The Stationmaster Has Been to an Auction -

[jwealleans]

Some GW area tanks were brown with yellow lettering - is it possible it's that colour with the lettering getting a bit shabby? I've not got a lot of information on milk tanks, especially foreign ones.

[buffalo]

Some GW area tanks were brown with yellow lettering - is it possible it's that colour with the lettering getting a bit shabby? I've not got a lot of information on milk tanks, especially foreign ones.

Quite possible. On the same page of Russell's Appendix is a photo of no 2021, a six-wheeler to diagram O35 (lot 1473, 1931). It is painted for West Park Dairy and he says "The painting is said to be brown with yellow letters..." Compared with the white GW lettering on the side boards, the yellow looks very faint, even in this 'as built' photo.

 

Nick

Edited November 4, 2013 by buffalo

[Oldddudders]

Quite possible. On the same page of Russell's Appendix is a photo of no 2021, a six-wheeler to diagram O35 (lot 1473, 1931). It is painted for West Park Dairy and he says "The painting is said to be brown with yellow letters..." Compared with the white GW lettering on the side boards, the yellow looks very faint, even in this 'as built' photo.

 

 

Mike King concurs with those colours for West Park Dairy, specifically chocolate brown. [southern built two tanks for them at Ashford in 1935, but by the time they were ready WPD had been taken over by Express.]

[The Stationmaster]

Looks possibly like the 'Shirt-button' to me.  I cannot see any evidence of 'Great' xxx 'Western' and what ever is in the centre of the tender is probably too small and too regular to be a crest??

I am inclined to it being shirt button but it really is too indistinct to be sure.

[jjnewitt]

Interesting photo of the Milk Tank. Numbers 2001-12 were built under diagram O.23 for United Dairies in 1927. They were quite short and I think had a 10' 6" wheelbase. Numbers 2001-10 were converted to diagram O.44 in 1936 whilst 2011/2 were converted to diagram O.38, again in 1936. Converted might in fact be a bit misleading as I don't think much aside from the tank survived. There are some nice pictures of these wagons in their 4 wheel state in the British Railways Illustrated article "On the Milk". The tanks on the O.23 were owned by the diary and continued to be way byond conversion to six wheel vehicles. The original writing on them was as follows:

 

  Glass Lined 

United Dairies

  Milk Tank

 

If anyone is interested in milk tank diagrams there is a download available from the rescources section on my website.

 

Justin

[jjnewitt]

The shot of W8075 is of interest - to me, at any rate.  What, one might ask, is a full first doing at PPRD next to an auto trailer?

 

The answer, I think, stems from the abolition of first class on London suburban services during World War 2.  A lot of the 8 compartment firsts were sent out into the country and declassified.  Many ended up in South Wales, particularly in the Newport Division, and show up in photographs well into the 1950s.  Henry Casserley photographed one at Tredegar in July 1958 whilst in South Wales for a SLS railtour.  It looks as though it was formed in a workmen's train.  Coal miners travelling first class?!  Why W8075 still has its first class markings in 1952 is a puzzle.  

 

The coach next to it is a Hawksworth suburban third, almost straight out of the box.  It does not have the lining that was abolished at around that time.

 

Methinks the Stationmaster is sitting on a treasure trove!

 

Chris

Hi Chris,

 

There was a daily workman's train to Glascoed which passed through Pontypool Road which was mainly formed of non-corridor coaches. It's possible that this is the train featured in the picture of W8075. Mike G of this parish has been building coaches for it to run on Little Mill Junction. There's a fireman's account of the train on the Newport Model Railway Society's webpages.

 

Justin

[chrisf]

Justin, you've prompted me to digress again!  I thought about the Glascoed service when I posted my comment and did a bit of digging.  In summer 1956 there were four - from Brynmawr, Ystrad Mynach, Newport/Blaenavon and Rhymney.  Later the Rhymney and Ystrad Mynach trains were combined at Crumlin Junction.  I like the reference in the carriage working programme to "upholstered stock"!

 

Chris

[beast66606]

With greatest emphasis on the top link main-line locomotives (which makes Mike's collection all the more interesting and valuable).  On top of which comes the propensity (exacerbated by the railway press) to focus on special and unusual workings, and neglect the routine day in, day out services.

 

Future railway historians (if ever they exist) may be forgiven for thinking our recent locomotive fleets were dominated by Virgin class 57s, heritage steam services outnumber multiple units and the hub of the modern network is Dawlish!

 

Exactly why I photograph everything - even the mundane

[big jim]

indeed, beast has been known to take more photos in a day than i took the whole first 2 years of my first sons life!!

[TheSignalEngineer]

Exactly why I photograph everything - even the mundane

I find that looking back at some of my old pictures the stuff in the background is much more interesting than the subject, like an old SR brake van on the West Highland or a maroon Stanier coach with blue Warship at Plymouth.

[Coach bogie]

There is a copy of the 4089 at Patchway image in the Soole collection, one of many he took in the period 1933-39 though most of his Patchway collection date from 1936 0nwards.

 

Mike Wiltshire

[The Stationmaster]

There is a copy of the 4089 at Patchway image in the Soole collection, one of many he took in the period 1933-39 though most of his Patchway collection date from 1936 0nwards.

 

Mike Wiltshire

Thank you for that Mike - I wondered if it might be although it seems he also sold the photos commercially as separate images as well as them subsequently going into books.

 

I haven't had a chance to do any scanning for several days past but hope to get back to work this weekend - starting with a couple of station views on commercial postcards which predate 1914.

[kesrbobby]

Hi,

I am the archivist to the three ex-GWR engines now at the Kent & East Sussex Railway and I am researching their histories. Is there any possibility of obtaining a copy of the picture of 5668?

