Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

Evenin' all, Just back from a smashing 3 day stay with the outlaws in Wimborne Minster, Dorset. Good use made of the to & from journey with investigation of the Somerset & Dorset route between Wincanton and Blandford. A few visuals..... Just to the north of Wincanton Ditto...looking north-west Horsington Ditto....looking south Stalbridge Ditto....looking north The Gartell light railway just south of Templecombe....looking north Looking south The north end of the light railway Ditto....looking north There was a visit to Abbotsbury swannery..... Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

.....a little Osprey action within this clip Geoff ....from our 2012 Sanibel island, Gulf of Mexico trip. Red Cardinal, Grackle, Snowy Plover, Mockingbird, Red shouldered hawk and Ibis also feature Dave

....called in at The Wincle brewery an hour ago for yet another tray of 'Old Oak', to celebrate a week off.....'Summer lass' is being brewed at the moment and is likely to see me through to the Autumn. Good to see more 'Joules' pubs appearing too.....Joules and The Wincle brewery are my two preferred local ones....to be supported at each opportunity. Cheers Dave

....then I must be the other .01% Chris.....keep up the good work Mark....the other type 2 phobe will be busy appreciating your efforts! All the best with the show. Dave

Aft'noon all, A variation on the long clockwise this afternoon, in search of more of the industrial history of The Moorlands. There was a time when iron ore was of considerable local importance..... Approaching Waterfall Cross from Morridge A clue near Waterfall Cross....the last local ironstone mine in The Churnet valley at Ruelow wood closed in 1923 with cheaper Spanish Haemetite bringing about its demise Looking across the Churnet valley towards Eastwall 'Estwelle' from Moneystone, 'Estwelle' is the site of a 13/14th Century bloomery investigated by 'Time Team' http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/files/52568_Oakamoor.pdf Moneystone quarry was operated by British Industrial Sand for many years and supplied high grade silica sand to various glassworks such as St Helens and Worksop by rail. The site is reverting to nature now. A scene from the mid 80s with a rake of HJV/HKV/MTV being worked to Moneystone sand quarry to load with silica sand.....seen approaching the then copper works at Froghall https://www.flickr.com/photos/43564631@N08/4009466064/in/album-72157622451093859/ The return route was along the edge of the Churnet valley via Ipstones Dave

Mornin' all, A hint of Summer to come this week with the temps taking a turn for the better and the garden flora responding. We managed the annual bluebell walk along the Leek arm of the Caldon canal this morning too.... Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

.....totally agree with the use of it Chris....I'd do exactly the same....but wouldn't rest until I'd imparted some individual characteristics onto it/blended it into the layout....a little like the weathered appearance of those excellent figures with which you might populate it. Dave

Another vote for the railbus displaying a white 'end of destination blind' behind dirty glass panel Chris. All 3 of the images which I have to hand of it, whilst at Bodmin, suggest this. The model appears to be a good representation of the prototype....toning it down/deplasticising its appearance will be the challenge. Dave

Happy birthday Sherry! Dave

.....our garden birds tend to exit stage left when the Sparrowhawk comes calling too. Dave

....Dave Franks at Lanarkshire Model Supplies is your man. Dave

....last thing I heard was that he got the prop tangled in a chain and pulled the plug out! Dave

....we don't have many short journey plans Ed but the way in which we go about these longer ones makes them part of the holiday and over time means that we've covered a lot more of the UK by varying the routes. Dave

