Today I have been mostly reading...

[ClikC]

I like books, and i've a growing collection of publications for my chosen era and and area of interest. I imagine many others do to, and perhaps such books do not fall into the category of 'recommended reading'. So this topic is very much more like the recently/currently listening to thread over in wheeltappers, but obviously railway related.

 

So go ahead and tell us what you've been reading!

 

And to get the ball rolling...

 

I've recently finished reading 'Electric Euston to Glasgow' By O.S. Nock (Ian Allen pub.) ISBN 0 7110 0530 3

 

I found it very it a interesting read, surmising the works involved in electrifying the WCML north of weaver junction, although unfortunately written in 1973 and published in 1974, so it doesn't quite cover the full switch on of the route between Carlisle and Glasgow.

 

And just dropped through my letter box this morning, two British Rail publications.

 

'Coal Reception by Rail' saw this on ebay, and was so fascinated I had to buy it. Basically a publication on the use of HAA and HBA hopper wagons for unloading of coal at places big and small. Lots of interesting drawings on devices for moving wagons, opening and closing hopper doors and the unloading cycle.

 

'Working Timetable of Conditional Train Services - BR LMR Section S, 7th October 1974 to 4th May 1975' These BR publications of working timetables are a must if modeling a prototypical area, and are high on my shopping agenda. So I'll be reading this with great interest, as it will help piece together the requirements for freight services for the planned big layout.

 

So what have you/ are you reading?

[Taigatrommel]

Today Severn & Wye Railway: Volume 4 hit my doormat. It gives me background of the railways and industries amongst whose remains I spent much of my childhood playing, and exploring. And akin to the other volumes in the series, it has enough depth to be fulfilling, without being overbearing.

 

Also Die Eisenbahn in der saechsischen Oberlausitz. Not so much reading material with my current German ability as 104 pages of full colour railway porn!

[The Stationmaster]

I like books, and i've a growing collection of publications for my chosen era and and area of interest. I imagine many others do to, and perhaps such books do not fall into the category of 'recommended reading'. So this topic is very much more like the recently/currently listening to thread over in wheeltappers, but obviously railway related.

 

So go ahead and tell us what you've been reading!

 

And to get the ball rolling...

 

I've recently finished reading 'Electric Euston to Glasgow' By O.S. Nock (Ian Allen pub.) ISBN 0 7110 0530 3

 

I found it very it a interesting read, surmising the works involved in electrifying the WCML north of weaver junction, although unfortunately written in 1973 and published in 1974, so it doesn't quite cover the full switch on of the route between Carlisle and Glasgow.

 

And just dropped through my letter box this morning, two British Rail publications.

 

'Coal Reception by Rail' saw this on ebay, and was so fascinated I had to buy it. Basically a publication on the use of HAA and HBA hopper wagons for unloading of coal at places big and small. Lots of interesting drawings on devices for moving wagons, opening and closing hopper doors and the unloading cycle.

 

'Working Timetable of Conditional Train Services - BR LMR Section S, 7th October 1974 to 4th May 1975' These BR publications of working timetables are a must if modeling a prototypical area, and are high on my shopping agenda. So I'll be reading this with great interest, as it will help piece together the requirements for freight services for the planned big layout.

 

So what have you/ are you reading?

 

Ah, now 1970s freight WTTs. A good starting point but with some pitfalls alas. It depends on exactly where they cover but by then an awful lot of freight traffic was becoming very 'fluid' in terms of trains run/cancelled/additional each day. Some, e.g. Freightliners were pretty regular in their habits while others, e.g. mgr coal and block oil trains ran against weekly plans which could sometimes be very different from what was printed in the WTT.

 

At that time the LMR Manual of Agreed Pathways contained hundreds of paths, some still with steam timings - it had changed very little by 1992 as it happens but that's another story.

 

So to get a true picture for any particular week what you also need are the relevant weekly special traffic notices which will show you what was actually planned for that week plus, ideally, the daily notices which will show you how any advance changes were made to the weekly programme. All you will then lack is what actually happened day by day but that would probably be a step too far in searching for information this far away in time.

 

 

Fascinating area and I'm sure you will enjoy reading it, but for the railway by then take with a pinch of salt as being only representative of everything going on.

[Barry Ten]

Lots of old Model Railroaders, looking for inspiration for space-efficient locomotive servicing terminals and classification yards.

[Stubby47]

Paul Bason's "Scratch-Built Buildings", a BRM publication.

