to a version of a much reduced Salisbury a 15' x 8' room might do it, a double track circuit with fiddle yard on the opposite side. A Warship or two for the Waterloo - Exeter, a Hymek or two for the Cardiff-Portsmouth and freight off the WR, and a class 33 or two for the Waterloo - Salisbury semi-fasts and ballast trains from Meldon. A DEMU and DMU for local passenger would then be a basis for a train service. At a push perhaps 5 coaches would suffice for the Waterloo - Exeter with 4 for the Pompeys, and 3 for the semi-fasts. Good luck. cheers
  4. By 1830 there must have been quite a lot of knowledge of the geography or topography, particularly in the affluent areas of Britain where the first railways were built. There were a thousand Turnpike Trusts controlling 18,000 miles of road, also 4,000 miles of canals. The first OS maps were available around 1801, with the 6 inch to the mile survey had commenced (starting in Ireland in 1824). The promoters of the Great Western for example knew which places they wanted to connect so looking at the basic maps of the day a number of potential routes would suggest themselves. Presumably at the local level Brunel or his fellow engineers would have employed someone with local knowledge to show him around? cheers
  5. Some of the other codes that appeared on TOPS train consists included the three character shunting tag (eg 760 for Severn Tunnel Junction), the two character axle box type (I think 72 or 73 were either oil box or roller bearing, not sure which). An A9 or J6 wagon enquiry would also give things like date due ppm (planned preventive maintenance), or the date of last repair, the type of last 6 repairs done. Also the 4 character wagon pool allocated to (if any), and also the last wagon release code and by which TOPS office the release code was carried out. There was also detail for the actual weight of contents, heaviest lift (if applicable), and number of wagon sheets (though I never remember this used in our area), cheers
  6. I have a small handful of old TOPS printouts from my days in the Bristol Area Freight Centre. I can also remember several of the TOPS printouts, so might be able to interpret some of the information if a scan of a printout is posted. On a similar subject, being able to produce a realistic traffic flow for a particular yard or location is somewhere between a science and an art. cheers
  7. Network Rail will have control about what happens inside the railway fence. and no doubt in places will have influence about what happens outside the railway fence. Along the South Devon sea wall section it has been mentioned before that it is not just storm damage from the sea that is the problem, the red sandstone cliffs inland of the railway have been a continual problem too. There is currently work taking place on the cliff above Kennaway Tunnel at Dawlish, Parsons Tunnel rock shelter has been extended, and in recent years a lot of work has taken place on the sea wall section from Parsons Tunnel to Teignmouth. There is a combination of walling, fencing, and detection equipment in use. Last week we were walking along the coast at Shaldon which has similar geology to the railway sea wall section, particularly the section between Teignmouth and Sprey Point. On the Ness Beach we saw some recent falls close up. In several places small waterfalls were dropping onto the beach, and in places were there had been a recent slip the liquid red clay was still oozing onto the beach. This is Ness Beach looking east, Parsons Tunnel passes through Hole Head which is the headland in the distance. 3/3/2024 A close up of the recent slip on Ness Beach, the muddy water, or liquid clay, was running down in a couple of places. 3/3/2024 Mud running out onto Ness Beach 6/3/2024. Obviously the section of cliffs behind the railway is better managed than this, but it is not cheap, or 100% successful, so I think calls for a real long term solution there will not go away. cheers
  8. In the late 1970s I recall a one-off consignment of low level nuclear waste from Hinkley Point which went by rail from Bridgwater to Sharpness loaded in pipe wagons. I think the waste was loaded in drums. Also from the late 1970s and again involving Sharpness I remember a train (or two) of wood pulp loaded in tubes from Sharpness to Marsh Ponds in Bristol for St Annes Board Mills. There was also a pool of tube wagons to convey new concrete sleepers from the Dow-Mac plant at Quedgeley to the Pre-Assembly Depot (PAD) at Taunton Fairwater, and probably also to the PAD at Radyr, cheers
  9. Here is a terrible instamatic snap from 1976. If it is the same signboard then the sign later altered. Edit - I see you have found other images with different signage. Taken before the introduction of the new electric service, four class 313 units are stabled. 9/10/76. cheers
  10. That would be quite an ambitious project. BR Era 7 would be 1971-1986 I think? A lot changed during that time, but searching Flick for example should get you a lot of useful information. I made a few visits there back then. The view from the station platform across the yard with the tracks curving away towards Oxford. 17/11/82 And a later view, taken I think from a footbridge at the west end of the station? (it was a long time ago). A view looking northwards with a DMU arriving from the Oxford direction. The civil engineers tip sidings on the left in the triangle were a fairly recent addition I think. Good luck cheers
  11. Although Teignmouth lost the rail connection in the 1960s the port is still active. It seems that the regular vessels are in the 2500dwt to 3800dwt range. There are four or five mobile cranes in use. Here are two of the wheeled cranes on the West Quay at Teignmouth 22/2/2024, The crane on the right has a raised position for the operator, loading FRISIAN RIVER built 2007 2620dwt. 5/1/2023 cheers
  12. Good shout. I had forgotten that Gobowen, (and Shrewsbury) continued to receive coal after the Network Coal services finished. There are some photos of coal traffic as late as 2000/02 on Flickr. This photo by John Catterson of 37896 14/2/2002. And a photo of the facilities at Gobowen Gobowoen yard photo by Minfforrdd Ken 26/2/2000 cheers
  13. Yes it was Western Fuel who had the CCD at Wapping Wharf, they also had depots at Filton, Taunton, and Exmouth Junction, and possibly elsewhere. Western Fuel took over from BR for the operation of the Bristol Harbour line from Ashton Junction to Wapping Wharf in 1977. Here is the former PBA No.30 Hudswell Clark shunter hauling HTVs of coal from Ashton Junction to Wapping Wharf, 11/2/80 After the vacuum braked network had been closed domestic coal for both Wapping Wharf and Filton CCD came on Speedlink services from Severn Tunnel Junction to Stoke Gifford Yard, from there local trips were made to Ashton Junction and Filton. Here 6B18 Severn Tunnel to Stoke Gifford Speedlink feeder service arrives at Stoke Gifford behind 47315. The loco will run round then shunt the train in Stoke Gifford Downside, The HEAs were loaded with domestic coal for Wapping Wharf and Filton, 10/7/85. I believe Wapping Wharf closed first with the remaining domestic coal handled at Filton, that also ceased by around 1993. cheers
  14. The traditional vacuum braked wagon load freight network was wound down and ceased in May 1984, scrap and domestic coal were among the last traffics. Thereafter remaining domestic coal depots were served by the Speedlink network with coal in HBA and HEA hoppers. Commencing in November 1986 the domestic coal traffic was separated off from Speedlink onto the separate Speedlink Coal network, with the complete transfer by July 1987. By then there were about 37 coal concentration depots remaining. I was in WR HQ freight planning section at the time and was surprised a separate network was being set up for domestic coal traffic as many of the WR and SR depots were planned for a daily service, yet most were receiving only 5 or 6 wagons each a week! Speedlink Coal was renamed Network Coal, and it finally closed in April 1993, (the Speedlink Network having already closed in July 1991). Thereafter the only depots regularly served were trainloads of coal to West Drayton and Preston Deepdale. cheers
  15. Until 1980 nuclear flask traffic Sellafield to/from locations on the WR at Berkeley, Oldbury, and Hinkley Point passed on ordinary vacuum braked wagon load services. The dedicated Sellafield to Bridgwater and return flask services started running in 1981. cheers
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