Cholsey & Moulsford (Change for Wallingford)

[Graham T]

I'm looking forward to seeing the landscaping taking shape 🙂

 

[Nick Gough]

12 minutes ago, Graham T said:

I'm looking forward to seeing the landscaping taking shape 🙂

 

Thanks Graham.

[Nick Gough]

Rather than filling my layout thread with photos of New Zealand railways, I have started a new topic in the Overseas Railways section:

 

Edited May 25, 2023 by Nick Gough

[Nick Gough]

Unfortunately modelling has taken rather a back seat at the moment due to other commitments.

 

However, I did enjoy a few hours today at the Milton Keynes show. I also had the pleasure of meeting Brian McDermott for the first time, there, having only corresponded previously via the interweb.

[Tallpaul69]

17 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

Unfortunately modelling has taken rather a back seat at the moment due to other commitments.

 

However, I did enjoy a few hours today at the Milton Keynes show. I also had the pleasure of meeting Brian McDermott for the first time, there, having only corresponded previously via the interweb.

Welcome back Nick, sounds like you had a great time down under!

I had intended going to  the MK show, but like you other things are somewhat getting in the way of the modelling at the moment!

I would have enjoyed talking to you and Brian in the flesh.

Never mind, there will, hopefully be another opportunity, maybe at the Great Electric Show in October?

Cheers for now,

Paul

[BMacdermott]

Hello Nick

 

A great pleasure to meet up with you, too!

 

All the best and I look forward to following your progress.

 

Brian

[Nick Gough]

20 hours ago, Tallpaul69 said:

Welcome back Nick, sounds like you had a great time down under!

I had intended going to  the MK show, but like you other things are somewhat getting in the way of the modelling at the moment!

I would have enjoyed talking to you and Brian in the flesh.

Never mind, there will, hopefully be another opportunity, maybe at the Great Electric Show in October?

Cheers for now,

Paul

Thanks Paul.

GETS is a possibility. I also plan to go to the SilverFox show, at Milton Keynes, on 19th August.

[BMacdermott]

And me!

 

Brian

[Nick Gough]

19 hours ago, BMacdermott said:

Hello Nick

 

A great pleasure to meet up with you, too!

 

All the best and I look forward to following your progress.

 

Brian

Thanks Brian.

[Nick Gough]

1 minute ago, BMacdermott said:

And me!

 

Brian

Perhaps see you again then.

[Nick Gough]

At last!

The first length of track laid on the Wallingford branch curve:

 

As this is a removable board a gap in the sleepers at the joint:

 

For DCC concepts sleepers to be soldered at the joint:

[Tallpaul69]

3 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

Thanks Paul.

GETS is a possibility. I also plan to go to the SilverFox show, at Milton Keynes, on 19th August.

Unfortunately Nick,

Family commitments mean there is no way I can get to Silver Fox on the 19th August!!

Your branch starts to look the part.

Cheers

Paul

[Nick Gough]

1 hour ago, Tallpaul69 said:

Unfortunately Nick,

Family commitments mean there is no way I can get to Silver Fox on the 19th August!!

Your branch starts to look the part.

Cheers

Paul

Thanks Paul.

[Nick Gough]

The DCC sleepers have been fixed in place and soldered to the rails, with the rails cut through between the two boards:

 

A short section of track fixed in place, to complete the curve, and aligned with the setrack to enter the fiddle yard:

 

Three pieces of setrack glued in place, in the branch line 'channel' in the fiddle yard:

With trains at a lower level than the main line tracks:

 

The entrance to the fiddle yard will be disguised by a model of Church Road bridge:

 

A glimpse of the future:

 

 

(The branch line train is yet to be upgraded!)

 

 

[Nick Gough]

Church Road bridge with 1466 in 1968:

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

 

Tight clearances!

[Nick Gough]

13 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Tight clearances!

It is tight - though most of my locos and stock run through there without any problem. My Bachmann Hall doesn't like the first radius part of the curve, but the Hornby Hall runs through there quite happily! Normally I'm not going to run anything bigger than an 0-6-0 or an autocoach though. This section of line is 'off stage' as well so doesn't have to look pretty.

 

When I first constructed that board I hadn't worked out what path the branch line would take (or at what level), hence the later 'surgery'. 

 

The width of the railway room dictated the use of a short (90 degree) radius curve, to fit inside the existing trackwork. I debated, for a while, whether or not to have the branch descend away from the main line (as per the prototype). It would have been easier to keep it on the same level, though it wouldn't have eased the clearances on the outside of the curve.

