Cholsey & Moulsford (Change for Wallingford)

[Tallpaul69]

Measure (at least!) twice and cut once, ensuring that your cut line is well marked out and ensuring the dust is cleared away so you can see the line tends to help?

Also, make haste slowly, with a sharp saw, or knife blade (or what ever?) will get you good results.

 

Says he, who hasn't done any of this recently, but is sure to come a cropper, in the near future when buildings for Bradenham are the order of the day!

[Nick Gough]

Rather a busy couple of weeks since I last posted (plus a stomach bug) so not much modelling.

 

However, the island building now has all its main brick panels fixed plus the door and window lintels:

 

As before the rather delicate brick columns separating the two windows, in each pair, broke off during cutting out and handling:

 

Fortunately, this is relatively easy to resolve with a reinforcing strip of plasticard glued behind:

 

There won't be any modelling tomorrow either since we have an appointment with 7029 'Clun Castle' on the 'Welsh Marches Express' from Tyseley!

Edited April 23, 2022 by Nick Gough

[Nick Gough]

A few photos from an enjoyable trip yesterday.

 

7029 approaching Birmingham New Street station, following departure from Tyseley:

 

Abbey Foregate curve, at Shrewsbury, waiting for the signal to join the Welsh Marches line:

 

Severn Bridge signal box still stands sentinel over the triangular junction:

 

Following arrival at Hereford for our mid-day break:

 

After a pleasant break here the train continued on its circular route via Newport, the Severn Tunnel, the South Wales direct/Badminton main line, Didcot and Oxford, to return to Birmingham in the evening.

 

Some high speed running and a nice sunny day.

 

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Nick Gough

[Nick Gough]

One large, octagonal piece of MDF:

 

Which will serve as the base for the island canopy and gable roof:

 

The hole towards the centre is for the angled roof, and ceiling, over the central passageway:

Edited April 23, 2022 by Nick Gough

[Mikkel]

That's looking very good Nick.

 

Interesting to note the rounded wouldbe-bullnose bricks in the lower part of the corners. 

[MrWolf]

I imagine that the railway considered the likelihood of platform barrow axle ends smashing the corner off regular brickwork within days of the station opening so put the bullnose bricks into the design.

[Simond]

And passengers whinging about knees and ankles banged on sharp corners

[The Stationmaster]

14 hours ago, Simond said:

And passengers whinging about knees and ankles banged on sharp corners

Yes - very much that rather than things hitting them.   And n back in the days when that station was built bullnose blues didn't cost anything like the frightening amount they cost nowadays.  Jewsons won't even order them for you because of the cost and being afraid of you changing your mind when they arrive.  The last lot that I needed to get for a little job in the garden had to be by mail order from the company which makes them - delivered by a courier company, not Royal Mail 

[Mikkel]

Indeed. My point was that the ones in Nick's photo look new/replaced or maybe eroded, compared to those at other remaining stations. 

[Nick Gough]

On 09/03/2022 at 19:56, Mikkel said:

That's looking very good Nick.

Thanks Mikkel.

On 09/03/2022 at 19:56, Mikkel said:

Interesting to note the rounded wouldbe-bullnose bricks in the lower part of the corners. 

It is. The above photo is from Goring & Streatley and although Cholsey (the next station) was built at around the same time, with similar pattern buildings, it doesn't have the rounded corners or doorways, as seen below:

There are other detail differences - particularly with the plinth. Maybe they were built by different contractors?

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by Nick Gough

[Nick Gough]

On 10/03/2022 at 13:06, Mikkel said:

Indeed. My point was that the ones in Nick's photo look new/replaced or maybe eroded, compared to those at other remaining stations. 

For some reason the bullnose bricks in the central passageway at Goring had been painted:

 

But not any of the others:

I think the bullnose bricks are original though.

 

Incidentally, since my visit this right hand part of the building, containing the toilet block, has been demolished:

A new footbridge has been put here instead, due to the GWML electrification.

 

Not really an improvement for prospective passengers, in my opinion.

Edited April 24, 2022 by Nick Gough

[Nick Gough]

Corbelling work under way at the top of the walls:

 

And all the vertical window dividers are back in place:

Edited April 23, 2022 by Nick Gough

[Nick Gough]

The hipped roof for the Island building:

 

 

The large hole is for the skylight over the passageway between the two parts of the building, the two small, square ones are for the chimneys and the triangular one, at the end, is for the skylight/ventilator over the gent's lavatories.

