The Staines Branch

[Not Jeremy]

Just published and in stock here at Wild Swan towers, Chris Turner's extensively researched and comprehensive  new book on the Staines Branch. Hardback with glazed boards, 246 pages, high quality art paper, laid out by Paul Karau, all for £37.50.

 

 

A Great Western Branch unlike any other, a small part of it remains in use to this day.

 

My more detailed description and a  link for ordering the book from from Wild Swan is here

 

Many years  ago, when working for Heinz baked beans in Hayes Park, I though Colnbrook signal box would make a pretty good "pied-à-terre" for a young man around Middlesex who quite liked trains.

 

I wrote to British Railways, and they were surprisingly enthusiastic in their response, they would give it away!

 

The only thing was that I had to remove the building from the site, which wasn't my idea at all....

 

Now you don't get this kind of nonsense from any old bookseller, do you?

 

Simon

Edited August 25 by Not Jeremy
gone west

[Captain Kernow]

23 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said:

The only thing was that I had to remove the building from the site, which wasn't my idea at all....

Indeed, best to start with something smaller, a small corrugated iron shed, perhaps? 😉😄

[Captain Kernow]

One thing I noticed in recent issues of MRJ, Simon, is that the adverts for this 'forthcoming book' did not actually state that it was a Wild Swan publication... The adverts didn't say who was publishing it, but I'm sure we all knew it would be your good self!

 

[Not Jeremy]

Actually it is not me, Chris Turner has published it himself, with the assistance of Paul. One reason for this was probably a concern over the sales potential for a detailed account of a pretty arcane bit of railway, so Chris financed the whole enterprise himself. A bold and courageous move, but it is lovely and I hope Chris is rewarded with many sales.

[The Stationmaster]

14 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

Indeed, best to start with something smaller, a small corrugated iron shed, perhaps? 😉😄

Have you ever spent any time in a corrugated iron shed or building when it's raining heavily (even when you are not trying to sleep)?

[VIA185]

This has been real labour of love for Chris Turner, who I first met some 40-odd years ago when he was first taking an interest in the Staines branch and came to talk to me about it. He wasn't a local, so I don't really know why it caught his imagination but in those early days I accompanied him on several of the staff interviews. At that time Staines West station was still intact and the Cory oil depot at Staines West was still being supplied by trains via West Drayton. At this stage I have yet to see a copy of the book (I'll be at the launch in Staines on August 31) but it will be good to see this unique semi-rural branch line featured in a detailed history book for the first time. (CJL)

[Dan Randall]

I hope to pick up a copy at Guildex, Stafford in a couple of weeks time. 😃

 

Being born Slough and heavily into the Western Region transition era, I’ve always enjoyed seeing pictures of the Staines West branch, especially, if there’s a single-car Gloucester or Pressed Steel unit involved!

 

I can remember seeing the signal box (adjacent to the level crossing), several times in the 1960s, when travelling to London’s Victoria bus/coach station with my mother, on a Green Line coach.

 

I still drive over the level crossing from time to time, as my sister lives in Colnbrook, around a quarter of a mile from where the station was, but as far as the railway goes, it’s a pretty depressing sight these days…🙁

 

 

Regards

 

Dan

[VIA185]

The book is being launched at Staines Museum 1.30pm Saturday August 31. The Museum is in Staines Library. I'll be taking one or two small relics for display. (CJL)

[Wild Swan Books]

13 hours ago, VIA185 said:

This has been real labour of love for Chris Turner, who I first met some 40-odd years ago when he was first taking an interest in the Staines branch and came to talk to me about it. He wasn't a local, so I don't really know why it caught his imagination but in those early days I accompanied him on several of the staff interviews. At that time Staines West station was still intact and the Cory oil depot at Staines West was still being supplied by trains via West Drayton. At this stage I have yet to see a copy of the book (I'll be at the launch in Staines on August 31) but it will be good to see this unique semi-rural branch line featured in a detailed history book for the first time. (CJL)

 

Dear Chris

 

It is a super book and I am sure you will really enjoy your copy. I hope you all enjoy the launch event, it will be a great success I'm sure. I'd love to see pictures of you all if any get taken.

