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The railways of Ben Ashworth country.

Somewhere in the Forest of Dean


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Why the covers over (or nearly over!!) the nameplates?

The abiove photo was taken about a year before the earlier post where all the red paint was going on. The cover over the nameplate probably held the name Percy (who is loco No 6 in the Thomas the Tank books) when Uskmouth participated in one of DFR's annual Thomas and Friends Galas. Sadly it is a bit of a Forest habit just to leave bits hanging around until they are next needed - rather than maintain immaculate housekeeping. Parkend is normally smart but Norchard can get a bit scruffy.

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.... it is a bit of a Forest habit just to leave bits hanging around until they are next needed - rather than maintain immaculate housekeeping. Parkend is normally smart but Norchard can get a bit scruffy.

:) Yeah, Norchard is a bit like a Fiddleyard on most layouts.... :D

 

Can Uskmouth still steam? I thought it's been out of use for some time now?

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Clutter is a dilemma for most similar projects. One mans clutter is another man's treasure and tourist railways recognise this as they have to appeal to the family and we all know how the ladies like everything neat and tidy. They like flowers and new paint and no dust and dirt especially if they have to sit down in carriages. Grass and weeds must be kept down and everything must just be like home. Enthusiasts may have a different take on this but Mother know best!

 

Brian.

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:) Yeah, Norchard is a bit like a Fiddleyard on most layouts.... :D

 

Can Uskmouth still steam? I thought it's been out of use for some time now?

Uskmouth seems permanently sidelined. A newcomer Sapper is about to burst onto the scene when the season opens properly so concentration on this and Wilbert seams to me to have taken precedence. I personally think the 57xx is the true spirit of the Forest Railways but I suspect we are in for a season of Sapper which is another utility loco - looks nice in pictures although I haven't seen it in the flesh yet. But I will with pictures to follow. Edited by ParkeNd
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Clutter is a dilemma for most similar projects. One mans clutter is another man's treasure and tourist railways recognise this as they have to appeal to the family and we all know how the ladies like everything neat and tidy. They like flowers and new paint and no dust and dirt especially if they have to sit down in carriages. Grass and weeds must be kept down and everything must just be like home. Enthusiasts may have a different take on this but Mother know best!Brian.

This strikes a chord Brian. Like tourists visiting Malta for the first time after several holidays in mainstream Italy and the Swiss Lakes.

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Hi all,

 

Uskmouth is a bit of a conundrum.  We'd all like to see it back in steam as it has great sentimental attraction for many of the volunteers.  If restored to working order the problem becomes what can it be used for, apart from Thomas events and private charters.  It's not powerful enough to haul the loads required for the passenger service and there are enough small diesels for works trains.  I suspect a cosmetic restoration is about all that can be hoped for as there are other items calling out for finance.

 

The clutter problem partly comes from inadequate storage facilities, although the planned extension to the restoration shed will ease the pressure a little.

 

Tony Comber

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Hi all,

 

Uskmouth is a bit of a conundrum.  We'd all like to see it back in steam as it has great sentimental attraction for many of the volunteers.  If restored to working order the problem becomes what can it be used for, apart from Thomas events and private charters.  It's not powerful enough to haul the loads required for the passenger service and there are enough small diesels for works trains.  I suspect a cosmetic restoration is about all that can be hoped for as there are other items calling out for finance.

 

The clutter problem partly comes from inadequate storage facilities, although the planned extension to the restoration shed will ease the pressure a little.

 

Tony Comber

Thanks for this response Tony. A question if I may - how does Sapper fit into the operational roster?

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As far as I know the Sapper had some work done on it and is on short term loan.  I think it may even have done it's last runs last weekend.  I've been laid low by the current heavy cold and didn't go to the railway on Wednesday so I'm not sure.  Taking my now elderly father to hospital this week so be a while before I'm busy at the Norchard again.  Current job is a repaint of the Queen Mary brake from its  SR livery to BR bauxite.  Inside the cabin is done and as the weather has picked up we can go outside.  Unlike some of the larger heritage railways we have no cover for this type of job so we work 'between the showers'.

 

Tony Comber

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Well I have just been trough this thread and it's fantastic, I was horrified when you talked about "pulling the plug" on RMW, so glad you stayed with it. I'm from Tasmania but plan to model GWR, LMS joint, the photos are great and one answered part of my coaling stage. The use of an elevator in the coaling stage, only photo I've seen one. So please keep it up, I will be following your thread even though it's hard to comment on somewhere I've never been. Cheers Tex.

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The station in between Parkend and Norchard - Whitecroft - doesn't seem to get the same exposure as the other stations on the line. So here are a few to redress the balance a bit. The station is just behind the old Scovill factory and it's surrounds are rapidly being changed by new housing.

 

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_DSC0833_zpsuuok7oen.jpg

Edited by ParkeNd
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I'll keep it going Tex. The new season starts on the DFR on 1st April and I shall visit regularly with my camera. The thread on my Parkend model railway layout will also continue in the Layouts section of RMWeb.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/95699-parkend-in-forest-of-dean-n-gauge/

Thanks for continuing, please keep the photos coming they are fantastic.
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Those photos of Whitecroft are superb, thanks for posting those, I hadn't realised just want a fantastic job the DFR has been doing at this station. I remember it from years ago, when it was all derelict and defunct...

Does that mean you haven't seen the big new restaurant on the lower level platform at Norchard then?

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Those photos of Whitecroft are superb, thanks for posting those, I hadn't realised just want a fantastic job the DFR has been doing at this station. I remember it from years ago, when it was all derelict and defunct...

Superb is not the word Captain, "Brilliant", this chap could make a living taking photograph's of prototypes for all of us around the UK. Cheers, Tex.
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Superb images, many thanks for that. Just look at the tall, original signal box at Severn Bridge station, which was replaced at some stage by a more standard Midland Railway pattern box at the Lydney-end of the same platform.

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Superb images, many thanks for that. Just look at the tall, original signal box at Severn Bridge station, which was replaced at some stage by a more standard Midland Railway pattern box at the Lydney-end of the same platform.

 

Awesome aren't they? They are from the Library of Congress collection but someone has spent hours putting all the UK ones on Flickr which makes them easy to link to. There are some nice West Country ones too which I'll put in the appropriate threads.

 

Edit: See posts here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37636-cornwall-today-daily-duchy-updates/page-108&do=findComment&comment=1835920 (Falmouth, St Ives & Saltash) and here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/81949-washout-at-dawlish/page-193&do=findComment&comment=1835922 (Dawlish)

Edited by sparks
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The picture of Severn Bridge Station particularly appeals to me. I have the book Rails Through the Forest which majors on "then" and "now" photos, and this scene taken relatively recently from the same spot is very hard to fathom out because of tree growth. Certainly that barge collision robbed us of a heck of a sight.

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  • RMweb Gold

Certainly that barge collision robbed us of a heck of a sight.

I think that it almost didn't. When the collision happened, BR had started to strengthen the bridge, and this work actually continued for a while after the two spans had been knocked down. There were discussions about repairing the bridge, but sadly in the end it was judged to be too expensive.

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