Henley-on-Thames - GWR in the 1930's

[Harlequin]

Hi Neal,

 

YouChoos have some info up about the new MS range of Zimo decoders. https://www.youchoos.co.uk/Index-Detail.php?L1=Detail&Item=MSRange

Big improvements all round (and the fact that they use ARM chips makes me feel warm and fuzzy because I wrote ARM code commercially for many years). It will be really interesting to do comparative tests of the sounds vs. the old MX range. If they are significantly better then we will all have to decide whether we can afford the time, hassle and cost of replacing our existing MX decoders!

 

There's also a tantalising Rapido update about engineering samples of 4 previously unannounced UK-format projects. Maybe one of those will hit the inter-war GWR bullseye!

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by Harlequin

[Neal Ball]

Thanks for this Phil @Harlequin sounds good all round.

 

Re: Zimo, this is interesting and presumably is a periodic update in a similar manner to Loksound v4 to v5. I like this though:  “Silent now means silent - no hiss, and loud is louder!”

 

Having run some of my more recent sound locos of late, I had already thought before Christmas that it would be interesting to run some of my older Castles and compare the sounds. Now even more so…. It looks  like 2022 could be expensive!

 

Re: Rapido.

That news is also interesting and despite one post saying 4 yet to be announced projects and other samples “details soon”. That was then followed by samples shown of the Bedford OB and the Wisbech and Upwell carriage…

 

 

 

 

Including this image with the Toad in the background.

 

It might be interesting to keep an eye on the Rapido FB page over the next few days.

 

Clearly they have loads of projects underway at the moment.

 

Merry Boxing day everyone.

 

edit: April 2022 - its been an interesting few months and clearly Rapido (with their Titfield licence) are the winners. In January 2022 Hornby announced they were going to also produce a Titfield Thunderbolt..... by the time it came to March 2022, Studio Canal (presumably) had issued as cease and desist order and Hornby withdrew their "Railways on film" series.

 

It would be nice to have a Titfield set, but it doesn't really fit with my GWR in the 1930's theme.

 

Rapido though are certainly setting the bar high.

Edited April 3, 2022 by Neal Ball
Typo

[The Fatadder]

The loriot Y is looking very promising, certainly enough to tempt me into placing an order despite the price point.

 

 Will keep a close eye on what else they come up with (and whether it is interesting and doesn’t have a kit available new or at a reasonable 2nd hand price). I’m struggling to think of much that fulfils  that criteria.

[Neal Ball]

8 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

The loriot Y is looking very promising, certainly enough to tempt me into placing an order despite the price point….

Not sure it really fits in with Henley though Rich.

 

No new updates from Rapido today..

[Neal Ball]

Copied from the Didcot Railway centre Facebook page.

 

Lovely photo and a good pub quiz question, (what year was Kodachrome film introduced).

 

(Sadly I cant find the photo I refer to 😞 )
 

Today, 26 December, is the anniversary of the birth of Leopold Mannes in 1899 at New York. He was an American musician and photographic technician known as a co-developer of Kodachrome film in 1935. By the early 1960s Kdachrome and other colour films had become an affordable alternative to black and white photography for amateurs. This photograph shows a 2884 class 2-8-0 locomotive approaching Southall station with a goods trains during the cold winter at the beginning of 1963.

 

edit: April 2022: Looking through the GWS going loco blogs, I cant see the one I refer to above.... so instead I copy in this photo of a 517 class loco seen at Trumpers Crossing Halte on the Brentford branch.

 

 

https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/article.php/490/going-loco-december-2021/7a4f1d169afbae1a64e82709d889a8f7

 

I think this was the photo: 

 

 

Freight train passing Southall

Edited April 3, 2022 by Neal Ball
photo changed

[Graham T]

Very nice photo.  Also interesting to see how badly the roofs of the houses were insulated.

[bgman]

53 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

what year was Kodachrome film introduced

 

Sir ! Sir ! 

 

April 1935 Sir........

 

Do I win a pint Sir ? 

[Graham T]

Swot

[St Enodoc]

34 minutes ago, bgman said:

Do I win a pint Sir ?

Of vintage port?

[Neal Ball]

8 hours ago, Graham T said:

Very nice photo.  Also interesting to see how badly the roofs of the houses were insulated.

Definitely a case of different times.  The winter of 1963 was apparently very harsh.
 

I was born in Southall and apparently dad would take me to the station to see the trains. I suspect this photo was taken from the road bridge over the railway, with the station buildings on the other side of the road.

 

7 hours ago, bgman said:

 

Sir ! Sir ! 

 

April 1935 Sir........

 

Do I win a pint Sir ? 

I was surprised that it was so early, I would have guessed at something like the 1950’s. The Facebook item goes on to say that Kodachrome went on until 2009.

