Cholsey & Moulsford (Change for Wallingford)

[Nick Gough]

Thursday (and Friday) was a teacher training day. Therefore we had our two grandsons for a couple of days.

A visit to Leighton Buzzard was decided upon:

Seeing the 'new' station building for the first time.

 

And the new bridge/tunnel:

 

Also the new extension was open so we had a whole line trip.

 

I don't remember seeing this on one of the lineside buildings before:

 

[Nick Gough]

At Leighton Buzzard station I found some 'new' additions to my library on their second hand shelves:

 

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, Nick Gough said:

Number 2 is particularly useful with, predominantly, photos from the the 1930s and '40s mainly around the South Wales main line and in the Taunton area. Lots of train formations and carriage types on view.

Agreed.  One I turn to again and again.  Fabulous pics of expresses in Somerset in the 30s.

[Nick Gough]

Today it was the Olney MRC show. That's four local shows in less than two months! Two at Milton Keynes, Northampton and today's.

 

I was particularly interested to see their model of Olney station on the long gone Northampton-Bedford line.

 

I managed to pick up these two for a fiver:

 

I was just going to buy the Dean bogie van but the stall holder said they're a pair - have the other one as well.

 

I don't know the provenance of the six wheeler but I'm pretty sure the bogie van is a Keyser kit. It's mainly plastic, with metal bogies, but a balsa wood floor.

 

Also, it would have been rude not to pick up a spare Bachmann/Mainline tender for £2:

 

He had four of them!

[5BarVT]

4 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

but at least I have them ready.

I have rather a lot of stuff ‘ready’ for when I get to the relevant stage.  Some of it for years hence!

Paul.

[Nick Gough]

1 hour ago, 5BarVT said:

I have rather a lot of stuff ‘ready’ for when I get to the relevant stage.  Some of it for years hence!

Paul.

I must try and make sure that I don't leave it that long!

[MrWolf]

3 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

Today it was the Olney MRC show. That's four local shows in less than two months! Two at Milton Keynes, Northampton and today's.

 

I was particularly interested to see their model of Olney station on the long gone Northampton-Bedford line.

 

I managed to pick up these two for a fiver:

 

I was just going to buy the Dean bogie van but the stall holder said they're a pair - have the other one as well.

 

I don't know the provenance of the six wheeler but I'm pretty sure the bogie van is a Keyser kit. It's mainly plastic, with metal bogies, but a balsa wood floor.

 

Also, it would have been rude not to pick up a spare Bachmann/Mainline tender for £2:

 

He had four of them!

 

Nice finds, can't help you with the 6 wheeler, but the bogie van is K's as you say. I also have one that needs work, it's a plastic kit I'd like to see modernised and reintroduced.

I've just hacked about one of those tenders (£3) to create a small tender 2251on my thread. 

I can't believe that there's people on eBay asking the thick end of £30 for just a body.

 

[Charlie586]

Nice finds, Nick, you could pay more than that for just the wheels. Pretty sure it's a v8 luggage van, I've been 3d printing the broad gauge version recently piece by piece. 

I think the broad gauge society sell etches for it, which means its possibly an old IKB kits one. I could be wrong though. 

[Nick Gough]

3 hours ago, Charlie586 said:

Nice finds, Nick, you could pay more than that for just the wheels. Pretty sure it's a v8 luggage van, I've been 3d printing the broad gauge version recently piece by piece. 

I think the broad gauge society sell etches for it, which means its possibly an old IKB kits one. I could be wrong though. 

 

Thanks Charlie.

 

I haven't got round to trying to identify it yet.

[Nick Gough]

I have created, what I believe to be, the basic shape of the roof for the main building:

 

The large rectangular hole, on the left, is for the skylight/ventilator above the gentlemen's urinals. The other two holes for chimneys:

 

There is a third chimney which, according to the drawings and photographs, would be positioned above the inside corner between the main central section and the wing containing the gentlemen's facilities:

 

This appears to be in the location I have marked with an orange square:

 

However, this position would appear to cause a blockage to the valley between the two roof profiles.

 

Have I done something wrong or would there be some mitigation for the rainwater flow in this situation?

 

The drawings I have don't have a plan view of the roof profiles.

 

[MrWolf]

Because the chimney is set square to the building, the valley intersects at one corner, at a point elevated from the position that the valley leaves the chimney. The lead valley and flashing around the chimney would be engineered to direct the flow around the chimney and into the gutters below, so not a problem, construction or drainage wise.

