Henley-on-Thames - GWR in the 1930's

[Neal Ball]

Blimey it’s been an age since my last post.

 

A few things have changed, although of late, more time has been spent playing trains - BR Blue diesel style. I’ve recently bought a class 50 which had been weathered and is a lovely loco. Plus I always wanted a GWR class 153 Wessex dum with the st Ives scene on the side. Plus I had a Dapol class 52 for my birthday, which is now sound fitted.

 

It’s not all BR Blue though as I have just got an Oxford deans goods 0-6-0, I’m happy with the few issues and will paint the handrails. But I have issues with its running qualities.

 

The first loco, I took back.... it was impossible to open the tender and as a result I mashed the head of both screws.

 

Loco 2, has been run in on 12v and since changed to DCC. On either voltage, it just doesn’t run properly, it runs for a bit, stops, runs again stops. Even on the rollers, it’s doing the same. Video to follow.

 

It’s now been run in quite a bit, so that’s not the issue either.

[Neal Ball]

On a more positive note though, the allotment area is coming along nicely, it’s another part of the layout tidied up. Not complete, just looking better. Photo to follow.

[sjrixon]

Sorry to hear about the Dean. Mine has a zimo chip and runs fine, so not sure what your issue could be.

[The Great Bear]

The first loco, I took back.... it was impossible to open the tender and as a result I mashed the head of both screws.

 

 

Exactly the same here - ended up drilling them out. The tender top is still secure enough without them. Mine runs well enough with a Lenz Standard, a bit of a hiccup in speed as you get near full throttle, speed appears to dip. But as it will spend it's time plodding along not an issue for me. Hope you get one to your satisfaction, Neil.

 

All the best

 

Jon

[Neal Ball]

Blimey it’s been an age since my last post.

 

A few things have changed, although of late, more time has been spent playing trains - BR Blue diesel style. I’ve recently bought a class 50 which had been weathered and is a lovely loco. Plus I always wanted a GWR class 153 Wessex dum with the st Ives scene on the side. Plus I had a Dapol class 52 for my birthday, which is now sound fitted.

 

It’s not all BR Blue though as I have just got an Oxford deans goods 0-6-0, I’m happy with the few issues and will paint the handrails. But I have issues with its running qualities.

 

The first loco, I took back.... it was impossible to open the tender and as a result I mashed the head of both screws.

 

Loco 2, has been run in on 12v and since changed to DCC. On either voltage, it just doesn’t run properly, it runs for a bit, stops, runs again stops. Even on the rollers, it’s doing the same. Video to follow.

 

It’s now been run in quite a bit, so that’s not the issue either.

 

 

Thanks for the comments everyone. 

 

I have fitted a Gaugemaster decoder. But am happy(?) that the decoder is not the issue.

[Neal Ball]

Thanks for the comments everyone. 

 

I have fitted a Gaugemaster decoder. But am happy(?) that the decoder is not the issue.

 

The video: I should also add that the controller is set at a constant speed; the track has been cleaned; plus other locos are running fine. I need to look at the video a bit more, its saying I cant load the type of file (MP4)

 

I wonder if it needs a stay alive? This is the blanking plate with large Capacitor.

 

[Neal Ball]

A couple of posed photos then!

 

 

Shewing nicely the almost completed allotment area, there is loads more work to do, but it nicely fills a blank piece of baseboard.

 

 

The area from the allotments to Mill Road bridge, now only needs fences and some sheep and it can then be considered complete!  

Edited March 5, 2018 by Neal Ball

[Neal Ball]

Got one that works!

 

 

In taking back this 2nd loco, found number 3 faulty without leaving the shop, so this is loco 4!

 

Great service from Mark the shop Manager at the engine shed in Ford. Always great for service, but he was very attentive.

 

The postman also brought another loco yesterday, this one from Hattons.

[sjrixon]

Yay! Can't belive it's taken 4,I must have been so lucky!

[Mikkel]

A couple of posed photos then!

