Dursley Branch (MR)

[Blobrick]

Does anyone know of a book that's covers the Dursley Branch line?

I have found a few pages in "Gloucester to Bristol" by Middleton Press that cover the line in basic detail, plus there are one or two sites on the internet which contain information, but l ve not found anything definitive as yet. 

Can anyone help please?

 

Bob C

[Dancess]

Historical Survey of the Midland in Gloucestershire published by OPC has a section.

[justin]

For a good range of colour pictures in the 1960s I would recommend 

 

Gloucester Midland Lines Part 3 : South by Neil Parkhouse published by Lightmoor Press

 

The Historical Survey of the Midland in Gloucestershire is also good with basic scale track diagrams 

 

Oakwood published a book on the Dursley Branch but I think it is a very thin book so I'm not sure how much information is in it

 

Justin Edwards

Bristol

[DCB]

I think there are photos in the "Last Days of Steam in Gloucestershire,"  but my copy is buried somewhere in the spae bedroom.  Dursley looks pretty much terminally boring though unless you like factories producing pumps and the like.  Nailsworth looks more interesting.

[flubrush]

8 hours ago, DCB said:

 Dursley looks pretty much terminally boring though unless you like factories producing pumps and the like.  Nailsworth looks more interesting.

 

I built a layout of Dursley in S scale in the 1980s and found that the operation of the layout was actually quite interesting,  possibly because the platform road is off the end of the run-round loop.  Plenty of sidings,  especially if you include the siding into the gasworks at the station throat.  If you have the length you could also include the sidings into Lister's yard on the other side of the throat.   I think I would prefer to build the station as the LMS rebuilt it,  getting rid of the three-way turnout at the entrance to the goods yard and replacing it with turnouts.   I built the earlier three-way turnout version and the turnout was a continuing problem with some quite tight radii.

 

I also amassed a fair amount of information including the titles mentioned above,  but another great source was Lister's publicity department which gave me several pictures of the Dursley plant which also featured the station.     There is also a good shot in the book of the history of Listers which shows the yard during a strike during WW1.  The yard is full of workers but the weighbridge building features quite clearly in the mass of figures.

 

I gave all this information to someone else in the 90s who wanted to model the station.

 

Jim.

[Blobrick]

9 hours ago, justin said:

For a good range of colour pictures in the 1960s I would recommend 

 

Gloucester Midland Lines Part 3 : South by Neil Parkhouse published by Lightmoor Press

 

The Historical Survey of the Midland in Gloucestershire is also good with basic scale track diagrams 

 

Oakwood published a book on the Dursley Branch but I think it is a very thin book so I'm not sure how much information is in it

 

Justin Edwards

Bristol

 

 

Many thanks for the suggestions, Jason, I ve ordered a copy of "Gloucester Midland Lines Part 3", l already have part 1and these are cracking books!

 

Cheers Bob C

[Blobrick]

9 hours ago, DCB said:

I think there are photos in the "Last Days of Steam in Gloucestershire,"  but my copy is buried somewhere in the spae bedroom.  Dursley looks pretty much terminally boring though unless you like factories producing pumps and the like.  Nailsworth looks more interesting.

 

Good morning everyone

 

One of the things I m interested in finding out about, is more on the abandoned original proposal of the line from Dursley toward Bristol.

 

In addition l want to confirm all the types of loco used on the line during the final steam days. eg, the main stay seemed to be ex Midland 1Fs along with 3Fs and 2F Goods 0-6-0 tender loco from Barnwood shed. I ve seen photos of  64xx and 74xx panniers on the line, plus Std 2MT 2-6-0s in the final days, before the final loss of the passenger service in 1962. 

 

Barnwood shed has a single 1P 0-4-4t allocated to it, up until around 1957, which worked the Nailsworth Branch until its closure. Did that loco ever work on the Dursley Branch before it too was withdrawn?

Were there any other one off workings loco unusual locos captured on camera or recorded anywhere?

 

As for Goods traffic on the branch, was that solely worked by the allocated branch engine (normally a 1F), or did specific workings bring in different locos?

 

These are just some of the questions l m trying to find the answers too, l suspect a lot of this information has been lost to time 

 

Cheers Bob C

[KeithHC]

Another source is online. It’s called Dursley Glos web. It has several photos of the whole branch stations etc including both BR class 22 and BR class 14 the 14 is D9500. Just for information the Gallows foot bridge is still in situ well at least is was a couple of days ago when I drove past.

 

Keith

[Blobrick]

16 minutes ago, KeithHC said:

Another source is online. It’s called Dursley Glos web. It has several photos of the whole branch stations etc including both BR class 22 and BR class 14 the 14 is D9500. Just for information the Gallows foot bridge is still in situ well at least is was a couple of days ago when I drove past.

 

Keith

Hi Keith

 

Thanks for the heads up on this site, I ve been in contact with that site owner already, who very kindly sent me enlarged copies of some of the sites photos. This site has been a great source of information and l continually return to it to check on details.

