Tettenhall station

[bob hughes60]

As a returnee and retired (therefore newbie) I would appreciate advice on a possible layout for Tettenhall station .
The station still exists I grew up in the area and am familiar with the Oxley-Kingwinsford branch and although it was closed to passenger traffic, specials, empty carriage stock and all sorts of freight ran on it till 1965
The original proposal from GWR for this line was a "a loop or second line from Wolverhampton to Tettenhall station and crossing loops at Wombourn and Himley stations"
However when opened the line had Tettenhall only using the down platform(see below).

Tettenhall station

tettenhall008.jpg (20.03 KiB) Viewed 5937 times

A plan of Wombourn is attached for comparison.
Many thanks

Wombourn Station

wombourn009.jpg (56.5 KiB) Viewed 5930 times

Can any source of wisdom guess/tell me the track layout for Tettenhall if the line had been double?
There was a plan for a signal box at the south end of the up platform.
Information source is Ned williams excellent book The Railway to Wombourn.
Just toying with the idea of modelling some of the branch as the 00 triang,airfix and dapol mothballed stuff I have is mainly WR/GWR
Many thanks

[pheasant]

For a 1960s double track version of the Tettenhall track plan I would say the plan you have would likely have follows additions:

A second line using the up platform.
An extra set of points on the good yard loop to form a trailing crossover crossing between the goods yard and the up line with a diamond crossing on the down line so that an up freight can reverse into the goods yard.

or

The same crossover between the goods yard and the up line as above but with a single slip on the down line instead of a diamond crossing. This would give an up freight access to the goods yard, allow for a local service terminating at Tettenhall to change lines for a return woking and allow wrong line working when track maintenance is being done on the line.

Possibly but not always a trailing crossover on the Oxley Jc side of the platforms

[Zunnan]

Tettenhall stations second platform was never brought into use, the rails were never laid to serve it. When the earthworks were built by the Wolverhampton and Bridgenorth Railway (overseen and eventually completed by the GWR), provision was made for double track to be laid at a later date if required; but it never happened. The only passing loop on the route was provided at Wombourne and the proposed branch to Eardington/Bridgenorth never built. The whole branch was only any real use as a diversionary route and never generated any real traffic of its own. It opened on 11th January 1925 and closed on 1st March 1965. Its been closed longer than the 40 years it was in service, and the passenger service lasted only 7 years(!!!) from the 'grand' opening in 1925 through to 29th October 1932. Tettenhall station was reopened twice for Hospital trains during the second world war, in 1940 and again in 1944, and after that it only ever saw goods trains. Its incredible to think that the entire station and goods shed still exist and are in extremely good condition!

[bob hughes60]

Thanks for replying .I will do a track plan or two and post back.Prototype layout was never my strongpoint.
Would make an interesting branch line model with the track doubled. At the end of its life you saw all sorts of interesting steam locos on it.AFAIR evening star and the odd brit ! pulling freight.

[bob hughes60]

I followed pheasant's ideas and added the crossover and extra trailing slip with a diamond.

Diamondsmall.jpg (25.3 KiB) Viewed 5566 times

Then did a single slip, I hope positionally these are correct.

SINGLE SLIPsmall.jpg (19.33 KiB) Viewed 5562 times

The last plan has a double slip (is this allowable??) and the extra one off siding for an agricultural show in the 1930's I removed.
Put positions of buildings in.

LASTONE.jpg (30.3 KiB) Viewed 5562 times

I am sure there was a siding serving a timber yard but can't find any details. (anybody enlighten me ?)
Appreciate comments.
Going through 2 books available there us an interesting range of locos/railcars allowable (can't have 4-6-0 kings or 2-8-0 4700 class-restrictions)
Would appreciate feedback from wiser colleagues.
Thanks for your time.

[Zunnan]

The third plan is the more prototypical, although the trailing crossover perhaps wouldn't be there as the slip provides exactly that already and the passing loop provides the run round facility. The slip would more usually be a single slip in use like that providing the trailing crossover, trains entering the loop would have to be reversed in from either line. Typical Midland Railway practice and used by a good many other companies too. Sutton Park station retained that sort of track layout with the passing loop remaining in use until quite recently, even though the station itself closed in 1965!

