Castle Aching

[Compound2632]

7 hours ago, Annie said:

The photo immediately struck me as being unusual and I wondered a little at it being very much a Broad Gauge type of layout with a wagon turntable.  Not being familiar with the area or the Thornbury branch I left the matter there to think about later.

Now that you've filled in some more details Mr Compound I shall have to get the maps out and look at it more closely.

 

What strikes me is that there is very little evidence of the line having been broad gauge, given that the Midland was obliged by Act of Parliament to maintain the third rail right up to 1872, when Great Western lines in Gloucestershire had the broad gauge rail removed. There's not the usual tell-tale extra-wide six-foot one sees at Great Western locations. There is a bit of spare space on the left hand (down, towards Bristol) side; possibly the down line was slewed across and the down platform widened - or both platforms rebuilt to the standards of the day.

Edited October 17, 2019 by Compound2632

[Annie]

That's why I didn't immediately think of the Broad Gauge, - the trackwork looked like it had always been laid to standard gauge and the platforms weren't wide enough apart..

[Northroader]

Here you go, a bit further up the Bristol & Gloucester, there’s Charfield, and this is looking the other way, and you can see a very similar setup, with a lead off the main on to a wagon turntable and on into the goods shed, with the typical standard Brunel building with a pointed arch. Now the really interesting bit for any broad gauge nuts looking in, is the station buildings are also by Brunel, and stated to be the same as the station as built at Twyford  on the Reading - Paddington stretch in 1838, except a bay window is missed off at Charfield. Not that you’d know, the Henley branch and line quadrupling has happened since then, still, better than the Midland, innit?

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, Northroader said:

better than the Midland, innit?

 

 

Yer wot?

 

It looks as if, by the time that photo was taken the trailing connection from the down main had been removed (the turntable is on the up side) - the layout had been virtually identical to Yate; in both cases the layout was sandwiched between the platfoems and an overbridge. The signalling diagrams for both show "T.T. bolted from S.B."

 

[P. Smith, An Historical Survey of the Midland in Gloucestershire (OPC, 1985).]

[Northroader]

On the subject of Charfield, like the fat boy said “I wants ter make yer flesh creep, missis”

http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/woman-black-charfield-railway-children-mystery/

[Compound2632]

For those who prefer a sober analysis of the facts, here's Col. Pringle.

[Nearholmer]

And, even his sober summing-up is pretty chilling:

 

Elements of time and chance have often been known to play a favourable part, either in averting, or in reduding the ill effects likely to arise from an accident. In this case all the conditions were hostile.

 

It was a truly horrible accident, and it illustrates how much was hanging on the abilities and diligence of engine drivers.

 

 

[Edwardian]

Off to Pendon tomorrow. 5 am start, so overdue for bed. Didcot Saturday. Hartlepool Sunday. 

 

Normal service should resume next week!

 

I wish everyone a great weekend. 

[figworthy]

21 hours ago, Annie said:

An interesting goods yard set up at Yate on the Thornbury branch.  Amazingly it survived until 1951.

 

 

Mentioned in an article on the Thornbury Branch in the November 2019 edition of Steam Days, along with a few other pictures.

 

Adrian

[Annie]

Thanks for that Adrian.  I should get myself a copy and read up about the Thornbury branch.

[Compound2632]

I was looking at some photos of Thornbury station - opened in 1872, the buildings are very close in style (though not identical to) the well-known Settle & Carlisle stations of similar date. Not surprising, as by this time the Midland had a company architect, J.H. Sanders.

[Annie]

Interesting and also getting a bit dangerous since I have more than a few S&C buildings in my digital trainset box.

[nick_bastable]

1 hour ago, Edwardian said:

Off to Pendon tomorrow. 5 am start, so overdue for bed. Didcot Saturday. Hartlepool Sunday. 

 

Normal service should resume next week!

 

I wish everyone a great weekend. 

beware those Green engines 

 

Nick

[Martin S-C]

On 04/08/2019 at 07:55, Nearholmer said:

The Met. is a good prototype for modern-minded pre-groupers. 

 

This makes me wonder what on earth a modern-minded pre-grouper is.

Please excuse the quoting of Neolithic-era posts, I have been away from railway modelling for a bit and have left Castle Aching's posts until last since I couldn't face catching up!

[Nearholmer]

When I wrote that, I had in mind that “pre-grouping” tends to call to mind long-established “steam and semaphore” technologies and practices, but that, by the Edwardian period, “electricity and coloured light” technologies and practices were well advanced on some railways ...... the sorts of things that often get labelled “modern image”.

 

Models representing this “Edwardian New Tech” seem quite rare, which is a pity, because some of it was seriously visually interesting, and was swept away c30 years later, as it became life-expired or outclassed by rising demand. The Met. Camelbacks, for instance, lasted only a few years in that form, and all of the first generation EMUs on railways across the country were junked or heavily rebuilt in the 1930s.

 

Had we but world enough and time ......

 

( Altjough, it would take a strong constitution to choose railway modelling over what Mr Marvel had in mind!)

[Compound2632]

4 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Had we but world enough and time ......

 

( Altjough, it would take a strong constitution to choose railway modelling over what Mr Marvel had in mind!)

 

... conversely, declining powers in that direction?

 

Note Humber - proto-Larkin?

[Edwardian]

Here I am, comfortably ensconced at the George in the delightful, and delightfully named, Dorchester on Thames.

 

 I’ve had a wonderful day and I must thank Andy Y and Phil Parker for organising a really grand day out. Many thanks to the Pendon volunteers who looked after us right royally and gave us great insight and privileged access. Andy Y put it very well when he said that we were given a more immersive experience of Pendon than is generally the case. It was great to meet other members of RMWeb, including valued CA parishioners.

 

 I now have a very big smile on my face

 

Edited October 18, 2019 by Edwardian

[Edwardian]

Now in the snug with a pint of Arkells’ Ale (well, Abingdon Bridge in fact).

 

 

Edited October 18, 2019 by Edwardian

[nick_bastable]

2 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Now in the snug with a pint of Arkells’ Ale (well, Abingdon Bridge in fact).

 

 

I warned you be wary of those green engines unless SECR

 

Nick 

[Edwardian]

32 minutes ago, nick_bastable said:

I warned you be wary of those green engines unless SECR

 

Nick 

 

Oh but the Great Western calls to me; a man never forgets his first love.

[nick_bastable]

3 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

 

Oh but the Great Western calls to me; a man never forgets his first love.

I fear the mayor has imbued-ed  to much and/or  worry we may need to call for the men in white coats  

 

Nick

 

btw when I took Mrs B to Didcot and Pendon she much preferred  Pendon  ( truly a lady of immaculate taste  )

[Edwardian]

The font of all inspiration...

[Edwardian]

Go Great Western!

 

 

[Compound2632]

Did they have that rather nice GC/LNER - LSWR/SR through working running?

[Hroth]

20 hours ago, nick_bastable said:

beware those Green engines

 

Green engines are fine, you just have to scrape the grey fuzz off them before eating....

 

30 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

 

Oh but the Great Western calls to me; a man never forgets his first love. 

 

Quote

The font of all inspiration...

 

Quote

Go Great Western!

 

Sounds like you've had a nice Great time!

 

 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2019 by Hroth
ruddy spelin again...