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Clavell Point


Calidore
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I’ve been thinking through several small ideas over the past few months, whilst practising scratch building various bits and pieces, but am now in a position to post an actual project for the first time. Any interest and advice is appreciated!

 

Clavell Point is a small shunting layout and, despite seeming to be another addition to the lineup of dock yard designs (blame the USA and B4), hopefully evidences some originality on account of the specifics and setting. The layout will depict a small Dorset boatyard in the c.1956-62 period, so maintenance buildings and facilities for small vessels will define the look of the area. I like the industrial look of the gantries and equipment as well as the boating equivalent of steam shed ‘junk’ found in such places, so hope to translate this to the model. To mix things up a bit more, this industrial scene and the dockside water’s edge will occupy the rear 2/3 of the board on the landward side, but with the scene being set on a promontory reaching into the sea to form the edge of a bay, the front 1/3 will be a natural rocky drop to the water on the seaward side. Hopefully this will create an interesting contrast and specific placement for the scene, as well as allowing me to model a favourite image of the railway next to the sea. For the general atmosphere and various parts of my inspiration, I have drawn on many waterside scenes such as those at Poole and Southampton during the steam era, the smaller scale environments of Padstow and Bude with Beatties and 1366 tanks ambling about, and Hayle Wharves in the 70s; on the modelling side, I am indebted to the likes of Shell Island, Arun Quay and Harlyn Pier by my betters in the community.

 

The attentive may note that Clavell Point is named after Clavell Tower on the coast at Kimmeridge Bay, so my imagined promontory is positioned at that point on the edge of the Isle of Purbeck curving out into the water. The line history places it at the end of a second branch through the area, diverging from the Swanage branch almost immediately following its respective split from the main line at Worgret. The line would have run slightly to the west though Holme, Bucknowle, and Steeple before arriving at Kimmeridge. The Clavell Point sidings would be found at the end of a short goods-only spur beyond Kimmeridge station, built to serve the small industries growing up there as the line was constructed.

 

Traffic and motive power will be the usual per my LSWR and SR tastes, with the advantage that some of the slightly unusual workings in the area in reality anyway give some legitimate flexibility. Given the photos of rebuilt WC/BoB pacifics being used on the short clay trains from Furzebrook in the early 60s, almost anything seems reasonable -- I will try to limit my indulgences to relegating life-expired M7s and T9s to goods duties though!

 

The photos below show most of what will be the board in current state, with track plan trial placed. I started placing paper building mockups yesterday, but by the evening have started on scratch building one of the main structures, which is the boat workshop on the water.

 

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Track plan (the curved point is only there to play out the curvature without fixing track down, it'll be plain track forming the single long back siding disappearing off scene). Ignore the turntable well from a previous project!

 

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No M7s were harmed in the making of...

 

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The start of the boathouse.

 

More soon, I hope!

 

 
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