Charnwood Forest Railway

[Pauls]

Hi,

Just started work on Snells Nook Halt - what a great name eh !

There are no known photographs of this halt - so I've used a LNWR plan - 1/2500 OS Maps and 1945 RAF Photo Reconnaissance vertical photo's of the site. Unfortunately the halt was removed between 1931 when the line closed to passengers and when the RAF shot was taken in 1945. Another problem are the inconsistencies between the OS Maps and the LNWR plan. The LNWR plan shows a 60ft x 6ft platform with no ramps and an earthen extension of the embankment which is unusual for the LNWR who would normally have used wooden piling for the platform and passenger building. The LNWR shows a staircase at 90 degrees to the platform and the OS Map shows a angled staircase. The staircase is known to be of wooden construction from a description in the local Loughborough Echo newspaper. The building is known to be of 24ft x 8ft construction and of standard Webb/LNWR timber design which uses 8ft x 8ft units. Even here there are two types of design possible - the later ones had horizontal boarding and more pleasing detail - the earlier design had vertical boarding and was much more utilitarian. I've guessed at two small waiting rooms and a ticket office. Nearby Garendon Hall might have demanded a separate Ladies Waiting Room or perhaps even a private waiting room so that the gentry from Garendon Hall didn't have to mix with any undesirables



I'll add standard LNWR paraffin lamps and wire fencing plus some LNWR noticeboards and a LNWR bench seat. The platform was made of old sleepers in-filled with earth and gravel according to the LNWR plan. I'll also do the over bridge which was of stone and steel girder construction. I have just one photograph of the bridge which for various reasons is hard to interpret.

Sad that I'm having to use very sparse evidence and a lot of 'educated' guesswork - but until a photograph of the halt is discovered this is the best I can do.

Cheers
Paul

[VictoryWorks]

But the upside of this is that nobody can tell you're wrong
Looks very nice.

[AndiS]

But the upside of this is that nobody can tell you're wrong

Unless someone has and uncle who has an uncle who took an excursion back then and took a photo there while waiting for the train.

That is why I call such things "scientific work in progress". Might be fun to create a scientific readme for Paul's creations, correctly citing every source of information, like "The extra waiting room was for the gentry[99]." ... "[99] The guy at the museum. Oral communication. Sept. 13, 2013". Or "[99] <some book on that line saying that this was often the case>".

Compared to the creation (and research!) effort, this would only increase the total effort minimally.

You could also publish it as a book (print on demand) with enclosed CD containing the route, but versions with CD were costly last time I checked.

Do they except PDFs in the Workshop?

[Pauls]

Thanks Andi and James - more research on this and the other two halts on this branchline than you would ever know. As you say James - it would be hard to prove me wrong - and if someone could with the appropriate evidence then I would be delighted - I think my route is more about historic research than it is about building a route in the traditional sense.

Cheers
Paul

[Pauls]

A little bit more progress.......



The platform without ramps looks very strange - the building also seems to be out of proportion to the platform - however this is what was there according to the records - I wonder if it was this way in reality though ? - we'll never know unless someone discovers a photo.

Cheers
Paul

[Pauls]

THE STORY OF BILL BLUDSOE:
The lateness of trains on the CHARNWOOD FOREST LINE was notorious and even gave rise to poetry on one occasion. An anonymous correspondent to a Loughborough newspaper had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he told, in verse, the story of BILL BLUDSOE who supposedly had his life saved by the inefficiency of the trains. Determined to commit suicide, BILL BLUDSOE lay down on the FOREST LINE to wait for death in the shape of the train to SHEPSHED. However, he was working from the published timetable.... When the train failed to appear after half an hour, BLUDSOE got bored with waiting and went to the pub instead! The poem begins:

"What say! You have never heard, sir,
Of the Shepshed Down Express,
How it saved Bill Bludsoe's life, sir?
My word, sir! - and you on the Press!

One night 'e left all 'is pals, sir,
Determined to make a mess,
We none of us knew till after -
And, Lord, sir, would you ever guess? -
'E went and laid down on the line, sir,
To wait for the Down Express.

But Bill, sir, had gone by time-table -
I've done it myself, I confess -
For it's always on page two of "ECHO",
But that don't bind Shepshed Express."

The poem continues in like style, ending with the fortunate BLUDSOE ordering another drink in the pub:

"Jes' as that train rattled by, sir,
At eight mile and hour, more or less."

Courtesy of.........

http://www.peoplemakingplaces.org.uk/places/charnwood_history/railways2.htm

I'll have to try and find the rest of the poem - I'm sure this was typical of many rural branch lines in the 1930's ??

Cheers
Paul

[Pauls]

A bit more detail in Sketchup........







Its probable that the steps to the platform were changed from straight up at the end of the platform to a angled steps when the building was added. The 1/2500 OS maps show an angled staircase with the building placed at the Shepshed end of the platform. The LNWR drawing is for the initial building of the halt and shows no building and straight steps - this version is projected onto the ground and embankment in the model.

Still no photo's to show what the halt really looks like so no one can say whether the model is right or wrong.

Next bit of the project is to build the overbridge which was of stone and girder construction.

Cheers
Paul

[Pauls]

Hi,

Further progress at Snells Nook Halt .........











The underbridge was of stone construction to no doubt please the Squire de Lisle and family at nearby Garendon Park - Most bridges on the CFR were of red brick construction - those going through the land of stately homes at Garendon and Grace Dieu were of stone for aesthetic reasons - the most notable being a large viaduct near Grace Dieu Halt.

Cheers
Paul

[Pauls]

Decided the sandstone was too bright so dulled it down ...........

[Pauls]

Thought I'd better give it the correct LNWR bridge number........

The under Bridge at Snells Nook was Bridge 27 on the Charnwood Forest Railway - Bridge 1 was at Charnwood Forest Junction near Coalville in NW Leicestershire.