Mangotsfield station plans

[Robin Summerhill]

the head porter (Jock, I believe),

Correct. I would very much like to see that, as I remember him as well! (see my earlier post)

Pete (Hattie), is there any way you can post video? I have video of a Peak class diesel approaching Rodway Hill/Carsons Road bridge in the snow of 1963 from Shortwood. I would need to edit it though, and I don't currently have the software.
Geoff

If it can't be posted here, it could go on Youtube. PM me using the email address on my profile and we should be able to sort something out

[bristolian]

Evening everyone,

I've been in correspondence with Richard Strange, he'd like to let you all know that the Mangotsfield Railway Circle is still very much alive and kicking, and is more than happy to be contacted at the following email address for enquiries regarding the MRC.

rgsatbingham AT ntlworld.com (please remove the spaces and the AT, and replace with @ .

Very Best Wishes,
Bob.

[Blandford1969]

Bob,

That's great, thanks for the lead. The Midland Study centre sadly do not have any plans, but have pointed me in the direction of a photo collection to talk to.

I've dropped Richard an e mail and asked if the circle have any information that might help with the drawings.

I will start preping drawings today to add the dimesions to on Tuesday when i visit the site.

Regards

Duncan

[Blandford1969]

Dear all,

Richard has e mailed back to tell me a model was made of the station a number of years ago taken from dimensions at the time the buildings were still standing, so it is possible this research and making of drawings may become considerably easier.

Regards for now

Duncan

[Blandford1969]

Visited the station today and with Robin's assistance (for which many thanks, the conditions were appauling) took a good number of measurements. If it had not been for the continual downpour many more would have been taken.

What has become clear is my assumption that the Midland parts would be the same were way off the mark. The standing portions of the station vary in size, so it is just as well I visitied. I also found out how the station is anything but level and the effect of the down gradient on the Bath platforms was certainly noticable even on the small section still standing.

It was very usefull to note all the parts still in existance for example some of the columns on the covered way, the subway stairs, remains of the fences behind the covered way and evidence of the buildings behind the walls on the Bath side.

Having said all that ideally I should have taken a spade to lift soil to find the actual foundations of the main building which is now demolished.

I then went to Warmley and got the dimensions of the door (probably same as into the booking hall either side (and maybe the back) and the smaller windows (as on the demolished portion) The lady was serving lovely hot bacon sandwiches, perfect for warming me up after a wet hour and a half.

I am hopefull of being able at some point to see the model of the station, which will answer more questions and will be following up with English Heritage about the 20 areial views from 47 to 69. I am also hoping to get to Kidder soon to look at what they have got.

Certainly there is enough information now to start on some drawings, however when I am next passing through (hopefully in dry weather) I will take more measurements to continue developing the plans.

Once again my thanks to Robin, hopefully in time more photos will emerge particularly of the SM house, garden and buildings on the Gloucester platform, but I suspect this may now take much more time and effort.

So for now thanks again for everyones help, now starts to come the real work. I will start with the very front of the building and work out from there.

Kind regards

Duncan

[bristolian]

Evening,

I'm glad it went well, and await with great interest any shots and developments...

Very Best Wishes,
Bob.

[Robin Summerhill]

Once again my thanks to Robin, hopefully in time more photos will emerge particularly of the SM house, garden and buildings on the Gloucester platform, but I suspect this may now take much more time and effort.

The local BBC weather news this evening said that today was the wettest day in Bristol this year!!! The dog has just about dried out now!

Anyway, back to the plot. The only building on the up main platform was a timber waiting shelter, of the same design as the one on the Bath platform 4, which can just be seen on one of your photographs http://www.flickr.com/photos/29644579@N ... 93786@N23/ . It was a narrow structure sitting between the roof supports. The one on the up main may have been a bit longer, and can just about be seen here: http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/File:Mangotsfield5.jpg

The latter photograph also shows that this platform was an island of much the same design as the Bath platform, although in that case the southern face (no.5), disused as a passenger platform since 1941, was a bay. The northern face of the up main platform was not numbered as a platform and, whilst it may have been used years ago as a passing loop for stopping trains to get out of the way of an express, by the time I started using the station it was usually full of parcels vans.

The north east end ramp was exactly opposite the ramp on the down main. This had to be the case because there was a footpath that crossed the line at right angles.

[Robin Summerhill]

I should have looked at the photographs on this site in more detail before I posted:

This one shows the waiting shelter on platform 1 http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/File:Mangotsfield11.jpg

This one: http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/File:Mangotsfield25.jpg shows the narrowness of the platform, and also the fact that there was only one line of roof support columns on the platform, which explains the apparently odd roof/ waiting room arrangement in the first picture.

Duncan - I have also been looking through some dust-laden books that I have and I've found a number of potentially useful photographs. I will scan them and email them to you (nicking photographs out of books for research purposes only is perfectly legal!!)

[Blandford1969]

Thanks for this Robin, I will look forward to the scans,

The building on the Island platform on the Bath line is interesting and appears to share charateristics with some remaining buildings at Kettering.

Gloucester only have one record of a plan relating to the sidings which may show some detail. I have still to try the Bristol record office and Wiltshire (they have got all sorts of plans from Somerset, so it is possible they may have some of Mangotsfield). The LMS society have a couple of people who have an interest in the station and are going to get back to me in a few weeks.