.....we have a forthcoming trip to Wimborne to visit/stay with family. Taking the scenic route via Ellastone, Uttoxeter and Barton-under-Needwood gets us off to a relaxed start and means that we can use the A38/A446 route to miss most of the West Midlands conurbation/traffic, using the A452 to reach the A46 near Leamington Spa means that we miss the (joys) of the M42 as well. Picking up the A429 off the A46 and making Stow-on-the-Wold our coffee stop gives us a nice 1st destination at the right 2hr drive duration from home. Huffkins does good coffee/lardy cake and is usually able to provide a decent picnic for savouring somewhere pretty further South (the Vale of White Horse has been used previously). Scotts of Stow is always popular with the wife too. We vary the Cirencester to Blandford section to cover different landscape routes/historical interest too....via Avebury is one of my favourites....along the line of the former S&D is another. Beyond Blandford it is a straightforward journey to Wimborne. The return journey a few days later uses a different combination of roads/interesting stops. Cue watching P2 of Ivo Peter's S&D cine film Maesbury Summit to Broadstone once more, along with LSWR Main Line P3 from Oakwood for the Bournemouth to Broadstone section and comparing them with the 1919 Cassini map for the area. Our host is a former captain of the Broadstone golf club through which the line passed. Last time we stayed with them we had an outing to Fishbourne Roman palace nr. Chichester too....definitely one of the top 5 Roman sites in the UK. Bucklers Hard, Portland, Maiden Castle & The Giant are on the possibles list for this trip. Dave

....we have many and regular scenic drives to all parts of the country along almost deserted and very attractive routes. It is simply a case of choosing roads away from those likely to be popular with others and at sensible times e.g. midweek. Yes it requires a little thought but driving pleasure is there waiting to be discovered. A classic example of the steaming herd descending on one part of an area because they know that bit and have to go to the same place each time, is Hartington on a Sunday. The Peak District has many lovely places but it takes a little effort to discover them.....guess where we don't go very often? Dave

.....ironically Jock, the Churnet Valley avoided the clutches of the residential developers long enough to become protected because of its industrial past. Nature then reclaimed it for its own and transformed the valley into the serene and visually attractive place that it is now. Coincidentally, I was part of a University of Derby course which sampled the contaminated ground around the former copper works at Froghall around 20yrs ago. My local interest prompted me to research the conditions which could mobilise the soil bound copper/cadmium pollutants that we measured. This led to reading up a similar situation in the U.S. where the characteristics of flood events did mobilise such contaminants....large scale fish death downstream being just one indicator. This led me to read Environment Agency reports for riverwater quality downstream of Froghall over time and correlate flood events with the data. The University disallowed my essay/research at this point on the grounds that I may damage the relationship between them and the local council. Dave

Mornin' all, Some of the narrowboats carrying coal into the canal basin at Froghall also carried limestone away....mainly to the chemical industries of the Northwich/Sandbach areas. This limestone was quarried at Cauldon Lowe..... ....and transported over the approx 4 miles to the canal basin by a gravity worked tramway/rope worked incline arrangement....seen here near Cotton. Four different alignments were used over the years due to landslipping etc but the principle remained the same This embankment is at the Cotton end of what is now Whiston golf course One alignment of the tramway passed through the now filled in arch of this bridge adj. to what is now Whiston golf course The elevated tee postions on some holes are courtesy of the earthworks for the rope worked inclines. The system fell out of use around 1920 when the Leekbrook jnc to Waterhouses/Cauldon Lowe railway opened and offered a more efficient alternative At the Froghall basin some limestone was burnt and sold to local farmers for spreading onto their fields In the canal basin the tramway wagons were unloaded by hand and the stone either transferred to standard gauge railway wagons, narrowboats or taken to the limekilns for burning for farmers use Each rake of loaded tramway wagons had a brakesman who rode on the wagons applying and releasing handbrakes to control the descent of the loaded wagons towards the canal basin These substantial stones/fixings supported a braked winding drum which lowered loaded rakes of tramway wagons the last hundred yards or so into the basin sidings. The tramway sdgs interspersed with the std. gauge sdgs to make transferring the stone as easy as possible Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