 

I will probably use the odd, bare semi-circular piece of board, in the foreground, to park spare locos and stock.

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Nick Gough
Added sentence

[The Stationmaster]

23 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

Church Road bridge with 1466 in 1968:

At which exact juncture some of us were very firmly ensconced in the pubup the road from Cholsey station.  (I hasten to add that I was not on BR duty but had spent the previous night with another GWS member getting 6998 to actually steam which had not been achieved on the previous attempt a week earlier).

[RJS1977]

On 12/06/2023 at 17:35, Nick Gough said:

Church Road bridge with 1466 in 1968:

 

Assuming that the train is heading towards Cholsey, I believe it is impossible to take a photo from that viewpoint now. The whole piece of land is full of trees with no obvious means of access. I tried to find a way on to there a couple of years ago when we first ran Polar Express (as the "North Pole" was in the field between the Bunk line and the church) but without success,

[RJS1977]

14 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

It is tight - though most of my locos and stock run through there without any problem. My Bachmann Hall doesn't like the first radius part of the curve, but the Hornby Hall runs through there quite happily! Normally I'm not going to run anything bigger than an 0-6-0 or an autocoach though. This section of line is 'off stage' as well so doesn't have to look pretty.

 

 

I think the biggest loco to run on the branch (so far!) was a Bulleid Pacific in the late 1960s. (The BP had brought a railtour to Cholsey where a Pannier took over for the run to Wallingford. Unfortunately the Pannier didn't have enough power to get the heavy train back up Cholsey Bank and the Pacific had to go down to rescue it).

 

Castles also visited the branch occasionally as from time to time the Royal Train was stabled there overnight. There was a lineside telephone specifically for this purpose.

 

I've heard it said that the gas turbine APT was shunted on to the branch following a failure but have never seen photographic evidence of it.

 

The NRM did offer us the use of Flying Scotsman a few years ago (as they were pleased with how we'd looked after City of Truro) but we decided that was just a little bit too big....

[Nick Gough]

17 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

At which exact juncture some of us were very firmly ensconced in the pubup the road from Cholsey station.  (I hasten to add that I was not on BR duty but had spent the previous night with another GWS member getting 6998 to actually steam which had not been achieved on the previous attempt a week earlier).

 

I wish I had been able to visit the branch that day though, at 10 years old, I didn't know anything about event.

 

I did make up for it, a bit, five years later when I travelled behind 6998, 6106 & 1450 on the truncated Bourne End and Marlow branches for the 100th anniversary of the latter.

 

[Nick Gough]

8 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

 

Assuming that the train is heading towards Cholsey, I believe it is impossible to take a photo from that viewpoint now. The whole piece of land is full of trees with no obvious means of access. I tried to find a way on to there a couple of years ago when we first ran Polar Express (as the "North Pole" was in the field between the Bunk line and the church) but without success,

 

From my photo of that area, from 18 years ago (on the right):

It was quite heavily wooded as is the area near the main line junction.

 

Quite different from the open views, and pasture land, of half a century ago:

 

[Mike_Walker]

3 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

 

I wish I had been able to visit the branch that day though, at 10 years old, I didn't know anything about event.

 

I did make up for it, a bit, five years later when I travelled behind 6998, 6106 & 1450 on the truncated Bourne End and Marlow branches for the 100th anniversary of the latter.

 

 

3 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

 

I wish I had been able to visit the branch that day though, at 10 years old, I didn't know anything about event.

 

I did make up for it, a bit, five years later when I travelled behind 6998, 6106 & 1450 on the truncated Bourne End and Marlow branches for the 100th anniversary of the latter.

 

Sadly, fifty years on we've not been able to mark the 150th in a similar manner but l am doing a presentation to the Marlow & District Railway Society tomorrow on the history of the branch.

 

[Nick Gough]

1 hour ago, Mike_Walker said:

 

 

Sadly, fifty years on we've not been able to mark the 150th in a similar manner but l am doing a presentation to the Marlow & District Railway Society tomorrow on the history of the branch.

 

 

That should be an interesting evening Mike.

 

I remember, on that day, walking to a foot crossing, near the bridge under the Marlow bypass, and filming 1450 with its two autotrailers - in the pouring rain.

[Mike_Walker]

Yes, in addition to the unexpected crowds, the abiding memory of the day is the continual rain.  Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to hold it on St. Swithen's Day!

 

If anyone's in the area and wants to come along tonight, it's at the Bourne End Community Centre SL8 5SX at 7.30pm.