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4 hours ago, AdeMoore said:

That’s almost ditto for me too! And I’ll add Mike Arlett and his Evercreech Juntion TV series also layed a foundation not forgetting Sir John Betchamines Branch Lind to Burnham still have them all on VHS and many Ivo Peters videos bought at the annual Edington show.

 Cheers 

 

 

Morning Ade, 

 

Totally agree regarding the "Branchline to Burnham" vidjoe. One of my favourites, if not the favourite bit of film shot on the dear old S&DJR. It was instrumental in my decision to model Bleat Wharf and I made mention of it in the BRM article on Bleat last year. 

 

For those who haven't seen it, a search on BBC  i - player will find it. Type in 'Let's Imagine' and up it will pop. 

 

A lovely snapshot of a forgotten era. 

 

 

Rob. 

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15 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Then I found some of my family were working on the Midland Railway at one of the stations on the approach to Bath Green Park

Weston (Bath)? Kelston (?unlikely, given early closure date?) Bitton? Warmley? Mangotsfield?

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Back in the mid-1960s, I was not old enough to have a proper appreciation of the railway geography of my home town, Bath. My parents sometimes used to drive the family out to visit friends in the village of Hinton Charterhouse, to the south of Bath. This involved driving under Midford Viaduct.

As an occasional trainspotter at the time, my favourite train was the Blue Pullman, which I sometimes saw passing through Sydney Gardens, close to where we lived at the time.

Not knowing any different, I always looked up hopefully at Midford, in anticipation of seeing the Blue Pullman passing over the viaduct!

I do have some memories of steam on the S&D prior to closure in March 1966, but because I didn't realise the significance of the line, I never badgered my father for a trip on it, before it was all too late.

We occasionally used to take the train from Bath Spa to Bristol TM and back for a treat, but the only time we ever got close to Bath Green Park was when my father (a woodwork teacher and a fine cabinet maker) would visit Windebanks timber yard, situated next to Green Park station where the current Sainsburys store is.

I would sometimes see the tops of the steam locos above the wall at the back of the timber yard, while I (usually) waited in the car for my father to finish his business.

I do recall seeing a northbound goods train on the S&D in the Midford valley, the 8F hauling a long rake of wagons that were hidden from view from the Hinton Charterhouse road on the other side of the valley by a shallow cutting. You could just see the loco and a little while later, the brake van, seemingly following the engine in splendid isolation.

I only got to know the remains of Midford station in the spring of 1967, about one year after closure, when my mother took me there because she loved the wildflowers that by then grew there in profusion. The whole infrastructure was still intact at that time, as the W.R. had been prevailed upon by local authorities and the unions to leave it in place, in case a case could be made to reopen some or all of the line, but it was not to be and on my second visit in the December of that same year, the track lifting gang had reached Midford Viaduct from the south, leaving a solitary brake van screwed down on the viaduct as a temporary buffer stop.

 

I do remember the open days of the S&D Circle at Radstock in the early 1970s and there's even a photo of me and my chum in an edition of Railway Magazine, lurking by the old wooden shunters cabin, near the loco shed.

 

My only steam trip over the S&D was a brake van trip behind one of their industrials on one of those open days.

 

My only other ride on the S&D was years later, when I was invited into the cab of the small industrial diesel at Shillingstone and we ran up and down about 50 yards of track. I was so taken with their kindness, that I bought a tea towel from their gift shop, depicting the S&D closure notice. This still sees regular service at Kernow Towers.

 

I don't know if I've now exhausted my modelling interest in the S&D, but compared with other ex-GW locations, such as Mid-Wales and the Forest of Dean, the flame currently burns low. There are no plans, however, to dispose of any more S&D models or my remaining S&D layout, 'Bleakhouse Road'.

 

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56 minutes ago, PenrithBeacon said:

A different Branchline to Burnham

 

IMG_20200528_111658.jpg

 

Yep, got that, along with several others but the John Betjeman presentation is in my view the best contemporary record of the line. 

 

Rob. 

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1 hour ago, Captain Kernow said:

Weston (Bath)? Kelston (?unlikely, given early closure date?) Bitton? Warmley? Mangotsfield?

 

 

Afternoon CK. 

 

Weston (Bath). Charles Jobbins was the station master and coalmerchant there for some 28yrs. After his retirement his daughters ran the coal yard until the 50s/60s. They were my mother's Great Aunts.