 

Seen in position over the canopy piece:

 

And on top of the building:

 

The roof will have a layer of 10 thou plasticard, over the MDF, then strips of vinyl slates.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Nick Gough

[Nick Gough]

Great to see that RMWeb is back again - it's certainly been missed.

 

I haven't managed to do much during the interim, but I ought to take a couple of photos to show the current state of play, especially following the loss of photos on the site.

 

Unfortunately I seem to have lost most of the photos from this thread - not just those from the last year. Fortunately I do have most saved on my PC, although it will take a while to put them back.

[ChrisN]

57 minutes ago, Nick Gough said:

Great to see that RMWeb is back again - it's certainly been missed.

 

I haven't managed to do much during the interim, but I ought to take a couple of photos to show the current state of play, especially following the loss of photos on the site.

 

Unfortunately I seem to have lost most of the photos from this thread - not just those from the last year. Fortunately I do have most saved on my PC, although it will take a while to put them back.

 

Nick,

The photos older than a year are supposed to be coming back, they just need indexing.  I am not sure if they are doing it by years or across different sub fora.  Mine disappear in 2015, and my first 27 pages have pictures.  I can let you know if they begin to come back in a few days.  The last year, which I assume was with Deadiserve, are gone for good.

[Nick Gough]

1 hour ago, ChrisN said:

 

Nick,

The photos older than a year are supposed to be coming back, they just need indexing.  I am not sure if they are doing it by years or across different sub fora.  Mine disappear in 2015, and my first 27 pages have pictures.  I can let you know if they begin to come back in a few days.  The last year, which I assume was with Deadiserve, are gone for good.

Thanks for that Chris.

I suppose it would be best to work backwards then to reinstall the photos.

[Nick Gough]

Before I start reloading the old photos - here's a new one:

 

Any guesses?

[MrWolf]

You can't fool us, that's a bit of a building! 😀

[Nick Gough]

20 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

You can't fool us, that's a bit of a building! 😀

 

It is!

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, Nick Gough said:

 

It is!

 

Suddenly I realise the five years at university were worthwhile...

 

 

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by MrWolf

[ChrisN]

It is a bit more of the station and the arched hole is an entrance of the subway

[Nick Gough]

41 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

It is a bit more of the station and the arched hole is an entrance of the subway

 

Yes, and no.

[Nick Gough]

On 07/04/2022 at 22:26, ChrisN said:

It is a bit more of the station and the arched hole is an entrance of the subway

 

I have made a start on the third and final station building. This sits alongside the Up relief platform and provides the station entrance and main offices.

 

The two sections above are from the forecourt side. The one on the left has the gentlemen's lavatory facilities, at platform level, whilst the archway below held a storeroom within:

In recent years a brick wall has been built across the archway, but in earlier times this was faced with horizontal, shiplap timber planking.

 

The square brick column, in the angle of the walls, extending from ground to platform level, is also a more recent addition.

 

The other MDF panel, replicates the central, deeper part of the building, seen here:

 

At platform level the left pair of windows, in the central block, are for the general waiting room, the middle three - the ladies waiting room and WC. The next pair of windows are marked for a storeroom on the plans although, I believe, it also served as the stationmaster's office for part of its life. It is currently used as a ticket office for the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway.

 

On the ground floor the window layout is similar, but with the right hand pair replaced by the double doors of the station entrance. The booking hall is beyond the doors, with the booking office corresponding with the central windows. Behind the left pair of windows, in the central block, was originally a parcels office.

 

Looking at the prototype photo the small 'wing', to the right, contained the staircase rising to the platform.

 

Looks like a busy weekend ahead so I probably won't get any more done before next week.

Edited April 9, 2022 by Nick Gough

[Nick Gough]

A few more parts for the new building:

 

This is the platform elevation, with the archway entrance to the subway below:

 

A composite photo of the real one for comparison:

 

One of the side walls with the archway entrance to the staircase:

 

The first two sections glued together:

Forming the Gentlemen's Lavatory with the storeroom below.

 

And inside:

[Nick Gough]

More progress with assembling the parts.

 

From the forecourt side:

 

Two flights of stairs will fit in this area on the right:

 

The Gentlemen's Lavatory end:

 

The platform elevation: