Dulverton Station '62 - Let there be grass...

[Douglas G]

As at long last I am starting to build the actual layout, I thought it time to start a thread to chart my progress in building my planned N gauge model of Dulverton. I posted some images of buildings on the old RMWeb and have copied some of those here to get things going. The main spur to starting the layout is the arrival (at long last) of the Peco Code 55 three-way point, which is almost an exact match for the one at Dulverton. I have toyed with going 2mm finescale, and the plan and buildings are in fact to 2mm scale just in case, but have decided I can live with Peco Code 55 with modifications to the points to improve their appearance. I have been researching Dulverton for over 15 years and have hundreds of photos and lots of other material, including a GWR plan of the station showing the water supply from the late 1930s. I also did a photographic survey of the station site around 10 years ago, before the neighbouring Carnarvon Arms Hotel closed and the station site was split up for a new house and the sale and conversion of the station building and the goods shed to private houses. Dulverton was an intermediate on the ex-GWR Taunton to Barnstaple line, and also the terminus of the Exe valley Line from Exeter. My model will show Dulverton looking from the south, with Taunton to the right and Barnstaple to the left. It is dated circa 1962, when steam in the form of Churchward Moguls and 14xx tanks ruled on the two lines. BR Standard 3MT tanks, Southern Maunsell N Class moguls, panniers and the odd 45xx prairie tanks were also seen, and unrebuilt Bulleid light pacifics were apparently permited in emergencies .I also plan to be able to shift time forward to circa 1964, when bubble cars (Class 121 and 122), DMUs (Class 120, 117 and 119), Class 22s and (allegedly) the odd Hymek appeared on the Barnstaple line, with the Exe Valley line having shut in 1963. An interesting feature of the Taunton-Barnstaple line that I plan to model was the through trains on Summer Saturdays to Ifracombe via Barnstaple Junction from Manchester, Cardiff, Wolverhampton and Paddington. These trains could be 6 or 7 coaches long and brought in LMS, BR Mark 1 and even Eastern Region stock to supplement the usual B sets and GWR corridor coaches (and occasional Southern Region set provided from Barnstaple Junction). However, weight restrictions on the T-B line meant these trains were pulled by the usual GWR Moguls, with the locos being changed at Taunton. I have the two main baseboards for the station site on order from Model Railway Solutions, and am currently making the platforms and loading docks ready to put them in place and start building up the landscape around. Below are some shots of some of the buildings I have been building over the last few years: Front of the main station building Rear of the main station building Goods shed Pumphouse and lamp huts Carnarvon Arms Hotel (still needing more work) Island station building (windows still to be added) Road bridge Silcocks agricultural store I have broken the light I made to photograph my models, but hope to sort this out soon so I can photograph the layout itself as it progresses. Just waiting now for the boards to arrive... Douglas

Edited March 5, 2017 by Douglas G

[packetlos]

The buildings you have modeled there look seriously impressive for 00 never mind N, do you have a track plan you could post?

 

Andrew

Edited October 29, 2011 by packetlos

[TomE]

Some really lovely work there Douglas, particularly the station building! I'd be very interested to here more about the methods used to create them.

 

Tom.

[Douglas G]

The buildings you have modeled there look seriously impressive for 00 never mind N, do you have a track plan you could post?

 

Andrew

 

Hi Andrew,

 

Thanks.

 

At present the only plan I have is the 2mm scale plan that I had blown up on a photocopier from the 1930s GWR water supply plan, with certain modifications drawn in such as the extensions to the loops done just before the WWII. I will need to get something smaller drawn to plan the wiring sections when I reach that stage.

 

The station was on a long arc, and the model will extend beyond the ends of the loops at either end of the station, with the tracks curving foward to the front at each end. My intention is to have no modification or shortening of the station, so it is exactly as the prototype. This means the two boards are 10' 6" in total.

