00 Gauge Oxford Rail Chatterley Whitfield 7 Plank Coal Wagons

Discussion in 'Product Reviews' started by AJS is a Red, Nov 3, 2019.

  1. AJS is a Red

    AJS is a Red Full Member

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    Just treated myself to a couple of coal wagons from Oxford rail. These are lovely models with fantastic detailing: realistic metal buffers and coupling hook. The lettering detail is superb and is modelled on the wagons used at the Chatterley Whitfield colliery near Tunstall in Stoke on Trent.

    These models have sentimental value for me.... My late Grandfather worked at Chatterly Whitfield all his working life from 1936 up until it closed in the late 1970s.

    Here are some photos of the wagons.... I think I will apply some light weathering using Gormo's pastel tutorial, that way it will not be permanent and can always be washed off.

    Andrew.
     

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  2. ianvolvo46

    ianvolvo46 Staff Member Moderator

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    :thumbup::thumbup: they look the biz and a lovely link to your past

    Ian vt
     
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  3. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Great wagons you have there AJS... they look the biz.

    Whitfield Colliery closed in 1977 and not long after that the truncated section of the Biddulph Valley line which had been terminated at Chell near to the coal reception sidings at Whitfield was lifted back to Ford Green crossing box. I was working on the railway at that time and remember the first trip train up the branch got to Ford Green at around 06.30 in the morning, it would often be stopped and held up at the gates because the crossing keeper was late for work. The line used to flood badly alongside Norton Colliery and relief railman crossing keeper a Mr Ken Woodings used to catch the first bus from Leek getting off at Bellerton Lane to walk up the track. On his way one cold dark morning to open up Ford Green box he slipped on wet sleepers and fell into the flood water and was soaked to the skin, I think neither Ken or the train crew were best pleased that morning. For me as a young lad then I had the hardest job keeping a straight face as he told a group of us that little tale, what made it even funnier was that he always wore a standard issue railway macintosh tied up with a length of old rope, he always cut his own hair using a set of mirrors to see, his nick name everyone knew him by was The Mad Monk. Kenneth sadly passed away quite a few years ago now.
     
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  4. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    A great selection of wagons Andrew, I wouldn't weather them to heavily, they tended to be cleaned regularly, especially coal merchants wagons as they were a moving advertisement and cost the owners a lot of money and they liked to protect their investment.

    What a brilliant story Yorky, it definitely paints a real life scene. It would make a fantastic cameo :thumbs:.

    Cheer's, Pete.
     
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  5. AJS is a Red

    AJS is a Red Full Member

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    Lovely story York Paul.

    Andrew.
     
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  6. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Yes it's a very true story. Ford Green was a tall signal box and the gates were worked on a gate wheel, it had a 37 lever frame and released a shunt cabin called Ford Green Yard with a midway lock, the yard box was situated in the fork of the spur which went up to Norton Colliery. The block section down to Milton Junction was worked under Regulation 4 Absolute Block, as the line was pared back from Congleton Wharf to Biddulph Heath's Junction the branch was down rated and worked under single line arrangements. In the later years when Victoria Colliery at Black Bull was turned over to open casting using lorries the branch was worked under the One Engine in Steam arrangement, the signalman post at Ford Green was withdrawn and the box became a mere crossing keepers hut, the yard box had been destroyed by vandals and the four sidings and connection to Norton Colliery worked by an LNWR five lever Sketch 488 ground frame. The release key for this ground frame was kept in a locked cabinet in Ford Green box and was unlocked by the OES key on the wooden staff, so in essence Mr Woodings could be late for work every morning as the train could go no further than the crossing gates and would have to wait for the gateman to turn up for work. All the signals were removed leaving only a fixed distant in the Down direction warning of the approach to the level crossing and another fixed distant in the Up direction warning of the approach to Milton Junction.
     
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