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Cholsey & Moulsford (Change for Wallingford)


Nick Gough
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On 21/12/2020 at 15:56, Nick Gough said:

A quick trip to the local model shop this afternoon - before Government realises that Northants hasn't been moved up to Tier 3 yet:P1280258.JPG.a21e2edb0a0d083a261a44448efb9c4b.JPG

 

To continue with the Relief lines storage loops over the Christmas period.

Looks like I made the right call, last week, since Northamptonshire moves to Tier four tonight and non-essential shops have to close.

Personally I feel a lot safer in the non-essential shops I have been in recently rather than the free for all, ducking and diving, and disregard for personal space (let alone social distancing) that seems to be practiced by many supermarket customers!

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19 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

Personally I feel a lot safer in the non-essential shops I have been in recently rather than the free for all, ducking and diving, and disregard for personal space (let alone social distancing) that seems to be practiced by many supermarket customers!

Hi Nick,

I quite agree!

Since March I (My wife had to Shield) have only shopped in supermarkets early morning before the crowds get there!

Currently I am only shopping at our local shops, which are never crowded, and we get online shops every couple of weeks.

Hopefully, now the Oxford vaccine is approved, we (or at least my wife!) will be called by our Surgery for jabs in the not too distant future?

Next week I aim to get back to some modelling, once the decorations and lights are down and packed away in the loft.

 

Unfortunately there will be little activity on the NGR now until March(hopefully!) It is a shame that all their efforts to provide a virus free environment for the Christmas period were wasted.

 

Have a Happy and safe New Year

Best regards

Paul 

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Well, it's exactly one year ago that I started this thread by shewing the twin, plywood, Moulsford bridges that I had just made for crossing the Thames on my new layout.

 

At that time I had put together a few of the baseboards and started laying tracks for the main lines.

 

It's certainly been a busy year - one way or another. The first lockdown saw a lot of progress, but not so much time was available after the summer as we returned to our normal (grand)childcare duties.

 

Overall I am please with progress up to date:

All baseboards have been constructed including a lifting flap to enter the room,

Track has been laid to complete circuits for the four main running lines, around the railway room, and basic wiring installed, meaning I can test track, locos, stock and entertain family members,

Some basic, landform scenery is in place at the rear of the layout,

Thirteen, out of an eventual 18, storage loops are laid in the offstage area of the layout,

The Moulsford bridges are in place, carrying trains, but require detailing and finishing,

One yard of track has been laid in the branch bay,

Six large radius bullhead points have been laid, in the main and relief lines, in the scenic section, but, so far, actually serve no purpose. They are waiting for the slips and diamond crossings, from Peco, before they can be connected further,

Framework for the station platforms is in place.

 

My immediate future plans are:

Complete the storage loops,

Improvements to the wiring,

Make a start on more of the scenic work.

Depending on Peco - when more of the bullhead points, crossings and slips are available - continue with the onstage trackwork for sidings, crossovers and connections.

 

Thanks to all for your interest and contributions over the last year.

I would say Happy New Year but, personally, I wouldn't mind, at the moment, if we missed out 2021 entirely and went straight to 2022 instead.

Anyway, best wishes and take care!

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One good thing about 2021 - I opened my 2021 Great Western Society calendar, yesterday, to find that January had a photo of 1466 + autocoach approaching Cholsey on the branch curve:

 

https://www.facebook.com/DidcotRailwayCentre/photos/a.210517012308528/2406658256027715/?type=3&is_lookaside=1

 

I shall see it everyday, and be inspired, for the rest of the month.

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3 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

One good thing about 2021 - I opened my 2021 Great Western Society calendar, yesterday, to find that January had a photo of 1466 + autocoach approaching Cholsey on the branch curve:

 

https://www.facebook.com/DidcotRailwayCentre/photos/a.210517012308528/2406658256027715/?type=3&is_lookaside=1

 

I shall see it everyday, and be inspired, for the rest of the month.

Nick, after the end of the month you could always cut the photo out of the calendar and put it up somewhere prominent above the layout!

Don't wish 2021 away yet, it could still have more good times than the short term bad times?

