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Cholsey & Moulsford (Change for Wallingford)


Nick Gough
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My new rolling stock....P1250557.JPG.fb4a97f1d2b060da3827ad6c0f4e76e4.JPG

Two 'Nespresso' cars.

 

Not much to look at but, as the boxes scale out to 70 feet long and 9'3" wide (in 4mm scale) I reckon they will make satisfactory gauging vehicles during track laying and structure placing.

P1250552.JPG.5f2e0696cf23d50865d7915b9e15c15e.JPGP1250555.JPG.a341a7ed083ecb6c7035643c8772ada4.JPG

 

Edited by Nick Gough
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I will be watching this with interest as I live in Cholsey and my proposed new layout 'Hampden Vale' will be loosely based on the area in 1930's GWR (Yes, another one!)

 

The asylum (Fairmile Hospital), was featured in Lewis, shortly before being converted into flats which it now is. 

 

Best Wishes. 

Dean.

 

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Saw your 70 ft gauging vehicles over on ANTB this morning, and then enjoyed a pleasant twenty minutes or so catching up with your new layout thread.  What a great project, and what a good bit of space - will henceforth be following with interest.  Nice also to see another pre-war period layout.

 

Best wishes with it all.

 

John C.

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7 hours ago, Rockets said:

I will be watching this with interest as I live in Cholsey and my proposed new layout 'Hampden Vale' will be loosely based on the area in 1930's GWR (Yes, another one!)

 

The asylum (Fairmile Hospital), was featured in Lewis, shortly before being converted into flats which it now is. 

 

Best Wishes. 

Dean.

 

Thanks Dean and good luck with Hampden Vale.

As you're in Cholsey I wonder whether I could be a bit cheeky and ask whether you could help with a couple of queries at Silly Bridge?

 

Thanks,

Nick

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7 hours ago, checkrail said:

Saw your 70 ft gauging vehicles over on ANTB this morning, and then enjoyed a pleasant twenty minutes or so catching up with your new layout thread.  What a great project, and what a good bit of space - will henceforth be following with interest.  Nice also to see another pre-war period layout.

 

Best wishes with it all.

 

John C.

Thanks John

 

All being well I should have some proper GWR 70 footers soon.

I'm gathering a small collection of the older type Hornby bow-enders to cut & shut following some of the examples seen in this thread:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/116895-new-colletts-from-old/

 

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I will be another one watching with interest as I was born in Wallingford and my maternal grandfather was a signalman at Cholsey in the 1950s and 60s. I spent many hours up there with him when I was a young trainspotter.

 

There is a video on Youtube (tried to find it but couldn't!) documenting the last train from Wallingford in 1957(?) which might be of interest. 

 

There was a Wild Swan book on the Wallingford branch which had historic photos and diagrams for Cholsey station. Out of print now probably but no doubt available through used book suppliers. 

 

Good luck with the project. 

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48 minutes ago, Northpoint said:

I will be another one watching with interest as I was born in Wallingford and my maternal grandfather was a signalman at Cholsey in the 1950s and 60s. I spent many hours up there with him when I was a young trainspotter.

 

There is a video on Youtube (tried to find it but couldn't!) documenting the last train from Wallingford in 1957(?) which might be of interest. 

 

There was a Wild Swan book on the Wallingford branch which had historic photos and diagrams for Cholsey station. Out of print now probably but no doubt available through used book suppliers. 

 

Good luck with the project. 

Thanks Nick

 

I bought the Wild Swan book back in the 1980s as my first real source of information and it has continued to be well thumbed since then.

I suspect I have the video on a DVD I bought on a visit to the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway about ten years ago. There is about ten minutes of film of the last day.

I have acquired two or three photos of the inside of Cholsey signal box one of which has a young boy present. I wonder whether one of these shows your grandfather or perhaps you?

 

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16 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

Thanks Dean and good luck with Hampden Vale.

As you're in Cholsey I wonder whether I could be a bit cheeky and ask whether you could help with a couple of queries at Silly Bridge?

 

Thanks,

Nick

If I can help Nick I'd be happy to. 

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20 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

I have acquired two or three photos of the inside of Cholsey signal box one of which has a young boy present. I wonder whether one of these shows your grandfather or perhaps you?

 

 

Intersting. Any chance of a scan so I could see them? 

