“WASHBOURNE”

[Nearholmer]

"It will be OK if I knock just a very small hole through the wall from the study to allow me to put a fiddle-yard in a tiny shed in the garden, won't it dear?"

[Annie]

14 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

 

Ideal for ultra-compact micro-layouts:

 

You can tell that those wagon sheets were properly tied on.  Nice details to be seen on the wagon with the wooden brake blocks too.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Annie
more to say

[Northroader]

2 hours ago, Annie said:

  Nice details to be seen on the wagon with the wooden brake blocks too.

Not a good recommendation for wooden brake blocks?

[Donw]

It is not exactly cler what has happended there. Has the loco just rammed through the side of the builing and the wagons behind just shoved those two up? I dont think the loco has just come through the building a rammed the wagons as there seems to be no damaged to the chimney. Whichever way there is going to be some explaining to do and either the sack or some pay being docked.

 

Don

 

 

[Compound2632]

It's undoubtedly the former - it's not a building that normally has rail access!

 

Stourbridge, April 1905 (according to some sources).

[Northroader]

This seems to be the place to go for runaways:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stourbridge_Town_branch_line

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, Donw said:

It is not exactly cler what has happended there. Has the loco just rammed through the side of the builing and the wagons behind just shoved those two up? I dont think the loco has just come through the building a rammed the wagons as there seems to be no damaged to the chimney. Whichever way there is going to be some explaining to do and either the sack or some pay being docked.

 

Don

 

 

I love the use of the present tense in your post, Don. As the accident was 116 years ago, I think it's safe to say the consequences have been dealt with by now....    

[Northroader]

Even if we’re not wearing bowler hats and playing pocket billiards, we’re back in time, actually there witnessing it as it happens, visualising the consequences, which shows why Don is using the present tense.

[Edwardian]

4 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

I love the use of the present tense in your post, Don. As the accident was 116 years ago, I think it's safe to say the consequences have been dealt with by now....    

 

Oooh, you're in the pre-Grouping Twilight Zone now, you are definitely not in 2021 now!

[F-UnitMad]

4 hours ago, Northroader said:

Even if we’re not wearing bowler hats and playing pocket billiards, we’re back in time, actually there witnessing it as it happens, visualising the consequences, which shows why Don is using the present tense.

 

19 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

 

Oooh, you're in the pre-Grouping Twilight Zone now, you are definitely not in 2021 now!

Yes, I appreciate that - and that Don's comment was viewing the situation "in the moment". It was that which made me smile; apologies if my comment didn't quite convey that.

 

Such photos though, do convince me of two things - 1) Time Travel is impossible & cannot happen, otherwise 2) Railway enthusiasts and modellers would be the most prolific users!! Imagine, for example, knowing from the history books that that accident at Stourbridge was going to happen, & being able to go back & record it. There wouldn't just be a grainy old monochrome photo of it, there'd be a plethora of full colour HD videos on YouTube, from the moment the train came barrelling down the line, until the dust settled.

Unfortunately, I can't see anyone with a mobile phone in that photo, even if they're wearing period clothes, and period facial hair, to blend in.....  

[Compound2632]

26 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

Unfortunately, I can't see anyone with a mobile phone in that photo, even if they're wearing period clothes, and period facial hair, to blend in.....  

 

I have my doubts about the chap with the bowler and sideburns and his hands in his pockets. He looks to me as if he's trying too hard to fit in.

[Mikkel]

It seems the accident was actually in Amblecote, according to this site: 

https://www.midlandspubs.co.uk/staffordshire/amblecote/index.html#Railway-Accident

 

Last time we discussed the photo I think we dug up the accident report. Can't find it just now though.

 

[Compound2632]

37 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

It seems the accident was actually in Amblecote, according to this site: 

https://www.midlandspubs.co.uk/staffordshire/amblecote/index.html#Railway-Accident

 

Last time we discussed the photo I think we dug up the accident report. Can't find it just now though.

 

 

A technicality. It's the goods station at the end of the Stourbridge branch. Stourbridge Town station is in Stourbridge proper, on the left bank of the Stour; the line continued across the Stour to the goods station on the right bank - Amblecote - with a line continuing to the sewage works, crossing the Stour a couple more times. The OS 25" map should make all clear. I suppose the building that was the victim of this runaway is the one along the road, with three sidings facing it, just SW of the words Goods Shed. 

