Thame station

[unravelled]

I’m currently trying to find out some more information about Thame station, for my “Wylde” layout build. I have the two obvious books on the Oxford-Princes Risborough line, the OPC volume by R Lingard, and the Middleton Press one, but would be interested in any other resources in modelling/railway magazines. The timeframe  I’m most interested for the model xis 1956-65, to tie in with my steam spotting/photographing days.

I’ve found  a few prototype photos on the web, and some information about the S gauge exhibition layout, but little else.

There are a couple of specific things I’m interested in. One concerns the bay lines, the other the colour scheme. I believe that the South (down side) bay line predates the building of  extra cattle pens, so was that bay ever used for passenger services? Similarly, the North bay line served the original cattle dock, and I think end loading bank, but would it ever have seen passenger use. Regarding the colour scheme, I know that the station signs would have been brown/cream in my timeframe, but I think at one stage they may have been blue/white. If so when and why? My only solid evidence for this is my Wheatley sign which has been blue at some time before closure, the subsequent brown paint having almost all flaked off.

Thanks

Dave

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

Trackplan and also photos appear in one of the OPC "Historical Survey" series. Can't tell you which because I have them in store elsewhere.

 

I am 99% sure that none of the sidings was ever a passenger bay platform.

 

What sort of Wheatley sign have you got? Nothing put up in BR days (totem) would have been blue. That could be an undercoat. Some London area stations on the WR had black enamel signs.

[David Bigcheeseplant]

I have quite a bit of info on Thame plus photos, I will see what I have when I get home,

 

The Blue signs at Wheatley may well have been GWR enamel white on blue background used at some stations around the late 1900s, by the 1950s I am sure Thame had standard wooden screwed on letters white on black.

 

Thame was built as a terminus with just a single platform where the second platform was there was a engine shed.

[unravelled]

Sorry  I forgot to mention that book, which was one of my starting points.

 

This is the current state of the unrestored sign, bought by my father from the scrap dealers clearing the station. 40 years of weathering has stripped off the brown coat.

 

 

Thanks

 

Dave

[Kenton]

 

there was a engine shed.

One of the shortest lived sheds in Britain. 27 months from opening (1 Aug 1862) to demolition.

[unravelled]

Btw, if not clear from the photo, the sign is cast iron.

 

Dave

[David Bigcheeseplant]

 

 

 

 One of the shortest lived sheds in Britain. 27 months from opening (1 Aug 1862) to demolition.

Kenton where did you get the information on 27 months, The engine shed appears on the original drawings of the station and a accident was reported at Thame on 24^th May 1864. “A ballast engine was detached from its train to take water on the engine shed siding, for some reason the engine ran with great force into the engine shed smashing the front of the passenger engine, slivering to pieces large blocks of wood, also forcing completely out the brickwork at the end of the shed”, this is quite confusing as the mention of masonry conflicts with the timber drawn on the contract drawings.

 

A board of trade report of 1891 states “A new platform, footbridge and signal box brought into use”. The new platform was on the line of the engine house so this would have needed to be dismantled to allow this to be built. The engine house was certainly out of use and may even have been dismantled before the date of construction of this new platform. 

 

So the engine shed must have gone before 1891 but 27months seems a very short time

 

David

[David Bigcheeseplant]

Having looked at the stations on the Thame and Aylesbury lines all the stations had the same style of name board as Wheatley, these are metal signs with pressed letters as per your example, the front face was enamelled with white letters on a blue background, I am not too sure when there was a change to white letters on a black background. The more general style of letters screwed to a wooden background always seems to always been white on black. 

 

The cast or pressed name plate had serifs  while the wooden type was just block style, it seemed those stations with the pressed cast name boards seemed to retain them to closure. 

 

David

[Kenton]

 

Kenton where did you get the information on 27 months,

 

I cannot remember at the present though most of the opening/closure dates were from documents.

 

Your details about the accidental destruction seems to ring a bell.

 

The information I had was official closure of the shed 2 Oct 1964 (where the 27 month comes from) though your date of 24 May 1864 for the incident clearly could account for the "demolition". I agree with the timber construction rather than brick. - "It was a timber built 1 track straight through shed with a gable style slate roof adjoining the station trainshed.". The combined information makes me wonder if the incident might not have been within the engine shed but actually the "trainshed" (structure over the platform which being a terminus may well have had a brick end wall. It seems odd that there was any back wall to a through shed! The destruction of that end wall could well have rendered the wooden edifice unsafe and the complete redesign/rebuild of the station without the engine shed followed sooner rather than later?

