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Tackeroo - The Cannock Chase Military Railway project


Andy Y
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A chilly morning's work in Wagonbasher's garage saw the Tackeroo start to come to life.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOxImVYo9yQ&feature=youtu.be

Just for the record, the wagons in the picture are just the first that came to hand and colliery internal user wagons would not have found themselves on the chase.

 

Coal wagons however would be there as coal was the major consumable. Typically in the form of Cannock and hednesford wooden private owner wagons.

 

Andy

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Board switch tomorrow...   AY is taking the Milford end off for titivation and more..

 

Another hut takes shape, the resin needed some bolstering to keep it straight and square

 

post-8894-0-83208500-1457029755.jpgpost-8894-0-90986200-1457029791.jpgpost-8894-0-66997200-1457029851.jpg

 

 

The little steps are part of a laser cut plywood kit for signal box steps.  There should be sufficient components to do all the huts that need steps

 

By Ancorton Models which I bought from Topps Trains in Stafford

 

Andy

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Hi Andy

 

The huts are very much like in a old tv series "Bootsie & Smudge" ITV 1950/60s

 

The hut often seen was hut 29

 

But your much to young to remember the series. Ask John

 

 

Terry

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Think you mean 'The Army Game'.

 

The original Sergeant Major Bullimore was William Hartnell, following on from his role of Sergeant Sutton in the film Private's Progress. He left The Army Game to star as Sergeant Grimshawe in the first of the Carry On films, Carry On Sergeant. He returned to appear in several episode of the fifth and final series.

 

Bill Frazer took over during the second series of The Army Game and stayed for the third and fourth series. His character was Claude Snudge, which he then played in the spin-off Bootsie and Snudge with Alfie Bass and the pair continued into a programme called Foreign Affairs.

Edited by TheSignalEngineer
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For anyone paying attention.. Andy and myself have pulled Tackeroo out of the Tracks To The Trenches event at Apedale this May.

After some heavy discussions it was agreed that we would not be finished in time for May. we are disappointed especially as we are modelling the autumn of 1916 which would have been presented for the first time 100 years after the prototype. I have apologised to the TTTT team and asked if we can come in 2018 when they host another WW1 railway weekend at Apedale.

 

I will still go to the event, they run trenches narrow gauge locomotives and stock.

 

Andy

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We are genuinely sorry that we can't make it; work's coming along well on the layout but we know we wouldn't be fully ready, especially in terms of dressing the layout up and all of the buildings completed.

 

Test1s.jpg

 

So the first outing will be in September at Expo EM North.

 

Toot, toot!

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We are genuinely sorry that we can't make it; work's coming along well on the layout but we know we wouldn't be fully ready, especially in terms of dressing the layout up and all of the buildings completed.

 

attachicon.gifTest1s.jpg

 

So the first outing will be in September at Expo EM North.

 

Toot, toot!

Trust me...  the other two boards don't look as finished as that!!

 

Andy

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Hi

 

Things were going well and work fell over,  all hours and a major project on the family home has relegated Tackeroo to the corner for now which is why we pulled out of our show commitments..

 

Just spent a rather damp week in Christchurch with the family (that's the good lady wagonbasher and two daughters - one teenage and the other just over the magic 20) and on Andy Y's recommendation checked out an amazing Solent fort called Hurst Castle. 

 

It was originally a Tudor fortress but was developed in the Napoleonic period and into the last century.   It would have simply have been a mass of guns..  big guns.  There are two examples of 38 tonne barrel loading canons pointing at the isle of Wight.

 

Anyway.

 

In the west wing extension there is a shower block.

 

there is great similarity with the Brocton, Rugeley (and lots of other camps) shower arrangements.

 

See the photos..  this is the same as the Brocton and Rugeley camp..   A cast concrete shower 'tray', a timber frame around each shower (as seen on the remains on the chase as square holes in the concrete through removed or rotted away timbers.   I have emailed the info @ castle to ask what period are the showers from and if there were sides or doors to the cubicles but in reality why would there be a frame if it were not to hold anything.

 

post-8894-0-76373400-1466973819.jpgpost-8894-0-73416900-1466973845.jpgpost-8894-0-17190500-1466973982.jpgpost-8894-0-12811200-1466974009.jpg

 

We had also assumed that the raised brick section adjacent to the shower block housed both a boiler and a storsge tank, given the height of the brick building and the chimney.  This is also supported by the boiler at hurst, the tank and the presence of hot and cold water feeds to each cubicle

 

Andy

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I've finally got around to visiting a few sections of the line recently. Took the bike over Coppice Hill then down to Milford through the cutting this afternoon. That must have been quite some climb for those little locos and an interesting ride back down! About 1:20 through the cutting; does that sound about right?

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I've finally got around to visiting a few sections of the line recently. Took the bike over Coppice Hill then down to Milford through the cutting this afternoon. That must have been quite some climb for those little locos and an interesting ride back down! About 1:20 through the cutting; does that sound about right?

 

Spot on.

 

CCMR_gradient_profile_1.jpg

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OMG...   we haven't posted since July 2016 and now we have a party to go to.