 

Curiously, it looks as if the goods station and sewage works may originally have been served by a line on an east-west alignment, from where the Engine Shed is. I haven't been able to find anything about this, yet. The engine shed was greatly enlarged in the 20s but its site is now a housing estate, but the memory lives on in some well-chosen street names (scroll down here). 

[Donw]

2 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

 

Yes, I appreciate that - and that Don's comment was viewing the situation "in the moment". It was that which made me smile; apologies if my comment didn't quite convey that.

 

Such photos though, do convince me of two things - 1) Time Travel is impossible & cannot happen, otherwise 2) Railway enthusiasts and modellers would be the most prolific users!! Imagine, for example, knowing from the history books that that accident at Stourbridge was going to happen, & being able to go back & record it. There wouldn't just be a grainy old monochrome photo of it, there'd be a plethora of full colour HD videos on YouTube, from the moment the train came barrelling down the line, until the dust settled.

Unfortunately, I can't see anyone with a mobile phone in that photo, even if they're wearing period clothes, and period facial hair, to blend in.....  

 

You will never know if my disguise was that good and the reason for no photos is the time machine fogs them up. Or you have the truth of it and time travel in a meaningful sense will not be possible.  I never took your remark askance.  I do try to think myself into the period and situation especially when operating a layout. 

Don

[F-UnitMad]

57 minutes ago, Donw said:

I do try to think myself into the period and situation especially when operating a layout. 

Absolutely. I think that lies at the heart of railway modelling. We want to experience that time & place - wherever & whenever that is or was, as best we can, through our models.

 

Edit: without knowing your actual appearance, it's difficult to know how good your disguise was!!  

Edited March 16, 2021 by F-UnitMad

[Northroader]

Disguises is as good a lead in as any, I suppose, so as we’re all staying at home, washing hands, and saving our model railways, I’d like to describe  a trip back in time as a welcome break, and an introduction to a facet of modelling I like. For this I’m disguised in Boy Scouts uniform, green shirt, green and yellow necker, and it’s a fine summer morning in 1953. You’d find me congregating with other members of our troop, loading our kit on to Walter Hart’s old Bedford bus outside the Lord Hill pub. This took us down to Shrewsbury station, and everyone transfers upstairs, where we boarded a North to West express, when it arrived from Manchester (London Road), hauled by a Jubilee. The trip through the South Shropshire hills was familiar as far as Ludlow, but then the countryside across Herefordshire and into Welsh Border country was unknown territory. We got off at Pontypool Road, the train going on to turn left at Maindy Junction to head through the Severn Tunnel, to Bristol and Plymouth.

PPR back then was full of bustle, sidings full of coal wagons, large engine shed, passenger trains off in every direction. You can still make out the shape of the big island platform, but just two little piddly bus shelters, everything else swept away. The next train for us I assume had come from Birmingham, by way of Worcester and Hereford, hauled by a scruffy Hall. This took us on to Cardiff, and another change. Thankfully Cardiff is much as then, plus overhead wires. Well into the afternoon by now, and on to the glamour train of the day from Paddington, headed by a nice clean Castle. Off on a long jaunt across South Wales, and on into West Wales. I can remember going past “Wolfs Castle Halt” as dusk was falling and so into Fishguard Harbour.

Through a big shed with electric lighting high up, and on to the Quay. There was a well lit ship there, this would be either the St. Andrew or the St. David on the Rosslare run, going either way alternate nights. St. Andrew was a 1932 original of 2702 tons, but St David was a 1947 replacement for St Andrews sister ship, which had been sunk at Anzio in 1944. You would expect to see a St Patrick on this run, but this was on the Weymouth- Channel Islands run, another replacement for a ship sunk by enemy action off Fishguard in 1941. Anyway, we kept on along the Quay to a smaller ship. Ooh, look! It’s called “Great Western” wow! 

https://www.doverferryphotosforums.co.uk/new-ts-great-western-iii1933-past-and-present/

This went to Waterford Mon, Wed, Fri nights at midnight, and returned Tues, Thurs, Sat evenings at18:30, and known to all and sundry as the “cattle boat”. Up the gangway, and spread out, there were cabins and saloons downstairs, but we stayed on the main deck, where there were wooden stalls and partitions, quite clean, and we parked in corners with our kit and got to sleep, as kids seem to be able to do. 

