Cholsey & Moulsford (Change for Wallingford)

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

Modelling that brickwork certainly would be a challenge - cutting out and laying 4mm scale individual bricks?

 

Railway modeller had an article, many years ago, scratchbuilding Maiden Newton signal box, mostly from plasticard.

 

I had a go at making my own signal box, following that process, but drew the line at the author's method of replicating the brickwork - glueing hundreds of computer punched tape chads, individually to the surface of the plasticard! I think that would have driven me mad!

If I were to try to model that (which I'm not) I think I would try to get hold of some old Formcraft bricks and start with those:

 

http://philsworkbench.blogspot.com/2015/08/formcraft.html

 

 

[MrWolf]

I have managed to find 1/32 1/35 and 1/48 bricks sold for military dioramas, the only 1/72 ones were via eBay Australia! No sign of 1/76 at all.

[RJS1977]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

I've read a few of those old magazines where chads had been used for brickwork. A lot of people recommended it and one that sticks in my mind was an exhibition layout that had Staffordshire pottery kilns made that way.

I never tried it because I hadn't the faintest idea where to get the chads and it wasn't long before they were dismissed as being overscale. I remember one of the club's building a model of Bodmin completely out of plasticard and I think that the stones were individually cut. I'm not 100% certain but I think that it still exists somewhere.

 

The chads come from the old days (pre magnetic media) when computers were programmed by punching holes in index cards. One of my old Met Office colleagues could remember carrying a box containing several hundred ordered cards down a staircase to the computer room - and dropping it!

 

At one time, fairly easily available, for people who worked in the right industry, and in those days there was no embossed plasticard, which has largely rendered this method obsolete (along with, of course, the end of punched card programming).  So whilst the chads might have been overscale, they were the best anyone could do at the time.

 

Of course, neither embossed plasticard nor brick paper can be laid on the curved surface of a bottle kiln.  

[MrWolf]

50 minutes ago, RJS1977 said:

 

The chads come from the old days (pre magnetic media) when computers were programmed by punching holes in index cards. One of my old Met Office colleagues could remember carrying a box containing several hundred ordered cards down a staircase to the computer room - and dropping it!

 

At one time, fairly easily available, for people who worked in the right industry, and in those days there was no embossed plasticard, which has largely rendered this method obsolete (along with, of course, the end of punched card programming).  So whilst the chads might have been overscale, they were the best anyone could do at the time.

 

Of course, neither embossed plasticard nor brick paper can be laid on the curved surface of a bottle kiln.  

 

Exactly, that's why I thought it was so impressive at the time to use individual bricks (and even now) but I remember the usual types saying that they were overscale and blah blah. The layout was MR / LNWR based and the level of detail inspired me as an 11 year old to try to do the same.

I remember embossed plasticard being available about 1980/1 but a lot of people, myself included stuck with the  "Pendon method" for a long time. In my case because I was at school still and plasticard being a luxury. 

If I could have gotten hold of a good supply of chads I would definitely have had a go.

[Nick Gough]

6 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I've read a few of those old magazines where chads had been used for brickwork. A lot of people recommended it and one that sticks in my mind was an exhibition layout that had Staffordshire pottery kilns made that way.

I never tried it because I hadn't the faintest idea where to get the chads and it wasn't long before they were dismissed as being overscale. I remember one of the club's building a model of Bodmin completely out of plasticard and I think that the stones were individually cut. I'm not 100% certain but I think that it still exists somewhere.

You're right about Bodmin:

 http://www.thenlg.org.uk/bodmin.html

There was a long, detailed series of articles in Model Railway Constructor, in the early '80s, describing how they did it.

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by Nick Gough
correcting link

[Nick Gough]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

If I were to try to model that (which I'm not) I think I would try to get hold of some old Formcraft bricks and start with those:

 

http://philsworkbench.blogspot.com/2015/08/formcraft.html

 

 

Back in the '60s - when I were a lad - I had a building set composed of a large number of small, flat, rectangular orange blocks. They looked like miniature bricks, about one inch in length, and appeared to be made of baked clay. The idea was to make up a 'mortar' of flour and water before creating an architectural masterpiece. When finished it just had to be soaked in water, broken up and ready to use again.