Your also spot on with your comments about those on platform 1 - I have established a bench ran along the back and the building was effectivley at the rear of the island platform, as was the subway on that side, where as on the main platform and Bath Island the edge is 8' from the platform edge. I forgot in my sodden state to measure the lenght and drop of the steps (ie individual ones) on the subway steps which remain.

Having dried out and slept on it I am convinced that the only way to get all of the details on the demolished part is going to be uncovering the walls at certain points, so I will be finding out if it is Sustrans or someone else who is responsible and contacting them (not that i know when i will be back again, hopefully in the next few months)

The good news is though that there is now sufficent details at least to get started on some aspects. The Gloucester bound Island platform, and canopies probably being the logical starting point, followed by the canopies on the other Bath side Island platform.

In the meantime its keep looking so if any of you come accross any of the following types of photos please let me know

1) Shot looking directly onto the waiting room on the Bath island platform. I have seen both ends and obliques of the lenght but need a side on shot to see the doors clearly
2) Shot taken from platform 1 looking at the Gloucester side buildings
3) Any shot taken from the hill looking at the Gloucester side buildings, at that height it will probably also show us some of the features behind the wall where the foundations remain.
4) Any shot taken in the covered way or Booking Hall / waiting area

I'm going to order photocopies of the areial views and then get the best two which help the picture. More to follow as we get it.

Kind regards

Duncan

[Blandford1969]

Hi all,

I have come accross this while searching today http://www.flickr.com/photos/29644579@N ... 493786@N23 it shows the sign for the ladies waiting room. I have also uploaded some cruel enlargements and a couple more shots I have found that I knew I had somewhere. (Hattie if you want them for the site let me know)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29644579@N ... 493786@N23

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29644579@N ... 493786@N23

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29644579@N ... 493786@N23

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29644579@N ... 493786@N23

Now can anyone remember where it was bolted onto a wall. I cant see it on the photos that include the gents and Booking hall and waiting rooms on the Gloucester side.

Now this could mean it was on the Bath side or was under the covered way, any ideas?

Other leads with various archives are also progressing. I have now found a reference to a document on footpaths at Mangotsfield from 1920. I am awating more information on this reference.

I have also written to see if I can get contact details for a couple of photographers that took photos at the station.

thats all for now

Regards
Duncan

[Blandford1969]

Hi All,

just a quick update. I have arranged to see the MR land Agent plans at the Midland Study Centre in September so we will see what that brings.

I have also seen a photo copy of the photos available from English Hertiage, though sadly I have not yet seen the aerial photos. Two of the photos show both wooden waiting rooms from different angles with one now clearly showing the side of that on the Bath island platform. Needless to say that one will be being ordered.

Regards

Duncan

[Blandford1969]

Hi All,

just a quick update. I have arranged to see the MR land Agent plans at the Midland Study Centre in September so we will see what that brings.

I have also seen a photo copy of the photos available from English Hertiage, though sadly I have not yet seen the aerial photos. Two of the photos show both wooden waiting rooms from different angles with one now clearly showing the side of that on the Bath island platform. Needless to say that one will be being ordered.

Regards

Duncan

[martin bennett]

I am very interested in this as I am trying to model it c.1960. I've set myself a tough task and much of what lies behind those famous walls will need to be guessed at unless something turns up.

[martin bennett]

In one of my first posts here I stated my intention of modeling Mangotsfield station. That is still my intention and I have started. Problem is, although I can work out, from the many published photographs, the window and door configuration of the walls facing onto the platforms forming the main 'triangle' - i.e. platforms 2 & 3 - I have nothing to guide me on what lay behind those walls. I had always thought that the house up on the road (between the northern entrance to the station and the bridge over the Gloucester lines) was the Station Master's house. Apparently not. As I said, I knew there were buildings behind the walls within the triangular platforms, but had not realised that one of these was in fact the Station Master's house (the one up on the road, which is still there, being perhaps nothing to do with the railway (though it has a certain Midland Railway air about it. I would be very interested indeed to see a photograph of the station taken from high up on Rodway Hill. It could reveal a great deal. In the meantime I am grateful for the tip about 'An Historical Survey of the Midland in Gloucestershire' by Peter Smith, and immediately went to eBay to see if a copy could be obtained. It is on its way to me!

[Blandford1969]

Hi Martin,


The buildings behind the walls are indeed a bit of an inigma. The station masters house was definatley behind the Gloucester platform. Through my ongoing researches I have been able to get some photos of those buildings in the early 80s just before their demolition. (drop me a PM and i will forward them onto you.

I also have a couple of areial photos, sadly the one when the line was in use is not the best in terms of focus, but does show the outline of the buildings and together with the later ones tells us it was a fence that ran between the Bath and Gloucester platforms at the back of the covered way.

This was clearly had Midland style canopies running its lenght. If you look at some of the Flickr photos of the Mangotsfield group you can see the top of it. About 3 canopy bases remain, however on the very wet day i visited the foliage was covering two of them up.

Have you managed to find a decent photo showing all the doors and windows on the Gloucester platform?, if so I would love to see it as I am trying to make plans of the station (I'm still gathering information at the moment though)

I don't want to temp fate, but it is possible I may soon see photos of the model of the station. I have also been talking with someone who apparently started taking photos in 1958 of the station to see if I can get copies.

The buildings behind the Bath platforms are a little harder to tie down, even though their footings are more clearly visible today than those of the station masters house.

Peter Smiths book is useful, but does not have any photos of behind the wall or for that matter the back wall of the booking hall into the passageway.

Hope this is helpful, and feel free to pm me, then we can exchange information.

Kind regards

Duncan