The next morning the light strengthened after sunrise, and we got to the rail. There was a gentle breeze ruffling the wavelets on the Atlantic swell, and we were closing with the Irish Coast, off to the north. We reached the entrance to Waterford Harbour, and slackened speed. The Harbour is a deep water estuary, rather like the “drowned valleys” you meet with on the Southern coast of the West Country,  and it’s quite long, I’d guess over fifteen miles, with pleasant rolling farmland on each side.

Perhaps before we get to the Quay at the top, I should just mention a bit about Irish Railways. In the nineteenth century they were structured very like the old British pre group lines, the largest being the Great Southern and Western Railway, into whose territory we were now straying. Come 1925, after the Free State was formed, following the war of independence, and the civil war, the GSWR announced it would have to close, following the war damage and economic circumstances. The government amalgamated all the lines which were only in the South, as the cheapest option, into the Great Southern Railway, which struggled on, making economies wherever possible. In 1945, the GSR was joined with the Dublin United Transport company, a bus operator, to form Coras Iompair Eireann, which became a nationalised company in 1950.

In the meantime, we’ve reached a bend in the Harbour, where it turns west, and soon after the railway from Rosslare slopes down on the North side, and runs alongside the shore. Here I saw my first Irish train, very typical, being a J15 0-6-0 at the head of around twenty empty cattle wagons heading west, tailed by a brakevan with a veranda at each end. The J15s were a GSWR McDonnell/ Beyer Peacock design from 1866, the first batches being hybrid renewals of old goods engines, joined by new builds from BP and the GWSR Inchicore (Dublin) works, and latterly with larger boilers.  There were 111 built, and in 1949 there were still 96 around, 61 with large boilers, out of a CIE fleet of 491 locos of 83 classes, so the most common engine to be seen.

 

The train overtook us, and kept on to Waterford, we followed to dock at 8:00am. We tied up at a pontoon at Adelphi Wharf, the deep water end of the quayside. The Quay ran all along the South side of the Harbour, with the city stretching away from it, and a coaster or two,unloading with cranes, sitting on the bottom at low tide. There a few wharves for industries on the North side, incuding a rail linked one where imported coal could be unloaded from coasters into wagons. To me it seemed the Quay stretched for over a mile, it felt it, a fifteen year old lugging his uncles old Navy canvas kitbag crammed with everything mum felt would be needed for ten days camping. Finally, there was a long bridge to cross over the River Suir to the other side where facing us was the main line station, Waterford North (tip: there was another station at this time on the south side of the city,Waterford Manor, terminus of the isolated Waterford and Tramore section of the CIE, which I never saw, but would claim to be the most Irish Railway) The North Station was a neat old redbrick building, with black and white bilingual signs, curly Gaelic script and block English capitals

 

The inside was really interesting, as the site was cramped in by a low rocky bluff to the North. There were through up and down lines, then a long single platform line, with bays at the East and West ends, rather like the old GWR broad gauge stations, or Cambridge. The plan I give was done before a few more changes at the West ( left) end, allowed through running along the length of the platform:

 

There was just one train in, at the West end bay (no.5) This was a brand, spanking new diesel AEC Park Royal railcar set quietly ticking over, I would fancy heading for Mallow and Cork, with an excited wedding party in it. Having lived close to the Severn Valley line and had trips on the old GWR AEC railcars, the father of these, i was fairly blasé at this modernity, but I did like the paint scheme, which the CIE had inherited from the Dublin buses, a pleasant green with a light green stripe at waist level, (carriages had an extra stripe at cantrail  height) coupled with the totem, a crib of the London Transport Board one with go faster wings added, known to Irish rain fans as the “Flying Snail”

 

well, I shall leave it there for now, with us waiting on the long platform for our train.

