Creedyford

[roundhouse]

My thoughts exactly

 

cheers

 

I couldnt click on the like box either!

 

I was back at Cerditon a few months ago but as expected the rmenants of the frame are long gone.

 

I took quite a few shots of the buidlings etc as it might just make a good model some day especially if a possible future model of Exeter Central doesnt fit the space I have.

 

 

Ian

Edited September 3, 2012 by roundhouse

[treggyman]

What great photos and background on the Credition box!

Makes me want to build one myself for the sheer fun of it!

 

Hi.....

 

Well what are you waiting for.....I'm sure you'd find a project to put it on

 

Cheers Bill

[Eggesford box]

Hi,

 

a few shots of the goods shed at Crediton, not the most attractive of structures and a further tale.

 

One of the 'delights' of the railway and I daresay other industries is the characters to be found. A fearsome character, at least to a young trainee signalman, was our District Inspector (DI) at Exeter, Clem Chapman. Why he should be of such a character I do not know. I had my suspicions that it was due to him coming off the Southern. The Southern had always been the quieter side of the railway in the west country and whether he thought the Western men looked down on him and compensated for this by his aggresive attitude I do not know. Maybe he was just like that anyway. One story was when he was taking a guard on rules.

 

Clem "What should you do in such and such a situation?"

Guard "You should do......"

Clem "And why should you do that?"

Guard "Oh, well you should do it because......"

Clem "And why else?"

Guard "Oh, well uhmm, ah well because........."

Clem "And?"

Guard " Ummh, ahh, ummh, well, I don't know"

Clem "BECAUSE ITS IN THE BOOK!"

 

Bellowed our Clem, hammering the desk with his fist on every word and sending the tables contents on a merry jig across its surface.

 

Some years later, when travelling back to north Devon from south Wales, I bumped into one of the Exeter drivers at St Davids.

" I know when you where passed out as a signalman" he told me. A little bemused as to why he had this nugget of information I discovered he was being passed out on HSTs in the adjoining classroom the same day. He had told his instructor that he could not go on with all the shouting and banging emanating from next door! I must have been one of the last signalmen Clem passed out. I know he failed various others and his assistant ended up waiting for Clem to go on annual leave and then sent them up to Bristol for their final rules exam to be passed out. Mind you, I think the fact that I had come from Barnstaple, like Clem, had as much to do with it as any prowess at rules. At that time, in the Exeter area, we did not go to signalling school but learnt all our rules in the box. The quality of training depended on who you where with and I must say I was very lucky. Harry Toulson at Eggesford and most of the Exeter relief men really took time and effort to teach me the rules which could not have been easy. I would say I ended up really good at rules but before you think me too big headed, I soon found out that being able to recite from the rule book and implementing the rules in a real situation where two different things and there was, to put it politely, not always a dirrect correlation between the two, a further story!

 

Anyway, back to Crediton box. I had a trainee with me, Neil Geeson who is now a driver with FHH. Having had a go at the rules earlier we where sat having a cup of tea and a read of the papers. Into this peaceful scene entered Clem with a management trainee in tow. Looking at Neil, Clem demanded," Where are your rule books?". "Here they are Mr Chapman" said Neil handing Clem his rule books. "This, this is what you should do with them" said Clem, throwing the proffered rule books onto the floor.

"Thats what I always do with them Mr Chapman" said Neil. I think the management trainee wondered what lunatic asylum he had wandered into. I was squeezed up between the booking desk and the frame smirking out of the window and trying not to burst out laughing!

 

Happy days!

[mudmagnet]

I agree, not a particularly attractive building, but would make a great model!

[The Stationmaster]

 

One of the 'delights' of the railway and I daresay other industries is the characters to be found. A fearsome character, at least to a young trainee signalman, was our District Inspector (DI) at Exeter, Clem Chapman. Why he should be of such a character I do not know. I had my suspicions that it was due to him coming off the Southern. The Southern had always been the quieter side of the railway in the west country and whether he thought the Western men looked down on him and compensated for this by his aggresive attitude I do not know. Maybe he was just like that anyway.

