This is the first of a series of blog posts about the forest and its railways and tramways and focusses on Lydney Harbour and its transport links, particularly rail and tramway/tramroad. ...

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/09/26/lydney-harbour

Whilst not offering much operational interest, it will allow me to hone my layout building skills with a view to building something more ambitious in the future. It will be an ideal diorama-style layout on which to pose my stock, offering a double track mainline with some scenic interest featuring the two platformed halt, and the road overbridge. 
 

I therefore wanted to ask whether there are any books RMWebbers recommend about the history of the Honeybourne line? Ideally, featuring pictures of Hayles Abbey Halt during its years of operation. Also, if anyone knows of any online sources of pictures of the Halt and the Honeybourne line in the 1930s and 40s, that would very helpful too! So far I’ve only been able to find two BR era shots of the Halt. 
 

Thank you in anticipation…

CoY

Later  -  However after a little bit of research, I found that the latter coach was - Departmental 395017 - Cinema coach and the six-wheeled coach had been converted to a generator van.

There are a number of later views of the pair including this one by Adrian Pullen. At least if you model the Gloucester area you know that these esoteric items once came down that way!

The second album in the British Railway History In Colour is now available from Black Dwarf/ Lightmoor.

My copy arrived this morning, "Forest of Dean Lines and the Severn Bridge".

328 colour pages, a real treat.

Sorry Gents, no previews, I'll be putting it by for a Christmas read. (Ho, Ho, Ho)

Even came with a railway themed stamp.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/04/23/the-cheltenham-and-gloucester-tramroad-part-1

I fancied a couple from the opposite end to the one that Andy used for his shots for BRM. Not in the same league I'm afraid!

...with some of the usual silly obligatory captions added!

5762 approaches Tidenenham Tunnel

Waiting for something to appear from the gloom of Tidenham Tunnel.

Edited by Ian Pope it is a superb collection of Ben Ashworth's pictures taken in the Forest and immediate vicinity in the steam era (although a Brush Type 4 appears in the edge of one pic at Bullo Pill).  Mainly b&w pics, and excellently reproduced there are also colour views on and inside the front and back covers - an absolute bargain for £10.

I would assume that some might be marked 'Lydney' and I think that there was at least one marked 'Bullo Pill' in GWR days, but what other markings were there, what were their running numbers etc.?

Many thanks.

Gloucester Midland Lines Part 2 : South Eastgate to Stroud & Nailsworth

Gloucester Midland Lines Part 3 : South Stonehouse to Westerleigh & Branches

They're a bit like buses: you wait ages then 2 come along at once. If the first volume is anything to go by they'll be well worth that wait!

I'll start it off with a few pics of my locos.

Steve Beattie O Scale Class 22 kit, finished as regular Forest loco D6320, which was based at Gloucester Horton Road in the late '60s. The model build was mostly covered on the 'old' RMweb.

The headcodes are typical of the trains from Marsh Sidings, Parkend, according to photographs.

Here's a pic of it hard at work on my O scale Shunty-plank called "Withyn Reach"; there's a thread about it buried somewhere here on RMweb, too. My lad likes O scale as it's easier to see and rail vehicles than in OO, and he likes doing the couplings too! His taste in road vehicles is sightly inaccurate for 1960's Britain, though!!

My Class 14 is "work in progress" at the moment, but this is the state of play so far...

Those are my locos. I have a Heljan Hymek, but AFAIK they never went to the Forest; I'd also like an 8750 Class Pannier Tank, and a Class 37 (37 270; the last loco to pull a BR train out of Marsh Sidings, 7th May 1976) but O Scale is rather beyond my finances at the moment, so they will have to remain 'pipe dreams' for now...

Anyone else got models of stock from the Forest?

Having always been an admirer of the work of Ben Ashworth, however, I had previously acquired copies of his books ‘The Last Days of Steam in Gloucestershire’ and its sequel, both of which feature some great views in the Forest of Dean.

It was the release of his ‘BR Steam in Dean’ a few years ago, however, that really got me hooked. There is something about pannier tanks working hard and trains of mineral wagons that ‘ticks a lot of boxes’ for me…

After that, I got hold of copies of the Wild Swan books on the Severn & Wye section (although I’m still looking for a copy of Volume 3!), and the two ‘Forest of Dean’ volumes by the same publisher. And in the Severn & Wye series, Volume 4 is all about the Mineral Loop – a whole book on the Mineral Loop! How brilliant is that?!

