New route just begun - "The Golden Valley Line"

[hertsbob]

Hi

It's only 1:60 for a short stretch of slightly less than 1/4 mile on the Stroud side. There's more of it at 1:74 and 1:75 from the summit towards Chalford with the odd short level section thrown in, so don't be tempted to try and force a 1:60 gradient to fit!

Cheers

Bob

[Easilyconfused]

I might be able to collate some useful information since Shirehampton Model Railway Club has constructed layouts of Coaley Junction and Brimscombe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brimscombe_railway_station so we have a great deal of literature on the area.

The Brimscombe layout is due to attend the Warley exhibition this year.

[stuart666]

I would go and scan that gradient profile, but I just started on another project this morning and im a bit pushed for time. I would recommend getting the Ian Allan book. It may be expensive, but you wont ever need a mainline gradient profile again, its got pretty much all mainlines in it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BR-Main-Line-Gr ... 0711008752

Worth looking on ABE books. Highly likely you will pick a cheaper copy there.

Yeah, Bob is right, its only 1-60 for a short section (near Frampton Mansell to the tunnel If I remember rightly) and at one spectacular section even touches on 1-59 (which is the nearest Brunel got to a Funicular railway!) so If I was to recommend anything, it would be to try and get as much right of the profile if you can. Its a seriously fun route to climb if you get it right.

Hey its your route. Whatever you do, have fun with it.

[thethirdrail]

Thanks all for your offers of help. After some consideration I'd actually decided to splash out on the gradient book - £20+ did seem like a good investment, but then I read your post Stuart and I've just picked up a copy from ABE for an absolute song! £5.30 inc postage. So thanks for that, much appreciated! Now I have gradient and track information for the whole of the West. It's just a shame there's no similar reference for speed limits and signalling (none that I can find anyway).

So while I await its arrival I've been working on the signalling between Swindon and Kemble. It's quite a learning curve and makes track laying look like a doddle at first, but like a lot of things, practice, trial and error seem the best way to learn. I now have signals on the line and on platforms 1 & 2 at both stations which on testing, do appear to work. I'm having to rely on the DVD and Goolge Earth/images to locate the signals and gantries then work out what signal type best suits each location. Frustrating, but very satisfying when you get it right!

I've also been trying, with varying success, to replicate Swindon's unusual platform layout, using a combination of lofted and fixed platforms, concrete blocks and tapers. Doesn't look too bad but needs more work. Taking a break tonight to do something I haven't done for about 3 weeks - actually PLAY Train simulator

T3R

[FoggyMorning]

Current speed limits (actually about 2009-ish I think) are available online as part of Network Rail's Baseline Capability documents. The PDFs take forever to load in my experience unfortunately. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browsedire ... lity&root=

I'm not aware of a similar resource for signalling unfortunately

[thethirdrail]

Current speed limits (actually about 2009-ish I think) are available online as part of Network Rail's Baseline Capability documents. The PDFs take forever to load in my experience unfortunately. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browsedire ... lity&root=

I'm not aware of a similar resource for signalling unfortunately

Wow thanks Foggy. This is a fantastic document, very detailed and absolutely invaluable. Cheers

[stuart666]

Yeah that speed information is exceptionally useful isnt it? I had a heck of job working out what speed limits were over my version of the route, till I discovered a reference to someone doing 90mph in a Castle at Oaksey Halt. Not much about for steam era speed limits over the line that I could find anyway.

Glad you got a copy of that gradient profile, I think you will find it very useful. Ive read elsewhere that Network rail still use it as part of their planning for new projects, or at least before the measurement train still did.

Are you going to model it with single track from Kemble? Whilst they are currently engaged in redoubling this, there is a good case for saying we could do with a route with single track over that section. If nothing else it makes it operationally interesting at Kemble. And there isnt that many routes (other than the North Cotswold line) where you can run a HST over single tracks...

[thethirdrail]

Single track??!!!

Hell yeh!

Yeh I was surprised how variable the speed limits are around Swindon. The up main, down main, relief line and all of the cross overs range from 20 - 85mph. There are a lot of speed limit signs but thankfully not quite enough to make it look cluttered.

[stuart666]

There was a fuel tank facility somewhere near Purton I memory serves which may still be open. That would be worth including for a bit of shunting potential.

Looks good, keep up the good work.

[thethirdrail]

Remember back in the day, when all that was north of Oxford was a portal called 'Banbury'.....

New Oxford North signals, where the portal used to be

Oxford North Junction with the Oxford - Bicester Line branching off to the right

Wolvercot Junction; Cotswold line left, Chiltern Mainline right

More to come....

T3R

[thethirdrail]

If you're wondering what this is all about I have set out to do what I originally intended to, which is to extend the GWML. I love driving this line and it's been a constant source of frustration that I could never travel further than Oxford. The stretch on the Golden Valley Line that did finish (infrastructure wise that is, not the scenery) has served to prove to myself that I can build a fully functioning railway between at least two stations and successfully run trains on it. As a stand alone route I won't be doing anything else with it, but the next version will form an important an integral part of a much larger network, one which I hope will extend the mainline both West and North, by approx 100 miles.

Rather than laying miles and miles of track then trying to deal with it all I will be building the route in small sections, ideally station to station, and not moving on until all track, infrastructure and scenery is complete and good enough that I'd be happy to upload it to the library. Any willing 'beta testers' who want to have a play please PM me!

The track from Oxford to Handborough is now complete and signaled up to Wolvercot Jn. Running the track from Oxford North Jn was a pain in the a**e as the end of the line was about 27 meters too far East, so it was either re-model the entire area around the sidings or just have a couple of hundred meters of track in the wrong place. No prizes for guessing which option won!

I'd like to extend as far as Worcester via the Cotswold Line and and Cheltenham via the golden Valley, then maybe join the two. Near to oxford, if I can find the resources, I'd also like to extend to Bicester and/or Banbury. Where it will ultimately end is not certain, but reaching my home town of Hereford would be great. But like I said, I'll be taking it one station at a time, starting with Handborough and Swindon.

So this is how it's looking so far. I haven't really touched the original line much; I've left the portals more or less in place as I think they could be useful for scenario writing but I've renamed them to something more appropriate and the 'Banbury' portals are now past Wolvercot Jn. Also I've terminated the DOWN PASS LP line to reflect real life.

[antonyperks]

Just a thought you did clone the route first did you, otherwise you will loose all your work if you get an update, which would be a shame.

[thethirdrail]

Yeh absolutely. Cloned, renamed, backed up.

Thanks anyway!