Woofferton Junction & Tenbury.

[Methuselah]

I am modelling the small lost junction station of Woofferton Junction on the Welsh Marches Line in 4mm, with the infrastructure set to the Edwardian period. Part of the branch line to Tenbury will also be modelled. Woofferton requires at least fifty feet overall to include the goods loops north of the signal cabin, though Tenbury needs somewhat less. The actual lines will not be distorted or truncated in the areas modelled, except the branch will have, effectively, great chunks removed to shorten the link betwixt the junction and Tenbury itself. As ever - some compromises are always necessary.

 

Seen here below are the newly completed buildings for Tenbury Station, made for me by a friend with far more expertise than I will ever possess.....!

 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by Methuselah
Edited as it's been relocated to an existing thread.

[Darius43]

9 hours ago, Methuselah said:

I have searched the forums listed, but, oddly, have not been able to find a Forum Thread on this specific subject.

I think you will find that this topic fits the bill.

 

 

Darius

[Methuselah]

5 hours ago, Darius43 said:

I think you will find that this topic fits the bill.

 

 

Darius

That only seems to Link to a graphic - I can't find an actual specific page. Do you have a direct HyperLink please...?

 

[Dungrange]

1 hour ago, Methuselah said:

Do you have a direct HyperLink please...?

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/148-modelling-real-locations/

[Methuselah]

55 minutes ago, Dungrange said:

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/148-modelling-real-locations/

Many thanks. A moderator seems to have relocated this, so I have also re-titled it now.

 

[Darius43]

2 hours ago, Methuselah said:

That only seems to Link to a graphic - I can't find an actual specific page. Do you have a direct HyperLink please...?

 

I suppose if you are over 900 years old you have trouble finding things hiding in plain sight.

 

Darius

[jamieb]

The buildings look very impressive and I look forward to seeing this progress.

What era will it be?

[Methuselah]

10 minutes ago, jamieb said:

The buildings look very impressive and I look forward to seeing this progress.

What era will it be?

All the infrastructure will be set in the Edwardian period, but apart from some very minor changes to signalling, nothing changed right up until closure, so I can easily get away with running later stuff.

 

[jamieb]

7 minutes ago, Methuselah said:

All the infrastructure will be set in the Edwardian period, but apart from some very minor changes to signalling, nothing changed right up until closure, so I can easily get away with running later stuff.

 

Sounds interesting.Will you be running GW and LNWR ?

[Methuselah]

11 hours ago, jamieb said:

Sounds interesting.Will you be running GW and LNWR ?

Yes - on the main Hereford & Shrewsbury line. However, by the Edwardian period, the branch seems to have been operated exclusively by the GWR. The LNWR/LMS did have running rights as far as Tenbury, bit seem not to have exercised them.

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by Methuselah

[Methuselah]

Here are a selection of images of the 1:1 Tenbury. The core part of the track design isn't overly long, but there was a headhunt for the yard that throws the length much further out. Fortunately, the building will be sized to accommodate Woofferton primarily, so Tenbury will fit easily along the other wall.  ;-

[46256]

I shall be following this topic, my son moved to Tenbury some years ago. My wife and I often visit him and his family, driving past Newnham Bridge station, being careful as it’s a favoured location for a speed camera van.

This station,  ( now private dwelling, but tastefully converted) as you are aware is just down the line towards Bewdley, from Tenbury. I’ve  tried to locate the site of Tenbury station, now sadly an industrial area. There is a lovely little museum in Tenbury. On becoming aware of this area through my son, I purchased a copy of the book The Tenbury and Bewdley Railway by Keith Beddoes and William H Smith. I was surprised by the volume of traffic it conveyed during the war years as a useful alternative line to the Midlands.

[Methuselah]

On 05/04/2023 at 19:25, 46256 said:

I shall be following this topic, my son moved to Tenbury some years ago. My wife and I often visit him and his family, driving past Newnham Bridge station, being careful as it’s a favoured location for a speed camera van.

This station,  ( now private dwelling, but tastefully converted) as you are aware is just down the line towards Bewdley, from Tenbury. I’ve  tried to locate the site of Tenbury station, now sadly an industrial area. There is a lovely little museum in Tenbury. On becoming aware of this area through my son, I purchased a copy of the book The Tenbury and Bewdley Railway by Keith Beddoes and William H Smith. I was surprised by the volume of traffic it conveyed during the war years as a useful alternative line to the Midlands.

