Midland in Tewkesbury

[Tricky]

The dock wall is in, complete with an abundance of greenery and water-line slime. Next up a few coats of gloss varnish. 
Steady as she goes…

 

 

[Tricky]

Managing to keep things just about ticking along on Tewks - got a coat of varnish on the water and filled in behind the wall with celotex. This will enable me to add some

overhanging vegetation over the wall which will help to blend it all in and make it look a bit more believable. I’ll then be able to fix the mill in place. 
 

 

 

[Tricky]

Inbetween other ‘stuff’ I have managed to add some more greenery around the mill/water area. Not entirely convinced but we shall see when the overall scene develops. I don’t think earth and shrubbery would have been allowed to bank up against the mill wall in this way. Any opinions? 
 

 

[Gedward]

 

This is really coming together now, great detailing.

 

[Schooner]

19 hours ago, Tricky said:

I don’t think earth and shrubbery would have been allowed to bank up against the mill wall in this way. Any opinions? 

 

In Midland days I agree - probably not. Looks ace though!

[Tricky]

A simple job but somehow seems to have made quite a difference - I simply added the stone edge to the quay and began infilling the tracks with mountboard offcuts. To my eye it all now looks more ‘meant’ and unified. I hope you agree! A coat of varnish water helps too!

 

 

[Michael Crofts]

'I don’t think earth and shrubbery would have been allowed to bank up against the mill wall in this way. Any opinions?'

 

Places were sometimes overgrown in the past, not everywhere was neat and tidy. This is Stiffkey bridge, Norfolk, photo taken in 1939, my collection (photographer unknown).

 

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Michael Crofts
Forgot to include quote

[Tricky]

4 hours ago, Michael Crofts said:

'I don’t think earth and shrubbery would have been allowed to bank up against the mill wall in this way. Any opinions?'

 

Places were sometimes overgrown in the past, not everywhere was neat and tidy. This is Stiffkey bridge, Norfolk, photo taken in 1939, my collection (photographer unknown).

 

 

Thanks - that’s a super photo and really good colour too for 1939. I’m committed now with the shrubbery so it stays!! The other option might be to move the mill…?! 

[Tricky]

You may be wondering if I have renagued on my promise to keep Tewks progress ticking over - fear not dear reader! I have quietly been working away on a few things, namely:

The Mill has new windows, boarding over the opening, a loading platform with fancy ‘cast iron’ brackets and a hoist beam. The building has yet to be permanently bedded in but I can’t do that until the backscene comes out of store and is fitted. I have also fitted a row of my 3D printed bollards along the quay edge. These help quite a lot to give the scene a Victorian/Edwardian industrial look. 
I have got all my rolling stock out and have made a start on going through them one by one and repairing etc as needed. 
Lastly I have started to draw the level crossing gates which will go over at the right hand end. 
 

I think once the said backscene is in this will enable me to position all of the low relief buildings as well along the back wall. 

 

 

[Dave Hunt]

Excellent as usual Richard. How did you do the cast iron brackets?

 

Dave

[Chrisbr]

Love the bollards and other details bringing this to life, but can't help but feel the loading platform should be wider to enable the cast iron brackets to sit underneath supporting the girder structure.....

[Tricky]

6 hours ago, Chrisbr said:

Love the bollards and other details bringing this to life, but can't help but feel the loading platform should be wider to enable the cast iron brackets to sit underneath supporting the girder structure.....

Yes….you are indeed telling me what I really already knew! I may replace the wooden boarding with a brick arch and then under-sling the brackets. 

[Tricky]

10 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Excellent as usual Richard. How did you do the cast iron brackets?

 

Dave

Laser cut 0.8mm ply. 

[Northroader]

Presumably the prototype would be in cast iron, and used as support like that, they would be in tension. That’s a no-no, best placed under the platform,  then they’re in compression.