 

It's interesting to see how certain aspects of model buildings are undertaken, and to compare this book with John Ahern's modelling skills and techniques.

 

All useful stuff to know when tackling a new structure.

[ClikC]

Ah, now 1970s freight WTTs. A good starting point but with some pitfalls alas. It depends on exactly where they cover but by then an awful lot of freight traffic was becoming very 'fluid' in terms of trains run/cancelled/additional each day. Some, e.g. Freightliners were pretty regular in their habits while others, e.g. mgr coal and block oil trains ran against weekly plans which could sometimes be very different from what was printed in the WTT.

 

At that time the LMR Manual of Agreed Pathways contained hundreds of paths, some still with steam timings - it had changed very little by 1992 as it happens but that's another story.

 

So to get a true picture for any particular week what you also need are the relevant weekly special traffic notices which will show you what was actually planned for that week plus, ideally, the daily notices which will show you how any advance changes were made to the weekly programme. All you will then lack is what actually happened day by day but that would probably be a step too far in searching for information this far away in time.

 

 

Fascinating area and I'm sure you will enjoy reading it, but for the railway by then take with a pinch of salt as being only representative of everything going on.

 

 

I figured as much, luckily I've the recordings of Steve Rabone from september 6th and 7th 1974, so I'm working the problem both ways. I'll never get it perfect, but all i'm aiming to do is reproduce the feel and atmosphere of the place, so getting the workings and traffic flows correct is only part of the problem.

 

Thanks for the pointer though, i'll have a look out for STN's.

 

Really must get down to newton abbot and take advantage of the Railway Studies collection.

 

Regards

 

Matt

[DaveF]

My recent reading:

 

Copies of Model Railway News from the 60s/70s - bought at a preserved railway for 10p a copy.

They contain some interesting track plans, good details of private owner wagons, but terrible photographs (because the paper was very poor quality).

 

Stations and Structures of the Settle and Carlisle - used for reference in building the new layout.

 

Various BR Sectional Appendices - invaluable when checking place names for photos I'm putting on fotopic, also various working timetables - mainly obtained in the days when they were almost given away - including a Midland Railway copy for 1922 which cost 50p.

 

Currently reading - The Axholme Joint Railway (C .W .Judge - Oakwood) - nothing to do with modelling interests, but as a teenager in the 60's I spent a lot of time in the area.

 

David

[chrisf]

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a copy of "Western Cameraman 1951 - 1962" by R J Blenkinsop. This is a compendium of his four classic volumes [shadows of the Great Western, Echoes of the Great Westrn, Reflections of the Great Western and Silhouettes of the Great Western], publoished by OPC between 1972 and 1976.

 

While most of the views are the classic front three-quarter shot, there are some fine going-away shots and broadsides. The subject matter is predominantly top link express power though the more humble mixed traffic locos are by no means forgotten and even Warships are to be found. Most of the images deserve closer inspection as of course there is more to a train than its motive power - the train itself and its surroundoings are just as important. For example, opening the book at random I find a shot of a Castle near Powderham Castle on the Royal Duchy taken on 22 August 1957. The coaching stock is uniform in that it is all chocolate and cream BUT the dining car is still of GW design and only a few of the coaches have the crest on the lower bodyside. At the end of the train is what looks like an empty diner. On the same page is a shot of a Modified Hall at Cockwood Harbour with an up milk train. There are three milk tanks, a full brake and two or three gas tanks on the rear.

 

Some of the captions contain errors. Why, for instance, does the caption writer - not necessarily the photographer for do not publishers have editors blessed with finite wisdom - describe two undistinguished GW design corridor coaches approaching Ruabon behind a 54xx pannier as an auto train? It takes more than a boo-boo like that to spoil this book. I was lucky to pick it up for £6 and luckier still to find that the author had signed it. Only when times get really hard will I even think of selling it.

 

Chris

 

 

[halfwit]

'The 4mm Wagon - part 1' by Geoff Kent as I'm thinking that its about time that I built some wagons to go behind the locos that I keep building!

A copy of 'Brewery Railways by Ian Peaty arrived the other day, a book I've been looking for for years so I shall be starting that soon.

[bike2steam]

'Railway Mechanical Signalling ', by Lewis, to refresh my memory as I prepare to plan out the point rodding on my new layout.

[John B]

Terminal World, by Alastair Reynolds.

 

(Well, it's got a train in it so it's relevant!)