CME and Bottlewasher

Please post a link and/or photos. I always thought that EM was a great gauge to work in too. Good luck. Inspiration, inspirato, in-spirit, to be of breath/breath in (meditation/mindfulness), from heaven sent to inspire. Always something magical about railways and model railways. For me model railways have nearly always been more than the sum of their parts, a vehicle for charity and brotherly/sisterly love. Even if, sometimes, we argue passionately about different aspects from time to time.

Well done Keith - another interesting railway and topic. I know very little about the Faringdon Branch, other than the things that I outlined on the Highworth Branch thread. I have fond memories of standing in the old station yard at the nearby Shrivenham station (by then just a platform with a prefab warehouse atop) and watching protype HSTs then in service HST's fly by - very exciting for a young boy. We later took my friend's son to the same spot for a similar experience when he was very young too - a good lad who's just turned 18 now (how time flies! Eeekkkk!). If time and energy permits I must dig out old books and notes, the joining up of Highworth, Faringdon, Lechlade/Fairford - even Cirencester and Tetbury branches etc would have, I suspect, been, a worthwhile exercise at one time. And iirc, several ancient schemes were mooted.

http://highworthhistoricalsociety.org.uk/2020/01/30/haunted-level-crossing-of-cricklade-road/ As Keith pointed out with the above link, several stories abound. The talk of a blackspot may have some merit. There are several similar stories whereby 'leys' have been cut with the building of modern roads etc. I've always felt railways didn't have such an effect, until a few years back I came across another local line - several deaths, some bizzare in the same area, also severe 'un-neighbourlyness', there was talk of black magic in that case. Several esoteric groups were asked to 'heal' the area, and they did with varying levels of success, but the issue kept circling back - often months later (just when people started to feel at ease). The trigger appeared to be the railway cutting through a 'ley' then there was the first fatality there - iirc a navi - others soon followed. On the Highworth Branch, playing near to Black Bridge or Hannington Station at dusk, did, very often feel VERY eerie! Not recommended!!

It's a very interesting one Dave, I've, sadly, no clue. I wonder if crossing gate paraphernalia was kept in there? You're correct in saying 'Cricklade Rd', locals often call it, incorrectly, Blunsdon Rd. I well remember my father, telling me, that his boss (a Highworth agricultural engineer) did not believe him for being late (Dad's never late!), Dad's reason/excuse being a de-railed loco at Cricklade Rd crossing one morning. Dad was put on a warning. His boss later found out he was telling the truth - he didn't remove the warning lol, even though he really liked dad! As Keith states there's ghost stories about that area. From memory of avidly researching the line some 40 years ago, such stems from the runaway incident thereabouts.

Sounds good to me Keith - will I get a Winnebago, or can I have an artic based 'trailer' with auto wall extensions? I'm guessing that Coleshill station would have to be some way from the village - due to terrain. Similar issues to Highworth in fact. Also members of the Last Ditch ended up at Highworth Post Office (later the Drs surgery, estate agents, now a vet's - or is it an opticians?). The post war PO closed a couple of years back with the new PO now being in the COOP supermarket. When the LD candidates arrived they were - IIRC - blind folded and taken around the houses to Coleshill (HQ). IIRC the EGR was to link up with the M&SWJR - I'd have to dig out some eosteric notes/books, but I've a feeling that your proposal was also discussed too. The company my father worked for - a plant hire company - supplied the plant to demolish Farringdon station/rly (except for the old station building which was, when I was younger, a salvage reclamation yard, iirc). An attractive and unusual double pitched roofed building. Nearby a new trading estate and plant hire company was created (all owned by said plant hire company boss) dad was head hunted to create such and to get the new plant hire company underway 'for a year as I want to set up my own business', dad stayed 18 months - 2 years in the end. Later he considered buying the area/buildings at Shrivenham Station - one of which is modelled at Pendon - as his businesses grew. As an aside I've often thought that the S&CR railway could meet up with a reopened Tetbury branch. Sadly the S&CR when young - like it's members back then - didn't put enough effort into track laying, their emphasis was on loco collection/restoration. They've restored some fine machines there - very well restored - only for them to be loaned or outbased elsewhere, instead of being used as a crowd puller to the S&CRS. Last time I looked/visited there were very few youngsters there. Most of the bridge abutments etc are still in place on the Tetbury branch (they still have mileage and chain markings on them - I was made to check and survey them circa 1995 and judging by the markings, they still are checked/surveyed).