 

Despite Paul Karau's possible personal preference for the earlier period, the more recent history of the line's fortunes are very well covered, much enhanced by a lot of photographs that you yourself took as things changed. The BR railcar era is also very well represented.

 

It is lovely to see your name appear in a book again, after all the fabulous titles you have produced for us in the past. Possibly my favourite was your "Western Before Beeching" by Ian Allan in 1990, a really wonderful collection of photographs and a great text too. I loved the Calne branch bits as this was a line I explored extensively not long after closure.

 

My favourite relic, the sign from a gate at Hardens Farm crossing on the Calne branch, next to Chris Turner's new book.

 

 

Simon

 

[VIA185]

37 minutes ago, Wild Swan Books said:

 

Dear Chris

 

It is a super book and I am sure you will really enjoy your copy. I hope you all enjoy the launch event, it will be a great success I'm sure. I'd love to see pictures of you all if any get taken.

 

Despite Paul Karau's possible personal preference for the earlier period, the more recent history of the line's fortunes are very well covered, much enhanced by a lot of photographs that you yourself took as things changed. The BR railcar era is also very well represented.

 

It is lovely to see your name appear in a book again, after all the fabulous titles you have produced for us in the past. Possibly my favourite was your "Western Before Beeching" by Ian Allan in 1990, a really wonderful collection of photographs and a great text too. I loved the Calne branch bits as this was a line I explored extensively not long after closure.

 

My favourite relic, the sign from a gate at Hardens Farm crossing on the Calne branch, next to Chris Turner's new book.

 

 

Simon

 

AH, YES, The Western Before Beeching. I loved doing that book. It was originally going to be GWR Country Stations-3 but at the suggestion of the late Mike Harris it got changed to larger format and Mike wanted to include everything, not just stations. I'm sure I'll enjoy Chris's book - but looking back at Staines West does tend to upset me. We worked so hard to get that place Grade 2 listed. The inspector listed it as " an interesting amalgam of domestic and railway architecture." Then it got converted to a modern Georgian-style office block and all its history was destroyed. Breaks my heart when I see it now. (CJL)

I, too, have a sign from Calne....

[VIA185]

I dropped out of Chris Turner's book project when I left the Staines area in 1992, mainly because my new job had to take precedence over everything else. I first saw the finished book on Saturday at the launch.  Its an amazing piece of work. It certainly works well because Chris Turner's interest in the line had centred on Colnbrook and mine was centred very much on Staines West station as I came to know it. I copied pretty much everything I had in the way of drawings and info, to Chris. It's good to see my various interior plans of the building in print because the interior was completely destroyed by the office conversion and even the floor levels and position of the staircases were changed. There are parts of the interior which I should have photographed, but never did, notably the very strange arrangement of a pale blue wood and glazed screen which separated off the Stationmaster's flat so that it had a secure front door at the top of the main stairs. Sadly, even during my last visit, when the late Keith Willows, Fred Gray and I recovered various items for preservation (coke stoves, canopy columns etc that went to the GWS and to Wallingford) I still believed that the building would be preserved largely in its existing condition, so there was no real need to photograph everything. I was wrong. Sadly, listing a building provides no protection to the interior - or the exterior, when the owners can give themselves Listed Building Consent. (CJL)

[hmrspaul]

This fascination with GWR branchlines is all well and good, but what about the much more interesting station in Staines - the LSWR one? Three freight yards, unusual buildings 😉  

 

It is good to know the Staines West branch book has published. I'll have to look out for one. By the way, is there much on the Linoleum traffic?

 

Paul

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/stainescentral

Edited September 15 by hmrspaul

[VIA185]

5 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

This fascination with GWR branchlines is all well and good, but what about the much more interesting station in Staines - the LSWR one? Three freight yards, unusual buildings 😉  

 

It is good to know the Staines West branch book has published. I'll have to look out for one. By the way, is there much on the Linoleum traffic?