 

I am slowly piecing the motive power history for the line together. So far it seem that ex Midland 1F 0-6-0Ts worked as the Branch locos up until about 1957, when the last were withdrawn from Barnwood. Although the first of the Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0s had arrived at Barnwood by this time, there are one of two photos of ex MR 2F and 3Fs  working the line which l believe are around this date. A some point after, that the Ivatt 2MTs became the standard Branch loco up until the end of steam working.

 

However l have also come across photo of an ex GWR 74xx working the passenger service in Feb 1962?

Was this due to none availability of the booked loco and therefore a rare or once only occurrence?

 

I have found an undated photo showing a 16xx PT taking water on the Branch, i suspect this was a post 1962 freight working, but happy to be proved wrong. This just leaves the undated photos of what l believe to be a 64xx PT working on the Branch to fit into the time frame. Hopefully the copy of  Gloucester Midland Lines Part 3 will help?

 

Bob C

[bécasse]

These ex-MR branches were transferred to the WR post-nationalisation in two "bites". Firstly in 1949(?), they were transferred for commercial and infrastructure purposes but remained part of the Midland (? - not sure about the nomenclature) Operating Area for operational purposes including the provision of locomotives and rolling stock. Secondly, in 1958, they fully became part of the Western Region, and in fairly short-term the use of WR locomotives and rolling stock became the norm.

[Blobrick]

32 minutes ago, bécasse said:

These ex-MR branches were transferred to the WR post-nationalisation in two "bites". Firstly in 1949(?), they were transferred for commercial and infrastructure purposes but remained part of the Midland (? - not sure about the nomenclature) Operating Area for operational purposes including the provision of locomotives and rolling stock. Secondly, in 1958, they fully became part of the Western Region, and in fairly short-term the use of WR locomotives and rolling stock became the norm.

 

Well the 1958 date would fit with the lost of almost all the exMR locos at Barnwood, so that could be the answer?

[sir douglas]

all i know about the Dursley branch is this little tank angine which was used on the line during construction reputedly sold to the contractor from David Joy in 1856, it was then sold to the Dursley comapany in 58 and taken over by the Midland in 61. through many rebuilds and renumberings was hired out many times for industrial and contractor work beofre bieng sold to Bridgewater Navigation Co Ltd of Runcorn in 1883.

 

The identity of it was for many years attributed to E.B.Wilson, not just because it came from Mr Joy but because of its clear EBW styling but is now understood to have ben built in Gloucester

[Wickham Green too]

15 hours ago, DCB said:

..... terminally boring though unless you like factories producing pumps .....

I spent most of my working life in the pump industry ..... never underestimate the things : you wouldn't have drinking water or petrol for your car without them ! - and a lot more essential ( & not so essential ) fluids too.

[justin]

Information on locos working the Dursley branch from the late 1950s onwards is given in Gloucester Locomotive Sheds: Horton Road Barnwood by Steve Bartlett published by Pen and Sword in 2018. The information given is limited, but it does give the summer 1962 loco diagram when it was a LMS Ivatt class 2 2-6-0 duty as well as describing which panniers were regularly used from 1957 when the Midland locos were replaced.

 

Justin Edwards 

Bristol

[Blobrick]

2 hours ago, justin said:

Information on locos working the Dursley branch from the late 1950s onwards is given in Gloucester Locomotive Sheds: Horton Road Barnwood by Steve Bartlett published by Pen and Sword in 2018. The information given is limited, but it does give the summer 1962 loco diagram when it was a LMS Ivatt class 2 2-6-0 duty as well as describing which panniers were regularly used from 1957 when the Midland locos were replaced.

 

Justin Edwards 

Bristol

Thanks Justin

 

That fits in with all of the above, so the picture is a lot clearer thanks to you gentlemen. I am indebted to you all for the information.

 

Many thanks Bob C

[Dancess]

You may find some information on this site

 

https://sites.google.com/view/gloucestershirerailwaymemories/home

[Blobrick]

10 hours ago, Dancess said:

You may find some information on this site

 

https://sites.google.com/view/gloucestershirerailwaymemories/home

 

 

Many thanks Dancess, lots of details re Barnwood MPD

[Compound2632]

Putting "Dursley" into the Midland Railway Study Centre catalogue search turns up a variety of material, much of it pre-grouping of course, but a few photos especially of the engine shed with rebuilt entrance and locos at work on the line in the BR period. Also some listings of old magazine articles, which might be worth tracking down.

[Blobrick]

29 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

Putting "Dursley" into the Midland Railway Study Centre catalogue search turns up a variety of material, much of it pre-grouping of course, but a few photos especially of the engine shed with rebuilt entrance and locos at work on the line in the BR period. Also some listings of old magazine articles, which might be worth tracking down.

Thanks for the link Compound, some interesting photos, l ve not seen before.

 

Bob C