unravelled

Continuing the same film, Stalbridge, Binnegar, Evercreech among other locations. More tomorrow... Dave

I'm afraid I got a bit out of sequence with the last set. These should preceed it. From end June or early July 1965. First Templecombe, with a few repeats. Thanks Dave

The next instalment. Chilcompton and Winsor Hills Tunnels, and Radstock (I hope). Not sure where the 8f is or even if its on the S&D! Date is around the end of July 1965. Winsor Hills Tunnel 76053 Winsor Hills Tunnel 76053 Chilcompton Tunnel 80146 Chilcompton Tunnel 80146 Radstock 47544 Radstock 47544 Radstock 47544 Radstock 47544 Radstock 47544 Masbury Summit 48760 Masbury Summit 48760 Chilcompton Tunnel 80059 Chilcompton Tunnel 76056 Chilcompton Tunnel 76057 Chilcompton Tunnel 80043 Winsor Hills Tunnel 73068 Winsor Hills Tunnel 73068 Enjoy Dave

Some from 12/6/1965, with 92238 on a railtour, and others, mostly Evercreech Junction. If anyone can identify the other locations I can better tag the originals. Gratispool 25 asa slide film, so more grain than the previous pictures. Evercreech Junction 92238 Evercreech Junction 92238 Evercreech Junction 80096 Edington Junction 4631 Glastonbury and street 4631 Evercreech Junction 4631 Evercreech Junction 4631 Evercreech Junction 41216 80037 Evercreech Junction 41243 Thanks Dave

Thanks for the correction, I'll amend the post. I've some more jinty pictures which are at Radstock, (I think). I always was bad at taking notes, and something in the back of my mind associated jinty pics with Radstock. More posts tonight if I don't get distracted... Thanks Dave

A group of pictures from a couple of months later. 1964, possibly August. Midsomer Norton. Midsomer Norton 73049 Midsomer Norton 47544 Midsomer Norton 47544 Midsomer Norton 47544 73092 Midsomer Norton 73092 Midsomer Norton Thanks Dave

Some of these were posted in the Templecombe turntable thread. I have rescanned and tweaked them a bit. More will follow. This set are from a School trip around April 1964. From Oxford to Templecombe via Reading and Salisbury, back via Bath. Templecombe 35013 Templecombe 44167 Templecombe 44167 Templecombe Inspection saloon Templecombe Templecombe 34002 Bath Green Park Shed 44146 Bath Green Park Shed 53807 73051 Bath Green Park Shed 53809 48468 Bath Green Park Shed 53809 48468 Bath Green Park Shed 47276 Bath Green Park Shed 44146 Bath Green Park Shed 3742 Bath Green Park Shed 8745 More to come from later visits... Thanks Dave

Glad the pictures are of some help. They have been reduced a bit for rmweb, so if (slightly) better better copies would be useful, perhaps for brick counting, please PM me. I think the structure in front of 75073 is a rack for fireirons of various types. The1964 photos were taken on a school railway society trip. Oxford Reading Salisbury Templecombe Bath Oxford. As there is interest I'll post some of the Bath ones in a separate thread, with my other S+D pictures. They will be up on flickr eventually... Thanks Dave

A pic of the back cab for those who haven't seen it. Acton Depot Museum 2014 by unravelled, on Flickr Dave

The rest of the Pics. First the 1964 ones, I'm pretty certain of the year. An inspection saloon, and stored locos. The next are 1965, BW around July, colour around September hth Dave

Only just spotted this thread. I've a few photos of Templecombe from 1964/5. Can post them here if that's of any use. A bit of shed roof detail (possibly...) And the turntable. Another angle on the shed. Some more similar, plus several of stored, unidentified locos. hth Dave

I've just managed to catch up with the thread having been about 5 pages behind for some time. Glad people are enjoying the pictures, and I must admit that a number of them do have a slight slope as mentioned. That one picture without any trains is reversed, i'll correct it in my files. This is another pic, taken 27/8/67 of 4498 from almost the same spot, with a second shot showing the viaduct. A bit out of focus and some light damage, but they set the location. One thought about superelevation. While it is probably impractical, one thing that might be effective is to have the two tracks at slightly different heights, inside curve above outside. It was the difference between the lines which was often more obvious than the actual superelevation. Thanks Dave

Some pictures from last week. Poor quality as they were through the window and in the rain, but helps show the progress, and waterlogged location. This was on return from Banbury. The outward leg was on the Chiltern line, where I grabbed some pictures of work on the new chord. I also made a return trip to Bicester as the passenger service finishes on Feb 14th P1000763 by unravelled, on Flickr thanks Dave

Is there an original track plan? Is is possible that the loco shed was approached fron the Country end of the terminal station? It looks tight getting through the bridge, if it was there from the start. Dave

Btw, if not clear from the photo, the sign is cast iron. Dave

Sorry I forgot to mention that book, which was one of my starting points. This is the current state of the unrestored sign, bought by my father from the scrap dealers clearing the station. 40 years of weathering has stripped off the brown coat. Thanks Dave

