Visit to Mangapps Museum (August 2023)

[Richard Gawler]

I want to take myself to Mangapps Railway Museum to see the GER vans there. If anyone would like photos of any of the exhibits there
Mangapps Railway Museum Stock List
do say and I will have a go.

 

[simond]

Went many years back. Excellent fun. Enjoy!

 

[Rob R]

Richard,
Any detail views of the two 1864 GER coach bodies would be most welcome.
Thanks
Rob

 

[steve50]

Have fun Richard, I haven't been there in a while but I've always enjoyed visit's there, a good place to go to see a shunter or two, some interesting stuff on show. Be good to see a few pics. Enjoy!

 

[Richard Gawler]

I want to go next week. I have always admired the collection of signalling equipment. This will be my first visit since I started to try to model a scene in East Anglia, so I expect I will see the rolling stock (and, indeed, the grounded coach bodies) in a new light.

 

[oldravendale]

I'd be taking this absolutely out of sequence for the Tim Mills files but he shot a film in colour which he entitled "Area surrounding Kings Cross Station" in June 1987. I've almost finished editing it but if it may be of interest right now I'd be happy to put it on WT in the knowledge that you'll see no more of Tim's colour photos until we've finished the B & W.

Having said that there's another B & W sequence around Shoreditch in the 1980s. It's the very last of the B & W photos I was intending to show but may just be helpful.

Brian

 

[Herb Garden]

Richard,
Any detail views of the two 1864 GER coach bodies would be most welcome.
Thanks
Rob

Can I second that request?

 

[David Waite]

I want to go next week. I have always admired the collection of signalling equipment. This will be my first visit since I started to try to model a scene in East Anglia, so I expect I will see the rolling stock (and, indeed, the grounded coach bodies) in a new light.

Hi Richard
If you take some photos of the signalling equipment I would love to see them.
David.

 

[Richard Gawler]

Hi Richard
If you take some photos of the signalling equipment I would love to see them.
David.

Will do. The collection of signalling equipment is enormous - probably the best in Great Britain. So I suggest, I will choose some subjects where I can take better photographs. The museum is barely 20 miles from home, so I can always make a repeat visit

 

[Osgood]

Wouldn't do to let them Yankeee followers aware of the at Mangapps.

Doh cat's outa da bag now.....

 

[Alan]

When taking a school trip (11 year olds) to Newham's outdoor centre at Heybridge Basin we visited Mangapps and did a fair bit of sketching, it was an art based trip. Very good I imagine it has improved since as that visit must have been some 30 years ago at least.

 

[Richard Gawler]

Final call - I think I am looking for the 1864 GER coach bodies, the GER vans and the signalling equipment

 

[simond]

Don’t forget to enjoy the HD 3Rail layout in a coach. That took me back to being five…

 

[Mike Trice]

There is (or was) this coach at Battlesbridge Antiques Centre:

 

[Herb Garden]

There is (or was) this coach at Battlesbridge Antiques Centre:
View attachment 193403

Lovely. A Johnson GER type 2a coach body from the early 1870s

Either
a diag 401 5 compart 3rd
A diag 300 5 compart 2nd

They were basically the same body but the 2nd had full height partitions between compartments... Looks like the interior had been removed on that one so hard to tell

 

[Richard Gawler]

Train rides.


Picnic area.


GER coach bodies and van.


Signalling equipment.

The museum claims "the railway signalling collection is the largest of its kind on public display in Britain" and I can hardly doubt this.

All in all, a grand day out. I took rather a lot of photos so I will post these in groups with threadmarks to suit.

 

[Richard Gawler]

There are two ex-GER coach bodies in the museum.

• Number 347, painted in green and cream, was built in 1864 and later became part of a house in Westleton, Suffolk
• Number 381, currently painted black on one side and unpainted on the other, was also built in 1864 and later fitted with iron road wheels and used as a living van by a threshing contractor at Ugley, Essex.

The two bodies are resting on three 4-wheel rail trucks built to carry naval guns.

 

[Richard Gawler]

Hi Richard
If you take some photos of the signalling equipment I would love to see them.
David.

There must be hundreds of block instruments on display. Many are behind glass screens so I chose the ones where the reflections were not too bad.

















And sitting inside a van:




There are far too many to comprehend really, this is just a tiny selection.

 

[Richard Gawler]

For the signals I concentrated on a few GER examples to keep the quantity under control, hope these are useful . . .




A 'calling on' signal.

 

[Richard Gawler]

A fireman's call box.