Bridgwater North

[lakeview770]

Another story of many false starts, There was a group of us here in NW Florida who were going to build a British outline layout but after about 6-8 months it all fell through mainly because people didn’t want to have to wait to have items imported from Europe. The nearest hobby store here is in Pensacola 80 miles away so generally everything has to be mail ordered and takes about a week to get here ( my Gaugemaster controller I ordered from Hattons last week took 3 days to get from Liverpool- go figure) So I was left with a pile of GWR models I had collected over a year or so and were duly boxed up as we were moving house. The house we moved in to for 18 months was small for a family of 4 and the garage well that was tiny too so no modeling during this time. 1 house move later to our own house and a slightly more room got the modeling bug started again.

 

My girls spent the summer holidays visiting family in the UK and came back with an almost complete set of MRJ issue 1-90 and in issue 81 was just the plan I was looking for a representation of the Bridgwater Railway’s termini at Bridgwater in Somerset.

 

As I am not a very good modeler so I am not going to faithfully reproduce it, I have a space in my garage 24’ by 24’ and fancied a L shape layout in 1 corner that I can expand. I plan to alter history a bit which is why its not going to be a faithful representation.I am setting the layout post 1954 after when the line from Eddington Junction closed in reality. I have to find kits for the 3F which I believe Alan Gibson made and the 1P which I also believe was made by craftsman. All other stock I plan to use rtf off the shelf, I love 3F Jinties so Ill be having one of them and the Fowler 4F 0-6-0. I have no evidence they ran on the Bridgwater brach but I like them, I do have photographic evidence that the 2P ran along the branch but I plan to build this as a goods only line as I thing theres no rtr coaches suitable for the Bridgwater branch. I’ve not spent ages researching but I have enough information to build a plausible model but as I said I was altering history a bit. In my altered reality the wharves at Bridgwater were successful and busy and the brickworks around the area were still a thriving concern.

 

Progress

 

So far 2 baseboards have been built with legs and shelves, these were 2 interior doors I had got on clearance and are braced with 4x1 L girders plus some lateral bracing. My garage doesn’t get too hot its 75 in there at the minute and 98 outside. Cork has been laid for the mainline and one of the platforms, I am working on the back first so I can get easy access without having to lean over.

Track has been laid for this part of the platform, I have an odd way of doing stuff, I generally lay the roadbed and track in small sections and test before I proceed to the next part.

 

 

Andy

 

 

[brianusa]

One of the problems of living in the US is the lack of British models ( I winder why)!  During my Buckfastleigh layout, virtually everything had to come from the UK by post except for when on trips back home on holiday which meant a lot of stuff in carry on coming back.  Since then, I have changed layouts and sadly the cost of postage these days make it expensive.

As I am partial to West country layouts, yours could be really interesting.  Don't know too much about the area but after watching John Betjeman's film on Evercreech Junction, it would make an excellent layout.  Some compromises might be in order though.

 

Brian.

[lakeview770]

Brian, Ive purchased a few of the scalescene kits so I now have almost instant structures. Peco code 75 track I get usually within 5 days from a local supplier in South Florida about 400 miles away so its not to bad we have a local Radio Shack in town so small electrical pieces are easily obtained. But everything else has to come from the UK and Ive used Hattons of Liverpool who’s prices are good and they remove the VAT which covers the extra shipping costs although domestic shipping here isn’t too cheap these days.

[PatB]

One of the most interesting features of Bridgwater's railway system was the sliding bridge over the river Parrett. It still exists, although it hasn't slid in 50 years. A static model would be worthwhile but a working one would be, probably, unique and could form a major feature in itself.

[Curlew]

The sliding bridge was modelled by Dave Rowe on his Exebridge Quay diorama in the 1980s - it was illustrated in the June 1988 edition of Model Railways.

[raymw]

Hi,

 

Here's an OS map of the area http://maps.nls.uk/view/101461519 It's dated 1938. Probably a later version on the nis site.

