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meeth

A blog by bcnPete in RMweb Blogs

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hat thrown into the ring...

bcnPete

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I think I can thank...or blame ;) Ian (Scanman) for this as his recent blog entry got me thinking.

 

Am currently building Thurso and entering it into the MRJ Cameo layout competition so when the 2mm Association recently announced their 60 years Jubilee layout competition I had decided not to enter. Then Ian's blog made me realise that the MRJ competition would be submitted April 2019 which would give circa a year to make something for the 2mmFS competition.

 

The rules are fairly simple which states a scenic layout of 600 x 240mm (excludes FY's etc.) and includes one turnout. I have always liked the following picture of Meeth in North Devon and have considered this as a project before in both 2mmFS and 7mm.

 

http://www.derbysulzers.com/25080meeth80.jpg

 

So Ian's post got me pondering, sketching and researching and during a two day work trip this week to Germany and Austria to inspect some cladding, a plan was hatched ;)

 

The first thing was to actually mark out the measurements physically and to be honest it's pretty tight however I decided to use today to make a full size mock up. This is my chosen method of working, informed through my day job as an Architect and a good way to understand constraints and flush out any problems prior to build.

 

The track plan was laid out on a 1mm piece of card and it became clear the single turnout would need to be at one end in order to accommodate the siding. Next I built the enclosure in 5mm foamboard, using black for the fascia and white for the hidden elements. This is all bonded together with double sided tape and PVA glue. The more observant of you will see from the pics that I have made the 1mm base slightly inboard so it is removable. This could be to allow tweaking or even a different idea should this one falter!

 

Using the minimum information I have at present I built the shed from guesstimating from photographs although I will try to see if I can obtain some books on the line which show some old maps. 5mm foamboard represents contours and as a reappearance from an earlier CJM blog post I have used polystyrene balls/eggs to represent trees (cue jokes about The Prisoner again ;)) I looked briefly at rotating the layout 180 degrees however I prefer this way with the view into the shed and it's acting as a partial view blocker.

 

The Fiddleyard(s) will be either plug on cassettes or I looked at an option to make concealed Fiddleyards - that one needs more thought. In terms of running I understand it was class 25's or 31's on china clay until about 1982 when the line closed - this fits in with my beloved BR blue era :good:

 

Whilst the layout will be fairly limited in operation I see this project as an exercise in restraint and trying to improve my rural scenic abilities. Attention will be paid to the track, lineside fencing, landscape etc. whilst lighting will be concealed in the top of the fascia - I have used the same dimensions for this as my KoL and Thurso layouts for consistency.

 

What follows is some photos of my quick n dirty mock up produced today with a little bit of old N gauge stock included for scale and scene setting. I will need to purchase both the new Farish 25 and 31 with my old Peco 5 plank clay hoodies replaced by a set of Parkside kits and 2mmFS chassis's from my Gloat box, initially bought for my Coombe Junction Moorswater layout (sorry Jeremy!) Am still trying to work out if passenger stock was used on this line but if not I can always try and recreate the photo of the 25 in the link on the rail tour.

 

blogentry-3290-0-53365900-1505065362_thumb.jpg
the stage set awaiting the main act...

 

blogentry-3290-0-60297700-1505065419_thumb.jpg
the proposal...

 

blogentry-3290-0-51773700-1505065460_thumb.jpg
face on view...

 

blogentry-3290-0-32499100-1505065903_thumb.jpg
google earth type shot...

 

blogentry-3290-0-76247700-1505065935_thumb.jpg
with some old stock to set the scene...

 

blogentry-3290-0-31098100-1505065978_thumb.jpg
full frontal with stock...

 

blogentry-3290-0-11887700-1505066073_thumb.jpg
cassette type option...

 

blogentry-3290-0-13676700-1505066128_thumb.jpg
concealed fiddleyards option...

 

That's about it. It will be a slow burn this one as I want to concentrate on Thurso and not get distracted however some stock may be purchased and research will be continued.

 

As always, comments welcome and thanks again Ian :yes: :no:

 

Pete

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Will J

Love this one.. I'm thinking about doing a similarly proportioned thing with a laptop screen background.. not for any particular purpose! Looking forward to seeing more!

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Donw
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I love the way you do the Mock ups simple yet effective should make a good entry.

 

Don

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LBRJ

I think if you just entered the "mock up"  as it is, you should get a Highly Commended at the least....It is a work of art in itself :)

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46444
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Brilliant modelling as ever Pete. ;)

 

Project is a nice idea and what's not to like about a Class 25 and Class 31? :D

 

Lovely area as well in North Devon so like you say a good opportunity to work on the scenic side of things. I can see a few of those scenic books by Gordon Gravett coming your way.... ;)

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Kylestrome
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"....... I decided to use today to make a full size mock up. This is my chosen method of working, informed through my day job as an Architect ......"

 

You always make a full size mock-up of the buildings you design?!    :O

 

David  :D

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2mmMark
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Liking this a lot!