 

Dean Goods 4-3-18 a.jpg

 

Shewing nicely the almost completed allotment area, there is loads more work to do, but it nicely fills a blank piece of baseboard.

 

Dean Goods 4-3-18 b.jpg

 

The area from the allotments to Mill Road bridge, now only needs fences and some sheep and it can then be considered complete!  

 

Glad you finally got one that works Neal.

 

The layout is really coming along now. Those photos with the allotments are really excellent modelling. I'm off to browse your flickr album, didn't know you had one.

[Neal Ball]

Apologies about there lack of updates from Henley on Thames of late, not much has been happening with the railway. I'm working away a lot these days, so work on the railway has ground to a halt. Apart from yesterday that is!

 

I decided its about time I started to tackle the Goods Yard area, so started on the coal stithies and surrounding area. Laying Cobblestones, from the excellent Scalescenes downloads, whilst also doing paper mâché, in the best Blue Peter tradition!

 

 

 

The staithes themselves are old ones that have appeared on almost every layout I have had since the 70's! I will need to get some more though. They only need real coal added onto the top and then the area completed with buildings, more fencing and some workers with some sacks etc.

 

 

 

Beyond the coal area is this patch of grass. In reality its about here that the station masters house is built.

 

 

 

The grass mat is laid and this will then be covered with static grass. An area has been cut out for the platform light switches. This will be hidden later with an advert hoarding.

 

I also did some more work on the allotments, although you cant see them, there are tomatoes in the greenhouse, which has now been glazed.

 

 

 

 

In one of the recent posts earlier I alluded to another new loco. It was the Hornby Grange in 1930's shirt button livery.

 

 

 

2023 note: Missing images - not all have been found :-(

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Neal Ball
2023: missing photos added

[Neal Ball]

I should have added, across the back road, there were two access roads and these are shewn by the gates in the fence. They were set between two coal merchants yards, who in reality did not have staithes. Strange for a goods yard of this size that there were no coal staithes. Does anyone know which merchants used them?

 

Thanks,

[The Stationmaster]

I should have added, across the back road, there were two access roads and these are shewn by the gates in the fence. They were set between two coal merchants yards, who in reality did not have staithes. Strange for a goods yard of this size that there were no coal staithes. Does anyone know which merchants used them?

 

Thanks,

 

Butler and Toomer were both merchants in the fifties but i'm not sure if they were there Pre-war.  Holton very definitely was there Pre-War (and a Holton wagon can be seen in Paul Karau's book) but they had left the coal business by the 1950s and Arthur was solely running the family grocery business by then (apart from being the Station Officer in the local retained Fire Brigade for a while after the war.

 

BTW your goods shed really does need to be made a lot more fancy looking, this was the real one -

 

[Neal Ball]

Thanks as ever Mike.

 

The goods shed is the standard ratio one, not sure if I will accept the compromise and build the outside platforms around it, or scratch build the actual shed. I’m inclined to do the latter.

 

2023 edit - since replaced.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Neal Ball

[Denbridge]

Butler and Toomer were both merchants in the fifties but i'm not sure if they were there Pre-war.  Holton very definitely was there Pre-War (and a Holton wagon can be seen in Paul Karau's book) but they had left the coal business by the 1950s and Arthur was solely running the family grocery business by then (apart from being the Station Officer in the local retained Fire Brigade for a while after the war.

 

BTW your goods shed really does need to be made a lot more fancy looking, this was the real one -

 

HY goods shed.jpg

A.Butler coal merchants of Henley have a wagon recreated as part of Pendons iconic long goods. Kniwing the research done by Pendon this would suggest they were in existance since at least the 30's

[The Stationmaster]

A.Butler coal merchants of Henley have a wagon recreated as part of Pendons iconic long goods. Kniwing the research done by Pendon this would suggest they were in existance since at least the 30's

 

Good point, I first saw that wagon when it was being built and painted - about 50 yards away from where I'm sitting at this very moment, across my front garden then across the road and part of another garden and finally in a shed behind the wall of that garden. 