 

1960 map - http://maps.nls.uk/view/95749565 but less detail. The bridge was on gwr, not S&D, afaik, but nothing wrong with rule 1. Not much remaining now of S&D site - a supermarket and car park on the station site,

 

 

Best wishes,

 

Ray

 

edit to add later map

[lakeview770]

Thank you very much, the link to the map has proved very useful. My current thinking is to build the station and wharfs to fit the corner of the garage and I had thought about  Wilds cement works as a future add on but wasn’t sure where it was in relation to the station area. Mac Hawkins original S&D then and now book had a map of the cement works.

[glenng]

Have a look at this website http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/asearch?search=Bridgwater a very useful site.

 

[D9020 Nimbus]

Bachmann Branch-Line have made the 3F tender loco as well as the Jinty. Nobody has laid claim to the 1P 0-4-4T yet but no doubt one will be announced once you've almost completed the kit :-)

 

As for other stock, it depends on how long you were planning to keep the line open for in your modified history...

[lakeview770]

@ D9020 Nimbus, good question that I’d not really thought about it as I had set a time frame of about 54-58 and as a goods only line. I know the Ivatt 41xxx worked to Highbridge so I can’t see why I couldn’t have 1 of them either. Looks like Ill be ordering the 3&4F’s in the next 10 days or so and mid september going to try and source a couple of 1P’s if the Craftsman kit is still available.

 

 

Andy

[lakeview770]

Last nights progress, not much but the tracks laid for the rear platform, and the crossover at the ends of the platform laid and wired.

 

 

 

 

 

And my first attempts at kit building and painting, I picked up a couple of Airfix kits for next to nothing as Ive never built a kit before and this was the result. Ive a few more of these to build before I fork out for some more up market kits, practice makes perfect.

 

 

Andy

[lakeview770]

Some more progress this week, backscenes have been cut and awaiting fitting, most of the track has been laid and now awaiting some more turnouts in the mail so I can make a start on the yard.

 pictures to follow

[lakeview770]

[lakeview770]

We just had a couple of nights away at the beach house only to come home to destruction, we suffered a burglary (thank you ADT ) I can live with items that have been stolen but the sheer vandalism is what hurts. So over the next few days Ill be starting to rebuild, starting by lifting and salvaging what track and then a quick cover up with 6mm ply over the top of the boards and start Bridgwater again.

The MK1 was coming along nicely had the track down painted wired and platform in place and was supposed to be starting ballasting today.

 

Andy W

[Eggesford box]

Hi,

 

sorry to hear about the burglary. Oakwood press do a book on the branch. I think I have a copy of it at home. It may contain plans of the buildings or they may have been in an article in the Railway modeller back in the sixties. I know I have seen plans somewhere. I am off work tomorrow and if I have time (I have a very large marquee to take down and scrub the panels with mildew remover, lovely! plus school run, running round for the kids martial art and dancing classes etc) I will try to look them out and let you have more details.

[lakeview770]

Thanks, bit of the same here, School run at 1440 right in the middle of the afternoon, why can’t they keep the kits to say around 1800?

 

Im kind of keen to get on with it but something in the back of my mind says don’t rush, I have been reading about track and have even considered opting for better looking track????

 

Already ordered 2 locos and was fortunate to come across a guy down the road here who had a pile of Slaters kits on ebay, and it worked out $1 per kit cheaper than purchasing from the UK. So not a bad start. Now to replace all my camera gear.

[bridgiesimon]

Gret looking at those piccies, it has changed rather a lot I now live in Bridgwater and drive through getting my son to and from school and had trouble recognising some of the piccies. Not much railway left now although we are still on the mainline and get regular steam specials during the summer. Oh, and a regular transhipment of nuclear waste through the middle of the town as well, lovely!!

 

Not such good weather as you in Florida either!!

 

Best wishes

Simon

[lakeview770]

The weather in florida is lovely just wish it would rain.

