Focalplane

But the most likely motive power from Stratford 21D shed was probably an LMS 3F 0-6-0. The Midland 1F tank seems to be an unlikely choice. The predominance of tender engines in the area probably means a lengthening of the release road at the end of the platform. Yet another reason for not starting on the baseboards just yet.

These are all by Romford. They look good but they take some effort to prepare for installation. Two things come to mind. The hole for the retaining pin is too small and needs to be drilled out or reamed. The three hooks come separately and have to be manipulated onto the rear slot which then has to be closed enough to retain the first link but not so much that the link binds. Otherwise they are the most lifelike coupling out there, IMHO.

Three more wagons/vans have been modified with three link couplings and as usual one was difficult, but the other two relatively easy. The first took over an hour with a lot of drilling and cutting to make space for the springing, but the result is pleasing, a fine model by Dapol of the Fruit D: After lunch and a nap, I tackled two Bachmanns. The first is an LMS cattle wagon and I found the installation quite straightforward: Pleased with progress, another Bachmann, this time a GWR ventilated van. An almost identical installation:

Those photos are also on warwickshirerailways.com. I have now dropped the idea of including a Stroudley tank because the Hornby model R3116 is not DCC ready. The Bachmann Midland 1F coming out soon could be a better bet. Ah well. . . .

Further evidence for their possible use south of Stratford. Apparently the S&MJR occasionally borrowed a Stroudley tank engine when no locomotive of their own was available.

And there is a BR Terrier waiting to be bought at Pecorama!

Here's an interesting piece of history in South Warwickshire. Who would have thought that two Stroudley A1X Terriers found their way to the region? They were purchased by the Edge Hill Light Railway from the LB&SCR to work on shuttling iron ore to the Stratford and Midland Joint Railway. Ironically the workings were uneconomic and the two tank engines languished until finally being scrapped in 1946. The tanks could have been perfect for working the theoretical Stratford-Shipston light railway as they had very light axle loading and would have been perfect for the light loads envisaged. The idea is very tempting!

Went back to Pecorama this morning with a shopping list and, guess what! Yes, they filled every item on the list! Then the beach beckoned with plenty of time to think about the Shipston Branch and the make up of trains in and out of Shipston. With competition from both GWR and LMS (via S&MJR) I expect to see the shed staff will keep both companies' locos in tip top condition!

Let's stray away from the main line through Le Midi and visit a wonderful frontier station, Latour de Carol, situated on the french side of the Pyrenees on the line from Toulouse to Barcelona. Latour de Carol has one unique claim to fame in Europe. The station itself (this is important) caters to three gauges. I know of two other European towns that can claim three gauges, but they are not all served by one station. The French main line from Toulouse is standard gauge. Passengers must change trains and platforms to continue on to Barcelona on the slightly broader Spanish gauge. And alongside the two is the the narrow gauge line from Villefranche which is better known as Le Train Jaune (the Yellow Train). The station building itself far exceeds its actual needs to the local community. This is a frontier station and like others on each side of the Pyrenees it announces the country rather than the town. The first photo is a view toward Toulouse. The line passes under those mountains which are, I suppose, mere foothills! A close up shows a Renfe EMU waiting to depart for Barcelona. On the left is a Bombardier TER from Toulouse. On the right is the night service to Paris which starts from Latour de Carol as a three car local, then speeds up after Toulouse. With the new TGV through service from Paris to Barcelona this service may be short lived. The Yellow Train platform is beyond the SNCF sleeper. Next, the line has a dedicated snow plough and it is often to be found at Latour, though I have seen photos of it in Toulouse. Of course, it only works on the French snowdrifts! Finally, a photo of the Yellow Train, taken not far from Latour. I plan to do a separate posting on this wonderful SNCF anachronism sometime soon.

Poppy Day at Nissan It seems appropriate to recognize the Great War in some way and my next four photos do have one thing in common with remembrance - trackside poppies at my favorite location just west of Nissan, where a vigneron track runs so close to the main line that there is no room for the gantry posts. The first is an eastbound Languedoc-Roussillon Bombardier TER. I like the local livery - very hot! Next a westbound Grandes Lignes express headed by a "nez cassé" BB22xxx (22329) Another westbound Grandes Lignes express, this time the single voltage loco BB7xxx (7205) is in the "en voyage" livery: And finally, an interesting combination - express freight loco (26221) dragging a switcher with an eastbound covered wagon freight:

I see they close at 4 pm, so I will probably have to wait until I return here next week. I have to hand over our caravan (at Salcombe Regis) to relatives and I doubt if they will arrive in time for me to make it to Buffers before they close. Plenty to do in Sidmouth this week if you like folk music, personally I prefer model railway shops! But at least folk festival folk are relatively quiet, unlike the people who attend Global Gathering weekends at Long Marston aerodrome.