Happy days!

Clem was a smashing bloke - which is more than can be said for his one time companion at Exeter whose name I regrettably can't recall apart from it being Tom something or other (was it Earlam ?) who I one night saw get the ultimate in a cold shoulder. The S&T were commissioning the layout changes at Yeovil Jcn (1975) and I was there seeing in the start of the job (and 'recovering the old 'box diagram) while Tom was also somewhat unwelcomely (was the impression I got) also hanging about. Anyway the Signalman - a member of a well know and long established Yeovil railway family - made the tea which was no mean task with several traffic folk plus at least half a dozebn S&T types in the 'box. After a bit of searching a cup or mug was found for everyone who was gradually given their tea until it got to Tom when it was a case of 'sorry Mr so & so but we've run out of cups' - which was not too bad until a minute or so later the S&T Test Engineer walked in and was promptly given a cuppa in a cup that magically appeared from a cupboard. Poor old Tom went off 'to look at the clamp lock' but about 20 minutes later when I took a Relief Signalman and the Station Supervisor down to it to train them in how to hand work it there was no sign of Tom or his van. Totally different sort from Clem

 

And sorry to blunder into your thread.

[Eggesford box]

Hi,

before my time but I believe it was Tom Earlam that Clem took over from. Perhaps Clem was different with the management than he was with the staff. I must admit, however, the one time I dropped him in it a bit he was nice as pie the next day about it just pointing out my error. I did not check a train at the down home whilst Clem was in the box and he did not realise what I had done unlike Mr Forrester, his superior at Bristol, who was out on the ground and did not arrive in the box until after I had gone home.

[treggyman]

Hi,

 

a few shots of the goods shed at Crediton, not the most attractive of structures and a further tale.

 

One of the 'delights' of the railway and I daresay other industries is the characters to be found. A fearsome character, at least to a young trainee signalman, was our District Inspector (DI) at Exeter, Clem Chapman. Why he should be of such a character I do not know. I had my suspicions that it was due to him coming off the Southern. The Southern had always been the quieter side of the railway in the west country and whether he thought the Western men looked down on him and compensated for this by his aggresive attitude I do not know. Maybe he was just like that anyway. One story was when he was taking a guard on rules.

 

Clem "What should you do in such and such a situation?"

Guard "You should do......"

Clem "And why should you do that?"

Guard "Oh, well you should do it because......"

Clem "And why else?"

Guard "Oh, well uhmm, ah well because........."

Clem "And?"

Guard " Ummh, ahh, ummh, well, I don't know"

Clem "BECAUSE ITS IN THE BOOK!"

 

Bellowed our Clem, hammering the desk with his fist on every word and sending the tables contents on a merry jig across its surface.

 

Some years later, when travelling back to north Devon from south Wales, I bumped into one of the Exeter drivers at St Davids.

" I know when you where passed out as a signalman" he told me. A little bemused as to why he had this nugget of information I discovered he was being passed out on HSTs in the adjoining classroom the same day. He had told his instructor that he could not go on with all the shouting and banging emanating from next door! I must have been one of the last signalmen Clem passed out. I know he failed various others and his assistant ended up waiting for Clem to go on annual leave and then sent them up to Bristol for their final rules exam to be passed out. Mind you, I think the fact that I had come from Barnstaple, like Clem, had as much to do with it as any prowess at rules. At that time, in the Exeter area, we did not go to signalling school but learnt all our rules in the box. The quality of training depended on who you where with and I must say I was very lucky. Harry Toulson at Eggesford and most of the Exeter relief men really took time and effort to teach me the rules which could not have been easy. I would say I ended up really good at rules but before you think me too big headed, I soon found out that being able to recite from the rule book and implementing the rules in a real situation where two different things and there was, to put it politely, not always a dirrect correlation between the two, a further story!