[Graham T]

I'm quite a fan of the song as well.

[Neal Ball]

Another interesting blog from Drew aka @Castle at the GWS.

 

A crew of drivers, firemen and guards travelling back “on the cushions” at Christmas 1952 to Southall.

 

https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/product.php/78/going-loco

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2021 by Neal Ball

[Neal Ball]

Accurascale Manor

 

I have succumbed and placed my order for 7801 Anthony Manor with full DCC sound.

 

It was very easy to place via their EU website, which includes free DHL shipping to Spain from Ireland.

 

Looking forward to it arriving sometime in May or June 2022.

 

Given the eta is Q1 2023, I have held off ordering the Siphon C at this stage. there doesn't seem to be any hurry to place the order.

 

Although the first samples do seem to be very well advanced.... I guess other items have the slots in the production queue.

[McC]

15 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

Accurascale Manor

 

I have succumbed and placed my order for 7801 Anthony Manor with full DCC sound.

 

It was very easy to place via their EU website, which includes free DHL shipping to Spain from Ireland.

 

Looking forward to it arriving sometime in May or June 2022.

 

Given the eta is Q1 2023, I have held off ordering the Siphon C at this stage. there doesn't seem to be any hurry to place the order.

 

Although the first samples do seem to be very well advanced.... I guess other items have the slots in the production queue.

the Siphon G timeline is generous as are

most estimates now due to the unpredictability of logistics etc. we’d certainly ‘hope’ to land them this coming year. HTh. Thanks for the support with the Manor. 

Edited December 27, 2021 by McC

[The Stationmaster]

3 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

Another interesting blog from Drew aka @Castle at the GWS.

 

A crew of drivers, firemen and guards travelling back “on the cushions” at Christmas 1952 to Southall.

 

https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/product.php/78/going-loco

 

 

 

Neal, a lovely link to the past there thanks.  I worked with Ted Abear in the late 1960s and have seen him on a few occasions since then.   I wonder if the Jack Brown he mentions as a Driver at Southall was the same Jackie Brown who was one of my Top Link Drivers at Old Oak who retired in the very early 1980s, and with whom we subsequently regularly exchanged Christmas cards, as I believe he too had been at Southall for a while.

[Neal Ball]

4 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Neal, a lovely link to the past there thanks.  I worked with Ted Abear in the late 1960s and have seen him on a few occasions since then.   I wonder if the Jack Brown he mentions as a Driver at Southall was the same Jackie Brown who was one of my Top Link Drivers at Old Oak who retired in the very early 1980s, and with whom we subsequently regularly exchanged Christmas cards, as I believe he too had been at Southall for a while.

 

Fascinating Mike thank you. I've often said, you have a / several books there. Not just on the anecdotal stories, but obviously on the railway procedural details.

 

It thought the GWS story that Drew detailed was also a case of "different times"; never mind the fact that crew wouldn't get their own allocated space on a train; could you imagine an IET dropping them off at Foxhall for them to stagger forwards for the waiting freight train! Different times indeed.

 

Thanks again.

[Neal Ball]

2 hours ago, McC said:

the Siphon G timeline is generous as are

most estimates now due to the unpredictability of logistics etc. we’d certainly ‘hope’ to land them this coming year. HTh. Thanks for the support with the Manor. 

 

Thanks for that Stephen.

 

That will clearly be good if they arrive before 2023. When do you think you would have a better idea of delivery?

 

Thanks again,

[McC]

4 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

 

Thanks for that Stephen.

 

That will clearly be good if they arrive before 2023. When do you think you would have a better idea of delivery?

 

Thanks again,

Decorated samples are expected end of March and the production slot will be confirmed then. 

[figworthy]

21 hours ago, Graham T said:

Very nice photo.  Also interesting to see how badly the roofs of the houses were insulated.

 

Someone once told me that having a clear roof like that was a sign of pride, as it showed that you could afford to heat your house properly.  Whereas these days, it shows the last one to clear is the winner as they have the best insulation (or the heating is off and they are wandering around in 15 layers of clothing).

 

Adrian

[Neal Ball]

12 hours ago, figworthy said:

 

Someone once told me that having a clear roof like that was a sign of pride, as it showed that you could afford to heat your house properly.  Whereas these days, it shows the last one to clear is the winner as they have the best insulation (or the heating is off and they are wandering around in 15 layers of clothing).

 

Adrian

Given my parents have stories about how bad the winter of 1963 was, such as the Grand Union canal was frozen in Southall. I would say it’s simply that in those days it was simply that there was no insulation.

 

Even as recent as the late 1970’s I remember the metal Crittal windows when we moved to mum and dads current house in Feltham, where it wasn’t unusual to have ice on the inside of the window!