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On 17/01/2020 at 10:50, Rockets said:

If I can help Nick I'd be happy to. 

Thanks Dean

 

If you wouldn't mind (and it's not too muddy at the moment) I'm after the distance between the two brick parapets, across the deck, at the top of the bridge.

Although I have visited the site before I now realise I omitted to get this measurement and I'm not likely to be able to get there again for a while.

 

The other thing is - you can see a transverse, open arch in one of the piers in this photo:

sb.jpg.fb8cd2b07d6d74c328b89e7b3723e28d.jpg

 

I can't tell 100% from the photo but it doesn't look to me that the other pier (where the bridge was extended) has a similar arch. I don't know whether it's still possible to get this view from the footpath after the electrification work?

 

I'd be grateful if you can assist,

Thanks

 

Edited by Nick Gough
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On 17/01/2020 at 18:19, Nick Gough said:

Thanks Dean

 

If you wouldn't mind (and it's not too muddy at the moment) I'm after the distance between the two brick parapets, across the deck, at the top of the bridge.

Although I have visited the site before I now realise I omitted to get this measurement and I'm not likely to be able to get there again for a while.

 

The other thing is - you can see a transverse, open arch in one of the piers in this photo:

sb.jpg.a7e75164bde332d4128915ab507edc28.jpg

 

I can't tell 100% from the photo but it doesn't look to me that the other pier (where the bridge was extended) has a similar arch. I don't know whether it's still possible to get this view from the footpath after the electrification work?

 

I'd be grateful if you can assist,

Thanks

 

Nick,

 

I'll have a go at getting the information this coming weekend. 

Kind regards,

Dean. 

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On 21/01/2020 at 12:31, Rockets said:

Nick,

 

I'll have a go at getting the information this coming weekend. 

Kind regards,

Dean. 

 

Nick,

 

Took a walk up to Silly Bridge yesterday, from what we could see there is no additional arch in the extended pillar. The bridge from wall to wall was 15'9" wide. There are large stone parapets now so it was not possible to gauge wall thickness. Hope this helps with your research.

 

Also, at the line side towards Hutts yard was one of their old coal wagons, identical to the one pictured in the book 'Wallingford Branch'. It was too far away to get a shot but I will be asking if I can get access to photograph it. I actually have two Robbies Rolling Stock Hutts wagons so it was good to see one for real. I live in the road adjacent to the main line, back in the day it was just a farm track. This summer we were fortunate enough to see a bit of borrowed steam on the preserved line. 

Best wishes,

Dean. 

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9 hours ago, Rockets said:

 

Nick,

 

Took a walk up to Silly Bridge yesterday, from what we could see there is no additional arch in the extended pillar. The bridge from wall to wall was 15'9" wide. There are large stone parapets now so it was not possible to gauge wall thickness. Hope this helps with your research.

 

Also, at the line side towards Hutts yard was one of their old coal wagons, identical to the one pictured in the book 'Wallingford Branch'. It was too far away to get a shot but I will be asking if I can get access to photograph it. I actually have two Robbies Rolling Stock Hutts wagons so it was good to see one for real. I live in the road adjacent to the main line, back in the day it was just a farm track. This summer we were fortunate enough to see a bit of borrowed steam on the preserved line. 

Best wishes,

Dean. 

Many thanks Dean, that's most helpful.

 

Fortunately I measured the thickness of the parapet walls a few years back (before electrification) so I don't know why I didn't get the width of the roadway then!

 

That Hutt wagon has been there quite a while - I wonder what they plan to do with it?

 

Good to hear they are running steam on the branch again. Last time I was there they had a pannier tank from Llangollen.

 

If you think any of my research might help with your own project give me a shout.

 

Regards, Nick

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  • 3 weeks later...

During the last couple of weeks I have mainly spent time constructing new baseboards for the storage sidings' side of the layout.P1250700.JPG.bfb1fc098be98605c719c9c81ff6ffa7.JPG

Like the scenic boards these are constructed from 9mm plywood glued and pinned together.

 

Also seen in this photo is the main system of support for the layout - metal framed, chipboard shelving units from Lidl. These are 900mm (3 feet) in height and the baseboards simply rest on the top.  With the baseboard framing depth of 110mm this gives a comfortable working track level height.

