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Towcester


Nobby (John)
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George Woodcock and myself are commencing a new layout

 

This will be a model of my home town station -Towcester .

 

We are going to use some modellers license in the fact that the line from Blisworth to Banbury did not close and is being used as across country route between the West Coast main line and the Chiltern Line.

So there will be some freight and some shuttling DMU's

 

The time will be in the early 70's.

 

I have many photos and diagrams of Towcester, its buildings, and infrastucture EXCEPT for the main bridge ( which was known as Lucas bridge ) that straddled the main A5 trunk road.

 

I have found one very grainy picture which was taken from a distance but this is not good enough for us to contruct a model.

 

I have tried the Towcester history Society, The SMJ society to no avail.

 

Does anyone have any ideas as to where we may be able to get a photo of this bridge.

 

By the way it was called locally as Lucas Bridge due to the large advert for Lucas automotive products that adorned it.

 

Any help greatly appreciated, any photos would be great and obviously scanned and returned.

 

Many thanks

John & George

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Hi I take it you have seen these?

http://thesmjr.ning....ridge-towcester

http://thesmjr.ning....towcester-lucas

http://thesmjr.ning....towcester-lucas

http://thesmjr.ning....-bridge-signals

http://thesmjr.ning....ge-at-towcester

 

Hope these help, the scalled plan seams very useful. Were you able to find architectural plans of the main building, signal box and goods shed?

 

Duncan

Edited by Blandford1969
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Hi Duncan

Thank you for the photos, there are some there i have not seen before and will be useful.

 

I still need a crisp image of the bridge, i think we can do the actual span with the photos we have, we may just have to make up what the abutments were like.

 

Anyway, thanks again :good_mini:

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The Bylines have some photos of the goods shed / Signal Box and main building, but sadly not the Lucas bridge. It seams that the standard books on the line by the OPC / Oakwood and the most recent (whose publisher I cant remember) do not have any photos which show a side on view of that bridge.

 

I am sure I have seen another photo somewhere but at the moment cannot find it. None of my negs of the station show the bridge either i'm affraid. If I find the photo that is somewhere in my recollection I will let you know

 

sorry not to have been able to help more

 

Duncan

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  • 3 months later...
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John,

 

Not sure if you have seen, but a couple of new views have appeared on the SMJ web site this one should be of particular interest http://api.ning.com/files/NG69mQSjAkOr-x3t-sJHNnsjN4hCxS8xxKBEtGQ1MDjejw-bXH4RBxwAjkNzugSX32zVcjPIQx4Ruhyijs26Wj*rp0yKMiNP/towcesterstationafterclosure038.JPG It shows the detail of the abutments of the bridge you have been trying to get information on.

 

regards

 

Duncan

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Nobby / George

 

Hope you both don't mind the minor thread hijack.

 

My father in law is also building a model of Towcester station in his attic room. His just come to fitting out the signal box with levers and instruments and is wondering about the layout of the block instruments on the shelf. He's setting the line in LMS days when all four lines (Blakesley, Banbury, Blisworth and Onley) were open. It's beyond me as I don't know much about signalling practice but I wonder if you guys have already worked this out for your model?

 

Any help appreciated.

 

(Nobby, I think my FIL met you at the Northampton show about 2 years ago).

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Hi John

 

It's was Chris's father in law (2ManySpams) who's layout of Towcester I was referring to when we spoke at either Alsager or Warley

 

She you soon

 

Eltel

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Hello

 