 

Paul

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/stainescentral

If we're talking 'interesting stations' - ie buildings - then Staines West was by far the more interesting. I use the past tense because, of course, the office conversion removed all internal detail for which the building had received Grade 2 listing. The South Western station really isn't anything very special in terms of architecture or character. It's a fairly standard design somewhat messed about with modernisation by the Southern Railway and more recently by BR. Had a nice wooden goods shed, though. If we're talking interesting traffic through stations then, yes, the Southern station certainly has the edge, as a busy through station close to Feltham yard. 'The Lino' features in the story but I don't think we ever found out much more than was already quite well known, though Chris Turner pursued various lines of enquiry. Whilst some materials did seem to come into the lino via the branch - usually in sheeted open wagons so it's impossible to know what was in them, supplies (coal?) also came in via the connection to the LSWR ( still visible right beside where McDonalds now is!). One or two of the pictures of freights on the branch posed almost as many questions as they answered and from 1955 no freight was coming into Staines via the branch, south of Colnbrook. There was extensive traffic between Colnbrook and West Drayton, including everything from concrete reinforcing rods to Penguin books. (CJL)

[hmrspaul]

Hi Chris. I was being a bit tongue in cheek. Buildings I was thinking of the goods shed which seemed a bit unusual to me, remaining wood until the end. https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/stainescentral/e20a81f2d 

Staines Central also had the Poole traffic in concrete reinforcing rods. As all to often happened with BR they spent money strengthening the concrete pad in the other yard not long before it closed. And then there were the endless (for a while at least) long distance freights to and from Feltham and Nine Elms, so many behind the lovely S15s. With unusual locos like the 4-6-0T H16s. 

 

Paul

PS have you seen the request about Mopok. 

[VIA185]

The Staines Branch is Howard Johnston's Book of the Month in the November 2024 Steam World which will be published on October 18th. There's a Staines branch photo feature, including some colour photos, in the same issue. (CJL)

[Pint of Adnams]

Just curious that Stanley Jenkins name is also on the cover but not mentioned in any of the posts. Would he be the Stanley C Jenkins who authored numerous books on various railways but regrettably passed away earlier this year?

[Not Jeremy]

16 minutes ago, Pint of Adnams said:

Just curious that Stanley Jenkins name is also on the cover but not mentioned in any of the posts. Would he be the Stanley C Jenkins who authored numerous books on various railways but regrettably passed away earlier this year?

 

Yes, and according to Chris, Stanley made a significant contribution to the book. He and Chris had also collaborated on other projects in the past.

 

As you say, Stanley very sadly passed away earlier this year.

 

The book is going pretty well, I have sold quite a few copies and there are some new reviews and ads coming out for it I think.

 

Simon

[Happy Hippo]

On 22/08/2024 at 19:59, Captain Kernow said:

Indeed, best to start with something smaller, a small corrugated iron shed, perhaps? 😉😄

We have enough problems with @Winslow Boy regarding sheds over at The Night Mail.

 

I beg you please don't start a shed thread here as well🤣.

[Captain Kernow]

26 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

We have enough problems with @Winslow Boy regarding sheds over at The Night Mail.

 

I beg you please don't start a shed thread here as well🤣.

We were referring to a very special shed...

[Not Jeremy]

Ah yes, in that context I count myself "shed rich" indeed, which isn't in any sensible or normal way, obviously...

 

 

 Apologies for thread drift, but it's just the weather for it(!)

[Winslow Boy]

I'll have a dozen please. Anybody asks just tell them I'm a friend of the Hippo.

[Pint of Adnams]

4 hours ago, Not Jeremy said:

Ah yes, in that context I count myself "shed rich" indeed, which isn't in any sensible or normal way, obviously...

 

 

 Apologies for thread drift, but it's just the weather for it(!)

 

Is that what the Universities mean by being rusticated?