Memories down part of the Corkscrew. (New Forest V2 Testing)

[kieranhardy]

[dee4141]

Brilliant screenshots, Kieran - seems like you're having fun on this route. Can't say I've heard of the Corkscrew, though I'm sure someone will explain.

[michaelhendle]

It's proper name is Castlemains Cork Screw,it was the original London and South Western Railways route to Weymouthvia Dorchester.,when it was built Bournemouth was just a small fishing vilage,there used to be a branch from Ringwood which went down to Christchurch and then on to Bournemouth,you can see traces of the line if you follow the B road from Ringwood to Christcchurch.

After Bournemouth started to get popular the now direct route was built from Brockenhurst to Christcurch and then on to Bournemouth,even up until closure the Route from Brockenhurst to Weymouth via Ringwood was used in summer for through trains to Weymouth, there was another branch from Ringwood to Salisbury.

AT present on Discovery real time there is a programme about the route,it's named after it's promoter Charles Castlmain,and was built in 1849.

You can walk the route from Brockenhurst to Ringwood useing a footpath,which was the old railway.

Michael

[dee4141]

Thanks Michael,very interesting. 1849 was a bit before my time, so maybe that's why I'd not heard of it.

[jbilton]

Hi
Cracking Shots.

Cheers
Jon

[aj52mdy]

Im delighted to see the screenshots of West Moors station. I sent Richard some pictures of the station some time back
and the screenshots tell me that they have been faithfully reproduced. Ashley Heath looks good as well.
Cant wait for version 2 to appear.
Best wishes.
Andy Moody.
West Moors

[rickloader]

Andy, it was a lot more than a few pics! Rather, lots of very useful information, and I remain grateful for your help. I have tried to incorporate this into V2 where possible. I am still adding scenery to West Moors, including the crossing keepers` cottage you mention. It is fun recreating a closed route, but at West Moors there has been so much development, it is hard to know what the scenery surrounding the route was like. I did visit Wimborne library, but the were immensley proud of having binned their historic paper maps in favour of a modern computer system!
As the Corkscrew name has been mentioned, I didn`t want to use this because it would imply I intended to go all the way to Dorchester. So I took the alternative " Watersnake" ( a jibe because the Southampton & Dorchester snaked its way around the river estuaries). When V1 was uploaded I thought people would better understand " New Forest"
Some super screenshots again Kieran. Seeing a Q on passenger duty, must be the 07.00 Dorchester- Brockenhurst?
Rick

[aj52mdy]

Andy, it was a lot more than a few pics! Rather, lots of very useful information, and I remain grateful for your help. I have tried to incorporate this into V2 where possible. I am still adding scenery to West Moors, including the crossing keepers` cottage you mention. It is fun recreating a closed route, but at West Moors there has been so much development, it is hard to know what the scenery surrounding the route was like. I did visit Wimborne library, but the were immensley proud of having binned their historic paper maps in favour of a modern computer system!
As the Corkscrew name has been mentioned, I didn`t want to use this because it would imply I intended to go all the way to Dorchester. So I took the alternative " Watersnake" ( a jibe because the Southampton & Dorchester snaked its way around the river estuaries). When V1 was uploaded I thought people would better understand " New Forest"
Some super screenshots again Kieran. Seeing a Q on passenger duty, must be the 07.00 Dorchester- Brockenhurst?
Rick

Hi Rick.
many thanks for those kind words, Glad to have been of some help, But with regards to scenery. ALL you need is the Gate keepers cottage as mentioned TheRailway Hotel" renamed "Tap and railway" in the early 1990s and the post office. There were some old properties dotted around, but the majority of houses built around the station area are post closure.Typical.
Hope you dont mind, but the only thing that I can see wrong on the station is the lighting.
Fraid we didnt have "Lectric light" but gas, at the station. I wondered if it is possible to swap the lanterns on the concrete
posts to gas, otherwise it looks just fine.
Another interesting aspect is the S15 on the goods train, caused me to realise that i have never seen a picture of one on the castlemans route, which leads me to speculate that they were too heavy for the river bridges and like the Merchant Navies, King Arthurs and Lord Nelsons, were banned from this route, Can anyone verify this Please.

Rick. If you need any photos of the crossing area, let me know and I can take some for you.
Cheers
Andy

[kieranhardy]

Another interesting aspect is the S15 on the goods train, caused me to realise that i have never seen a picture of one on the castlemans route, which leads me to speculate that they were too heavy for the river bridges and like the Merchant Navies, King Arthurs and Lord Nelsons, were banned from this route, Can anyone verify this Please.

Are you sure the King Arthur's were banned?