All down to costs and shoestring light railways. Lots of schemes in the area were intended to link up (but ran out of funds). For many years the station wasn't all that close to the town - a couple of fields away in reality, but not as bad as Hannington.

Please do Marc and keep us informed via a thread and photos when you do. More strength to your elbow!

I wasn't aware that SBC bothered with planning permission - the heritage of the area is, at best, a tertiary consideration. Last I heard - after palms are greased - contracted out planning/regulatory officers from Hull 'over see' works in and around Swindon, Highworth et al (probably from Google Earth). Knowing some local builders who've worked for SBC there's lots more I could say about the matter. Suffice to say the days of the once powerful and honourable HRDC (Highworth Rural & District Council) and Stratton Council are long since over and it shows! HRDC used to manage parts of Stratton and Swinedown. Stratton station was probably the busiest on the line. Highworth was the key town in the area, a market town, then the plague scared everyone away from market towns. Years later the railway came to Swinedown (pig farm on a marsh) and the rest is history. Heritage, continuous improvement, success are all secondary to greased palms in these parts - defeat always seems to be snatched from the jaws of victory. There's also been a whitewash of the inquiry - during the pandemic - of the banana republic that Highworth has now become.

I suspect Keith, that positive and negative vetting played it's part in that too. Around Highworth and Swindon as well as known military bases, there was all the cold war hidden in plain site places, such as farms with landing strips suitable for RAF transports etc.

Modified B Set Lot 1608 etc - modified roofs and ventilators etc. in accordance with the Wild Swan Highworth Branch publication. Also modified Brake Composite (6830/31), Third (1237/38) and Brake Third (1239/40) etc. And I've seen Brake Composites W6831W and W1238W, behind Sugar Puff D2195 circa June 1962. Prior it was Holden pattern 4 wheelers etc. All due to weak, light loading, low road over bridges and light railway considerations such as loading gauge/cost etc. That's seems about right from what I can gather. As previously mentioned, the short lived 'Highworth Model Club', of which I was a founder member, built a OO model of Highworth station. I don't know what happened to it in the end, it may have been under the ownership/custodianship of our friendly local Rev. Several of the fellows broke off to form their own splinter group.

Most of the track diagrams are in the Wild Swan book "The Highworth Branch" (Smith & Heathcliffe). Iirc another fellow (a neighbour of an old school friend) from Highworth, Bydemill Gardens, was also to write a book on the subject too - not sure if he ever did (I've never seen such).

I've two in 7mm, I need to finish one and add WR lantern irons to the other. Hopefully I can number one to be a model of a HB loco, the other is a Swindon works loco too.

Further research states that 08s were seen working to the Vickers SM Branch - and indeed they were seen at Coppers etc. According to Heathcliffe and Smith "....Class 08 diesel electric No. D4112 passes Stratton on it's return from the Vickers works with one van on 16th April 1964". According to the following link D4112 was a 09 (I'll have to dig deeper). http://www.elrdiesel.info/fleet-09024.php It could be one of the few converted from an 08 to an 09 loco I guess.

The second photo is charming! The first - albeit interesting - is the beginning of the end.

I forgot to mention that a few weeks back on "Secrets of the Transport Museum", there was a Fire Tender that had once been at South Marston https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/explore/our-collection/airfield-vehicles/merryweather-firecrash-tender My father was often made to fly from South Marston in his boss' Piper Twin Comanche. The diesel locos were all WR 03s ('Sugar Puffs'), and the coaches were, iirc, a B-Set with modified vents/roofs to cater for the low road over bridges/line loading gauge. These were basically workman's trains for BR WR employees from Highworth, heading 'inside'.

Marc, I don't suppose any modeller worth their salt is truly and utterly satisfied with their efforts, but every so often something falls into place and brings some joy and happiness to its creator. And, as I was just writing elsewhere, becomes more than the sum of it's parts, takes on a life of it's own and is loved, enjoyed and admired by others too. That X factor is often hard to catalogue or quantify though. Our H&BLR for all of it's faults was like that too.