Aft'noon all, Arriving in from work around 3pm on a lovely sunny afternoon presented the opportunity for a nature ride to complete the mule train route between Waterfall Cross and the Caldon canal basin at Froghall. Hare, Skylark, Cuckoo, Swallows and wild garlic providing the accompaniment..... Up onto Morridge and along to Waterfall Cross....taking the right hand route for Winkhill and Foxt....the mule train would have approached from the right laden with coal for Ecton mine from the canal basin The River Hamps at Winkhill.....the mules would have approached the A523 this way along 'The Casey' before doglegging right/left as they headed for Waterfall Cross. The 1837-42 Cassini map indicating that a bridge had been provided here by this time. View of Winkhill along 'The Casey' Winkill stationmaster's house, as was, on the right marking the route of the Leek to Waterhouses 'Knotty' railway (trackbed passes obliquely under the crossroads) .....looking from Ipstones edge towards Winkhill along 'The Casey' View towards Cauldon Lowe from Ipstones edge with the limestone quarry to the right Towards The Manifold valley from Ipstones edge The mule train laden with coal would have climbed towards Foxt village from the canal basin Coal for the mine at Ecton would have arrived in the Froghall basin by narrowboat Narrowboats for the Froghall basin have to negotiate this low tunnel approaching their destination The Caldon canal follows the scenic Churnet valley Wild garlic is rampant along the banks of the canal Coal from the Wetley Moor coalfield passed along a tramway ending adj. to the canal at Cherry eye allowing coal to be loaded into narrowboats within the area of the this view from Cherry eye https://www.flickr.com/photos/43564631@N08/4008470645/in/album-72157622451093859/ ....some was then unloaded again at Froghall for the mules to take to Ecton. This is one of two sets of limekilns adj. to the canal in the Consall area The copper smelter offices at Whiston marked the start of the walk for the mules with empty panniers (from which copper ore had been emptied) heading for the canal basin at Froghall Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

.....on lovely sunny mornings such as the one that today has matured into, I potter around the garden sweeping the bark chippings back into their rightful places, carry out a little weeding, ensure that the various water sources (a number of plant pot saucers, water bowls etc) are cleaned out and contain some fresh water for the birds....before taking a bottle of beer or two down to the bottom of the garden to enjoy with a sandwich for lunch. Today a couple of blackbirds were quick to discover the replenished water sources and had a high old time resting in the shallow, warm water and flicking their wings to bathe....their song was delightful to listen to. Good range of visitors to the garden for breakfast just now too. Nice to see regular bullfinch, greenfinch and chaffinch appearances amongst the more common goldfinch, blackbird, robin, dunnock, collared dove, jackdaw, starling, sparrow, pigeon, redpoll sightings. Dave

Mornin' all, Grey, cold and overcast in The Moorlands for the short anticlockwise constitutional. Still trying to shift remnants of the lurgy....sore throat and head cold the leftovers now. Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

Aft'noon all, Cracking afternoon to arrive home at 3pm, change into the cycling gear and head for the hills on the long anticlockwise. The pull up to Morridge reminded me that I'd just spent a week with the lurgy/not exercising and didn't care to examine some of what was oiked and coughed into/onto the roadside verge as I got back into rhythm. Once at the top I was able to get stuck into the traverse of the ridge, with its attendant viewpoints to occupy ones thoughts. I was pleased to see The Lazy Trout at Meerbrook open again after its refit....mental note to book a table there shortly to offer them some support. Last night had been similarly attractive weatherwise and a drive out to The Longnor chippy to sample their excellent wares, whilst parked overlooking the scenery, seemed to be a perfect way of enjoying the occasion. The garden is responding well to the warm sunshine.... Feathered ones provided for The better half had thought to put a bottle of Moretti into the fridge to chill....what an angel! Car goes back to bodyshop tomorrow so that the outstanding trim can be fitted. Enjoy what you do Dave

....I pay my premium in full and on the date that it is due....I therefore expect the level of service which I've enjoyed over approx. 30 years to continue without any shinanigans. If DL choose to subcontract then it should be with no dip in standards....should they want to enjoy my future custom. Dave

.....I'm with Direct Line and have just gone through the cycle due to being hit up the rear in a classic roundabout entrance event. All was dealt with very smoothly, which is why I'm happy to pay a little more than I can probably get away with, until the company who supplied the courtesy vehicle (Quindell...subcontractor of DL) failed to listen when I explained that they needed to collect their car before 1pm any day during the week. After the second threatening message from them about charging me for extra days if they're unable to collect their car I got a little excited too and complained straight to Direct Line....the Quindell car had gone by the time I returned from work. Sub-contractors or sub-standard? Dave

....Saga will still give a good 'ball park' figure of what you should expect to pay Dick. Dave

....something that sounds too good to be true probably is. Get quotes from e.g. Saga & another similar and compare them with your existing one. Dave