Happy New Year All

Paul

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The first day of the latest lockdown, yesterday, coincided with my birthday, but we still made the most of the day.

 

We jetted over to Paris for lunch (well - actually picked up a couple of sausage rolls from the village butchers).
Then a big game safari (chasing the dog around the recreation ground).
Finally a visit to the cinema for the latest blockbuster (1917 on Netflix).
With a pint of 'Durdle Door' - premium ale -, a glass of 'Glenfiddich' and a mulled wine at the local (settee) to celebrate.

 

Some vintage reading material arrived, courtesy of my son:

IMG_20210106_1429252_rewind.jpg.8863ed8cad0c7112f565bdd535b300c9.jpg

The Stars, Castles & Kings book was one of the first GWR publications that I came across, as a boy, in the local library.

Back then it was in two separate volumes which, I'm sure, were in a larger page format.

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Happy Birthday Nick,

Either your post is running better than ours or your son hand delivered at a social distance?

 

Our local paper reported yesterday that there was a 44% sickness level at the local delivery office and that some folk only got three deliveries in December. By the sound of it the last delivery on the 30th of the month to the people in question was nearly a sack, jut for them, including most of their Christmas cards!

Ours has not been that bad but has been in spasmodic large bundles. 

 

My Christmas goodies included a hand vac (in line with your recommendations, thanks), and a "Rust" pigment set.

I also had some cash which is  going in the direction of a static grass applicator and associated bits and bobs!

 

Best regards

Paul

 

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4 hours ago, Tallpaul69 said:

Happy Birthday Nick,

Either your post is running better than ours or your son hand delivered at a social distance?

 

Our local paper reported yesterday that there was a 44% sickness level at the local delivery office and that some folk only got three deliveries in December. By the sound of it the last delivery on the 30th of the month to the people in question was nearly a sack, jut for them, including most of their Christmas cards!

Ours has not been that bad but has been in spasmodic large bundles. 

 

My Christmas goodies included a hand vac (in line with your recommendations, thanks), and a "Rust" pigment set.

I also had some cash which is  going in the direction of a static grass applicator and associated bits and bobs!

 

Best regards

Paul

 

Hand delivered Paul - since he lives in our village.

 

Our postal deliveries have been erratic as well and some expected items take longer to arrive, although we still seem to get daily deliveries but at wildly differing times.

 

The good news is that we had an overseas holiday brochure delivered yesterday - that will come in useful!

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2 hours ago, vectispete said:

Happy birthday Nick.

 

just laughed at your Paris post.

 

i have sent you a post but lord knows if I put it on the correct section.

 

Are you able to see any message from me?

 

regards

 

Pete

Hi Pete

 

I've seen your messages.

I should have a document to help.

I'll get back to you in the next day or two.

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I have continued work on the storage area recently and now have 15 loops completed with the final three to finish:

P1280281.JPG.2774bd83ca407380de790b3013d44e78.JPG

Those actually finished are the first 12 from the left and the three on the right, with the remaining space between them with some track loosely positioned.

 

Seen from the opposite direction:

P1280280.JPG.b0b450787581e2f8a745022f1f109e1a.JPG

 

The start of the storage area at the other end:

P1280282.JPG.abc634ea804d9ae2aeef1aee0b068ed8.JPG

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To clarify the loops:

P1280281A.jpg.03313177efa215ff975107007cfea540.jpg

 

1, 2, & 3 are for the Down Main line;

7, 8, & 9 are for the Up Main line;

4, 5, & 6 for both Down & Up Main lines;

10, 11, & 12 are the Down Relief line;

16, 17, & 18 are the Up Relief line;

13, 14, & 15 will be for both Down & Up Relief lines (yet to be laid).

 

Additionally there is a connection at both ends of loop 9 (Up Main) to/from the Down Relief.

There are also some provision/connections at both ends of the storage sidings for kick back sidings - yet to be laid.

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1 hour ago, checkrail said:

Neat, spacious and above all, capacious.  

Most of the loops are between 11 and 14 feet in length, although the last three will have to be slightly shorter.