 

Anyway, back to Crediton box. I had a trainee with me, Neil Geeson who is now a driver with FHH. Having had a go at the rules earlier we where sat having a cup of tea and a read of the papers. Into this peaceful scene entered Clem with a management trainee in tow. Looking at Neil, Clem demanded," Where are your rule books?". "Here they are Mr Chapman" said Neil handing Clem his rule books. "This, this is what you should do with them" said Clem, throwing the proffered rule books onto the floor.

"Thats what I always do with them Mr Chapman" said Neil. I think the management trainee wondered what lunatic asylum he had wandered into. I was squeezed up between the booking desk and the frame smirking out of the window and trying not to burst out laughing!

 

Happy days!

 

Hi

 

Thanks for yet more superb pictures.....

Although I remember the shed,home to Symonds the Coal merchants I hadn't remembered it being painted that delightful shade of green.....I would have said it was black.or just dirty from memory

 

Thanks again for the stories......All welcome as I enjoy learning about the real workings & goings on

 

I had thought about modelling a similar structure but am not sure I've got room for it as it's a lot bigger than I remember it

 

Thanks again

 

Cheers Bill

[treggyman]

Clem was a smashing bloke - which is more than can be said for his one time companion at Exeter whose name I regrettably can't recall apart from it being Tom something or other (was it Earlam ?) who I one night saw get the ultimate in a cold shoulder. The S&T were commissioning the layout changes at Yeovil Jcn (1975) and I was there seeing in the start of the job (and 'recovering the old 'box diagram) while Tom was also somewhat unwelcomely (was the impression I got) also hanging about. Anyway the Signalman - a member of a well know and long established Yeovil railway family - made the tea which was no mean task with several traffic folk plus at least half a dozebn S&T types in the 'box. After a bit of searching a cup or mug was found for everyone who was gradually given their tea until it got to Tom when it was a case of 'sorry Mr so & so but we've run out of cups' - which was not too bad until a minute or so later the S&T Test Engineer walked in and was promptly given a cuppa in a cup that magically appeared from a cupboard. Poor old Tom went off 'to look at the clamp lock' but about 20 minutes later when I took a Relief Signalman and the Station Supervisor down to it to train them in how to hand work it there was no sign of Tom or his van. Totally different sort from Clem

 

And sorry to blunder into your thread.

 

Hi

 

Thanks for the above......No need to apologise....All anecdotes are more than welcome.....They make for a very interesting background feel as to how things really were

 

Any more welcome

 

Cheers Bill

[treggyman]

Hi,

before my time but I believe it was Tom Earlam that Clem took over from. Perhaps Clem was different with the management than he was with the staff. I must admit, however, the one time I dropped him in it a bit he was nice as pie the next day about it just pointing out my error. I did not check a train at the down home whilst Clem was in the box and he did not realise what I had done unlike Mr Forrester, his superior at Bristol, who was out on the ground and did not arrive in the box until after I had gone home.

 

Hi

 

Oop's.....Ah well these things happen

 

Cheers Bill

[treggyman]

Hi All

 

Made a bit of progress today.....

 

Laid most of the main line track from the crossings at one end to where the line is now single at the other end......

Just got to put in the final piece of track to form the second line through the platforms....

Then the sidings need to be laid.

 

It took a bit longer than I had hoped as one of the points was slightly out of gauge & was causing running problems so virtually had to be rebuilt.

 

Also ,although I have a plan( not a cunning one sadly) I tend to put the track down,but change it's position if I don't like the end result, so ,there was a lot of laying & lifting of track.

 

Any way,I'll take some photo's tomorrow & post progress

 

Cheers Bill

[Ramblin Rich]

Hi Bill - good to hear of progress, can you let us know what make the track is? I assume you made your own pointwork?