 

I have no idea who produced it and I've never seen anything like it since.

 

Of course far too big for 4mm.

[Nick Gough]

4 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

 

The chads come from the old days (pre magnetic media) when computers were programmed by punching holes in index cards. One of my old Met Office colleagues could remember carrying a box containing several hundred ordered cards down a staircase to the computer room - and dropping it!

 

At one time, fairly easily available, for people who worked in the right industry, and in those days there was no embossed plasticard, which has largely rendered this method obsolete (along with, of course, the end of punched card programming).  So whilst the chads might have been overscale, they were the best anyone could do at the time. 

 

When I first started work we had telex machines. To save transmission times, and therefore costs, you could type up your message first offline (to use a modern term). This would be replicated by the machine on a long paper ribbon by punching holes out of it.

 

When you were ready to send the message you would dial the appropriate number and, when connected, the ribbon would feed through the telex at high speed to send your message.

 

Unfortunately the punchings from a telex were no use for anything.

 

4 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

Of course, neither embossed plasticard nor brick paper can be laid on the curved surface of a bottle kiln.  

Even on a flat surface embossed plasticard and brick paper are not perfect.

 

A real bricklayer will adjust the position and size of bricks to fit a length of wall and the gaps between doors, windows and other features.

 

Also with English bond it would be a bit tricky (and messy), in 4mm, to fit in a half brick just before the end of each row of headers!

 

Still it's far better than the alternatives.

[Nick Gough]

Making a start on one side:

[Nick Gough]

Windows and panels cut out for the first side:

[St Enodoc]

17 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

Back in the '60s - when I were a lad - I had a building set composed of a large number of small, flat, rectangular orange blocks. They looked like miniature bricks, about one inch in length, and appeared to be made of baked clay. The idea was to make up a 'mortar' of flour and water before creating an architectural masterpiece. When finished it just had to be soaked in water, broken up and ready to use again.

 

I have no idea who produced it and I've never seen anything like it since.

 

Of course far too big for 4mm.

Spear's Brickplayer.

 

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

[Darwinian]

20 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

 

When I first started work we had telex machines. To save transmission times, and therefore costs, you could type up your message first offline (to use a modern term).

 

Even on a flat surface embossed plasticard and brick paper are not perfect.

 

A real bricklayer will adjust the position and size of bricks to fit a length of wall and the gaps between doors, windows and other features.

 

Also with English bond it would be a bit tricky (and messy), in 4mm, to fit in a half brick just before the end of each row of headers!

 

Still it's far better than the alternatives.

 

This is of course why the Pendon technique of indenting the surface of card and then hand painting the bricks was developed. Mind you I've done as very small lean-to this way and take my hat off to those with the precision and patience to do larger areas.

[Nick Gough]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Spear's Brickplayer.

 

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

That'll be the one!

[Nick Gough]

On 14/04/2021 at 13:55, Darwinian said:

 

This is of course why the Pendon technique of indenting the surface of card and then hand painting the bricks was developed. Mind you I've done as very small lean-to this way and take my hat off to those with the precision and patience to do larger areas.

I'm sure I would go snow blind before I could finish indenting the card!

[RJS1977]

Interesting query in the latest issue of 'The Bunk' (C&WR magazine) - it appears that at some stage the platforms were renumbered!

 

 

 

Another interesting article in there is of the time a Bulleid Pacific visited the branch!

[Nick Gough]

2 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

Interesting query in the latest issue of 'The Bunk' (C&WR magazine) - it appears that at some stage the platforms were renumbered!

 

 

 

Another interesting article in there is of the time a Bulleid Pacific visited the branch!

I have a 1988 issue of Railway World which has an article describing a visit to Cholsey sometime in the 1950's.

 

This mentions the numbering of the three platforms rather than platform faces. I'll have to dig it out and check whether it gives the date.

 

I don't know when the enamel signs disappeared but I know the running boards were still there when 1466 ran on the branch in 1968. However, the wording had been changed to:

 

CHOLSEY & MOULSFORD

   FOR WALLINGFORD

 

Previously, when the branch, was still open for passengers the second line read, 'CHANGE FOR WALLINGFORD'.

[Nick Gough]

It's the June 1988 edition. Titled, "30 years ago - The Wallingford Branch" .

