Rivercider

The early years of railway operation, either industrial or main line, was a steep learning curve for all involved. From early beginnings most of the future main lines only had perhaps four or five departures a day, so the provision of an additional locomotive to marshall stock, that could be easily moved by hand, was probably never considered. I wonder if any of the major road coaching inns or Royal Mail locations kept a pair of horses to bring carriages in and out of the carriage house while the incoming team were fed and watered? Edit - perhaps they also used older horses no longer fit for main road duty for these purposes? It also seems to be the case that quite a few of the very early main locos were unfit for purpose from their introduction, or were overwhelmed by increasing loads within very few years. The early locos supplied to the GWR were a very mixed batch, including some pretty hopeless cases. In January 1839 Gooch reported that 'Venus is the worst engine' , 'but we have kept her as a pilot at Maidenhead'. Does this mean she was a pilot to assist trains on the main line, or as a station or yard pilot? I believe it was 1875 before the LSWR bought six 0-6-0STs from Beyer Peacock, having previously relied on 0-6-0 goods locos, or 'retired' main line passenger locos to carry out shunting, cheers

The GWR might have been very interested in constructing such a chord line if history had taken a different course in May 1875. With the S&D in financial trouble (after constructing the Bath Extension) the S&D approached the GWR which after consulting the B&E announced they would take over the S&D if terms could be agreed. No progress had been made by 12 August when the GWR and B&E met the LSWR manager at Waterloo, suggesting the LSWR took over the southern half of the S&D. The LSWR then secretly met the Midland Railway, and eight days later on 20th August the Midland and LSWR made the S&D a better offer, which was accepted. cheers

I have also been worried that there will be no winners in these long running disputes. Re-openings like Portishead and Tavistock, as well as improvements to routes in the north must surely be jeopardised the longer this goes on, cheers

I was a roster clerk for a FOC (Freight Operating Company) from 1999-2007. There were, I think, two trained steam driver/firemen (who by default knew many of the routes they drove over) at each of the two depots I was responsible for rostering. There was also one trainee fireman, who passed out as a driver fairly soon after, who also had good route knowledge. As my time as a roster clerk progressed I had to try to find the chance to roster trainee firemen to mainline firing turns, and this was very difficult when there was a driver shortage at the depots. I did feel sorry that I was not able to roster them to many training turns. Since retirement in 2007 I have learned that several drivers have become qualified as steam firemen and drivers on mainline work. cheers

I quite agree. I notice that not all goals have an assist recorded. In any case there will always be a certain amount of subjectivity about the creation, and scoring, of a goal, and whether another player had a major contribution in the score. Of course it is also true that many goals have been scored by a scuff, or mis-hit by the goal scorer, but they all count don't they? I reckon I have watched perhaps 600-700 live football matches over 40 years. While I still appreciate that the scorer has to be in the right place for a tap-in I still really enjoy a good well-worked team goal, cheers

But surely you must have seen a goal or two where a winger speeds down the wing, and delivers a cross onto the head of a striker who scores? In my view that deserves credit. cheers

I love maps, and track plans, and have been fascinated by them since the early 1970s. I used to sketch out track diagrams in the margins of school exercise books, and backs of envelopes. So over the years must have doodled hundreds of plans, and for the recurring half a dozen worked them up in some detail. Most included more freight than passenger facilities. Since retirement from full-time work I have built one layout, ( a glorified shunting plank with added freight sidings), but now realise I much prefer to visit exhibitions to see other layouts than build and operate my own. On my list of unbuilt layouts are a few that kept re-appearing in the doodles:- 1) A former LSWR/SR single track seaside branch terminus, with bay platform, and a small loco shed, at the end of steam, or early green diesel era. Freight facilities are minimal, but a goods branch leads off scene to the docks/quay ( like Exmouth or Bude) so adds some freight shunting at the station to sort things out. Summer Saturdays are busy. 2) A fictional location on the single track section of the North Devon line, set in the blue diesel era. Possibly a short single passenger platform with a goods only passing loop and a small yard that gives access to a freight only branch heading west into ball clay country. 3) Assuming the GWR Chagford branch got built from the Teign Valley Line at or near Leigh Cross. I envisage a small yard at Bridford Mills, a 57XX spends time here each day, making forays out to a couple of nearby quarries to collect stone traffic to marshall up to go to Exeter or Newton Abbot. Meanwhile a 14XX or 45XX calls occasionally at the short platform on branch passenger workings. 4) An urban freight only branch in Bristol inspired by Ashton Meadows sidings in the blue diesel/early TOPS era. The local sorting sidings are the base for a couple of trip workings to the nearby CCD, docks, and ship yard, all off scene. I seriously doubt any will get built. cheers

