Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[Fat Controller]

Ill be honest, i was told they were called cemetery sidings

Quail suggests 'West Midlands sidings/ Cemetery Sidings'

[The Stationmaster]

Ill be honest, i was told they were called cemetery sidings

Which is also what I have always known them as  (partly because they are not far from the cemetery) - I can't recollect when I first heard that name but have a pretty good idea that it was probably around 1968/69 when a colleague and I had a day at Oxford with the DI.  I can definitely remember Ron, the DI, telling us the names of the Up side sidings at Oxford Station North (the Exchange, and Jericho) so he quite possibly told us about Cemetery Sdgs.

 

The official name on the Oxford Station South Signalbox diagram was 'Down Sidings' however there is one reference, en passant, in Vaughan's book 'Heart of The Great Western' to them as 'West Midland Sdgs'.  The naming in Quail is rather odd - they were not named until the 3rd edition at which time they became 'West Midlands (sic) Sidings'.  In the 4th edition they have become 'West Midlands (sic) /Cemetery Sidings'.  The name 'West Midlands' is obviously incorrect - if anything it should be 'West Midland', i.e. after the railway company of that name (although it only had a life of 3 years, from 1860 to 1863);  as the sidings were used to stable coaching stock for northbound workings that might be how they got that name?

[brianusa]

Just the kind of sidings the the BLS likes.

 

Brian.

[big jim]

a few from today

 

70808 on bescot awaiting fuel

 

getting fuel

 

and departing, noticed the ex chiltern 67 has had its nameplates removed

 

noticed a rake of these in the yard, first time i've seen the ex metronet autoballasters

[HitchinLoco]

Hope you get your points for your card Jim. Good few liters so worth having me thinks.....lol.

 

Still enjoying your thread.

 

Gordon W.

[brian daniels]

It's the "West Midland Sidings" always has been for the 40 years I have been on the footplate. 

 

Here is a picture of a DMU in it in 1980 waiting to form a Banbury service.

 

 

One interesting working that used to use them was a light loco would sit in there early evening to go on the back of a Paddington arrival. The Paddington loco would detach in the platform and go to shed and then the loco, now on the London end, would reverse the stock right up and over Oxford North Jct to the up goods. Then it would go forward up the goods to form a London service. The shunter would be in the rear coach with one hand on the butterfly valve! Remember we did this without radio's as well! As far as I know we did not hit anyone on the crossing to the Trap allotments.

 

Picture of this service reversing over Oxford North Jct and returning up the goods. Note the cleared down goods trackbed the last time it was cleared 15 years ago!

 

 

Edited May 12, 2015 by brian daniels

[big jim]

Aint going to argue with your 40 years experience bryan, ive only been going to oxford for 2 years!!

 

Wasn't you on the shunt job in hinksey this morning was it?

 

Had an interesting occurance this morning, we were a bit late (10 mins) departing hinksey and once out on the mainline we got greens tgrough the station towards wolvercote, there was a 180 unit departing the down platform as we passed through that i assumed was making its way into the down sidings but no, as i passed i noticed there were passengers on board obviously bound for the cotswold line, they held him at OX76 for us to clear wolvercote jn! That doesnt happen very often, passenger being held for a late running freight

Edited May 12, 2015 by big jim

[brian daniels]

Yes it was me in the yard today. Started at 05:00 to take a car train up to Cowley and back first then 2 1/2 hours shunting!

 

Only thing I could find of interest to take a picture of today was this flower in the Hinksey "Nature Reserve"/Yard.

 

Anyone know what it is?

 

[HitchinLoco]

Jim, Talking of shunting yard.  May be a stupid question, but in a big yard dose the signalman/controller allocate which stock goes where.

Or has the driver a plan of the stock arrangement?

This was a Notts Tram in 2011, in the town center, thought it looked slightly diff to your ones Jim.

Gordon W

[big jim]

Didnt realise it was you this morning brian, i did say hello to you though!!

[jbqfc]

Yes it was me in the yard today. Started at 05:00 to take a car train up to Cowley and back first then 2 1/2 hours shunting!

 

Only thing I could find of interest to take a picture of today was this flower in the Hinksey "Nature Reserve"/Yard.

 

Anyone know what it is?

 

flower.jpg

looks like aquilegia very good at self seeding

[Guest B Exam]

This was a Notts Tram in 2011, in the town center, thought it looked slightly diff to your ones Jim.