The exception to the shelving units is the entrance door where I have used kitchen base units either side of the opening, screwed to the wall, to provide more stability for the lifting flap.

Edited by Nick Gough
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A slight diversion on Saturday, with a shiny green 4-6-0. Sadly not a Castle but one with a tenuous Swindon pedigree:

P1250587.jpg.1709f6f831b193f44b975c06d7a72bc6.jpg

46115 Scots Guardsman at Carlisle having hauled the Cumbrian Mountain Express, over Shap, from Carnforth.

 

The return trip took us over the Settle & Carlisle 

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with a water stop at Appleby.

 

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and back to Preston.

 

Number one grandson thoroughly enjoyed the Premier Dining Experience:

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but found the minestrone "a bit spicy".

 

From Rugby to the engine change and return we had this beast:

P1250573.jpg.a76abf060ce3bf0ebb511453e2281139.jpg

Hard to believe this locomotive is now 55 years old!

 

We were very lucky with the weather especially considering what was to happen just a few hours later.

In fact our last attempt to do this trip, just over four years ago ended prematurely due to another storm. That time we got as far north as Lancaster. Having sat there for an hour and a half, the rest of the trip was cancelled since the line was closed north of Carnforth with flooding also on the S&C.

 

 

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I picked up a few supplies yesterday at the Milton Keynes model show:

P1250702.jpg.b99efbb564b6d913bf68df96820c075e.jpg

 

The code 100 points are for the hidden storage sidings - a bit cheaper than the bullhead ones.

Still no sign of the new bullhead diamond crossings though!

So I won't be progressing the up main line for a little while still.

 

I also picked up a little reading material:

P1250705.jpg.df845ab4a1094b5a5208378d7ce3846c.jpg

Edited by Nick Gough
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Hi Nick,

I was tempted on Saturday by those books as well, but managed to keep my card in my wallet considering pending expenditure on the layout front.

I did surrender to half price S&T wagons and the recent Hornby sound wagon from a certain Gloucestershire retailer.

Otherwise I bought two books:- Goods and Freight by John Vaughan at 90% off the £30 list price and a secondhand Freightmaster for 2012 cost me £2.50 (list price £15.95)  from the RCTS stall.

 

Show was I thought up to their usual standard, and I welcomed additional seating in the halls (getting old I'm afraid!!).

Like you I enjoyed Much Murkle, below are a few pics I took.

Best regards

Paul

Much Murkle-MK2.jpg

Much Murkle-MK1.jpg

Much Murkle-MK3.jpg

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Hi Paul

 

I hadn't planned on buying any books but when they announced that they were all £10 off I was hooked.

To then find out that two of them were actually £15 off - it would have been rude not to!

 

Much Murkle was definitely my highlight and, fortunately, my grandson was happy to wander off to see the Minions railway and children's train driving layouts while I took the opportunity to have a good look.

 

All the best,

Nick

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Bridge that gap (or a Bridge too Far!)

 

Having completed the baseboards for one side of the room and started those on the other side I need to make a connection between the two.

P1250804.JPG.d20fab16977d32bfe64a1a403b4ceec5.JPG

 

Crossing the window alcove and a radiator I went for a slight change to my usual method:

 

P1250806.JPG.79bb8bd03d52b3e98d3c81e9e023200a.JPG

Rather than plywood framework I have gone for softwood framing, partly to allow a bit more of a gap for the heat rising from the radiator.

 

P1250809.JPG.ba1867ed813273e031ae62774ac1174d.JPG

To keep the area in front of the radiator open this board is supported, at both ends, by battens attached to the two side boards. As the board is between 2' and 3'6" wide I think this should be sufficient support.

 

P1250807.JPG.2bba5d2fac660a0624c656acb7d15a91.JPG

 

The track here will be on part of a curve so is shaped to fit and protrudes a few inches into the alcove 'flying' about an inch above the window ledge. As the line is on a low embankment at this point I may well represent this just by laying a 'grass' mat onto the window ledge.

 

P1250802.JPG.a3182786774c052f934f36bcac82a316.JPG

I have had to fix one side of the framing well in from the outer edge to avoid the window ledge. It seems quite solid but I might fit some thinner softwood at the edge.

 

I also plan to make the board easily removable should it be necessary to get closer access to the window.

 

Edited by Nick Gough
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