[Neal Ball]

This is from the 1938 Kelly’s directory and it looks as if this is the answer I was looking for:

 

Toomer and co were at the station, next to the newsagent, run by Arthur Owen Ritter, Hilton’s were in a neighbouring street.

 

Into the yard are: Archibald Butler and George Dunlop.

 

It looks as if the cattle pens were not run by the railway, is that right?

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Neal Ball
2023: missing photos added

[The Stationmaster]

This is from the 1938 Kelly’s directory and it looks as if this is the answer I was looking for:

 

Toomer and co were at the station, next to the newsagent, run by Arthur Owen Ritter, Hilton’s were in a neighbouring street.

 

Into the yard are: Archibald Butler and George Dunlop.

 

It looks as if the cattle pens were not run by the railway, is that right?

 

6A110DB8-BC5F-4F2B-87F0-4E2974C9C1C9.png

 

I think it means the patch of land between the Talbot Garage, which was on the corner of Wyndale Close and the railway boundary which later became a car park and is now occupied by a block of flats - although some of that extends onto the former station yard and weighbridge area,  If you click on my photo of the goods shed (above) to enlarge it you can clearly see a coach and what looks like a VW Beetle parked in that area when it was a car park, outside the railway fence line.  Toomers office was at the edge of the loco sidings and turntable but could only be accessed from the road frontage and can be easily picked out on the 25inch OS map

[Neal Ball]

Thanks as ever Mike.

 

Yes that must be right as the station yard is only shown as the two coal merchants.

 

I have always thoughts it odd that Toomers had an office on Station Rd, yet no dedicated facilities in the yard. I think Paul Karau says as much in the book as well.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Neal Ball

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks as ever Mike.

 

Yes that must be right as the station yard is only shown as the two coal merchants.

 

I have always thoughts it odd that Toomers had an office on Station Rd, yet no dedicated facilities in the yard. I think Paul Karau says as much in the book as well.

 

In later years none of them had dedicated facilities in the yard and I don't think they ever did - they simply used it to unload wagons and, in later years, keep occasional piles of coal on the ground.

[Neal Ball]

Do you have any other photos of the goods shed Mike?

 

I intend to model the correct shed, rather than compromise. Clearly based on the plans in the book, photos are a bonus!

 

Thanks, Neal

[The Stationmaster]

Do you have any other photos of the goods shed Mike?

 

I intend to model the correct shed, rather than compromise. Clearly based on the plans in the book, photos are a bonus!

 

Thanks, Neal

 

Alas only one other of my own, which is a b&w end view from the extension end of the building (and it isn't scanned unfortunately).  There might be some on the 'net as there are quite a lot of pictures of Henley station and the branch which someone has for sale and regularly puts up. 

[Neal Ball]

Tonight has seen a mock up of the goods shed at 100% - its HUGE

 

Will have to re-size at maybe 75% tomorrow to fit it into the available space. I want to include both platforms (there were platforms running outside the goods shed in both directions, latterly with canopies over.

[Neal Ball]

Drawing and cutting out is starting today!

 

 

The mock up model is seen next to the Ratio model it replaces.

 

I’m no, Roye England, but trying to be careful in drawing up the model, so far it’s taken a couple of hours!

 

The hardest part is going to be getting the curves right over the doors.

 

Pausing for lunch, then I will be cutting it out.... or maybe not if it’s too liquid lunch at the Gribble Inn lol

 

To be continued..... 

2023 edit: original photo not found

Edited September 21, 2023 by Neal Ball

[Neal Ball]

I’ve spent a very therapeutic Sunday afternoon cutting mounting board for the new goods shed. So far I am very pleased with the results.

 

Couldn’t work out how to draw the angles for the arches, so cut them all free-hand.

 

Very pleased with the results so far.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Neal Ball
2023: missing photos added