The Tenbury Branch was always rather a backwater. Some traffic, such as Hops, fruit and other farm produce was very seasonal. There was some mineral traffic off the DPLR, from Cleobury eastwards. Most of the wartime traffic was related to the US military hospitals around Kington - especially after D-Day. Basically, all of the branch's stations are remarkably intact, except for, ironically, Tenbury itself, of which, literally nothing remains. Photos attached from two days ago, taken looking west, towards Woofferton, from the parapet of the Lee Hill Road bridge, all that remain on the site.

.

Edited April 20, 2023 by Methuselah

[46256]

Since replying to this topics some months ago. My wife and I, at our sons suggestion, are relocating to Tenbury. This has resulted in my dismantling my layout in the loft. This was a depiction , of my childhood village Water Orton. A major junction north east of Birmingham. Hopefully ,rising like a phoenix when we do take up residence in our new home will be a model of the station just up the line from Water Orton, namely Coleshill (Forge mills). 
The station at Newnham Bridge always fascinates though every time we currently drive through en route to house viewings.

[ianb3174]

I had occassion to visit Neen Sollars station a few years back. It's a private dwelling and the owner has made a very sympathetic restoration, even removing some extra windows added by the previous owner. I had a look round platform side and he showed me some photo albums which documented what he'd done to it. 

He had hoped that Newnham Bridge would be similarly restored. At least it hasn't been bulldozed. 

Cleobury Mortimer and Wyre Forest Halt buildings also survive as private residences.

[Captain Kernow]

This is a wonderful part of the world, interesting railways and some very good modelling going on here!

 

[Methuselah]

This project is still progressing in fits and farts. I've got loads of locos and stock together, and the infrastructure items are coming on apace. The big stumbling block is still getting the outbuildings extended to house the diorama, and there are Planning issues involved, as the house is Listed. The woodshed, when rebuilt and extended to accomodate Woofferton, needs to be over fifty feet long, even in 4mm. This is more than ample for Tenbury, but still a squeeze for Woofferton. It'll be fully insulated and heated, and the diorama itself will all be sectional - not for exhibition purposes - but because I want the diorama to have a chance of surviving my inevitable demise - unlike so many which end-up destroyed. Naturally, I'm champing at the bit, but I hope to see the building itself complete in the Spring. Then it'll be 'all hands to the pumps'...!

[46256]

Hello Methuselah 

 

Are you aware of any photographs of the line  /  bridge that would have been over the A49 by the present Salway Arms . I have travelled around that area a lot recently and can follow the remains of the line…removed bridges, embankments etc? I assume the line would have crossed over the A49 and run towards Wooferton station where the present service station is. I look forward to your reply

 

best wishes Brian 

[Methuselah]

3 hours ago, 46256 said:

Hello Methuselah 

 

Are you aware of any photographs of the line  /  bridge that would have been over the A49 by the present Salway Arms . I have travelled around that area a lot recently and can follow the remains of the line…removed bridges, embankments etc? I assume the line would have crossed over the A49 and run towards Wooferton station where the present service station is. I look forward to your reply

 

best wishes Brian 

     Hi Brian,

                      I have put a Link to a very useful Facebook Group below. There are hundreds of images of the Tenbury Branch - and much other usefull info' ;- 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/656045037934245  (You will need to be logged-in to FB to see and join this Group.)

 

     Years ago, the A49 passed much closer to the front of the pub - really through the present pub car-park in fact. The remains of the masonry bridge are still just visible if you look at the lawns of the service-station opposite the corner of the pub, though, doubtless, the bridge would have been relatively narrow. The bridge passed OVER the railway - and the line was in a shallow cutting at that point. If you look to the east of the road junction there, the trackbed is still there. West of the A49, most of the old trackbed and goods yard have sadly been redeveloped. Thus far, no image of the old road overbridge has materialised.

 

     The NLS website shows how it was all laid-out, and you can fade this back & forth with the current aerial image too. Link here ;-  https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.31170&lon=-2.71147&layers=168&b=1

(See aalso attached image.)

 

     Cheers,

                       Stephen.

 

=================================================================================================

 

 

 

 

 

[46256]

Sincere thanks Stephen

 

I would never have guessed that the railway went under the road! Your old map shows it clearly. I will be in the area a lot in the coming weeks, pending a house move to Tenbury ( I know I never thought it would take this long, but nearly there)

 

best wishes Brian

[big jim]

1 hour ago, 46256 said:

 

I would never have guessed that the railway went under the road

same here, Ive been looking out for the remains of an embankment every time I’ve passed by!