His son, also Charles Jobbins, worked for Stothert and Pitt and from correspondence I have, seemed to be a travelling engineer for the company in the 1920s at least. 

 

Here's a photo I have of Stationmaster Jobbins at Weston c1905. 

 

 

Rob. 

1590666076108-689404732.jpg

Edited by NHY 581
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2 hours ago, Alister_G said:

Did the bloke on the right sneeze?

 

That's a great photo, some lovely details.

 

Al.

 

Proper West Country railway........

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3 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Weston (Bath)

 

After his retirement his daughters ran the coal yard until the 50s/60s

Interesting.

 

When I first started as a management trainee with BR in 1981, some 10 years after the line from Mangotsfield to Bath had finally closed to goods traffic, the local inspector took me around various places where coal merchants rented space, so that we could use 'the wheel' to measure the area of ground occupied by their piles of coal, in order to levy the appropriate charge. One of the places that BR still had an interest in, in that respect, was Bath (Weston), which we duly visited and used 'the wheel'.

 

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There is a certain something about the old somerset and dorset lines having no connection with the area apart from caravan holidays in the area in the 80s. 

 The books articles and videos pictures and rob and other's layouts certainly show an atmosphere thst pervades the line and its environs that i cannot find the words to dedcribe. 

 

 It is certainly another destination for the time machine

 

 

Apologies rob for prattling on on your thread 

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44 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

 

Feature8.jpg.205b6db4c3589f7c61d1d0127c4895fa.jpg

 

 

Rumour has it that a certain book seller lays claim to construction of a signalbox somewhere along this section if the S&D?

 

I know nothing.

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1 hour ago, simontaylor484 said:

There is a certain something about the old somerset and dorset lines having no connection with the area apart from caravan holidays in the area in the 80s. 

 The books articles and videos pictures and rob and other's layouts certainly show an atmosphere thst pervades the line and its environs that i cannot find the words to dedcribe. 

 

 It is certainly another destination for the time machine

 

 

Apologies rob for prattling on on your thread 

 

 

No apology needed, Simon.  If we've collectively inspired someone else to model the S&D then that's a big plus. 

 

Prattle away. 

 

Rob. 

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1 hour ago, Captain Kernow said:

Talking about the S&DJR and the final days, leading up to the weekend of 5th and 6th March 1966, here are a couple of images from the camera of Mr A. York of the Midlands, who travelled down to the Bath area in early March 1966, to record the end of services on the Somerset and Dorset.

 

On Friday 4th March 1966, one of the final 'engine and van' trips arrives at Engine Wood, to pick up a train of loaded mineral wagons from Camerton Colliery, destined for Portishead power station. 48706 would be hurriedly cleaned up during the following night on Bath Green Park shed by a band of intrepid enthusiasts, so that she would look the part when working the final specials over the weekend:

Feature4.jpg.8c8f5f93432a278b9017a2edc9513142.jpg

 

The weather on the afternoon of the 4th March was grey, overcast and cold, with a hint of rain in the air. 73051 runs into Engine Wood station with one of the final booked passenger services from Bristol TM to Templecombe:

Feature8.jpg.205b6db4c3589f7c61d1d0127c4895fa.jpg

 

 

 

Proper trainset!!

 

Thanks for posting CK. 

 

Rob. 

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1 hour ago, NHY 581 said:

Prattle away. 

 

I'm so glad you chaps are interested in the S&D Rly.  (Stockton & Darlington Railway). I thought you South Western types jism would have been far more jingled by the S&DJ Rly.

 

Talking about the weather, that North East photographer, Jack Weeknease way back in the mid fifties, jumped on his Claude Butler and spurted of to his South to test some of that new colour film by catching the last ray of sunshine, illuminating Croft Despôt  (a branch of the S&D)  just prior to an almighty early summer storm washing away all the lubrication on his derailleur.

 

CroftDepotRedcar-013-EditSm.jpg.9199baf3d9c928c2b72d093e8b1e1016.jpg

 

P

Edited by Porcy Mane
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I'm old enough to have been starting my last year at the Secondary Modern school in 1966 and that was an extra one before going to the Grammar School (for A levels etc!). So I went with other members of the Bracknell and District MRS - in Derek Alford's Triumph Renown - to witness the last weekend. here is my best photo from that Saturday (I think?) taken late afternoon, showing BUDE just south of Chilcompton Tunnel. It was an interesting and long day out.