 

Different times.

[longchap]

I remember the 62/63 winter well, when as young boy it seemed great fun, with no school for 6 weeks, snow drifts taller than houses, helicopters landing on the big field bringing in food and mail as the village was cut off, it was a huge adventure for us nippers.

 

Of course, at the time, we didn't realize that the dead were taken away by the Westland, we were just amazed with the machine, never having seen one other than with the Airfix kit.

 

Yes, no insulation in the precast concrete Cornish Unit houses with ice on the inside of those Crittal windows, but it was completely normal to us and happy times for our young family.

 

Happy days and fond memories of childhood from a small village once served by the mighty GWR 

 

Best,

 

Bill

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by longchap

[MrWolf]

I wasn't around in 1963, but I remember my father talking about how he and his friends made the most of the winter of 1947, when the main road out of the village down to the railway station was visible only by the tops of the telegraph poles sticking out. 1963 was less enjoyable because by then he was expected to get to work and only had his motorcycle for transport.

[The Stationmaster]

On 27/12/2021 at 11:50, Neal Ball said:

 

Fascinating Mike thank you. I've often said, you have a / several books there. Not just on the anecdotal stories, but obviously on the railway procedural details.

 

It thought the GWS story that Drew detailed was also a case of "different times"; never mind the fact that crew wouldn't get their own allocated space on a train; could you imagine an IET dropping them off at Foxhall for them to stagger forwards for the waiting freight train! Different times indeed.

 

Thanks again.

Don't worry Neal - when i was in charge of WR freight train planning at the end of the 1980s/beginning of the '90s we still made 'em walk to/from Foxhall on the odd occasions we booked relief or pick up/f drop off a Conductor Driver there.

 

The Winter of '62/'63 was a right one - started on Boxing day in our neck of the woods although we were down at my grandparents in Challow and we came home early the day after Boxing Day because it was obviously going to get a lot worse.  Just as well we did because the road up from the main road was blocked by snow a couple of days later and remained more or less blocked for over a month although aftera couple of weeks a farm tractor could get through if things went well.  A pal and I always used to visit Swindon works on the Sunday after Christmas and it tipped down with more snow on the Saturday night so we had a job getting to the station but we needn't have bothered because the bubble car had got stuck in a snowdrift between Twyford and Wargrave and the branch remained closed all day.  I was one of the few who got to school on time on reopening day for the new term and several of us were sent round to count how many were in then a decision was made to stay closed for another week so we went home.

 

Railway wise that winter was bad in numerous places but the real trouble was that it lasted so long.  The worst I've ever seen on the railway was in the West Country in 1978 when I was Area Manger at Taunton.  We had drifts up to 16 feet deep in the countryside between Taunton and Whiteball, the snow on the Down Main at the west end of Taunton platforms was level with my nose when i was standing at rail level - it had drifted between the platforms and where it hadn't drifted it was above knee high - almost thigh deep - and in places it was up to the eaves of the station building on the  outside of the Down side buildings.  The signalman at Whiteball lived about 20-25 minutes walk from the 'box but decided that because of the weather he would start early on the Monday morning to get the stove lit and the 'box warmed up.  in the event it took him the best part of 3 hours to get there and when he arrived all the signals were frozen off so I told him to go home and warm up.  For several days the only things moving in or near Taunton were trains (just a double line operable), helicopters, while the only things allowed in the town centre were snow clearance machines and military tracked vehicles.  By the Friday most of the snow had melted and the Somerset Levels were gently flooding.

Edited December 28, 2021 by The Stationmaster
typos

[Harlequin]

I was born in the winter of 62-63 and my Dad often told the story of how he had to battle through the snowdrifts in his little car to get to the Radcliffe hospital to pick me and Mum up and bring us home.

 

I can imagine, now, how scary and stressful that milepost event must have been in Dad's life - but inevitably in later years we got used to the story and didn't think much of it.
 

[figworthy]

11 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

Given my parents have stories about how bad the winter of 1963 was, such as the Grand Union canal was frozen in Southall. I would say it’s simply that in those days it was simply that there was no insulation.

 

Even as recent as the late 1970’s I remember the metal Crittal windows when we moved to mum and dads current house in Feltham, where it wasn’t unusual to have ice on the inside of the window!

 

Different times.

 

My flat had a Crittal window in the kitchen, and that froze up on a regular basis.  I moved out of there just under 21 years ago.

 

Dad use to tell the tale of getting the bus to school in 1947, if he was upstairs, he could see over the snow.  In 63, he was commuting to Hull.  If Neville Hill depot had kept the DMUs running overnight, the service would be a DMU, otherwise it was steam hauled.

 

Adrian