 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by Northroader

[Compound2632]

5 minutes ago, Northroader said:

the GWSR Inchicore (Dublin) works,

 

Renowned are the sons of Inchicore.

 

 

[Edwardian]

What a wonderful post, I really enjoyed my vicarious trip.

 

And a good job you saw Waterford before the 1960s abomination that replaced it!

 

 

All I can say about that is .... 

 

 

And to think back to ....

 

 

[Northroader]

Thanks to everyone for all the positive reactions and comment. While we’re waiting for the train to arrive, I’ve been chewing over in my mind about the appearance of the old station, in particular, why does the entrance look as if it’s on the end of the building, instead of what looks like the front?

Heres a map showing the Waterford railways and giving the reason:

 

The first railways were the Waterford and Limerick, and the Waterford and Kilkenny, both arriving from the upper left, originally to a terminus near Dunkitt, then on to the site at North station. The building opened in 1864, as a terminus for platforms 5 - 8. There was a dispute between the two lines over payment, leading to one of those Victorian scenes with locos  of company A parked on the tracks and trains of company B trying to force their way through. This meant the building was a terminus with the frontage on the front. James’ first picture shows it like this. The Waterford, Dungarvan and Lismore then arrived bottom left, terminating at Waterford South, giving route to Mallow and Cork. The W&K gave a route to Dublin, changing its name to the Waterford and Central Ireland, and being taken over by the GSWR in 1900, along with the W&L. Then arrivals from the right, a line from Wexford 1906 and one from Rosslare 1908, which required the road to be diverted and cottages on the right of James’ picture to be demolished so that the through road and platform could go in. The Rosslare line was part of the Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbours company, sponsored by the GWR with the help of the GSWR, who sensed the traffic opportunities

. A new bridge was put in west of the station to link in to the WD&L route, now also a GSWR line. You could then get through trains from Rosslare to Cork, and have a heroic excursion from Paddington to Killarney to enjoy the lovely scenery. The old Waterford South station was eventually closed, but for a foundry siding.

 A recent picture of an excursion with a preserved J15 standing in the North station, with most of the old terminus on the right swept away. The signal box was always a feature, placed on a gantry to give a good view along the length of the through platform.

 

Then another recent picture of the old WD&L route, which was closed from Waterford to Mallow. There’s now a three foot gauge preserved line (the Waterford and Suir Valley) running along a length west of Waterford, co- acting  with a “greenway”. It does give a nice sense of the appearance of the Suir valley.

 

Lastly one other thought, the layout of the old Waterford station as a model prototype? A terminus with a single platform and through lines along one side, maybe a Minories variant. The other place that comes to mind is the old Aberdeen Joint station as first built. Terminus platforms for the Caley and it’s playmate the NB one end, and the GNoS at the other, with the through platform and lines at one side under a barrel roof.

 

[Donw]

I do think this cries out to be modelled.

 

 Don

[Edwardian]

23 minutes ago, Donw said:

I do think this cries out to be modelled.

 

 Don

 

Indeed. Now where did I put that 21mm track gauge?

[ianathompson]

16 hours ago, Northroader said:

Lastly one other thought, the layout of the old Waterford station as a model prototype? A terminus with a single platform and through lines along one side, maybe a Minories variant. The other place that comes to mind is the old Aberdeen Joint station as first built. Terminus platforms for the Caley and it’s playmate the NB one end, and the GNoS at the other, with the through platform and lines at one side under a barrel roof.

 

 I might have thought that a bit large for the "Minories" concept/franchise.

If you want a GNoSR example how about Keith?

Through platforms to different routes on either side and bays in the centre.

Just a thought.

 

Ian T

[Compound2632]

40 minutes ago, ianathompson said:

I might have thought that a bit large for the "Minories" concept/franchise.

 

And there I was sitting on my hands not mentioning London Bridge!

[Northroader]

12 hours ago, Donw said:

I do think this cries out to be modelled.

 

 Don

You’ve only looked at the North side of the river...

 

Edited March 29, 2021 by Northroader

[Annie]

6 hours ago, Northroader said:

You’ve only looked at the North side of the river...

"Train Driver!' (1.42)  

 

Otherwise it's a lovely piece of film.