Lets Design a Pub Sign!

[Youngie]

I get the impression a few of the regular posters on here (as well as their obvious passion for all things 'Pub-Related') also have an interest in The History of Railways! I also detect a few are from The West Country...Oooh Arrrr!
Well.....I have to come up with a design for The Railway Inn at Sandford in Somerset (which has just been bought by Thatchers the Cider Brewers) and as I'm not very well informed on 'Rail-History' wondered if any of our more learned posters would have any info on Train type, numbers, colours destination names on front etc.
All I know is there used to be a railway line between Cheddar and Yatton which passed through the Sandford & Banwell station transporting strawberries ( Known as The Strawberry Line). This line has now disappeared and is made into a foot and cycling path which part of it runs through the Thatchers orchard.
I'm thinking of an image of an old steam train hurtling through the apple orchard but obviously want everything to be factual and historically correct
Any input advice or links gratefully accepted .

[Soup Dragon]

Hi Youngie

when were you thinking of setting the picture. Its a bit out of my area, but i think it would have been GWR, rather than Souther Railways up until 1948. The GWR was an early railway ( a lot came into being after the re-orgs of 1923, LMS etc). so if you want to be authentic, you need to have an idea of the year that you want first of all - if you are talking 1860s, i think it may have been pre-GWR days - which i am sure i can find out for you if you want

[Youngie]

Thanks for the interest Historian

"The station was opened as Sandford with the broad gauge line to Cheddar in August 1869 as a single-platform station. The railway was extended to Wells in 1870, converted to standard gauge in the mid-1870s and then linked up to the East Somerset Railway to provide through services from Yatton to Witham in 1878. All the railways involved were absorbed into the Great Western Railway in the 1870s."

He knows his stuff!

To be fair I don't think the year is that vital as long as the train at some point passed through Sandford!!...I'd be more interested in the style/colouring/ aesthetic beauty of the Steam Engine itself...something to make a good picture.
What period was the Golden age would you say?

[Soup Dragon]

Thanks for the interest Historian



He knows his stuff!

To be fair I don't think the year is that vital as long as the train at some point passed through Sandford!!...I'd be more interested in the style/colouring/ aesthetic beauty of the Steam Engine itself...something to make a good picture.
What period was the Golden age would you say?

Railway mania was in the 1840's - too early!

Play safe and go with GWR, rather than one of the smaller companies.

I think the zenith of railway travel was prior to WWI, but i may be wrong - I am sort of a jack of all history, master of none!

I would look for something between those dates!

[Conrad]

The original designer of the PG web site and forums is a nice chap called Brian. He is a bit of a trainspotter (I have tried not to hold it against him), I will try and get his feedback on this as he may well have some interesting input.

[Soup Dragon]

Hi Youngie

http://www.nrm.org.uk/collections/photos.asp

I would look for several photographs that you could work off - and if i were looking for railway pics, i would look at two places - first the National Railway Museum, York - i have pasted the link above, as a generic authority. The other option would be local based. We hold photos of the railways around Walsall, so you need to contact the Somerset County Record Office and ask their advice on their holdings and those of any local history centre's, or private collections they know about. If i could draw - that's what i would do, if you want to be authentic

You could always just paint a strawberry, or jar of hartley's jam!

[brylonscamel]

I was steered towards this thread by Conrad (from Pubs Galore) and hope the following info will be of value. Ian Allen (the transport book specialist) list two books and one video containing info, pictures and film of the Cheddar Valley Line (Strawberry Line)

Branch Line to Cheddar:
http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/pr...9&cat=0&page=1

STEAMING THROUGH THE CHEDDAR VALLEY
http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/pr...3&cat=0&page=1

MEMORIES OF THE CHEDDAR VALLEY BRANCH (VIDEO)
http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/pr...2&cat=0&page=1

These titles are more likely to feature images from the later years of the railway due to the popularity of railway photography at the end of the steam era.

For earlier info it would be worth contacting local historians with a railway interest - you could start with the local preserved railways - such as the East Somerset, Avon Valley Railway or Bristol Industrial Museum. You could even try "Steam" at Swindon (the branch was GWR operated) as they will know which archives are available. The council libraries should be able to help too!

Local Railway Modeller Societies should be good as they research railway history when making accurate models.

Regards,

Brian

[Youngie]

Cheers Brian!

[Youngie]

Just an update for all those who kindly offered advice/links etc.
I finished the sign a while back but only just received this photo from the Thatcher's people.

I will endeavor to post it and a few others on the site proper.
This is Thatcher's ( a cider brewery) first pub and hopefully they will snap up a few more because they have done a good job on refurbishing and more importantly I might get some more work out of it!
Once again thanks for all the input guys..I might just pick your brains again sometime!

[hondo]