Is this the shop that James May promotes? I will make a detour on Friday afternoon. Visiting Local (or not so local) Hobby Shops should be everyone's modus operandi! As to shops being expensive, well, if they have what you are looking for and you are there, then the petrol/diesel is already consumed and there is no postage to pay! I was pleased to see that Pecorama has free parking - that is a rare benefit down here in East Devon!

My first ever visit to Peco in Beer, East Devon. Why have I waited so long? Really comprehensive stock (including some non Peco brands and hard to find bits "kept under the counter"). The touchy feely aspect of a large model shop, coupled with helpful staff, makes one realize that the mail order business model does lack a certain "je ne sais quoi". I now know that Ratio sells some coach kits that will fit right in (4 wheel GWR, Suburban Midland, grounded coach) while it was really useful to see the Wills plasticard sheets up close. I bought the Wills "Staverton" ground level signal box for the fictitious upgrade of the line from Stratford. Much better than the Skaledale GWR box which is simply too big. I intend to back there on Friday with a shopping list!

Yes, it all helps, thank you! I think your technique will be used for those glued together Dapols in future!

TGVs west of Avignon Traveling from Lyon south, TGVs either turn west to Nimes and Montpellier or south to Marseilles. There is a third link for trains from Marseilles to Nimes but this is not used very much at the moment. So the Avignon Triple Junction, as I call it, is a good place to watch TGVs go by and often they are slowing down to fit in with the signalling north to Lyon, so photography is a little easier than elsewhere on the "Lignes Grande Vitesse". I spent several hours looking for and finding a good spot, driving my Peugeot 207 along gravel tracks which are potentially used to evacuate trains in an emergency. This location is on the Nimes end of the junction. The landscape here is barren and rugged with limestone ridges. An engineering feat because the southern extension also has to cross the Rhone by a large concrete viaduct. The gradients here are at the maximum for TGV design, approximately 3%. But with a telephoto lens they begin to look like a roller coaster, a sensation which can be felt while traveling through them. The view toward Nimes with a double Duplex trainset approaching: A Duplex traveling toward Nimes. The outside tracks go to Marseilles: The roller coaster! There is a Duplex out there: A Hybrid Duplex heading for Montpellier. One of these trainsets figured in a recent post. The locomotive is a standard "reseau" coupled to a Duplex trainset. They seem to run mostly on the Paris-Montpellier section. Lastly, a Duplex TGV heads west with the backdrop of the Rhone and Avignon in the distance.

I don't like any of the available easy couplers offered by the RTR manufacturers. One caveat, Kadees are perfect for North American models because they emulate the real thing. But for OO gauge the options vary from bent wire to the Nem style. I prefer screw and three link couplers, but modifying many models can be a real pain. There is no hard and fast rule but I have found that Bachmann are possibly the easiest to modify. Dapol glue some of their vans together which have to be prized apart with risk of breakage to the external details. The easiest to modify are often the oldest designs, such as the four wheel GWR composites. Bachmann super detailed trucks are a fiddle but not too difficult, just need time and patience. The end result is worth it. I rarely dispense with the springs, after all they have been paid for so should be used. Occasionally a design demands cutting the rear of the hook short. This is permissible for express tender locomotives, but the Shipston Branch would never see such a beast. Sprung buffers help here but few RTR wagons come with them. The most obvious reason for not using scale couplers is the difficulty of using them, particularly in shunting operations. But that is the price we pay for authenticity.

Classic Train and Motor Bus sponsored a special Bachmann TOAD guards van, modeled on one stationed at Stratford on Avon, which will look right on the expanded Shipston Branch (it may have even got there anyway, via Honeybourne and Moreton). Here it is with 3 link couplings, fitted this afternoon during a thunderstorm.

Sorry, I edited to add the thumbnail and lost the image. It's back now.

