Caia Road Goods Station, Wrexham

[westernviscount]

I have made a start on a layout representing the real location of Caia Road Goods Station, Wrexham, North Wales. 

 

The goods yard was on the line between Wrexham and Ellesmere. It was situated between Wrexham Central and Hightown Halt. There is little evidence of it being there except part of the embankment. 

 

The embankment next to tool station heads away towards Ellesmere (up). A bridge carried the railway over Salop road on the right. 

 

The national library of Scotland holds excellent 25inch to the mile maps. Above is the track plan Intend to model. I will include from the crossover at the West end to the bridge at the East end (Ellesmere direction).

 

The row of terraced houses at the North of the shed on Caia Road are still in situ. 

 the houses and road are as they would have been, with the track bed on the left. The far end bungalow on the left in the distance marks the site of the goods shed. 

 

Behind me as I take the above photo, down the hill to high town road is the site of the next bridge on the line, which will mark the end of the modelled scene. 

 

At the top of the embankment is the below capping stone which has been recovered from the original bridge and moved into this position. 

 

The trackbed continues toward Marchwiel and some items of railway history can still be seen. A this path crossed the track and the fence/gate post is still in place. 

[westernviscount]

Baseboard frames and legs have been built with help from Dad (here demonstrating the excellent leaning height) 

The string marks the direction angle of the track. As the trackplan is dead straight, I wanted an angle to give more interest. From this level, the embankment will be built up using formers. The upside down track is to visualisation!

 

The layout will be 00, using SMP track and handbuilt turnouts. 

 Two of the locos which will feature are the excellent airfix locos, in the family for 40 odd years (a tad longer than me). 

 

I am currently upgrading the two locos which I am recording on the following thread. 

 

[Graham T]

This looks interesting.  I'm assuming that you'll have some sort of fiddle yard at one or both ends?

 

[Mark Forrest]

I like the look of this, nice depth to those baseboards too.  A reminder that even a basic two sidings and a loop takes up quite a lot of space!

Are you building it to scale length or will there be some degree of selective compression of the scene?

[westernviscount]

2 hours ago, Graham T said:

This looks interesting.  I'm assuming that you'll have some sort of fiddle yard at one or both ends?

 

 

Hi Graham. Yes, in club format there will be a small hinged fiddle at each end and in exhibition mode a full length fiddle at each end to accommodate at least 2 coach trains hauled by a tank engine. 

[westernviscount]

1 hour ago, Mark Forrest said:

I like the look of this, nice depth to those baseboards too.  A reminder that even a basic two sidings and a loop takes up quite a lot of space!

Are you building it to scale length or will there be some degree of selective compression of the scene?

 

Cheers Mark. Yes, modelling the real railway always requires space. The actual site from the crossover at teh Wrexham Central end and the bridge at the Marchwiel end fits onto 14ft. I have 12ft to play with so will compress a small amount off the Wrexham end and the majority off the siding lengths, attempting to keep the feel of scale length. 

 

I am going to elevate the track about 8cm and then work down and up from that height. I believe th erailway bridges were about 16 to 17ft tall. The bridges in the town displayed a maximum clearance of 15ft 9in which I assume has some room to play with. The bridge next to Wrexham central station was over a steep incline which needed to allow trams underneath. This will not be part of the model. 

[Captain Kernow]

I like the look of this - right up my street!

 

[westernviscount]

2 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

I like the look of this - right up my street!

 

Yes I think it is an interesting project. I grew up a few hundred yardd ftkm the site but sadly the line was gone. I remember the bridges being in situ in the town until 1995.

 

For a branch line there was a considerable amount of infrastructure built through thetown and out to Ellesmere. 

[westernviscount]

Here is some of the stonework still in situ behind the embankment. 

 

The leather stood right next to the retaining wall. I presume the brick part was used to shore up whilst the railway was still running. 

 

 

The above shot was taken from rivulet road and shows the remains of the tannery fabric. In the background is the railway embankment, wrexham towards the left. 

Edited May 16, 2023 by westernviscount

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Not being an expert in the area or GWR kettles, what era are you modelling?

 

Mike.

[westernviscount]

11 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Not being an expert in the area or GWR kettles, what era are you modelling?

 

Mike.

Hi Mike,

 

A bit of a change in era for me. I am going with late 50s early 60s. It was closed to passengers in '62 but the section I am modelling through to marchwiel and the industrial estate was closed in 1981. 

 

I'll be going for mainly 14xx, panniers and prairies. Some were auto fitted I am told. I am no expert, but fancied a change. 

 

A 9f hauled fuel tankers to the industrial estate apparently, then class 40s. I would not be averse to assuming Caia road goods stayed open until the late 60's so my class 25s can get a look in. The site of the goods yard had definitely gone by the mid 70s. 