There are other books that I would recommend as well, such as the Silverlink ‘Then and Now’ series and one on footplate memories (who’s author escapes me for the moment).

What inspired your interest in the railways of the Forest?

The Dean Forest Coal Company was a coal factor company set up in 1870 by an employee of Henry Crawshay & Co., a Forest of Dean Colliery Company. George Frederick Morgan worked as Trade Manager for Crawshay & Co and due to this, the two companies had a close relationship. Dean Forest Coal was still trading in 1935. The 7 plank coal wagon represented here is number 437, which was a wagon from the first batch of ten ordered from Gloucester Carriage & Wagon works in 1914.

NR-P906 by Derails Models, on Flickr (Apologies for the quality, it is an image of the sample from Peco and has a very low res!)

Limited to 100 pieces at £8.20 each plus postage, in stock online (below) and in our Coleford shop now.

The research and development of this wagon was aided considerably by the book "Private Owner Wagons of the Forest of Dean", written by Ian Pope and published by Lightmoor press. The book, although out of publication, can still be obtained using the ISBN number 1 899889 09 4 from a variety of sources, including the local Dean Forest Railway.

We hope to add more wagons to this range in the future!

Seasons Greetings!

Severn & Wye Railway - Now & Then 

Enjoy a historial railway trip along the DFR with expert commentary on board from acclaimed historian Ian Pope. The train departs at 5pm from Norchard, followed by an illustrated talk/slideshow in the Cafe at 7.15pm. Refreshments available.

Tickets are £15 for train and talk / £12 train only / £5 talk only.

Available from the Dean Forest Railway Shop at Norchard, by calling James on 01594 845840 or emailing society@deanforestrailway.co.uk

regards

rob 

Best £25 I've spent in an awfully long time.

Usual disclaimers ... no links etc ... juts one very happy customer

The volume covers Defford to Gloucester Eastgate: Barnwood Shed: Ashchurch to Evesham and Ashchurch to Upton On Severn. 

Originally there was to be one volume, but he has acquired slides postcards and photo collections so much so this volume covers Eastgate Street and Barnwood Shed in great detail as well as many pages on the Evesham line.

Awaiting publication so I can pick up a copy from the Dean Forest Railway Shop.

Malcolm

Many thanks.

The view looking towards Chalford, Sapperton and Swindon:

Looking towards Brimscombe, Stroud and Gloucester:

Adjacent railway cottages formerly used by residential crossing keepers:

Train due, so gates closed across the road:

Something like this, with the doors left open, might make a nice model cameo:

The train passes (down Swindon to Cheltenham train, worked by hired-in 2-car SWT unit):

Arty-farty telephoto shot of the same train disappearing into the distance:

An up train passed, here it is disappearing around the corner in the direction of Kemble and Swindon:

Other than the 4mm  Bachmann offerings which are expensive and hard to come by secondhand there is a solution in using the old Mainline Air Ministry Tank or Bachmann equivalents. These can be picked up quite cheaply.  Rebranding them with POWSides dry print transfers Sheet 0395 covers the Berry Wiggins 14T bitumen tanks in dry print transfer form can fill the important void.

http://www.powsides.co.uk/www.powsides.co.uk/info.php?p=0&search=berry%20wiggins

Here's some photos of my recent wagons I've completed.

PB151732 by Mark Branson, on Flickr

PB151723 by Mark Branson, on Flickr

PB151722 by Mark Branson, on Flickr

PB151716 by Mark Branson, on Flickr

PB151730 (2) by Mark Branson, on Flickr

Here's also a link to my blog entry:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/531/entry-20107-christopher-biggins-barry-wiggins-bradley-wiggins-or-is-it-a-whimsey-berry-wiggins-tank-wagons-in-oo/

Modelmaster Transfers also do Berry Wiggins transfers which would be suitable for mixing with the POWSides ones in order to produce different livery variations. I will experiment with this when my order from Modelmaster arrives.

Cheers,

Mark

I am looking for photos and (better) scale drawings of the original GW pattern wooden signal box at Parkend, as opposed to the more recent replacement.

If anyone can assist with this, I'd be very grateful.

Many thanks.

Thanks.

Mark.