 

It doesn't give an exact year just an editor's note: "The articles in this series were written in the 1950s..."

 

 It's an interesting read that describes the buildings and layout at both stations at that time.

 

 

[Nick Gough]

I forgot to mention that one of the enamel signs shewn in 'The Bunk' article is (or was) on display in the small relics museum at Didcot:

Obviously not the same one!

[RJS1977]

Oh, I don't remember noticing that there last year!

[Nick Gough]

22 minutes ago, RJS1977 said:

Oh, I don't remember noticing that there last year!

It might not have been.

 

My photo was from 2017 and they tend to make alterations each year.

 

I'm off to Didcot tomorrow. I'm not sure whether the small relics museum will be open - but I'll take a look if I can.

[Nick Gough]

Unfortunately the small relics museum, at Didcot, is closed until 17th May.

 

So instead here's a photo of 4144 doing what large prairies do best:

[Nick Gough]

I haven't done a lot with the goods shed since last week, mostly since I have (finally) got round to installing my Silhouette cutting machine, together with its operating software. According to the invoice in the box I only bought it in June 2016!

 

I have spent most of my spare time, this week, learning how to work the programme and draw up objects for cutting. This morning I made my first attempt at cutting:

 

The result is - a number of brick arches for the goods shed:

 

Looking a little closer, I think, it is possible to see the individual bricks scored on these:

 

Hopefully the bricks will be more obvious once painted! 

[ChrisN]

Well done.  I took over two years as well to get mine going.  What thickness pf plasticard and what settings did you use?

[Nick Gough]

2 hours ago, ChrisN said:

 What thickness of plasticard and what settings did you use?

20 thou/0.5mm to match the Slater's embossed brick plasticard.

 

I used the settings recommended on page 3 of the thread - "A Guide to using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter":

• Scoring: Speed 1, Thickness 5, Cutting mat and double cut have ticks in them, blade setting 5
• Cutting (.020” and .010” styrene) : Speed  1, Thickness 33, Cutting mat and double cut have ticks in them, blade setting 10

I ran the scoring file first, followed by the cutting file. It won't cut right through the 20 thou so I carefully went over the cut lines again with a knife to release them.

 

I did come up against a minor issue as my version of the Silhouette software doesn't appear to have a checkbox for the cutting mat in 'cutting settings'  and this caused part of the file to bleed off the page whilst cutting. Further investigation required!

[ChrisN]

11 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

 

20 thou/0.5mm to match the Slater's embossed brick plasticard.

 

I used the settings recommended on page 3 of the thread - "A Guide to using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter":

• Scoring: Speed 1, Thickness 5, Cutting mat and double cut have ticks in them, blade setting 5
• Cutting (.020” and .010” styrene) : Speed  1, Thickness 33, Cutting mat and double cut have ticks in them, blade setting 10

I ran the scoring file first, followed by the cutting file. It won't cut right through the 20 thou so I carefully went over the cut lines again with a knife to release them.

 

I did come up against a minor issue as my version of the Silhouette software doesn't appear to have a checkbox for the cutting mat in 'cutting settings'  and this caused part of the file to bleed off the page whilst cutting. Further investigation required!

 

Thank you.  I think that is the thread I follow but I think the cutters all vary slightly so that the thicknesses vary.  It is interesting that you score with the blade, which is what I have been doing, although I must look at what thickness I have used.  However, I use 10 thou as I am laminating coach sides.  (I have used 20 thou for a project for my wife.)

 

I am trying to get other stuff finished before I give it a go again.  (Must paint, must keep focussed. )  

[Nick Gough]

On 22/04/2021 at 09:56, ChrisN said:

 

Thank you.  I think that is the thread I follow but I think the cutters all vary slightly so that the thicknesses vary.  It is interesting that you score with the blade, which is what I have been doing, although I must look at what thickness I have used.  However, I use 10 thou as I am laminating coach sides.  (I have used 20 thou for a project for my wife.)

 

I am trying to get other stuff finished before I give it a go again.  (Must paint, must keep focussed. )  

It's worked okay so far, albeit my first (and only) attempt.

 

I expect most of my cutting will be 10 thou, so should cut through completely.