 

I'd encourage you to make the main line a shallow curve. For some reason, it fools the eye into seeing it as a longer distance. An Clár is nearly (600mm by 200mm) to the dimensions of the DJLC and has the track as an "S" curve running through the scene. When photographed from a low angle, it fools the eye very well.

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nick_bastable
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Excellent planning as always and should be fairly achievable

 

Nick

 

who still can not  make up his mind on the DJLC

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cornish trains jez

Looks good mate! To be honest, all of your layouts have been excellent so really looking foward to this one.

Have you still got Paddock Wood?

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

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Argos
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Looks good Pete, I like the way the mock is better constructed than some layouts!

 

I've been pondering a DJLC entry but haven't managed to come up with anything worthwhile, I wonder if I can justify a trip to Germany in the aid of inspiration!

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bcnPete
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Many thanks all for your kind comments...

 

Love this one.. I'm thinking about doing a similarly proportioned thing with a laptop screen background.. not for any particular purpose! Looking forward to seeing more!
Thanks Will - Laptop screen sounds intruiging...

 

I love the way you do the Mock ups simple yet effective should make a good entry.
Thanks Don...

 

I think if you just entered the "mock up"  as it is, you should get a Highly Commended at the least....It is a work of art in itself :)
Thanks also LBRJ...

 

Brilliant modelling as ever Pete. ;) Project is a nice idea and what's not to like about a Class 25 and Class 31? :D Lovely area as well in North Devon so like you say a good opportunity to work on the scenic side of things. I can see a few of those scenic books by Gordon Gravett coming your way.... ;)
Thanks Mark - I had better add the GG books to my list for Santa :P

 

"....... I decided to use today to make a full size mock up. This is my chosen method of working, informed through my day job as an Architect ......" You always make a full size mock-up of the buildings you design?!    :O David  :D
Errr...yes...:jester:

 

Liking this a lot! I'd encourage you to make the main line a shallow curve. For some reason, it fools the eye into seeing it as a longer distance. An Clár is nearly (600mm by 200mm) to the dimensions of the DJLC and has the track as an "S" curve running through the scene. When photographed from a low angle, it fools the eye very well.
Thanks Mark - have checked the pictures and the curve didn't start until after the toe of the point...and I am not keen on going off piste from the prototype...

 

Excellent planning as always and should be fairly achievable Nick who still can not  make up his mind on the DJLC
Thanks Nic - Go on...am sure you can manage some blue for it... ;)

 

Looks good mate! To be honest, all of your layouts have been excellent so really looking foward to this one.Have you still got Paddock Wood?Best regards,Jeremy
Thank Jeremy - yes PW is in its box file - I have toyed with resurrecting it but as Jerry says it needs a back scene and I can't see a good way of making that work...

 

Looks good Pete, I like the way the mock is better constructed than some layouts! I've been pondering a DJLC entry but haven't managed to come up with anything worthwhile, I wonder if I can justify a trip to Germany in the aid of inspiration!
Thanks Argos - mark out the space and put some stock on it...am sure you can find something to make a narrative...
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D869

Passenger service... an Ivatt 2MT and a single Bulleid brake springs to mind. I gather that the staff often outnumbered the passengers. Not exactly BR blue though. I wonder if there were any DMU specials down there in freight only days. A loco hauled special might be a tad long.

 

And... ball clay rather than china clay - same wagon design but reserved for ball clay traffic and a stripe on the hood to show the difference.

 

There's a catch point shown in the photo... so that'll be 2 points then :)

 

Regards, Andy

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bcnPete
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Passenger service... an Ivatt 2MT and a single Bulleid brake springs to mind. I gather that the staff often outnumbered the passengers. Not exactly BR blue though. I wonder if there were any DMU specials down there in freight only days. A loco hauled special might be a tad long.

 

And... ball clay rather than china clay - same wagon design but reserved for ball clay traffic and a stripe on the hood to show the difference.

 

There's a catch point shown in the photo... so that'll be 2 points then :)

 

Regards, Andy

 

Thanks for the info Andy - yep catch point will be included ;)

 

Clay wagons should be possible - have seen a couple of railtour pics featuring a DMU and also a 33/1 + 4TC :O

 

In order to keep the scenic to non scenic ratio sensible I will probably make the FY's 300mm long - I have an idea to make them hinged so they fold around to protect the front of the layout...I feel a sketch coming on...:yes:

 

 

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Mikkel
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That looks excellent Pete. You're becoming a serial competition builder! Probably a good way of keeping the modelling going I imagine.

 

By the way, I have alway admired architect's trees. They looks so neat and well manicured. Any chance you could drop by and make the unruly apple tree in our garden look the same?  :jester:

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bcnPete
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That looks excellent Pete. You're becoming a serial competition builder! Probably a good way of keeping the modelling going I imagine.

 

By the way, I have alway admired architect's trees. They looks so neat and well manicured. Any chance you could drop by and make the unruly apple tree in our garden look the same?  :jester:

 

Thanks Mikkel - If you reward me with your apple crop, then sure thing :laugh:

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