geoffers

Now that is a cracking photo of the goods yard looking into the Creamery siding. Has brought back memories especially when cycling up over Station Bridge and heading to the late Bill Coomer's Post Office Stores. Thanks for posting it. As for your questions. The down siding, next to the down platform, did not have a buffer stop but merely a beam at buffer height attached to the brick wall at the end of the siding. Pretty sure and a couple of Colin Caddy's photos of Bailey Gate highly suggests this but does not definitively prove that this is the case. Similar for the buffers at the Bridge end of the Creamery siding but I am not so sure about this. Sadly a couple of people who would have known are no longer with us. I do not recall how the Creamery siding ends in the subterranean cavern shown in the photo. I wish I had taken more photos when I got my Brownie 127 camera in 1966 but film and developing was expensive on an income of pocket money.

Would also be handy as a "heat-seeking" missile target.

For several years I worked with "operational" Army Air Corps AH64 Apache helicopters. The airbase also hosted a police helicopter unit (Eurocopter EC135). The police pilots and crew were known to say they wished they sometimes had an Apache. to play with. On a different subject regarding road works etc. I find it difficult on the odd occasion on a narrow road inhabited with plentiful parked vehicles (usually legally) to judge which are parked and which are queueing especially when several of the parked and queueing vehicles are white vans. Got a mouthful yesterday in the Cambridgeshire Fens from a "white van man" in such a scenario.

This photo is in the Colin Boocock book "Bournemouth and Southampton Steam 1947-1967" dated as 1960 and involves shunting by M7 30108 but is incorrectly tagged as Wytch Farm oil. This would have been Kimmeridge oil (reasons mentioned above). There is also a photo over the level crossing looking eastwards from Wareham footbridge in Mitchell and Smith's Middleton Press book "Branch Line to Swanage" which shows oil tankers, albeit in the middle distance.

Much as I hate to disagree the oilfield near Furzebrook is Wytch Farm and was discovered in the 1970s and started pumping oil in the late 70s. The oil tankers parked at Wareham (I remember them well) would have been oil from the Kimmeridge well, discovered in the late 1950s and still producing to this day. I am sure the tankers were black not silver.

Have trawled through a number of my S&D books but sadly to no avail, The late Bill Coomer (I knew him as the sub-postmaster in Sturminster Marshall) wrote some books about the village, one being on the milk factory, and one the railway. I was hoping that this latter book (my copy falling to bits!) might have the platform info - but no. However, this book History of the Somerset and Dorset Railway - for Bailey Gate Surminster Marshall - Wimborne Junction to Blandford St, Mary 1860-1966 by Bill Coomer (self published) does hold a great deal on information on the staff, traffic etc.. You may have a copy, pf course, but if not I have seen it on offer online in the past. I believe Bill worked on the S&D for a time before returning to Stur as sub-postmaster. Sorry I cannot help you further as people who may have known have sadly passed on.

All I can add, I'm afraid, and it won't really help you, is that both platforms, from memory, could easily fit a tender loco and three Bulleid or Mk1 coaches. Can remember the locos stopping short of the crossing on the up platform to let passengers cross the track,

A few years ago I bought a second-hand Bachmann Ivatt 2-6-2T, (the most recent iteration with the redesigned chassis for DCC-ready, numbered 41291). It came with Olivia,s fitted sound but there was no CV sheet for an Ivatt 2-6-2T enclosed. I do not have any DCC gear aside from a NCE PowerCab run by a DCC Concepts Alpha System, so it was a bit difficult to ascertain the CV functions, but after a bit of work, and via the internet, I found an Olivia's Ivatt 2-6-2T CV function list. Not all the functions on this internet list match with reality, though, but I have managed to find a few. The sound is okay though I cannot get the loco to sound like it is coasting when slowing down. The decoder, I have found out, is an ESU Loksound v4.0. I mention this in the small chance that someone on here may have just have the correct function list and are agreeable to sending me a copy. Cheers.

"...Not in the 50's, but there is a report of the rebuilt West Country 'Dorchester' in the early 60's going though Bailey Gate at at least 85 MPH being driven by a certain Mr Smith..." Having seen some of the late 1950s and early 1960s expresses fly down the 1in100 descent southwards into Bailey Gate Station not surprised by that.

Me too 😀. Then frantic activity to find where they came from resulting in more disappearing bits. The OPs picture looks like it might be off the tender chassis.

My rainfall figures for this winter (Dec, Jan, Feb) is 150.8% of normal (247.7mm as opposed to the mean of 164.3mm - the mean being RAF Coltishall just 7 miles away as the crow flies). Much of this is in Feb (113.3mm as opposed to the mean of 45.2mm) but both Dec and Jan were above average 74.1 mm against 64.0mm, and 60.0mm against 55.1mm respectively. It also follows a wet 2023 with 876.9mm recorded against the mean of 683.9mm, or 128.2% of normal. My readings are not official as it is a non-standard exposure, but gives a good idea. John new is quite correct - warmer air has the capacity to hold more moisture per cubic metre and the increase is exponential.

Sad news indeed. Have several of their cook books and have enjoyed their recipes, and their trips. Route 66 was a favourite having driven along it (but not on a motor bike). Was really hoping he would pull through. Many condolences to his family, friends, and fans. RIP Dave.

Hah! Answered my own question. Bachmann have spares available.

Been a bit stupid and lost the three screws that hold the loco body onto the chassis. Please can anyone advise the size and type of these screws, and where they might be obtained? Doh!!!! Thanks.

Fair comment.