 

Tackeroo has dodged a couple of invites through not being ready and now we have a gig we cant avoid.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/119176-staffordshire-finescale-group-modelling-showcase-8th-july-2017/&do=findComment&comment=2587795

 

We will be posting our race to the line here.  Come and see us at the show along with RMweb project winner Black Country Blues, Doombar award winning Diesels in the Dutchy, Felton Lane o' the glorious republic, EM Gauge challenge winner The Mill, the intimate Fryers Lane and the conseptual project - the contract.

 

Never has so many finely modelled, realistic, trim and exactly to scale modellers been seen in one room with their layout.

 

Gnosall 8th of July 2017 - cheaper than a holiday abroad!!

 

Andy

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OMG...   we haven't posted since July 2016 and now we have a party to go to.

 

Tackeroo has dodged a couple of invites through not being ready and now we have a gig we cant avoid.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/119176-staffordshire-finescale-group-modelling-showcase-8th-july-2017/&do=findComment&comment=2587795

 

We will be posting our race to the line here.  Come and see us at the show along with RMweb project winner Black Country Blues, Doombar award winning Diesels in the Dutchy, Felton Lane o' the glorious republic, EM Gauge challenge winner The Mill, the intimate Fryers Lane and the conseptual project - the contract.

 

Never has so many finely modelled, realistic, trim and exactly to scale modellers been seen in one room with their layout.

 

Gnosall 8th of July 2017 - cheaper than a holiday abroad!!

 

Andy

 

Yep,

 

You ain't going to dodge this one...

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You ain't going to dodge this one...

 

I don't know what you mean...

 

1917_-_Execution_%C3%A0_Verdun_lors_des_

 

I've not been wholly idle for the last 6 months; work and life get in the way of productivity as ever.

 

Slap bang in the middle of the layout will be the largest building, the ordnance stores, shown on the map in blue.

 

Map_Composite_Ordnance_Store_position.jpg

 

On site there isn't a whole lot to go on other than an appreciation of the size as nothing other than grass grows over the concrete beneath.

 

Ordnance1.jpg

 

There's plenty of detailed images showing the exterior...

 

Brocton Camp Postcard 1 - arrow.jpg

 

...not.

 

Still there's a picture of the inside...

 

asc loading train s.jpg

 

... except it isn't; that's some other Army Service Corps, somewhere else.

 

On this scant evidence detailed plans have been drawn up for the components of the structure to be laser cut. I've just got to draw up the shelves and racks inside that no-one will ever see. You wouldn't think we've got a deadline looming.

 

Plans.png

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Looking forward to seeing this.  A few years back the detail and mapping in this thread inspired me to wander Cannock Chase and follow the track.  Generally OK but a bit difficult south of the German cemetary.  If there is anyone heading to Stafford on 4/5th you might think about taking a couple of hours off and perhaps walking up from Milford.  The nice thing about the Chase is that the ground stays generally dry underfoot all year.

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Looking forward to seeing this.  A few years back the detail and mapping in this thread inspired me to wander Cannock Chase and follow the track.  Generally OK but a bit difficult south of the German cemetary.  If there is anyone heading to Stafford on 4/5th you might think about taking a couple of hours off and perhaps walking up from Milford.  The nice thing about the Chase is that the ground stays generally dry underfoot all year.

 

It's a great walk on a bright day. One of the most accessible points of the route is by the Glacial Boulder - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.7610281,-2.0315658,3a,88.5y,103.38h,78.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1srdGALqKkszlRyf8_oZ3GGA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656- walk onto the path in that view and the boulder is positioned where the water tower can be seen in the earlier picture. The securing positions for the water tower legs can still be seen around the boulder. Wagonbasher has rooted around and uncovered some more of the pads.

 

The path continues into and out of the cutting which was made for unloading the wagons to the stores. Once you're out the other side you get the vista which will be the backdrop for the layout.

 

Panorama1mini.jpg

 

We have reproduced this view in art form for the backscene in more subdued tones and removing the forestry activity which only happened after the war.

 

Glacial_boulder_art_panorama_small_s.jpg

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Looking forward to seeing this.  A few years back the detail and mapping in this thread inspired me to wander Cannock Chase and follow the track.  Generally OK but a bit difficult south of the German cemetary.  If there is anyone heading to Stafford on 4/5th you might think about taking a couple of hours off and perhaps walking up from Milford.  The nice thing about the Chase is that the ground stays generally dry underfoot all year.

Many years ago a group of us undertook a semi guided walk from Milford through to the coal drops at Chase Corner, we even produced a little booklet for it which Mr Spams of this parish has posted elements of elsewhere. Early spring is definitely the best time to walk it before the undergrowth overtakes what little you can find. If you look carefully in places sleeper indents can still be seen, such as in the photo below taken by the coal drops - the two sticks circled in red indicate either end of a sleeper indent.

 

post-8705-0-39425200-1485342420_thumb.jpg

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Oh, I don't know about that, there's plenty of mud if you know where to look, or at least I always seem to find myself covered in it :)

underfoot...  not under wheel

 

The whole place is the deposited remains of a glacier and so is predominantly sand and gravel.  Bothe CEMEX and Hanson are extracting aggregates at the rugeley and the Cannock end of the chase.

 

However hundreds maybe thousands of years of bracken, heather and leaves in a peaty mush do at points clog the ground to produce Black meir pools and in places black mud.

 

Don't let that put you off, it is an area of outstanding natural beauty

 

 

 

Andy

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