I’m currently trying to find out some more information about Thame station, for my “Wylde” layout build. I have the two obvious books on the Oxford-Princes Risborough line, the OPC volume by R Lingard, and the Middleton Press one, but would be interested in any other resources in modelling/railway magazines. The timeframe I’m most interested for the model xis 1956-65, to tie in with my steam spotting/photographing days. I’ve found a few prototype photos on the web, and some information about the S gauge exhibition layout, but little else. There are a couple of specific things I’m interested in. One concerns the bay lines, the other the colour scheme. I believe that the South (down side) bay line predates the building of extra cattle pens, so was that bay ever used for passenger services? Similarly, the North bay line served the original cattle dock, and I think end loading bank, but would it ever have seen passenger use. Regarding the colour scheme, I know that the station signs would have been brown/cream in my timeframe, but I think at one stage they may have been blue/white. If so when and why? My only solid evidence for this is my Wheatley sign which has been blue at some time before closure, the subsequent brown paint having almost all flaked off. Thanks Dave

After a rather long delay, here are some trackplans.Sorry about the lack of a consistent scale. First a SCARM track plan, approximately to scale, using Peco components. This may be a composite of several different layouts over the years. One thing which appears to have changed are the two turnouts toe to toe at the left end of the goods shed, which were replaced by a double slip. Of course the plans I’ve found might be inaccurate. My preference would be two points for simplicity, but the slip would shorten the formation. The connection to the siding at the left of the layout was definitely removed well before my model’s time. Here the plan is overlaid on the approximate baseboard I have to play with. Although I am not intending to model Thame, my layout will be largely based on it. In compressing the layout to fit the space available, I wanted to keep the platforms a scale length, so need to shorten the right hand end of the plan This drawing shows what I have come up with so far. I have used a minimum radius of about 750mm for the hidden areas, but might see if dropping it to 600mm improves the approach to the visible area. I had expected to omit the siding at the bottom, but it does seem to fit quite well into the space, though it wouldn’t bother me to lose it later to avoid too much clutter. There are road overbridges at both ends, in front of a curved backscene, roughly indicated by the unfilled outline. I am not sure whether these would be better as a large radius smooth curve from flat backscene to the front edge, or a tighter curved section, say 250mm radius, then another straight section to the edge. Thanks Dave

Watering plants in the rain... P1000422 by unravelled, on Flickr P1000218 by unravelled, on Flickr Dave

This wagon has been sitting at the end of a siding for some time. It's by the River Lea, a little west of Pudding Mill Lane station. Dave

A few pictures taken just after Christmas. The route of the down loop North of Aristotle lane seems to have been fenced, and a bit more clearance done. Access for road rail vehicles has been created between Aristotle lane and Walton Well Road bridges. Materials are being stockpiled along the line. Dave

I’ve been thinking about getting involved with this and already deleted several near responses. I’m too slow a writer to join in any particular part of this thread, so here are a few random thoughts. I think I could be one of the target buyers for some OO code 75 bullhead pointwork. but it would depend on any likely delivery date. I can’t see myself needing more than a dozen points/crossings in total. I might be tempted to build in Peco and rebuild when/if the bullhead becomes available. My thought for production order would be left and right hand points, of about 1m radius, then crossings, slips, followed up by other radii and variations (curved/tandem) points. As for price, points at around £20, slips around 50 (if possible) would mark them out as a different league from Peco, and closer to kit prices. An idea which might be worth considering is to enlarge the track base moulding so that it incorporates plain track sleepers at all ends. These, and the rails could be cut back when crossover formations were required, rather than having to agree and design in a specific track spacing. I’m assuming these components are for people familiar with cutting plain track to length, so why not the points too? I’m not too bothered whether there is a hinge point in the blade or the blades are self locking without an additional operating lever /mechanism. As for sleeper depth I wouldn’t think that thin sleepers on points would give enough strength to the unit. As for worries about the project, if it gets off the ground, my main one is that it might. be relatively easy for Peco to retool their code 75 with OO timbering, and undercut prices. For this reason I think any new system should a least start with bullhead. Thanks Dave

You can't see the coaches, I'm afraid, but here is 6868 on Feb 24 1965, after we had a trip out from Oxford. Dave

If you want one on the main line, would they have been worked to/from repair in an ordinary freight? Thanks Dave

I've almost convinced myself to build my own pointwork. I guess I should start with something in copperclad, but there is something about the gapped pcb which draws my eye and stands out. Might be good for the industrial part with inset track. One Idea I have thought about trying is to gap offcentre, near enough to the rail that one edge defines the solder fillet. If the whole of the central copper between the solder fillets could be removed so much the better. I do like the idea of threaded chaired track, and wonder if I could combine bought in rail and chairs with my own laser cut point bases, in ply or plastic. Your thoughts about of DCC for (operationally) simpler layouts could save me some money to spenf on point kits. Thanks Dave