[The Stationmaster]

Hi,

before my time but I believe it was Tom Earlam that Clem took over from. Perhaps Clem was different with the management than he was with the staff. I must admit, however, the one time I dropped him in it a bit he was nice as pie the next day about it just pointing out my error. I did not check a train at the down home whilst Clem was in the box and he did not realise what I had done unlike Mr Forrester, his superior at Bristol, who was out on the ground and did not arrive in the box until after I had gone home.

 

John Forrester and I had an amusing incident at Bradford Jcn one night while awaiting the arrival of 'the' special train (with Princess Anne aboard). Just after the train had left the stop at Chippenham (to pick up the single line token) the Signalman had a 'phone call saying the tail lamp was out and looked first at me, then at John, John looked at me, and I looked at John while I asked the Signalman if the Chippenham Chargeman had actually seen the tail lamp (answer being 'he couldn't remember'!). Then with no more spoken John said 'well he'll be on the single line by now' and I said 'well it can't have divided surely' and we sort of nodded agreement to each other to do nothing until it arrived and the Signalman just looked relieved that it was out of hands.

 

Our faith was justifed - train duly arrived with a nice, bright, tail lamp. Overall John was another smashing chap - an excellent Chief DI who it was always a pleasure to work with and who was not only scrupulously fair but also knew when to suffer temporary blindness and deafness.

[Warspite]

I agree, not a particularly attractive building, but would make a great model!

 

If you don't, I will!

 

Stephen

[treggyman]

Hi All

 

Well as promised a few pictures of progress......

 

The main lines through the station are down as is the point to the yard

 

 

 

 

The track to the yard is not fixed yet.....Although the plan shows two sidings & I have made the catch point I still may fit a kickback siding in place of the catch point ,but that might mean only one siding to the yard as otherwise it might look too cluttered.....Anyway we shall see.....

 

 

 

Hopefully you can now get an idea of the layout........the idea is that a locohauled train with 4 coaches will not fill the platform giving a feeling of space....still to determine what buildings will be included around the yard.....

 

Because of where the track comes in from the Barnstaple end it is so close to the baseboard edge the signal box will be on the other side of the track.......which means I will be able to model the front of the 'Box....which I'm happy about....The foot bridge,station building,waiting shelters will have to be scratch built but I am now also tempted to somehow include a model of the shed.....but I want to give the impression of space & dereliction that I remember of the period.....

 

 

Any way....watch this space

 

Cheers Bill

[treggyman]

Hi Bill - good to hear of progress, can you let us know what make the track is? I assume you made your own pointwork?

 

Hi Ramblin Rich

 

Thanks for the reply....

 

Yes the points are handmade

 

I've used copperclad sleepers & for the first time Peco individulay code 82 flat bottom rail....This profile gives more body to some of areas where I have had problems in the past.....eg where the blades are soldered to the tie bar......Previously I've used code 75 bullhead rail......both profiles being nickel silver.

 

A far as the ordinary track I have used up my left over stock of SMP Nickel silver track,with a couple of lengths of C & L Finescale that I was given to try by my son.

I'm most impressed with the C&L track.....It is very easy to form into smooth curves....the rail slides easily in the chairs whereas the SMP track is not so easily formed to smooth curves.....Also the SMP sleepers don't seem as good as they use to be.....Personally I also think the C&L sleepers look better.

I was tempted to go C&L but they were out of stock when I was looking & as I said I already had enough SMP for this project

 

Behind the scenes will be any cheap flexitrack I can buy when I get to that stage

 

Cheers Bill

[Eggesford box]

Hi Bill,

 

starting to take shape.

 

You have got me started, making a model of a LSWR box, a mix of that at Portsmouth Arms and Crediton. Bit busy at the moment, this being my fifth consecutive 72 hour week and twice they have tried to book me 76 hours and then plenty to do when I get home. Still, I have two four hour turns to do at Claydon LNE Jc tomorrow and Wednesday, just one train and you do not even get to see it so may make some progress. If you do not mind I will post a photo here as and when there is anything to see. Have you seen the Metcalfe Models advert for their latest station? Just wondering with a recovering with brickpaper and some new quoin work it may end up looking Creditonesque, just a thought.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Eggesford box

[treggyman]

Hi Bill,

 

starting to take shape.