Gordon W

The tram is one of the original batch (201-215) in the as delivered livery. Since then, they have been refurbished and repainted to match the new trams (216-237) that are about to start squadron service in the next few months when the extentions to Clifton and Chilwell open. The extentions should of opened last Dec, but is heavily delayed until at least August/Sept this year.

[big jim]

A few from the last couple of days

 

Sunday, out of possession in banbury to bescot and back to hinksey l/e, the night i ended up in the west mids sidings in oxford

 

The job was unloading sleepers in readyness for the new high speed entrance to the existing goods line at banbury north jn

 

Over to little bourton where i sat until the possession was lifted

 

Went via birmingham international and stechford to get to bescot, passed an LM 170 at stechford, not quite sure where it was going as i dont think they normally venture this way?

 

After departing bescot it was back to hinksey, stopped in dorridge loop for a while

 

Chiltern 168

 

LM 172

 

As previously mentioned, to oxford into the west mids sidings

 

Next day, hinksey to bescot and back

 

180 passing hinksey

 

Shame this is blurred!

 

70/66 combo

 

Banbury north

 

Chiltern 168

 

Water orton, schenker 60

 

Bescot

 

Its all about the bass, bout the bass, no falcons

 

Stopped in small heath for a while, we were early, this was late which was a result, not managed to photograph one til then!

 

68012

 

70808

 

LM 172

 

Next day, 2 x 70s to bescot and a 'prototype for everything' ideal for those who dont want a full rake of 5 autoballasters, just 2 on the front of our train

 

Water orton, Normally a 60 on this

 

Nice sunny shot

 

Walsall

 

Split off in bescot

 

Freightliner 66s

 

Back out to dorridge, chiltern 67 passing by, no nameplate again

 

Banbury

 

 

Not sure about the chimney on the loco!

 

 

And thats that, paperwork day today, signing off the new driver, road learning tomorrow, expect lots of pics of lower quadrant signals!!

[beast66606]

Excellent stuff as ever Jim.

 

The LM 170 was 5Z99, 08:30, Tyseley - Coventry

[big jim]

been out road learning/refreshing 

 

had a run down to worcester via stourbridge and kidderminster 

 

the weather was so bad i hardly got any pics, it just rained constantly from getting off the train at smethwick until i got back on the train home at new st, of course being in someone elses cab the camera was away

 

just 4 pics

 

worcester forgate St, first time ive ever been there!

 

had a wander down to the road, nice bridge!

 

then went back to droitwich spa for a look, some nice signals here, apparently the one on the other side (facing away from us) has been relocated, it used to be over the same side of the track as im stood!

 

the left arm on the platform end signal takes you into the goods loop, the right takes you on to the signal behind the bridge

 

which in turn sends you left to kidderminster and right towards bromsgrove

 

and that was about it, went back via moor st where 68012 was sat in the platform 

 

going to have another day down at worcester tomorrow, this time going to shrub hill, hopefully it wont rain so much!

[The Stationmaster]

Interesting that Up Starter at Droitwich Spa has been moved over to the left hand side of the line and considerably reduced in height - I wonder if that in fact makes it much harder to see than it was against a sky background, and visible a lot earlier, especially if coming from the Stoke Works direction?

 

If you go back a very long time the Down Main Intermediate Home (the one with the centre pivot arms at the end of the platform) had three dolls as it in effect repeated the Inner Home in advance of it at the divergence of the Stoke Works Line, but it was reduced to two dolls by, probably, the 1930s if not earlier.  Some years ago I was very lucky to find a photo of it (posted below) in a very mixed auction lot - not the best of photos alas but at least somebody got a picture of it before it went.  And I forgot to add - interesting to note that even back then it had a track circuit in rear of it.

 

A bit over 20 years ago I had a less than entertaining battle with lineside shrubbery and stinging nettles in order to get a picture of Droitwich Spa's Up Main Distant which was by then one of the very few worked semaphore distants (other than lower arm) still remaining in use on the WR.

 

Edited May 14, 2015 by The Stationmaster

[Martin-C]

Hi Jim,

I notice in your fine sequence of "70" photos that when the loco and train are stationary, both lower marker lights are active, but the headlight is off. While on the move, when the headlight is activated, the adjacent marker light is off. I'm about to make some circuit changes to my Bachmann loco to enable the LokSound decoder to drive the lights in a similar manner, but before I fire up the soldering iron, can you please confirm that I have a correct understanding of how you use the lights?

 

Thanks in anticipation

 

Martin

[david.hill64]

Love the Droitwich photos. I always looked out for the platform end signals.

[brianusa]

Some things don't change much.  Pictures under the bridge could have been sixty years ago; signal box, semaphores, discs and all that lovely pointwork.  Not a weed in sight either!