 

 

 

 

Andy W

 

 

[Eggesford box]

Hi again,

 

I have found the book, 'The Bridgwater Railway', by J D Harrison published by Oakwood press. Looking at their website it still appears to be in publication. The price label on the back of mine says £4.95 so it should not break the bank. It is an A5 book of 96 pages and includes track and signalling plans as well as a few simple drawings of the station building, goods shed and engine shed all marked 'as originally envisioned'. Certainly there are differences between the plans and the buildings appearing in the photographs. Annoyingly the engine shed does not appear in any of the photos in the book as the plan shows it as having a barrel roof. The bibliography does mention L.M.S. Engine sheds, Vol 4 by Wild Swan as a further source.

 

I have looked through my files of clipped articles from magazines but have not managed to find the one on the Bridgewater station. Unless memory is playing tricks I think it was one by W. Hardin-Osborne who used to regularly contribute many years ago with drawings and track plans of various stations. I shall keep looking but do not hold your breath!

 

Your photos make me envious, certainly a world away from Bridgwater, not known as the jewel of England!

 

David.  

[raymw]

Bridgwater North - engine shed - isbn 0-906520 -68 -1 a few images therein. It says, image 61 (no page numbers), more or less - 'The engine shed was lengthened in 1898 to accomodate two engines required by then to work the seven mile long branch. In 1922 the line was worked by an engine from Templecombe and shed remained empty 'til 1928, then leased as a warehouse to the co-op.' The picture shows it in 1952, it looks like a normal shed to me, and in a much smaller image (No. 58) taken in 1930's

 

If it is the station canopy you want, then images 59 and 62 shows that.

 

Best wishes,

 

Ray

 

Sinsburies spells Bridgwater wrong, too!

[bridgiesimon]

'The weather in florida is lovely just wish it would rain.'

 

Sure you want rain? we got way too much of it during the winter -

 

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02806/SOMERSET_FLOODING_2806415k.jpg

 

Simon

[lakeview770]

We now have the rain, its great cooled it down to around 90F.

 

Finding it hard at the moment to get motivated and enthused about having to start again, sort of got a sour taste in my mouth .

 

Andy

[lakeview770]

Not done much but yet its been a busy  week, parcels arrived from Florida of all places containing track and a great selection of Slaters kits.

 

 

I made a start on the ex MR 3 plank open and this is the first real kit Ive made, I had a bash at some cheap old Airfix kits but the Slaters was a real education.

 

 

My Bachmann 3F also arrived bought via ebay from a model shop in my home town of Castleford of all places and I was really surprised at the running quality as my last Bachmann purchase I ended up throwing away.

 

Layout wise not done a thing really me and my wife are seriously considering moving house after the break in, we’ve been mostly living at the beach house. I have to come home to use the internet as the net at the beach sucks. The only thing thats keeping me sane is building that kit lol

As long as I live here I don’t think the Americans will get my sense of humor, I was carded for buying some Meths (Denatured Alcohol) I told the teller how may 21 year olds do you know with 2 teenage daughters bald spot on their hear and what remaining hair is grey? I think that went straight to 30,000ft and was still climbing when I left the store.

 

My wife has done a deal with me, she gets my phone upgrade so she can have the iPhone 6 and I get a Bachmann 3F Jinty in return.

 

Also ordered a couple of kits and decals from Parkside Dundas and a couple of other small bits and pieces of the web. Thats as they say is about it for this week, still fighting with the insurance company, they’re trying to work out why I had so many cameras as they said they’ve never heard of someone having 4 DSLRs.

 

Andy

[7APT7]

Great thread mate...

 

I want to go to Florida now... lol

 

Jamie

[lakeview770]

Been busy building kits and deciding what to do. Not attacked the layout but my test boards I had at the other house I brought up and have been playing with them, still can’t face to look at Bridgwater. So made an attempt to improve my ballasting skills, something I hate mainly because Im useless at it. Just waiting for the glue to dry before I take a toothpick to the rails and sleeper tops.

 

 

 

Andy