 

You have got me started, making a model of a LSWR box, a mix of that at Portsmouth Arms and Crediton. Bit busy at the moment, this being my fifth consecutive 72 hour week and twice they have tried to book me 76 hours and then plenty to do when I get home. Still, I have two four hour turns to do at Claydon LNE Jc tomorrow and Wednesday, just one train and you do not even get to see it so may make some progress. If you do not mind I will post a photo here as and when there is anything to see. Have you seen the Metcalfe Models advert for their latest station? Just wondering with a recovering with brickpaper and some new quoin work it may end up looking Creditonesque, just a thought.

 

Hi

 

Please feel free to post ...All welcome.

 

Yes I saw the ad this evening & yes it does look Creditonesque.....Brunel was after all responsible for the station building at Crediton.....It's certainly a thought until I got round to scratch building a version....or maybe even heavily adapt it.....Hmmmmm

 

Cheers Bill

[Eggesford box]

Hi,

yes I was thinking of a fairly heavy adaption. What it is like in the flesh I would not know but it looks a little less 'trainset' like than some of their structures.

[treggyman]

Hi,

yes I was thinking of a fairly heavy adaption. What it is like in the flesh I would not know but it looks a little less 'trainset' like than some of their structures.

 

Hi

 

I've only ever built one of their kits....A row of half relief cottages about 12 years ago.....With suitable weathering they looked OK & didn't seem too badly affected living in a shed...Actually they didn't start out as half relief or at an angle to the backscene...But that's how they ended up & they did the job at the time.....

 

The main problem is probably the lack of 'texture' that can be gained from using embossed plasticard & similar sheets....

 

Layouts in magazines seem to feature them with good effect......Maybe as a short term building 'till I get round to scratchbuilding one myself ?

 

Cheers Bill

[mudmagnet]

Hi Bill,

 

starting to take shape.

 

You have got me started, making a model of a LSWR box, a mix of that at Portsmouth Arms and Crediton. Bit busy at the moment, this being my fifth consecutive 72 hour week and twice they have tried to book me 76 hours and then plenty to do when I get home. Still, I have two four hour turns to do at Claydon LNE Jc tomorrow and Wednesday, just one train and you do not even get to see it so may make some progress. If you do not mind I will post a photo here as and when there is anything to see. Have you seen the Metcalfe Models advert for their latest station? Just wondering with a recovering with brickpaper and some new quoin work it may end up looking Creditonesque, just a thought.

 

The signal boxes on the line are very 'modellable' (if that's a word?). I made my own version of the box based upon the one that once stood on the platform at Portsmouth Arms, which will eventually end up on 'Burrington Arms'

 

I hope you don't mind Bill, but have posted a few photos below.

 

 

 

[Eggesford box]

 

I do not think it has changed much but some photos of the downside shelter at Crediton. On a Sunday when things where quiet I used to go up to the platform and sweep and mop out the shelters on the up and downside and clean the windows.

 

A few memories of learning the job. One Wednesday at Barnstaple the station supervisor, Owen Gregory, told me I was going to Eggesford on the next Monday. This was a bit of a surprise to me. I had put in an application for the signalmans job at Crediton some six months previously and heard nothing. Since the Exeter resignalling had been announced right afterwards I had assumed that the vacancy would be frozen. It turned out that the idea of sending me to Eggesford was because there was only one mode of signalling instead of the three at Crediton so I would do my first fortnight of training at Eggesford. Eggesford box was roomy, being a replacement for the old box which had suffered badly from subsidence. The old box had been to the LSWR type i box design like most of the others on the line though it had appeared different as it was the only one to be built with a gabled roof instead of a hipped roof which all the others had. Anyway, the replacement had a twelve lever frame, eight working and four spaces giving plenty of room and was a standard WR prefabricated design. When I first went there it still had an arrangement of slats above the windows to act as a light baffle (I presume). When the box was later repainted these where removed. The box faced a hillside so low sunlight causing a glare was not a problem. The slats collected rainwater and would funnel it down your neck when you went out for the token. The box looked a bit 'bareheaded' though without the slats.

