Eggesford box

Hi Ian, bit late in the day but the measurements of the South box above the plinth are:- Length 42' 1" Widrth 12' 1" Where the plinth is seven bricks the height is 23" and the splay bricks are 3" Measured by tape measure single handed so there is a bit of room for error with tape sagging slightly no matter how hard you pull it and eyeballing the length at corners with bullnose bricks but should still be within two or three inches and more accurate than brick counting. Thinking about it I should have measured the window frames to see if the error was in the dimensions of the etches. Do you still need photos of the buffet? David

hi, Have come across this firm before and they have a UK website. The best thing is that you can preview the book and flip through the pages online just like in a bookshop. They have also done another book on the signalboxes on the Ely Norwich line.

All things come to those who wait!

Not off hand I will ask the signallers (sorry, SIGNALMEN!) tomorrow.

Hi Ian, Not the worlds best photos but for what they are worth.

Hi Ian, just to confirm that the connection off the Down Relief controlled from the ground frame have been plain lined very recently. The rear windows in the South box have also been replaced by UPVC ones bearing no resemblance to the originals. Seems you are now making a historic model of Banbury; or, as the say, history began yesterday!

Do you mean glass paint? I did use this once on a white LED to use for a French Carre Violet.

Hi, and now as, the Python boys say, for someting completely different! A HO model of a French signalbox I made about three or four years ago. One of the French magazines often does pull outs in the manner of card kits and I used it for patterns to make the box out of plasticard with the glazing from CD cases for rigidity. The name Saint Anselme was simply because that was the saints day when I affixed the lettering.

Hi, am a bit dubious to post any of my work next to Gravy Train's exceptional work but here are a couple of photos of an O gauge model of Pontypool Road Station South J unction box I made 20 or more years ago for a friend. Lovely work Gravy Train. How do you make your windows.The interior of St Marys crossing is correct for recent times as I worked a couple of night turns there twenty or so years ago and apart from the fire, chair and table the interioir was empty. A pair of Annetts key instruments on the outside back wall where provided to release the gates. Taking the keys out of the instruments replaced the protecting colour light signals to danger. We only used to cover if the resident crossing keeer (Zetty) was on leave or otherwise unable to work.

Hi, sorry about that with no info, a bit new to adding attachments to forum. Front and rear of island platform building at Barnstaple drawn some thirty or more years ago. Will add more later but have to rush, off on the school run!

Hi

Ta for that, I would love to see that photo and at least it proves that conveying Presflos is not an impossibility. I believe the idea of making the train a mixed train was to convey any overflow from the previous days freight. As for the 120 DMU, perhaps I could claim it was wrongly routed at Atlantic Junction!

Hi Matt, thanks for that, it makes the time scanning in the old photos worthwhile. If you have any questions I will help if I can. I would very much like to see a class 120 DMU in model form as well though in OO. If Bachmann ever do one I guess there is more chance of it appearing in both scales. With Bachmann already having brought out three DMUs though you wonder if the market is large enough for them to consider bringing out a fourth. Mind you, if I ever do get round to starting another layout I have a suspicion it will end up as the Baltimore & Ohio in West Virginia! Maybe when I retire I will start building a north Devon layout to bring back all the old memories. All the best for the new year. David.

It is I! Nice shot of the DMU hauling the van. The one working I never took a photo of was a DMU hauling a van. The only time Itook a photo of the 1535 or equivalent woking from Barnstaple it was engine and stock vice the DMU.

Thats cos it was me that took it!

Yes its me again! Having read through all the posts a few thoughts. Firstly my memories relate to the mid to late seventies/early eighties if anything I have put down seems to contradict others (and thats even before time starts playing tricks with the memory) As regards the mixed train I am pretty sure in my day the parcels vans where all BR design four wheeled CCTs/PMVs, presumably the use of Fruit Ds mentioned by other contributors had ceased on this train by then. I never saw it convey a tail load other than the parcel vans though one of the staff did mention to me about it conveying Presflos though I doubt if anyone could confirm this now. It is interesting about the various comments on how traffic to Lapford was worked, again it may have changed since my time after 1982. Presumably the UKF vans would have had to be back at Riverside to catch their return working to Ince but if other traffic flows did not have the same imperative to be back at Exeter then I guess it may be more convenient to pick them up on the way to Barnstaple the following morning.

Hi, the 08 had gone by 1979 at least. One of the last ones was 08 641, Iremember because it was the first engine I ever had a ride on!

Hi, Traffic could be worked direct to Lapford, When the UKF traffic was working the Sundays only Ince and Elton to Truro conveyed a portion for Lapford dropped off at Riverside.. The freight from Riverside only ran as far as Lapford on a Monday and returned light from Lapford, at one time going to the oil sidings at Tiverton Junction I believe. A light engine came out from Exeter just after lunchtime on the Monday to pick the empties up from Lapford to return them to Riverside. There where two ground frames at Lapford at either end of the run round loop with that at the north end having an intermediate token instrument to allow the freight to 'shut away' in the sidings. The ground frames themselves where unlocked by the key token and where not released by placing the token in the intermediate instrument as some of the Exeter guards seemed to believe. Once with nearly a very interesting result!

Hi, having read the various posts I would agree the north Devon line would make a good basis for a model and indeed a few models have appeared based on the line. Traffic to Barnstaple was pretty varied well into the seventies. Steel plate was conveyed for Appledore shipbuilders in a wide variety of wagons including Plate, Boplate and Trestrol wagons. Cement (bagged) was also carried in long wheelbase vans as well as in Presflos. Drainage pipes where carried in Tube wagons. Rotary muckspreaders also appeared on Lowfits as did returning coastguard minis. Beer casks, fibreglass insulation and fertiliser and cattle feed traffic also went to Barnstaple in vans. Most of the vans for the fertiliser traffic where vanfits but Vanwides where also not uncommon. Nitram was a popular fertiliser in those days and once empty, one of the jobs was to strip out and burn the cardboard lining in the vans. Mixed with copious amounts of spilt Nitram this gave off large clouds of white smoke. There would be an idea for a cameo on a model with a Seuthe smoke generator! I cannot remember seeing merchants stickers on the side of any of the vans for either Barnstaple or Torrington though. I did see a Minfit in the yard at Barnstaple once loaded with scrap. I believe one of the local scrap merchants did get a section 8 grant though I do not think the railway ended up wuth much traffic. The very occasional ferry van appeared with glass moulds for Torrington glassworks (unloaded at Barnstaple) From my memory Fruit Ds appeared for traffic from Toyworks (later Leisure industries Ltd) at Handy Cross near Bideford. These where the likes of blackboards and pool tables, this being the time that Pot Black was very popular on the TV. These went back on the freight for Riverside in the early evening. DMUs conveying tail loads when I knew the line in the mid seventies to early eighties where the following (times varied slightly over the years); 0405 St Davids to Barnstaple, newspaper van sometimes one of the converted Siphon Gs which went back on the 1535 from Barnstaple. 1000 arrival at Barnstaple which went back on the 2055 from Barnstaple. Understandably the enthusiasts excursions get most of the attention but other ' holidaymaker' type excursions also ran (Where they branded under the 'Merrymaker' name?) and you can even justify a boat train, yes really! Not a boat train in the traditional sense of course but Ellerman lines chartered one or two trains for boat naming ceremonies at Appledore, the passengers being taken on by road from Bideford. A spiffy class 31 and a couple of MK1 firsts along with a catering vehicle of some description. Hope the foregoing is of some interest and use.