Also, if you come across any of 4253 or 6619 I would be interested in obtaining copies of those as well.  4253 seems to have been particularly camera shy....

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Phil Edwards (volunteer signalman K&ESR)
 

[The Stationmaster]

Hi,

 

I am the archivist to the three ex-GWR engines now at the Kent & East Sussex Railway and I am researching their histories. Is there any possibility of obtaining a copy of the picture of 5668?

 

Also, if you come across any of 4253 or 6619 I would be interested in obtaining copies of those as well.  4253 seems to have been particularly camera shy....

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Phil Edwards (volunteer signalman K&ESR)

 

Phil

 

You're quite welcome to take a copy off this thread if you wish.  If you want one to original scan size please PM me your email address.  N.B.  I am not at all sure what the copyright situation is with the picture so you would need to take care/not do it if you intend to use if for commercial purposes.

[kesrbobby]

Phil

 

You're quite welcome to take a copy off this thread if you wish.  If you want one to original scan size please PM me your email address.  N.B.  I am not at all sure what the copyright situation is with the picture so you would need to take care/not do it if you intend to use if for commercial purposes.

Mike,

 

PM sent.  Thanks.

 

Phil

[Shadow]

Interesting photo of the Milk Tank. Numbers 2001-12 were built under diagram O.23 for United Dairies in 1927. They were quite short and I think had a 10' 6" wheelbase. Numbers 2001-10 were converted to diagram O.44 in 1936 whilst 2011/2 were converted to diagram O.38, again in 1936. Converted might in fact be a bit misleading as I don't think much aside from the tank survived. There are some nice pictures of these wagons in their 4 wheel state in the British Railways Illustrated article "On the Milk". The tanks on the O.23 were owned by the diary and continued to be way byond conversion to six wheel vehicles. The original writing on them was as follows:

 

  Glass Lined 

United Dairies

  Milk Tank

 

If anyone is interested in milk tank diagrams there is a download available from the rescources section on my website.

 

Justin

 

Using a photo editor, you can just make out the words.

 

 

[nickjpb813]

hello,

Would it be possible to use a copy of PTR15/ GWR816 for the GWR 813 Fund website??

You will be credited.

Many Thanks

 

 

NIck

http://www.gwr813.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Phil Copleston]

The first of these was this one which was noted as 'ex Cambrian' when it obviously isn't!  It is GWR 1677 which was previously B& M No.20 and was withdrawn in 1928 and was probably copied from an old negative (a glass negative perhaps?)

 

img391 - GWR 1677 ex B&M No.20 wdwn 1928.jpg

 

The first location looks like Machynlleth which may be why it was presumed to be ex-Cambrian. 

 

Yes I know I'm a bit late in coming to this thread - but better late than never! Great photos, by the way. Very useful for my Cambrian modelling. Please post some more from this collection.

 

I can confirm that the first photo in this thread is indeed of GWR 0-6-2ST No.1677, ex-B&M No.20, seen at Machynlleth. The location is confirmed by the well-known quarry cliff as the backdrop to the loco yard in this view. The mainlines are at a slightly higher level in the middle ground, while the loco is seen at the east end of the station yard shunting the sidings leading to the 'lower yard' (dropping down to the Corris station), and often used for carriage storage as can be seen here behind the loco.

 

The reason why this loco is far from home turf is that the former Brecon & Merthyr found itself as part of the Central Wales Division of the GWR after Grouping, and thus their locos were repaired at Oswestry Works. B&M No.20 was known to have worked around Machynlleth and Barmouth in the mid-1920s. There's another photo of GWR 1677/B&M No.20 (from the other side) but at Barmouth Junction, published in CC Green's book 'Cambrian Railways Album -2' (Ian Allan, 1981) p16, centre left.

 

Great photo. Another interesting GWR 'oddity' for my 1927-era Cambrian layout!  

Edited February 27, 2015 by Phil Copleston

[Miss Prism]

On 27/10/2013 at 15:18, The Stationmaster said:

Now turning the clock back a good many years we find a beautifully clean Metro tank in relatively early condition (but some way from original, the class underwent many changes) - location unknown.

 

 

Acocks Green?

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by Miss Prism
link added

[2251]

It does look rather like it - but if it is, that train is running "bang road" on the Down Main.

[mikejames]

if it is acocks green (and I don't recognise it)

then the first section of 'four track' ( I think it was just to Olton?) had the two up lines together and the two down lines similarly placed-

and they were swaped to alternate up down up down (and a siding)

either when the north warwick line was opened or the four track was extended further south.

I dont remember which.

So if in that period it is 'right line'.

mike james

[kandc_au]

On 04/11/2013 at 10:50, The Stationmaster said:

Right - just scraping into Sunday as I type and a really mixed bag.

 

First we have GWR  tank wagon No. 2010 on an unknown date at an unknown location and thanks to Nick (Buffalo) we know a bit more, viz -

Russell's Appendix fig 132 shows no 2003, Lot 1387, Diagram O23, built 1927, and looking pretty much identical to the photo of 2010, though the tank appears aluminium coloured. Apparently, 2003 was later converted to a six wheeler to diagram O44. See also the 1930 dates on 2010's solebars.

 

Similar side boards with GW, number and Tare appear on tanks assigned to dairies around 1930, so the "Milk Tank" lettering may mean just that. 

 

 

Now we have it all - this photographer clearly noted everything and the note managed to stay with the print for years, don't forget to click on teh picture to enlarge it

 

 

 

I didn't realise that there were non-corridor toplights!
Khris

[Chuffed 1]

On 24/01/2021 at 16:33, Miss Prism said:

 

Acocks Green?

 

Wasn’t Acocks Green accessed from the road bridge, hence no need for a footbridge?

Apologies if already commented, but the Metro at Oxford’s B set is clearly labelled Fairford Branch.