 

Brian.

[big jim]

Hi Jim,

I notice in your fine sequence of "70" photos that when the loco and train are stationary, both lower marker lights are active, but the headlight is off. While on the move, when the headlight is activated, the adjacent marker light is off. I'm about to make some circuit changes to my Bachmann loco to enable the LokSound decoder to drive the lights in a similar manner, but before I fire up the soldering iron, can you please confirm that I have a correct understanding of how you use the lights?

 

Thanks in anticipation

 

Martin

 

when the lights are on "marker" you just get the 2 matching markers illuminated, when you put the headlight on the marker on that particular goes off, its nothing to do with being stationary its just me turning off lights!

 

anyway a few from today, much better, drier day

 

galton bridge

 

 

unfortunatly the driver on the train was a post qualified driver so i couldnt ride with him so i got off at kidderminster and waited for the next train to shrub hill

 

had a wander over to the svr as i had an hour to spare

 

73952 in the platform at kiddy

 

28XX arriving in from bridgnorth

 

class 20 ready to set off to bridgnorth, i know the driver on the 20 as he is a colas driver too, had he not had a trainee with him i could have had a ride out to bridgnorth but i needed to get on with my road learning!

 

 

 

28XX running round the train

 

 

back to the station for a train to shrub hill

 

into shrub hill for a look round

 

fine array of signals at the birmingham end of the station

 

FGW heading towards Hereford

 

a LM train arriving into platform 2 on a subsiduary signal as the platform was already occupied

 

platform 2 signal, it has a drop down indicator to tell the driver which route he is going on, in this case birmingham

 

i caught that particular train out to droitwich spa, changed trains and back to foregate st!

 

then walked back over to shrub hill

 

looking back towards norton jn, a LM 172 in the centre stabling road and a witlocks end train in the platform

 

and turning 180 degrees you can see the yellow shunting disc and "banjo" signal 1/2 way down the platform

 

 

london bound 180

 

 

passing a hereford bound 180

 

 

 

that was about it for photos, got a train back to galton bridge and headed home, a fatality at norton bridge delayed me a bit but not by much

 

on a course next week in 'ampshire so not back to road learning til the following week. broke the back of it, a good few hours more round shrub hill though, have a look in the box etc

[Peter Kazmierczak]

If you're in 'ampshire next week, will you be eventually venturing down to Dorset on the Cl.70s Jim?

[big jim]

If you're in 'ampshire next week, will you be eventually venturing down to Dorset on the Cl.70s Jim?

no, on a course, so no trains for me to drive next week, may get a few pics out and about though

[railsquid]

Interesting to see those pics of the Droitwich/Worcester area, used to be my old stomping ground (albeit as an occasional customer passenger). Is there any particular reason why the old semaphore signals have survived in that area so long?

[The Stationmaster]

Interesting to see those pics of the Droitwich/Worcester area, used to be my old stomping ground (albeit as an occasional customer passenger). Is there any particular reason why the old semaphore signals have survived in that area so long?

Really boils down to circumstance and happenstance I think.  After the 1973 rationalisation the mechanical kit was in fairly good order so it was low priority for a resignalling scheme and it seemed to have stayed that way.  I developed a further rationalisation proposal in 1984 and it became an approved scheme on which some work was actually carried out but then it was left in limbo due to lack of engineering resources and it was eventually cancelled.  At the same time I drew up a revised track layout proposal for the whole area and an SFD (Signalling facilities Drawing) was done for that but there was no formal authority to develop a scheme - or even prepare estimates - due to shortage of funds, so that one also died a death.

 

Subsequently - in post 'big railway' employment I had two more (separate) cracks at producing a scheme proposal, one of which was in connection with a review of facilities should the new Parkway station go ahead and the other was for some other local council ideas plus increasing reliability and capacity on the Cotswold Line.  By then - almost 20 years on from my first crack at it - things had changed drastically and I had therefore moved on from pulling things out layout wise to putting a  few things in.  Some of the latter actually happened - but almost certainly not entirely off my detailed proposals as it's a bit different from my ideas - with the Cotswold Line doubling a few years after that although the signalling design for that was done by the office where I had been working on a consultancy basis.

 

Now I understand the Worcester are is to be subsumed into the new 'signalling centre' or whatever it's called in the West Midlands. 

[hammy]

Sorry for the odd question Jim but do colas currently have a pair of 50's on hire as a pair passed Kingsbury today ( green and NSE ) with wagons I'm sure I normally see behind a 56