From my TOPS on BR career I don't remember much traffic to or from the Sharpness branch other than the nuclear flask traffic. Two types of traffic I do remember, from 1978 or 1979 there was a one-off imported wood pulp that came in tube wagons (TOPS type STV) from Sharpness to St Phillips Marsh for St Anne's Board Mills (imports via Portishead had finished by then). Also around 1980 or 1981 there was a one-off move of low level nuclear waste from Hinckley Point to Sharpness, loaded to rail at Bridgwater in pipe wagons (TOPS type SOV). The other regular traffic from the early 1980s was condemned unfitted and vacuum braked freight stock to Sharpness for Coopers Metals. cheers

Catch pits lined by rectangular concrete 'rings' were in use in 1980, but capped by concrete covers. Here is the view at Uphill Junction just south of Weston -super-Mare, there are catch pits on both sides of the line, but due to the nearby Uphill Cutting it has always been a wet location when I have known it. . The cabling is in concrete lined channels. 47512 heads south with a ballast drop formed of dogfish hoppers and a shark plough van at the rear (a regular formation at that time for midweek ballast drops). 17/2/82 cheers

I have thought about this question on and off over several days, and I think it is difficult to answer. For one thing we do not know if the OP is looking for somewhere to be condensed into a 10' x 10' space, or has the use of a double garage, or the era . Have any of the suggestions been useful to the OP? As has been previously mentioned most remote railway junctions did not stay remote for long. I would suggest that the most likely time to find three different railway companies converging on a country junction would be in the last quarter of the 19th Century. Back then one of the lines might have been built by a local consortium, the line would possibly have been worked from the outset by the major local company, never paid any dividends, and been absorbed or taken over by the major company possibly before 1900, probably before WWI, and almost certainly by the Grouping in 1923. If all three lines had remained open, and were successful, then a large settlement would have built up nearby, so it would no longer be in the middle of nowhere, cheers

If you are modelling before the smoking ban, then the ceilings (and anything else 'white') then it should be painted a shade of nicotine, the darker the shade the longer since the last redecoration, cheers - mine's a cider, ta

I think it would also be the case that if there was a software problem when there was a normal timetable running, with the majority of the booked turns already covered for the week, then it would be possible to stick close to the booked service. However as has been pointed out, there is not a normal service running. Xmas week would involve a revised timetable to start with, then add in industrial action and an overtime ban - it makes me soooo glad I am no longer a roster clerk, cheer

I remember hearing on the news earlier in the week that TransPennine Express had issued a 'do not travel' warning due to a failure of their traincrew rostering software. The problem was expected to affect services all week, which might explain some of your troubled journeys. I spent the last 8 years of my railway career in traincrew rostering (for EWS), starting in the office after computerised had been introduced. One of my colleagues was an old school pencil and rubber roster clerk, who could do some work the old way. However if the system went down we were pretty much stumped, cheers

Slow news day in Amersham perhaps? cheers

Hi Andy, welcome to RMweb. You will find a lot has changed in the last 50 years with far more things available, but some things stay the same (time/space etc), Good luck with your plans cheers