A quick and low quality shot of the two 4 wheel composites acquired on Wednesday, now with 3 link couplings and paired with the out of the box Bachmann 57XX. Nice to be able to show a photo for a change!

Malpas Tunnel approach, west bound Grandes Lignes Express Taking the foreshortened curve east of Colombières, a west bound express approaches the Malpas Tunnel and my viewpoint on the ridge above. A typical 13 car train pulled by a dual voltage BB22xxx class, No. 22323. A few moments later the locomotive comes close enough for a portrait. I cannot distinguish the regional shield on the side, perhaps others can? Typically these trains run across southern France, anywhere from Nice to Bordeaux. They are extremely comfortable to ride in (particularly First Class) but there is a noticeable judder during starting and stopping which does not occur with a TGV due to its shared bogies.

I second this recommendation. Their shop is in Bessan, east of Béziers, with typical French business hours, i.e. don't go there at lunchtime or at weekends! They have good stock including some North American stuff but mostly French and other mainland European. Peco track is in stock. Send an email before visiting, preferably in French as their English is limited. Their business appears to be more mail order than LHS counter service.

Very atmospheric, lots of interest along the way. I love the track and the turntable, while the rolling stock look perfect. I don't expect I will be around to see the exhibit, but it is good to see a French layout on RMWeb! Thank you.

Visited Mark at Classic Trains and Motor Bus in Leamington this afternoon. Lots of useful information about the branch line and some future contacts who may have more. Bought a Hornby Dean Goods (new) as well as two second hand 4 wheel GWR composites, the sort that would have been around in the 1930s, having been relegated to one of the company's least important branches. Also a GW horse box. Mark has commissioned another Bachmann wagon which will be available "soon". A local Leamington coal merchant is the PO. I also started my "what if" recreation by buying a Skaledale GWR signal box. It will need quite a lot of detailing to match the other buildings. I know where it should go on the track plan, the question still remains as to whether this is the right thing to do. But since the baseboards are still some way off being constructed the final decision can wait a while. A heads up for Shakespeare Lovers! No, not a play, but the Rood Ashton Hall set will be out soon from Bachmann. At around £130 it is a must for a Warwickshire man!

Two TGVs - Spot the difference! Both photographed at Malpas Tunnel. The first is a standard Reseau single deck TGV. The Second is. . . . .

I finally got hold of the definitive book "Shipston-on-Stour Branch" by S C Jenkins and R S Carpenter. It is a well written history of both the original Tramway and the light railway which is the focus of this blog. Many of the photos are already published on the internet but in some cases the quality is better and the descriptions perhaps more accurate. The politics of branch lines keeps cropping up throughout the history and it does seem quite practical to make a "what if" assumption about the GWR re-laying the Shipston-Stratford Tramway as a way to prevent competitors building additional lines across South Warwickshire. Ironically, the original decision to serve Shipston from Moreton was never going to be practical as most people in the area have always gravitated to Stratford for their needs. Even today the local bus service is Warwickshire managed, the buses running from Stratford to Moreton via Chipping Campden and/or Broadway. Shipston is also well served by Stratford buses as well as the express bus service between Oxford and Stratford. So I think a little history bending is in order. The following would be the basis for a revision of history: 1. The original GWR light railway modification would be extended north to Stratford, with additional land being bought along the roadways south of Stratford. The original Tramway terminus in Stratford would have been scrapped and the line brought into the then existing East & West Junction Railway at Clifford Sidings, with running allowed to the GWR main line (Birmingham-Cheltenham). 2. After a political fight, the E&WJR gained running rights to Moreton in exchange for running rights afforded to the GWR. This meant that LMS locos could be expected to venture south of Stratford. 3. Now that the line gained through status, signaling would become necessary with multiple token running. The ground frames at Shipston might have sufficed but a small cabin would seem appropriate! 4. The loco roster might be expanded due to improved permanent way designs, so a wider range of tank and tender engines could be expected, including Dean Goods 0-6-0s, small panniers, Dobbins (Jinties to most people), 2-4-0s from the E&WJR and the 14XX that started off this romantic episode in my life! The Shipston Engine Shed would have been re-opened with a small coaling stage, ash pit, etc. This pre-Beeching expansion would have allowed 'direct' train travel from Shipston to Birmingham Moor Street via Stratford as well as connections to beyond Moreton. Busy days are ahead!