Eggesford box with Bill Butt stood on the landing

On my first day at Eggesford I met Harry Toulson who lived opposite in the station house with his wife Betty. Harry and Betty had met when they both worked on the trams in Leeds and to listen to Harry you would think he had only just moved down from there. Harry was the local rules expert and he would sit me down at the table with him the other side and we would go through the rule books for the entire turn. I went home with my head buzzing and had to sit down again at home with the books to get everything straight in my head. That is not a criticism by the way, I really appreciated all the trouble he was taking. One day Betty turned up with Harrys dinner. I pulled her leg about there being no pie for me. The next day she appeared and presented me with a whole apple pie she had baked just for me! It was Harry who told me that the slats above the windows where fitted to reduce glare from spotlights as the box had come from a marshalling yard in Birmingham. Years later I had to smile as the box was actually second hand from Ashendon Junction. The location is even more rural than Eggesford with no road near and Ashendon village away on a hill. I have since had occasion to go to Ashendon to clear cattle from the line, its site only marked by the up and down lines slewing away from one another and then back again as a reminder of the flying junction that once existed there. Doubtless the confusion was because the box had been located on the GWRs direct line TO Birmingham. Until the booking was abolished at Banbury South signalbox a little while ago, all the up Chilterns services had AL entered in the remarks column in the train register for Ashendon line. Sadly, Harry died a few years ago of cancer. He is the only Eggesford signalman that I have not got a photo of. A year or so ago, Betty was still living in the station house. The other signalman I learnt with was Jimmy Hughes who used to come to work in his scrap metal lorry. Learning with him was much more relaxed, I think I read the newspapers more when I was with him than I did the rule book. Bill Butt, the other resident was on annual leave when I was learning so I must have had a day or two with Bill Woolridge who was a reliefman based at Eggesford who I had already met at Barnstaple. The first time I was entrusted to change tokens at Eggesford I was stood on the crossing as the train approached and realised at the last moment that I had the token in the wrong hand. I do not think many signalmen exchange tokens with their arms crossed! Eggesford was always my favourite location on the line and I spent many hours taking photos around there. The scenery is still the same (except for there being more of it!) but it does not seem the same without the human presence. Later we shall go on to Crediton and my learning there.

 

David.

[roundhouse]

Crediton station is much the same on our visit a few months back but in a different colour scheme and smartened up a bit.

 

i will post some photos tonight if you like.

 

I remember Eggesford box. Think it was the same person standing at the top of the steps when I was last there when the box was in use.

Ian

[treggyman]

Crediton station is much the same on our visit a few months back but in a different colour scheme and smartened up a bit.

 

i will post some photos tonight if you like.

 

I remember Eggesford box. Think it was the same person standing at the top of the steps when I was last there when the box was in use.

Ian

 

Hi

 

YES PLEASE

 

Thanks in advance

 

Cheers Bill

[treggyman]

The signal boxes on the line are very 'modellable' (if that's a word?). I made my own version of the box based upon the one that once stood on the platform at Portsmouth Arms, which will eventually end up on 'Burrington Arms'

 

I hope you don't mind Bill, but have posted a few photos below.

 

 

 

 

Hi

 

 

Don't mind at all.....

It's a great model & I remember your posts on Burrington Arms when you were building it.....

Just hope I can do as well with my attempt when I get round to it.....

 

Cheers Bill

[roundhouse]

Here are three images of Crediton taken this Summer.

 

If there are any particular close ups you are after just let me know as I did take quite a few.

 

Ian