[Tricky]

At long last I have managed to gain access to where the backscene was stored. I’ve plonked it on at the moment until such time as I can fix it properly. It’s all looking a bit sad and in need of some TLC. But the point is, not having this in place has been holding me up from being able to do anything meaningful but now I can crack on with proper restoration work and finally position the buildings. I shall also be sorting out the mill gantry, and possibly still do something with the quay wall - still not happy with the scenic arrangement…
 

 

 

[Tricky]

I’ve been quietly footling away on these two coaches. They will form a purely fictitious workmen’s train trundling off to scene to some imaginary industry. They are Alphagraphix kits with some CPL added details. I hope to weather them in the style of ancient coaches given a last lease of life before finally falling apart. I have a Man I h Wardle under construction and will be based on ‘Bauxite No2’ at the NRM. 
 

 

[Tricky]

The footling continues….a bit of weathering coming along. I’m waiting for some figures to arrive to populate the innards. I also need to glaze before putting the roofs on. Looking forward to pairing with a Manning and watch it trundle up and down…

 

 

 

 

 

[Tricky]

I am keenly aware my posts on here have been very slow but I have been busy. Here is the delightful ‘Priscilla’ (named after someone else delightful in my life). Based on the Slaters MW kit but masterfully built and altered by Martin Blackwell, DCC fitted by Alex Chilton. She was inspired by ‘Bauxite No2’ at the NRM and to my eye oozes character. She will haul the workmen’s train composed of the decrepit coaches still being worked on…

 

 

 

[Tricky]

Here’s a question - poss a silly one but as I don’t know the answer for sure: does anyone know what would the S Healing & Sons wagons have conveyed? Coal, sacks and a sheet, barrels? Any ideas…?! 

[MR Chuffer]

26 minutes ago, Tricky said:

S Healing & Sons

Google "Allied Mills Ltd:   S. Healing and Sons, flour millers, Tewkesbury: canal bargemen". Likely coal to fire the mill? Plenty of wagon images

Edited February 2 by MR Chuffer

[lezz01]

27 minutes ago, Tricky said:

Here’s a question - poss a silly one but as I don’t know the answer for sure: does anyone know what would the S Healing & Sons wagons have conveyed? Coal, sacks and a sheet, barrels? Any ideas…?! 

Grain in and flower out I think, maybe animal feed as well. Maybe coal but I think they had a water mill down at the quay.

Regards Lez.

[Tricky]

Thanks for the replies. As you may have guessed, I have a Healings wagon which has been hand lettered and is rather nice. I’d rather not have to cover up the lettering with a sheet so need an unsheeted load or of course empty.

 

On another random question; I recall seeing on Google a yellow hand cart with Tewkesbury Dairy (?) lettering on it. For the life of me I can no longer find it having searched numerous descriptions. Anyone have any idea of said image? 

[lezz01]

Have you tried the Tewkesbury Historical society?

Regards Lez. 

[hobbyhorse]

On 02/02/2024 at 21:03, Tricky said:

Here’s a question - poss a silly one but as I don’t know the answer for sure: does anyone know what would the S Healing & Sons wagons have conveyed? Coal, sacks and a sheet, barrels? Any ideas…?! 

I’ve been following your thread and enjoying your journey. A long time ago the club I was a member of built a layout with the Tewksbury shed area modelled reasonable accurately, one of the thing I did was to put together some wagons, and seeing your reference to S Healing & Son it’s one of those i did. The photo shows it and some of the others, a bit of modellers license used but do look convincing.

 

Simon

 

Edited February 9 by hobbyhorse
Spelling

[Michael Crofts]

I have quite a few images of wagons carrying sacks (including grain, hops, and all the other things that were packed in hessian) un-sheeted while they wait to be unloaded, or loaded and waiting to be sheeted. I think your Healings wagon could be full of sacks without a sheet. If you want to add a special touch perhaps a folded sheet on top ready to be used?

 

Two images of Cuckfield.

 

 

 

Going by photos I've seen, dry goods like sacks were only sheeted if they were going to be exposed to rain. If they were sure of being got under cover before it rained sheets weren't used. It's a lot of work to sheet a load. I know, I've done it. And the traditional canvas sheets were very heavy things. 

 

Ipswich Maritime Trust photo

 

I'm sure I read somewhere that Samuel Healing rebuilt the old watermill as a steam-powered mill, so definitely coal inbound, but I think the grain arrived by water so it would be flour that was exported by rail. 

 

Edit: barges for inbound grain, up to 1998 - http://www.strayoffthepath.co.uk/healings-mill---tewkesbury.html