200768541_Bude-SandDlastday001.jpg.df4751274ba80dc87949bcfc27dfdfd8.jpg

 

Hope you like it?

 

I did once start to build an OO gauge model of an S&DJR 7F based on a brass and tinplate body mounted on a modified Hornby Dublo 8F mechanism - but I never finished it as various things got in the way - girls, University, work and a change of model railway interest.

 

By the way I do like Rob's models - excellent and inspiring.

 

Regards

Chris H

Chris H

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11 minutes ago, Metropolitan H said:

I'm old enough to have been starting my last year at the Secondary Modern school in 1966 and that was an extra one before going to the Grammar School (for A levels etc!). So I went with other members of the Bracknell and District MRS - in Derek Alford's Triumph Renown - to witness the last weekend. here is my best photo from that Saturday (I think?) taken late afternoon, showing BUDE just south of Chilcompton Tunnel. It was an interesting and long day out.

200768541_Bude-SandDlastday001.jpg.df4751274ba80dc87949bcfc27dfdfd8.jpg

 

Hope you like it?

 

I did once start to build an OO gauge model of an S&DJR 7F based on a brass and tinplate body mounted on a modified Hornby Dublo 8F mechanism - but I never finished it as various things got in the way - girls, University, work and a change of model railway interest.

 

By the way I do like Rob's models - excellent and inspiring.

 

Regards

Chris H

Chris H

 

 

Thanks for posting that Chris and nice to see you. Feel free to stay and prattle with the rest of us. 

 

Cheers

 

 

Rob 

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19 minutes ago, Porcy Mane said:

 

I'm so glad you chaps are interested in the S&D Rly.  (Stockton & Darlington Railway). I thought you South Western types jism would have been far more jingled by the S&DJ Rly.

 

Talking about the weather, that North East photographer, Jack Weeknease way back in the mid fifties, jumped on his Claude Butler and spurted of to his South to test some of that new colour film by catching the last ray of sunshine, illuminating Croft Despôt  (a branch of the S&D)  just prior to an almighty early summer storm washing away all the lubrication on his derailleur.

 

CroftDepotRedcar-013-EditSm.jpg.9199baf3d9c928c2b72d093e8b1e1016.jpg

 

P

 

 

More please. 

 

I have spoken. 

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31 minutes ago, Metropolitan H said:

 

200768541_Bude-SandDlastday001.jpg.df4751274ba80dc87949bcfc27dfdfd8.jpg

 

Hope you like it?

 

 

Chris H

 

Blimey, look at the state of the boiler casing and cabside, looks like someone poured half a bottle of MEK over it.

 

Al.

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27 minutes ago, Alister_G said:

 

Blimey, look at the state of the boiler casing and cabside, looks like someone poured half a bottle of MEK over it.

 

Al.

I almost think I could build one, to that standard!!!!

 

TONY

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47 minutes ago, Alister_G said:

 

Blimey, look at the state of the boiler casing and cabside, looks like someone poured half a bottle of MEK over it.

 

Al.

Yes, interesting.

 

And to think that this is the type of locomotive that a certain occupant of a certain Naughty Chair keeps going on and on about.

 

If you did that to a Hornby model, you'd be told that it wasn't realistic!

 

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What you can't see in that picture of Bude is that the middle third of the cadding was a different green from the rest of it - with no lining! Earlier in the day - on the North-bound trip the oil soaked insulation under the cladding caught an ember and a significant fire ensued - the local brigade turned out and extinguished it.

 

But the Shedmaster at Bath saw it and was not prepared to send it south looking rather charred. So he sent a labourer to Woolworths for a big tin of "Winfield" Gloss Green and a couple of brushes. The loco left shed on time for the return trip - but the paint wasn't quite the same colour nor was it fully dry, so was collecting black specks, flys and leafy bits on the south bound journey. I wish I had had colour film!

 

Regards

Chris H

Edited by Metropolitan H
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Would have loved to have seen something like this when I nip down to town!

 

 

I know some of the locos were in appalling condition by this time but the combination of steam with blue and grey is something I find fascinating.

 

Martyn

 

Edited by mullie
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