If you moved the orange square upwards in your photo and located that chimney entirely in the wing building, would its rear wall then correspond with the back wall of the wing building? That way the valley would pass by the lower corner. It's difficult to tell without knowing the relative positions of walls or the overhang of the roof.

[Nick Gough]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

Because the chimney is set square to the building, the valley intersects at one corner, at a point elevated from the position that the valley leaves the chimney. The lead valley and flashing around the chimney would be engineered to direct the flow around the chimney and into the gutters below, so not a problem, construction or drainage wise.

If you moved the orange square upwards in your photo and located that chimney entirely in the wing building, would its rear wall then correspond with the back wall of the wing building? That way the valley would pass by the lower corner. It's difficult to tell without knowing the relative positions of walls or the overhang of the roof.

 

Thanks Rob.

 

Going by this platform level floor plan:

 

The chimney sits over the intersection between the two walls, at the corner, with the flue (arrowed) passing through the middle - the walls are nearly 15" thick. The flue goes to a single fireplace on the ground floor, below the waiting room.

 

There is not much overhang with the roof with the guttering sitting on the corbelling.

[Mikkel]

On 28/08/2022 at 18:19, Nick Gough said:

 

Just been catching up, Nick. Substantial progress and some very useful tips. Seeing some of the structures together - as in the photo above - made me rub my hands in anticipation of the final result. Very inspiring stuff.

 

[RJS1977]

Royal train on the Wallingford branch, 1950s:

 

[Nick Gough]

6 hours ago, Mikkel said:

 

Just been catching up, Nick. Substantial progress and some very useful tips. Seeing some of the structures together - as in the photo above - made me rub my hands in anticipation of the final result. Very inspiring stuff.

 

 

Thank you Mikkel.

[Nick Gough]

6 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

Royal train on the Wallingford branch, 1950s:

 

 

A very poignant photo!

[Nick Gough]

On Wednesday evening we departed from Heathrow as subjects of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

 

We woke up on a sunny and warm Californian Thursday morning to find that there were serious concerns over the Queen's health.

 

Before our morning was over we heard the sad news that she had passed.

 

It feels doubly strange to hear the news unfolding when so far and remote from home.

 

I am still proud to have given my oath to Her Majesty 41 years ago.

 

RIP ma'am, and thank you.

 

God save the King!

[RJS1977]

On 09/09/2022 at 06:32, RJS1977 said:

Royal train on the Wallingford branch, 1950s:

 

 

By strange coincidence, I think I may have been inside one of those coaches today!

 

[Nick Gough]

Seeing the Royal Train photo reminds me of a little story.

 

Back in the 1980s the Queen made an official visit to Northamptonshire.

 

She was due to arrive by the Royal Train, on the morning of the visit, at Wellingborough station, on the Midland main line. However, unknown to the public, the train actually arrived the previous evening, with the Principal aboard. In the absence of any surviving local branch lines the train was stabled overnight in sidings to the north of the station. 

 

Royalty Protection police officers were responsible for the train's security but a couple of local police officers were assigned to the station overnight, to liaise with railway staff and deal with any necessary issues.

 

Meanwhile, a late night southbound stopping passenger train was approaching with an unruly passenger aboard. When challenged by the guard this person decided to throw a fire extinguisher out of a droplight. What he didn't realise was, at that point, they were passing the stationary Royal Train.

Consequently, when the passenger train stopped at Wellingborough, there was a reception committee of armed officers to meet the miscreant and cart him off, rather than his expected escape.

 

Fortunately there was no damage to the Royal Train and, as far as I am aware, HM slept on in blissful ignorance. Although, with regular overnight trains passing, I wasn't sure that it would be much of a peaceful night.

 

In the morning, at the appointed hour, the Royal Train reversed back into the station, up the down main line, for the official arrival, and the remainder of the visit took place without undue incident.

 

Of course the red carpet was put across the platform but the booking hall was full of floral arrangements with some recent painting in evidence.

 

I thought, at the time, that her Majesty must be under the impression that everywhere in the country smells of flowers and fresh paint!

[Nick Gough]

At the moment I am in a hotel room in Denver catching up on the news from home after a couple of days without Wi-Fi.

 

We have been travelling from San Francisco bay aboard the eastbound California Zephyr through the Sierra Nevada and Rocky mountains.