My friends and I played a lot around those areas as kids, including, 'Black Bridge' some coming from Highworth and some from Hannington/Hampton. We also rode scramblers around there too. I was only telling someone the other day how my friends and I played 'commandoes' aping our uncles', father's, grandfather's escapades (and as it later turned out special forces in the locale) in - unbeknownst to us then - in the same fields as those in 'The Last Ditch' their training grounds and the last ditch. Iirc Cpt Peter Fleming (Ian Fleming's brother - Ian being buried a few short miles away at Sevenhampton) led training. After the need had passed many concerned with the LD went on to form the SAS. As kids we often found old grenades, bren guns etc. All rusted up, except one bren that was still in greased paper in a barn (we weren't allowed to keep that one!). Our schools were no strangers to bomb disposal et al. The local village was home to that charming gentleman and all round lovely fellow, George Martin (the 5th Beatle). Iirc the local manor house burned down just after the second world war - conveniently? Also iirc the only wall left standing had the skeleton of a bricked up cat in it. I've seen some interesting military activity in and around the area, hidden in plain site, farms that weren't farms etc. Up until the early 1990s. Also the late Rev Awdry had fellowship with the area and indeed has family there too. I was lucky enough - with an old school friend, Alistair - to win joint first prize in a model making competition (circa 1980/81), Alistair had to go home early so the prize was presented to me by the late Rev Awdry. We'd made a model from card and balsa of a, nominally, 16mm scale loco, engine shed scene. Christopher Awdry has visited our H&BLR during a charity do and I was honoured to meet Colin Maggs there too. One of our dear friends, an honourable fellow, in every sense, is friends with Mr Maggs et al (as we're various fellows/friends with Rev Awdry in the early 1980s) and indeed with some of my old railway friends and colleagues - it's a small world and a tightly knit fraternity, the WR and ex GWR family. I count myself lucky to have been welcomed with open arms. Charity often being a cornstone of all of our beliefs and deeds. It's been a privilege to have the H&BLR as a vehicle for such, it had a life of its own too, being a real outdoor railway in miniature. It is hard to see where the station was - the station was actually where the new (now almost ancient) Windrush housing estate is. Station road had old rails used as fencing just above the council OAP bungalows to the right - not sure if that's still there, I haven't been along that road for years. My uncle lives on the edge of Station road, there used to be a small market garden there - Archers iirc. The Highworth branch is a charming line, it was iirc, modelled in S7 - with an article MRJ and mentioned in certain Wild Swan publications. Also a very nice model - I played a very small part in such - was built by the fellows of the railway modelling section of Highworth Model Club, to OO standards. I well remember one of the crossing gates on the 'Blunsdon Road' going to Pendon. The other stayed for years - I always kidded myself I'd buy it and restore it when I had a big enough garden - then it disappeared. I kick myself now, because it could have been stored in my friend's small yard. My only hope? That it went to a good home and didn't get cut up! It's only when older does one value such things, youth, often, being wasted on the young?

Fascinating story - in some ways better times? At least one knew who the enemy back then. As I think you already know Keith, my grandad was RA, a professional soldier, from the age of 14/15. He later served in the BEF in WWII fighting off Waffen SS in the fields around Dunkirk - the Waffen SS were known for breaking the Geneva Convention in that battle, grouping together prisoners locking them in barns then throwing in stick grenades. Grandad was injured in that battle but - after a long tale of woe - he made it home. He was later deployed on AAA units during the Blitz in/around London. All of my uncles and my father were military through choice or national service, two of whom were 'under water knife fighters' (early incarnations of SBS). My dad had fond associations with, post war, the airfields at South Marston and Draycott. And indeed the Highworth and M&SWJR branches - especially when dad worked for an agricultural engineering company in Highworth and prior for, iirc, COOP farms in the Cricklade area. Happier, more straightforward times.

Looking forward to seeing a few new photos soon.

Platform 1 iirc. Funnily enough, I oversaw some track works on this area (in the area of Coopers and Pressed Steel) of the 'Highworth Branch' in the mid 1990s. Underground streams, subsidence, and loco derailments triggered some track renewals etc. albeit reclaimed and reallocated materials.

Hi Marc, Nice to see you back. Glad to hear that PNS is going to a good home. A cracking layout in the flesh and in print. ATVB, M.

Looks awesome Brian!

Hi Keith, Thanks thats very kind of you to collate all of that info. I appreciate it. I'd forgotten about BRDdatabase - my new friend brain fog? - I think that really helps to narrow it down. As I mentioned before my dad was involved with the contract to unload the aggregate trains at the railhead. 4/5/71 ties in with my age at the time and the M4 stone traffic etc. Kindest regards, M.

A happy accident Giles, out of adversity and all that - charming model. It's hard to model ripples Eg on ships hulls, diesels' flanks etc, Ive done so with 16T minerals, but left well alone on locos. Ironically you've captured the look perfectly - good call to leave it in btw! ATVB, CME

Stunning!