I'm sure that there will not be too much rivalry on this layout. Our layout is set in 1977/78 so falls firmly into the 'what if' category of layout. We will be modelling the signal box but the signalling will be very much rationalized due to the closure of two of the tracks which led into and out of the station. like the track plan will be simplified as so much was in the 70s in an effort to keep the costs down. I'm sorry Chris but i have no idea what the layout of the box was in the earlier,( and real), era so we shall just have to mjake ours up though I suspect there will be a fair few white levers. We could have got rid of the box as well I suppose but it looks to good and unusual in design not to feature it. I think the plan is that I build the box and John will do the station building which will be in low relief to save space. Another new development is that the layout will be DCC which will be a first for us both and the signals will probably be from the nice Mr Dapol having seen them on a friends layout recently at Alsager and being impressed by them. Something less to build as well. No problem with your hijack, this is what modelling is all about, just sorry I couldn't be of more help. Best of luck to your father in law's layout. Just one more thing to add is that we have nearly finished the baseboards and hope to start track-laying over festive holiday period. Also thanks to the folks who sent us the photos; much appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

George . .

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We will be modelling the signal box but the signalling will be very much rationalized due to the closure of two of the tracks which led into and out of the station. like the track plan will be simplified as so much was in the 70s in an effort to keep the costs down. I'm sorry Chris but i have no idea what the layout of the box was in the earlier,( and real), era so we shall just have to mjake ours up though I suspect there will be a fair few white levers. We could have got rid of the box as well I suppose but it looks to good and unusual in design not to feature

 

Replace it with ground frames but leave it in place, derelict perhaps ?

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Hello

 

I'm sure that there will not be too much rivalry on this layout. Our layout is set in 1977/78 so falls firmly into the 'what if' category of layout. We will be modelling the signal box but the signalling will be very much rationalized due to the closure of two of the tracks which led into and out of the station. like the track plan will be simplified as so much was in the 70s in an effort to keep the costs down. I'm sorry Chris but i have no idea what the layout of the box was in the earlier,( and real), era so we shall just have to mjake ours up though I suspect there will be a fair few white levers. We could have got rid of the box as well I suppose but it looks to good and unusual in design not to feature it. I think the plan is that I build the box and John will do the station building which will be in low relief to save space. Another new development is that the layout will be DCC which will be a first for us both and the signals will probably be from the nice Mr Dapol having seen them on a friends layout recently at Alsager and being impressed by them. Something less to build as well. No problem with your hijack, this is what modelling is all about, just sorry I couldn't be of more help. Best of luck to your father in law's layout. Just one more thing to add is that we have nearly finished the baseboards and hope to start track-laying over festive holiday period. Also thanks to the folks who sent us the photos; much appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

George . .

 

Somewhere lurking in the depths of my collection is one of the last train registers from Towcester box. I've been looking for it half-heartedly for awhile. When it surfaces i'll post a few pages on here.

Edited by LNERGE
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Re the bridge.

 

County civil engineers often held photos of structures, have you tried at the main library to see if they hold any archive material ?

 

Cheers Beast, i will give that a try.

John (nobby)

 

I've a funny feeling there is a photo inside the box at Towcester in the most recent book on the line or in an article in Bylines - will have a look when i get home

 

kind regards

 

Duncan

 

Cheers Duncan, appreciate it.

John (nobby)

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Nobby / George

 

Hope you both don't mind the minor thread hijack.

 

My father in law is also building a model of Towcester station in his attic room. His just come to fitting out the signal box with levers and instruments and is wondering about the layout of the block instruments on the shelf. He's setting the line in LMS days when all four lines (Blakesley, Banbury, Blisworth and Onley) were open. It's beyond me as I don't know much about signalling practice but I wonder if you guys have already worked this out for your model?

 

Any help appreciated.

 

(Nobby, I think my FIL met you at the Northampton show about 2 years ago).

 

Hi Chris, yses i did meet your FIL, i see George has already answered about the signalling, sorry i cannot help you on that either.

The bridge must be the only bridge not to have been photographed on the whole BR network!!!

Cheers

 

John (nobby)

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Hi Chris, yses i did meet your FIL, i see George has already answered about the signalling, sorry i cannot help you on that either.

The bridge must be the only bridge not to have been photographed on the whole BR network!!!

Cheers

 

John (nobby)

 

I drove under the Lucas bridge most days going to work and never took any notice of it.

 

Mike

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