While i don't have a picture of one on the old road i have found one in a book of King Arthur No. 30782 "Sir Brian" on a special which travelled to Broadstone & Hamworthy Junction via Brockenhurst & Ringwood. Would seem very strange to allow the loco on the line if they were banned. I would have thought the S15 would have been of similar if not slightly less weight than the King Arthur?

Edit: Seems the S15's weight with tender verged on 137/138 tons, where as the N15 (King Arthur) was only 81-83 tons. I always thought the two classes were very similar with slight changes, such as smaller wheels on the S15's? Seems to be a considerable difference between the two classes.

[aj52mdy]

Are you sure the King Arthur's were banned?

While i don't have a picture of one on the old road i have found one in a book of King Arthur No. 30782 "Sir Brian" on a special which travelled to Broadstone & Hamworthy Junction via Brockenhurst & Ringwood. Would seem very strange to allow the loco on the line if they were banned. I would have thought the S15 would have been of similar if not slightly less weight than the King Arthur?

Edit: Seems the S15's weight with tender verged on 137/138 tons, where as the N15 (King Arthur) was only 81-83 tons. I always thought the two classes were very similar with slight changes, such as smaller wheels on the S15's? Seems to be a considerable difference between the two classes.

Hi Kieran.
Well No, I am not sure at all that any of the classes were actually banned,You make a very valid point though, But what I meant was that because I had not seen any photographs published of these classes working over the Wimborne road, it suggests, that for some reason they were all banned by the civil engineer probally due to the many river bridges.
it is possible that the railtour with 30782 may have been given special dispensation.
Merchant Navies were officially banned from the Somerset and Dorset, but 35011 was allowed over it very close to the closure of the line. So it could have been the same for the Wimborne route, as i say, verification is required.
Cheers
Andy

[kieranhardy]

Just to add to my last post, the N15 weights i found were just for the loco itself and not the tender. Would be a very sizeable odd difference between the two classes if that was right. The overall weight for 30777 "Sir Lamiel" is 138 tons 14 cwt Engine & Tender in working order. So i was right after all in the fact that the locos didn't differ too much from eachother.

[rickloader]

I`d like to intervene: but in fairness to Kieran he is testing both the S15 and the NewForest route, so anything goes really, and they are smashing pics.
I think the factors for a loco being restricted are the axle loading and the hammer blow which would be high for the S15 and Arthurs. I think Andy is right, as C Maggs book states the "MN s and heaviest 4-6-0s were banned. From photos unrebuilt light pacifics seem the loco of choice for diversions and specials, and I remember them hauling 2 coach PP sets too.The 17.05 from Southampton Terminus - Wimborne was an N15/S15 turn, but for some reason it avoided the oldroad and ran via Bmth Central.The line speed for the Salisbury line was 50mph but I think everything bar the T9 and 700 had a 30mph restriction.
The problem appears to have been the Avon Bridge at Ringwood and once this was rebuilt with a concrete deck, the old road became unrestricted. Baker in the Ringwood papers says this was only 2 years before closure. But the 1960 sectional appendix gives the full 85mph for the old road. Imagine 85 on the 660yd Wimborne curve!
( concrete gas lamps it is!)
Rick

[aj52mdy]

I`d like to intervene: but in fairness to Kieran he is testing both the S15 and the NewForest route, so anything goes really, and they are smashing pics.
I think the factors for a loco being restricted are the axle loading and the hammer blow which would be high for the S15 and Arthurs. I think Andy is right, as C Maggs book states the "MN s and heaviest 4-6-0s were banned. From photos unrebuilt light pacifics seem the loco of choice for diversions and specials, and I remember them hauling 2 coach PP sets too.The 17.05 from Southampton Terminus - Wimborne was an N15/S15 turn, but for some reason it avoided the oldroad and ran via Bmth Central.The line speed for the Salisbury line was 50mph but I think everything bar the T9 and 700 had a 30mph restriction.
The problem appears to have been the Avon Bridge at Ringwood and once this was rebuilt with a concrete deck, the old road became unrestricted. Baker in the Ringwood papers says this was only 2 years before closure. But the 1960 sectional appendix gives the full 85mph for the old road. Imagine 85 on the 660yd Wimborne curve!
Rick

Hi Rick.
Yes that would sound about right, Actually both Unrebuilt and rebuilt light Pacifics were obviously allowed between Broadstone and Lymington Jn, 34045 is very well documented I have also seen pictures of the 73 standards and even a schools class. I rather suspect "Hammer blow" was the main cause of larger locos being restricted.
Certainly the Fordingbridge line was very restricted, After the demise of T9 and 700 Only U boats 76 standards and unrebuilt light Pacifics were allowed.
I guess though, On the Train simulator anything can go (within reason.)

Cheers
Andy