[pheasant]

I'd go with plan 3 as well with the addition of a headshut to the loop below the slip. You can use a double slip and still be prototypical (Stroud, Gloucestershire had one) but as Zunnan said a single slip would be more common.

[bob hughes60]

So I shared my Tettenhall vision with my wife whilst at MRC sunday last and she said "why don't you model Sedbergh that would be more interesting?"
This is because her family-Dawson-own the goods yard and railway cutting as was (but not the station) and run the family business out of there.
So I googled- nothing- then trawled Rob Weston's book on the Ingleton branch which has a very old OS map track plan.Also used BR past and present No. 1 Cumbria. I met with my brother in law who runs the family business yesterday and picked his brains.
The picture below shows what we got betwen us. Apparently the goods siding sloped up towards Tebay he remembers taking brakes of mineral wagons to roll back and unload by hand in the coal drops. This leaves us with a mystery; the short spur at end of siding too short for a headshunt? is it a catch point?
Mu brother in law recalled an incident with a runaway mineral wagon demolishing a vent van.
So I may now have a branch line with 2 different regional stations on it ! or swap stations out ?
This gives me an excuse to buy the Bachmann Ivatt class 4 2-6-0 and hornby black 5.
I have guessed at the pointwork and the layout is not to scale as such.
I would be grateful if anybody knows a more accurate trackplan source(s) or can shed any further light.
The signal box is a bit of mystery it wasn't there on the earliest photographs but brother in law recalls it in operation (would it have been a groundframe ??)

Thanks in advance for any help.
Bob Hughes

[Richard_B]

Hi,

I might be a bit late in joining this discussion, but I have actually got copies of the original GWR plans for Tettenhall, Wombourn, Himley, Compton and Penn stations.

Richard.

[Richard_B]

Any updates?

[bob hughes60]

Update got a copy of plans for the original GWR station buildings from the national archive.
Nice and detailed unfortunately no scale! So a trip to wolverhampton (tettenhall) to measure the booking office and platform for size to scale the rest of the buildings.
I also found a couple of photos from the 1920s for tettenhall as it opened footbridge and all.
The waiting room is now a nice looking and well reviewed cafe and more interestingly for me the goods shed is now a sort of museum and has Boulton and Paul aero stuff in there.
The airfield was across the canal from me. Anybody heard of the Defiant ? I think they have a turret there.
Sedbergh is much more problematic no buildings but did run down a track plan from the 1940's on Cumbria webiste .
See http://www.cumbriaimagebank.org.uk. lots of images of station plans and old photos.
The search engine is a bit quirky though.
Track is laid and operational in my garage.
I went for the original double line for the tettenhall branch rather than the single line token system that was built and this meshes with sedbergh as was beautifully.
Cheers
Bob Hughes

[Dad-1]

Ahh yes the B.P. Defiant.
An idea that failed after the first meeting of the Luftwaffe. The four gun turret caught
them by surprise, but the extra weight compromised manoeuvrability and speed.
Attacking them from underneath with a faster more nimble fighter destroyed any
chance of future victories and they were soon relegated to night fighter duties.

Keep working at it bob.

Geoff T.

[bob hughes60]

didn't the defiant when relegated from day fighter for vulnerablities discussed by Geoff T above
have a succesful career in a nightfighter role???
Remember making the airfix kit as a kid plus it was made just across the canal from me.

[Richard_B]

excellent news on the progress. I have the original measurements of all buildings if you need them, including goods shed. Any chance of some photos of your layout ???

[Nightrain]

Hi Guys I have just joined this site ... as it came up I was searching for info about Wombourne station on the Kingswinford branch, I was born there and the line sparked my interest in railwaus and the GWR generally and as I intend to model it .... I could really do with any info about the Station booking hall and waiting room especially the plans Tettenhall and Himely are the same building format .... as I think I am going to have to try and scratch build at least the station as I cannot find anything that looks remotely like it in kit form ???

The waiting room is very similar to this weathered Hornby R8531 skaledale item https://www.ebay.ie/itm/HORNBY-SKALEDAL ... 1438.l2649

I have "By Rail to Wombourne" and Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Mainline Books which both feature the line and the building, but sadly no building plans

Here are some pics of Wombourne station :

http://familypedia.wikia.com/wiki/File: ... tation.jpg
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/PHOTO-WOMBOURNE ... SwfrJbasin

I know its a long shot but can anyone help

Thanks in advance

Steve