 

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by Nick Gough
Smell chucker

[1466]

On 09/09/2022 at 12:50, Nick Gough said:

On Wednesday evening we departed from Heathrow as subjects of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

 

We woke up on a sunny and warm Californian Thursday morning to find that there were serious concerns over the Queen's health.

 

Before our morning was over we heard the sad news that she had passed.

 

It feels doubly strange to hear the news unfolding when so far and remote from home.

 

I am still proud to have given my oath to Her Majesty 41 years ago.

 

RIP ma'am, and thank you.

 

God save the King!

I apologise in advance for going off topic .

I firmly believe that our late , beloved Queen should have made the journey from Scotland to England by train rather than by flying . 
The train should have slowed at important stations  to allow the public to show their respects .

An opportunity missed .

I was honoured to have have taken an oath of allegiance to the late Queen Elizabeth the second .

[ChrisN]

9 hours ago, Nick Gough said:

Seeing the Royal Train photo reminds me of a little story.

 

Back in the 1980s the Queen made an official visit to Northamptonshire.

 

She was due to arrive by the Royal Train, on the morning of the visit, at Wellingborough station, on the Midland main line. However, unknown to the public, the train actually arrived the previous evening, with the Principal aboard. In the absence of any surviving local branch lines the train was stabled overnight in sidings to the north of the station. 

 

Royalty Protection police officers were responsible for the train's security but a couple of local police officers were assigned to the station overnight, to liaise with railway staff and deal with any necessary issues.

 

Meanwhile, a late night southbound stopping passenger train was approaching with an unruly passenger aboard. When challenged by the guard this person decided to throw a fire extinguisher out of a droplight. What he didn't realise was, at that point, they were passing the stationary Royal Train.

Consequently, when the passenger train stopped at Wellingborough, there was a reception committee of armed officers to meet the miscreant and cart him off, rather than his expected escape.

 

Fortunately there was no damage to the Royal Train and, as far as I am aware, HM slept on in blissful ignorance. Although, with regular overnight trains passing, I wasn't sure that it would be much of a peaceful night.

 

In the morning, at the appointed hour, the Royal Train reversed back into the station, up the down main line, for the official arrival, and the remainder of the visit took place without undue incident.

 

Of course the red carpet was put across the platform but the booking hall was full of floral arrangements with some recent painting in evidence.

 

I thought, at the time, that her Majesty must be under the impression that everywhere in the country smells of flowers and fresh paint!

 

I think Prince Philip once said that he believed everywhere smelt of new paint!  

 

When HM was in the ATS her father made a visit and she was quoted as saying afterwards that she had not realised how much preparation there was for a royal visit.  I am sure neither was fooled when they went places.

 

Have a great holiday.

[Nick Gough]

6 hours ago, 1466 said:

I apologise in advance for going off topic .

I firmly believe that our late , beloved Queen should have made the journey from Scotland to England by train rather than by flying . 
The train should have slowed at important stations  to allow the public to show their respects .

An opportunity missed .

I was honoured to have have taken an oath of allegiance to the late Queen Elizabeth the second .

 

Agreed.

 

I know it was by car, but I well remember Diana's last journey to Althorp House and the opportunities the public had to say goodbye on the route.

 

Althorpe is not far from where we live and I spent most of that week, at work, in and around the estate.

[Nick Gough]

4 hours ago, ChrisN said:

 

I think Prince Philip once said that he believed everywhere smelt of new paint!  

 

When HM was in the ATS her father made a visit and she was quoted as saying afterwards that she had not realised how much preparation there was for a royal visit.  I am sure neither was fooled when they went places.

 

Have a great holiday.

 

Thanks Chris. We have plenty more railroad activity planned before we return home!

 

I'm sure the Royals are much more savvy about these things than many might think.

[Nick Gough]

We visited a rather large emporium, this morning, in Grand Junction, named the Hobby Lobby - about ten times the size of Hobbycraft! I came across these and thought, for the price, I could probably adapt them for the platforms at Cholsey & Moulsford:

 

Unfortunately they only had two packs on the shelves but we should be able to call into another branch before we come home. Of course, I don't know exactly how many I should get since all my reference books are at home.

 

Last few days we have visited the Colorado railroad museum and ridden on the Georgetown Loop railroad, high in the Rockies.

 

Friday, is day on the Durango and Silverton railroad.

 

I shall post some photos when we get home.

 

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Nick Gough
Can't correct photo - taken with Kindle.