[westernviscount]

 

Just past hightown halt on the way to marchwiel was Kingsmills viaduct. It had stone piers and a girder bridge. About half a mile from Caia Road goods so not being modelled but interesting all the same. Little remains. 

[westernviscount]

Back to the site of the goods yard...

 

The first bungy is directly on the site of the goods shed. I have struggled to find clear images of the shed. The clearest one is in the oakwood press book on the line and doesnt show much except the canopy (wagons did not go through the shed) 

 

Below, I am up on the embankment looking towards Wrexham Central. The line went over a girder bridge, onto another embankment then onto brick arches into the town centre. 

The smaller white buulding slightly to the right of centre was in place when the railway was in situ. Embankment then arches passed straight through where the more modern building is (now 30 odd years old). The Europart one to be precise. There was another bridge by the chimney in the distance (soames brewery)  then the arches curved around the parish church, over a bridge, onto arches, over another bridge and into Wrexham Central. 

Edited May 16, 2023 by westernviscount

[westernviscount]

The picture above, from the top of the embankment is taken from the right of this map, looking along the line. 

 

The crossover is in the middle of the europart carpark, perhaps a little further. 

 

The mainline is actually a single bi directional line. This is the one to the south on the map. The line on the Mount street side goes to the goods shed on the right and all the way to Wrexham central but is used as a headshunt/siding. 

 

The headshunt had a wheel stop in the middle unlocked at Wrexham Central South box. Coaches were sometimes parked at the wrexham end. The headshunt could be used as an approach to the goods sheds with trains propelled from Wrexham I THINK! 

Edited May 16, 2023 by westernviscount

[Captain Kernow]

I take it you are already aware of the National Library of Scotland mapping site?

 

[westernviscount]

19 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

I take it you are already aware of the National Library of Scotland mapping site?

 

Yes, it is superb. The 25 inch to 1 mile map is excellent. I have managed to take some footprint dimensions for the goods shed and worked out some other key measurements. I home to work out how to use Templot and use the map in conjunction. 

[marc smith]

This looks a really interesting project.
Although the line is sadly long gone, and you say there's not much left - but the embankments, buttresses and walls you have found give you some sense of what you're trying to achieve. These details are at least some tangible details, and it will be quite a nice touch to include these, which will help give the layout a sense of the real location.

Best of luck with it, I'm looking forward to seeing this progress

[westernviscount]

3 hours ago, marc smith said:

This looks a really interesting project.
Although the line is sadly long gone, and you say there's not much left - but the embankments, buttresses and walls you have found give you some sense of what you're trying to achieve. These details are at least some tangible details, and it will be quite a nice touch to include these, which will help give the layout a sense of the real location.

Best of luck with it, I'm looking forward to seeing this progress

 

Thanks Mark. Yes, I am very much into this project at the moment and looking forward to getting the track bed built then building the topography around it. 

 

 

Here is the most substantial bit left in the town. The protruding section is where the bridge used to cross and will give me the width of the bridges to be built on the layout. 

 

[westernviscount]

Here is a view of Caia Road with the goods shed on the left (end bungalow) and the line of the railway clearly shown. 

The Terraced houses on the left will form the backscene to the goods yard. 

[westernviscount]

Here is a youtube vid of pictures I wouldnt otherwise be able to post. From 5.52 start the wrexham to ellesmere pictures with 7.50 showing Caia Road goods shed itself. 

 

 

[westernviscount]

Whilst I reflect on a disappointing paint job on the first 14xx for Caia Road, I thought I would share some good books on the subject at hand

Great photos in the Middleton book. The cover features the loco I am currently attempting to model, 1423

 

 

The Jenkins and Strange book is excellent and features the second 14xx I am modelling 1458. 

 

My Dad also has a BR book which describes the operation of the yard in terms of the rules. 

[westernviscount]

A slight amount of progress with the first uprights to carry the trackbed put in place. 

 

Looking down the line towards Wrexham, stood on what will be Caia road. 

 

[Sitham Yard]

I happened to notice in David Larkin's latest book that shock-absorbing high goods wagon W139308 is recorded as being marked "EMPTY OR LOADED TO WREXHAM, CAIA WR. There may well have been others. Is this of any use?

Andrew   

[sb67]

Hi David, just found your thread. That looks a great project and you've made a cracking start. You've done a good bit of research so I'm sure it will be a fine layout. I'll follow this with interest. 

[westernviscount]

1 hour ago, Sitham Yard said:

I happened to notice in David Larkin's latest book that shock-absorbing high goods wagon W139308 is recorded as being marked "EMPTY OR LOADED TO WREXHAM, CAIA WR. There may well have been others. Is this of any use?

Andrew   

Hi Sitham, thank you for the info. This is really useful and I am more hopeful that pics and info will start to trickle in. Can I ask the title of the book? Is it one of Larkin's aquired wagons titles? 

 

Many thanks again.