 

I only recently discovered the old canal in the area too, from the train there looks to be a junction about 1/2 mile south of wooferton station given the line of the trees and the road is called tunnel lane but I couldn’t see any record of a railway there then I looked on railmaponline’s canal subsection and noticed it was in fact the canal which after closure looks like it became part of the trackbed of the line to tenbury just after the pub/A49 

 

 

http://www.lostlabours.co.uk/canal/images/lostlines.pdf

 

 

Edited February 11 by big jim

[Methuselah]

5 hours ago, 46256 said:

Sincere thanks Stephen

 

I would never have guessed that the railway went under the road! Your old map shows it clearly. I will be in the area a lot in the coming weeks, pending a house move to Tenbury ( I know I never thought it would take this long, but nearly there)

 

best wishes Brian

Thanks Brian,

                            Good Luck - house moves are frustratingly stressful at the best of times....!

 

Cheers,

                   Stephen.

[Methuselah]

4 hours ago, big jim said:

same here, Ive been looking out for the remains of an embankment every time I’ve passed by!

 

I only recently discovered the old canal in the area too, from the train there looks to be a junction about 1/2 mile south of wooferton station given the line of the trees and the road is called tunnel lane but I couldn’t see any record of a railway there then I looked on railmaponline’s canal subsection and noticed it was in fact the canal which after closure looks like it became part of the trackbed of the line to tenbury just after the pub/A49 

 

 

http://www.lostlabours.co.uk/canal/images/lostlines.pdf

 

 

 

     Hi Jim,

                     The canal was never really finished, and only used between Mamble and Leominster. After it became moribund, it was purchased by the railway company, though in fact, only a few short stretched of the original canal alighnment were used for the Tenbury Branch. A lot of the canal structures - both briidges, tunnels and aquaducts - as well as buildings - still exist. There's even a few short stretched with water in after a hundred and sixty-five years or so....

     If you look on You Tube, there are a number of videos about the remnants, and there is also a society based around the old canal.

 

     Cheers,

                        Stephen.

[Methuselah]

NB ;- Although I can't really post much here on progress at the moment - until I erect the new building to house the diorama - I do also have a blog which I occasionally add to, which can be accessed via my RMweb Profile here ;-

 

 https://www.rmweb.co.uk/profile/32202-methuselah/?tab=node_blog_blog , which as well as addressing the build of this diorama - strays into subjects of a more general nature.

 

     A current blog is starting to look at Tractive Effort ;-

 

     As all the storage and fiddle will be under the main boards - I have, perforce, to have gradients. That's a huge potential for problems, so I'm trying to quantify what locos are actually able to pull - and what it takes to pull prototypical trains of 'X' configuration. I've only just started on this evaluation of Tractive Effort, and I can see that it's going to bubble away for some time. It's an issue on the level, but if my gradients are not practicable, it could ruin my project - I'm not concerned about anything theoretical - only hard practical results. Thus far, I've only tested a few locos - but the results have been very interesting. When I have found my digital scales - I will add weights too - and expand the tests beyond the few locos tested so far. Go to the blog to discuss if interested.

 

S.

[Methuselah]

   

Update 27th March, 2024 ;- Harp Bank Cottage, Tenbury Wells.

 

     I haven't posted here for a while. There were only two buildings left to model at Tenbury. One was the small Harp Bank Cottage, seen here below, right next to the bridge carrying the GWR branch line under Clee Hill Road. This was cottage was built by the canal company in 1794, which was later taken-over by the railway to build the branch partly upon in the 1860's.      

     This is pictured below, in both 1:1 scale and 4mm. Certainly, in the post-war era, the Tenbury signalman lived in this cottage. This is the only remaining railway-related structure at Tenbury, apart from the road bridge itself, and both may now be on borrowed time.

 

     This only leaves the small Tenbury West signal cabin to be made for Tenbury. This was removed during the inter-war period when all the signalling at Tenbury was simplified. Since my target date for all the infrastructure is around 1912, it must be included. Only a single photo has been found, but fortunately, there are a number of very similar structures still remaining - for now - on the old H&S.....and long may they remain. This will be the next structure, and the last for Tenbury.

 

     All credit for these lovely building goes entirely to my friend and other local,  John Woodhall - an absolute maestro. Just the little signal cabin to go, then we are onto Woofferton itself. The scope of the diorama only really covers the railway itself, so hardly any non-railway structures will need to be modelled.

 

     Progress is still slow, whilst awaiting the erection of the building to house the model railway - then I can go full-throttle on the diorama itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27 by Methuselah
Spacing.