[David Bigcheeseplant]

The original drawings of Thame station show wooden timberwork on the end of the engine shed, with wooden doors at the other end, the trainshed is open at both ends. Oddly the doors of the engine shed are at terminus (Oxford end) while the timber work is at the London end, both Thame and Wycombe stations were built to the same footprint and design. although not handed Thame was built 180 degrees to Wycombe with the platform on the up side (Wycombe on the down side) so was Thame originally meant to be built the other way round!

 

David

[David Bigcheeseplant]

Here is the cross section drawing of Thame showing the end of the engine shed with wooden panelling as per my above post this is shown at the  London end I wonder if it was built like this or if they swapped it around on construction, It not the first time railway buildings have not been built to the plans.

David

Edited February 6, 2014 by David Bigcheeseplant

[unravelled]

Is there an original track plan? Is is possible that the loco shed was approached fron the Country end of the terminal station? It looks tight getting through the bridge, if it was there from the start.

 

Dave

[Fat Controller]

Trackplan and also photos appear in one of the OPC "Historical Survey" series. Can't tell you which because I have them in store elsewhere.

 

I am 99% sure that none of the sidings was ever a passenger bay platform.

 

What sort of Wheatley sign have you got? Nothing put up in BR days (totem) would have been blue. That could be an undercoat. Some London area stations on the WR had black enamel signs.

To reduce the search field a bit, the plan's not in Volumes 1 or 2- I just looked.

[David Bigcheeseplant]

Is there an original track plan? Is is possible that the loco shed was approached fron the Country end of the terminal station? It looks tight getting through the bridge, if it was there from the start.

 

Dave

I have not seen an original track plan, and may or may not now exist.

 

The bridge by the trainshed was not there when the station was a terminus, and is of a different design to the other one at the London end of the station, The bridges from Wycombe to Thame were elliptical while Thame to Oxford had square corners between the arch and vertical walls 

 

Oddly when the loop was extended the buttresses of the goods shed had to be cut back 4.5 inches.

Edited February 6, 2014 by David Bigcheeseplant

[kandc_au]

Anyone know when the siding in the goods yard, (the went off at near right angles to the station) had the second siding added?

 

Khris

[David Bigcheeseplant]

Anyone know when the siding in the goods yard, (the went off at near right angles to the station) had the second siding added?

 

Khris

 

I think around 1891 when some modifications were made to the station, plus the signal box was opened, I think it was this time that the rather rare GWR lattice post signals were provided too.

[kandc_au]

Thanks David.

I didn't realise it was so early on. I had the feeling it was after 1940.

Either way now it works out well for me.

 

Khris

[David Bigcheeseplant]

You have me doubling now I will need to go though the maps and info I have.

[kandc_au]

David,

If you have a copy of Oxford and Princes Risborough A GWR secondary route....have a look at image on P175

It "appears" that there is not a second siding there.

P41 of princess Risborough-Thame-Oxford Railway clearly shows the points are in the bricked crossing area!
So one would thin k that you could see it in the first book I mentioned.

Maps NLS site shows 2 sidings from about 1921.

There is another pic I am positive I have seen showing a single siding but cannot remember where I saw the image, at the moment.

Will have another look tomorrow.

 

Khris

[David Bigcheeseplant]

I see what you mean I thought at first you meant the long back siding, I will have to go though a box of official records I have as this may give a clue, althiough this may take some time as there is quite a pile of paperwork!

 

David

[Tim V]

An account of the working of Thame in 1864 is in Ernest J Simmons "Memoirs of a Station Master", though perhaps a bit outside your period on interest.

[kandc_au]

David,

You don't per chance have plans of the signal box....Do you?
I understand it was 20' x 12' but as for other measurements I have no idea.

 

Khris

[David Bigcheeseplant]

Is this any use? I am not too accurate the drawing is,

 

dimensions 20'3 x 12

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/sx2ag8.jpg

Edited July 29, 2017 by David Bigcheeseplant

[kandc_au]

David, Link keeps defaulting to an upload page

Tried pasting but still goes back to upload page>

Suggestions!

 

Khris

[David Bigcheeseplant]

I seem to have problems uploading the drawing either direct to this page or via a hoasting website, if you let me know your direct email I will see if I can get it to you that way.