Although I am much less a modeller and more a book collector I have found in recent years my interest in railways has been heading to the past. I have some memories of the end of SR steam (in Exeter), trainspotted in the blue diesel era. My model railway purchases reflected this, mostly BR/SR locos, diesel hydraulics, and WR based diesel electrics. However with 4 generations of LSWR/SR railwaymen ahead of me I now find interest in the LSWR loco classes of Adams, Drummond, and Urie, and the lines of the West Country they worked. cheers

Railways are a huge subject for study and interest in themselves, even before being broken down into separate companies. I have a large (and increasing) book collection, but I very much try to restrict purchases to routes or lines where I live or worked, or I have travelled regularly - hence the LSWR/SR/GWR bias. I hope that full retirement will allow me time to travel further afield in future, York, Durham, and Whitby are on the 'to do' list. When I visit a town or area I like to learn about the history and railways of the place, so my knowledge of, and affection for, the LNER may in time increase, cheers

Regarding the other wagon, if you remember wagons of coiled wire then it looks like a Coil E (TOPS code KEV) - have a look on Paul Bartlett's site. It would not be a TOPS code ZRV which was a bit of a catch-all code for odd vac braked stuff transferred to the engineer depts. cheers

Exeter Central has an overbridge at the west (Exeter St Davids end). In the very early spell of its existence the station it was operated as a terminus, and was then known as Exeter Queen Street, with an overbridge at each end. cheers

Yes a lot of VCAs were loaded out of BSC Ebbw Vale, Velindre, and Trostre tinplate works, including to Metal Box locations. cheers

Quite a few of the LSWR classes acquired nicknames, some of them already listed on this thread. A12 0-4-2 Jubilees as they were introduced in 1887 Queen Victoria golden jubilee year. G16 4-8-0T Black tanks H16 4-6-2T Green tanks, as they were originally painted green, H15 4-6-0 Chonkers or Junior King Arthurs. K10 4-4-0 Small Hopper, due to limited steaming capacity they tended to be used on short distance start/stop. L11 4-4-0 Large Hopper M7 0-4-4T Motor tanks ( possibly just the push-pull fitted ones?) N15 4-6-0 Scotch Arthurs or Scotchmen for the King Arthurs built in Glasgow. S15 4-6-0 Goods Arthurs, a freight version of the King Arthurs. T14 4-6-0 Paddlebox or Paddleboat, due to shape of the splashers. T9 4-4-0 Greyhound, due to their turn of speed once rebuilt with superheaters. 700 0-6-0 Black Motors (they shared boilers and other components with the M7 tanks) 380 4-4-0 Steamrollers due to the disc bogie wheels and stovepipe chimneys they looked like steamrollers. cheers

I just watched the highlights through, and noticed the caption top left showed OLD v YEO (who play in green). Though it was clearly the 'chip nickers' (Torquay) who ended up losing the basement battle. I also watch lower league football, Exeter City currently enjoying a rare spell in League 1, or my local team Weston-super-Mare currently top of Southern League Premier South cheers

It is not a area I know well, were 24.5t mins common around there? Rockcliff Hall signal box controlled access to Connah's Quay power station. Here is a photo from Flickr taken from the signal box by David Blower in 1971, these appear to be 16t mins, and is that another train in the far left distance? cheers

We have visited the excellent Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum near St Austell several times this year. On one visit we walked part of one of the Clay Trails south from the museum and down the Lansalson Valley, this trail follows the route of the Lansalson Branch for much of the way. The Lansalson (or Bojea) Branch was the last branch line built by the GWR, the construction was delayed by WWI and was not completed until 1920. It was a freight only branch main mainly to service clay dries along the valley, it closed in 1968. The line terminated at Ruddlemoor, where there was a goods depot/wharf, and a clay loading platform, the site of the clay loading platform is now a village green for Ruddlemoor, and at the south end there are still rails across the road. Looking northwards towards Ruddlemoor village green which was the site of the clay loading platform, and the terminus of the branch, rails are still embedded in the roadway, 8/9/2022 cheers

Yes of course scoring goals is the important thing. I thought England played OK against a decent French team. We created enough chances to take the game to extra time, but sadly did not take them. You obviously realise that football and rugby are different games. cheers