The longest will comfortably hold a loco plus 13 coaches or about 45 4-wheel goods wagons.

Alternatively I can fit two short trains in a loop.

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Just considering how many loops would be needed for the current era.

 

The Mains could probably be taken down to just a single line through the fiddle yard to allow the same 800 to circle in both directions.

 

The reliefs would be a little more interesting - passenger traffic would be in the hands of a Voyager, a 387 and a 165 which again would be reversible (although occasionally there have been local services in both relief platforms at the same time).

 

Freight traffic would probably consist of:

 

Theale-Robeston tanker train (only needed in one direction).

JLR Cartics (loaded) headed for Southampton.

JLR Cartics (empty) headed for the Midlands

BMW Mini car train (closed wagons) in either direction.

Freightliners in either direction.

 

Although the last two would require locos changing from one end to the other to reverse direction, they could be stored in central loops and either run round, or have suitable loco stabling sidings at each end of the fiddle yard.

 

So I'd say nine loops would be needed for a modern representation of Cholsey though more could be added for charters, tampers, diverted binliners, etc.

 

 

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On 12/01/2021 at 21:46, Nick Gough said:

Most of the loops are between 11 and 14 feet in length, although the last three will have to be slightly shorter.

The longest will comfortably hold a loco plus 13 coaches or about 45 4-wheel goods wagons.

Alternatively I can fit two short trains in a loop.

Nick, superb storage yard, but will a derailment on tracks 1 and 2 be difficult to deal with?

 

Cheers

Paul 

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22 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

Just considering how many loops would be needed for the current era.

 

The Mains could probably be taken down to just a single line through the fiddle yard to allow the same 800 to circle in both directions.

 

The reliefs would be a little more interesting - passenger traffic would be in the hands of a Voyager, a 387 and a 165 which again would be reversible (although occasionally there have been local services in both relief platforms at the same time).

 

Freight traffic would probably consist of:

 

Theale-Robeston tanker train (only needed in one direction).

JLR Cartics (loaded) headed for Southampton.

JLR Cartics (empty) headed for the Midlands

BMW Mini car train (closed wagons) in either direction.

Freightliners in either direction.

 

Although the last two would require locos changing from one end to the other to reverse direction, they could be stored in central loops and either run round, or have suitable loco stabling sidings at each end of the fiddle yard.

 

So I'd say nine loops would be needed for a modern representation of Cholsey though more could be added for charters, tampers, diverted binliners, etc.

 

 

Nice and simple!

 

Of course if I wanted to replicate every train that passed through Cholsey on a normal day in the 1930s I would need considerably more storage or a lot of time re-marshalling trains.

 

I think it was a rule that no two GWR express trains could have the same formation of coaches! Even the, nominally, return journeys seemed to mix and match coaching stock en route. I think the only train that kept the same in both directions was the Bristolian.

 

It seems to be generally simpler with the local, stopping, trains.

 

So I will just have to make do with a representative selection of trains.

 

I wonder how much storage they have at Pendon? Although I don't think they have every train on the layout at the same time.

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I think the control panel for the Dartmoor scene is visible and shows the number of loops (two more trains can be stored on the sea wall section).

 

Watching one of their videos the other day, yes, the locos are swapped regularly for maintenance and to equalise wear.

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47 minutes ago, Nick Gough said:

 

I wonder how much storage they have at Pendon? Although I don't think they have every train on the layout at the same time.


Dartmoor branch has 7 Up trains and 7 down trains stored on the yard behind the scene, plus two separate sidings for the auto train and steam rail motor. The mainline that runs through Dartmoor and the reception area has a separate storage yard with 3 trains in each direction. All of these are rarely changed and usually only when maintenance dictates.

 

I’m not sure about the Vale scene but it is not at full capacity yet.

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21 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

I think the control panel for the Dartmoor scene is visible and shows the number of loops (two more trains can be stored on the sea wall section).

 

Watching one of their videos the other day, yes, the locos are swapped regularly for maintenance and to equalise wear.

Was this the video?

 

It's interesting for the overview it gives on how they manage their trains, as well as describing how they brought a 'new' train into service after spending 20-25 years in a display case.

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