 

Douglas

Edited October 29, 2011 by Douglas G

[Gloucester Road]

That is some seriously good modeling. Can't wait to see this progress. I too would be interested in your building technique.

[Douglas G]

Hi Tom,

 

The buildings are all from plastic sheet. I used Ratio 2mm stone, slate and tile roofing for most of the buildings and the bridge also used Ratio stone. The sheets are quite small, so I welded them together with solvent after filing to get a good join. The corrugated roofs and sides of the Silcocks store are Evergreen sheet. Where necessary, e.g. on the roofs, the sheets were filed and sanded to be much thinner. I then painted up to 12 different colours of stone for each building using a wide range of greys and browns in Humbrol enamels. The windows are etched, some from suppliers such as Ratio, Modelex and Scalelink, but most were specially made for me to fit the buildings.

 

Douglas

[60163]

Good God, what fantastic structural modeling! A standard to aspire to in scales of all sizes, let alone 2mm! Certainly your years of research have already repaid themselves and I await further progress eagerly. Envious!

[devondynosoar118]

Good prototype choice, and enviably good buildings. That bloody 3 way point took ages to be done didn't it? I had to change the one at Kingsbridge due to it's long development, now it's out I wish I'd been more patient.

Will definitely follow this thread with interest!

[Tricky-CRS]

Stunning buildings keep up the good work.

[Douglas G]

In reply to Andrew's post, I have had a go at a quick hand-drawn track plan added to a plan I did in Word that shows the drops in the land to help in the planning of the baseboards:

 

 

As the land dropped at the back of the station and at the Taunton end dropped to leave the track on an embankment (the right-hand end of my model), I needed to think very carefully about how the boards should be designed. I decided the best solution was to have the right-hand board dropped below the left-hand board, and then build up the track bed as required. This is shown in the attached drawings in Word:

 

Baseboard Dulverton.doc

 

Model Railway Solutions were really helpful in meeting my requirements for the boards.

 

In the front of the layout the land rose up above the cattle dock towards the road. I plan to do this with Knauf pink insulation foam to keep the weight down. However, the platforms, cattle dock, horse-box siding and land from the station to the hotel are raised on a single layer of Sundeala board, with plastic sheet platform facings and surfaces from black Slaters plasticard.

 

I wanted to be able to include the station loops on a single board to avoid joins, but it would be too long to carry. So I decided to make a split into two boards along the line of the point rodding coming out of the signal box, which includes the tunnels under the main and island platforms and also follows the left-hand edge of the access road down to the goods yard. By following existing lines such as the point rodding, joins in the platform surface and road edge, I hope to disguise the join as much as possible.

 

Douglas

[lmsforever]

An excellent choice of prototype have a book on this line your buildings are so like the real thing look forward to seeing it develoop.

[Kris]

I'm going to echo what every one else has said about the buildings, they look fantastic. I think that we could all learn a lot if you could put up photos and descriptions of how you build any further ones.

[Dave777]

...but have decided I can live with Peco Code 55 with modifications to the points to improve their appearance.

 

Oooh now, that sounds interesting. If you're thinking of widening the sleepers you may end up with just a pile of component parts! What have you got in mind?

[Douglas G]

 

Oooh now, that sounds interesting. If you're thinking of widening the sleepers you may end up with just a pile of component parts! What have you got in mind?

 

Hi Dave,

 

Nothing that ambitious! I think the way the bottom of the rail is embedded within the sleeper base of the Peco Code 55 track, it is going to be impossible to adjust the sleeper spacing. Or has anyone managed to do this on the points?

 

What I am intending is to remove the webbing between the sleepers (designed for direct fitting of the Peco point motor). Also, in versions of the points I have bought recently, the bottom plate that retains the point spring does not pass right across from one side of the tie bar to the other, so there is some webbing that can be removed in the middle next to the tie-bar. I may also try to narrow the tie bars and will certainly remove the "knobs" at the end designed for manual operation..

 

One other mod I intend to try is to cut into the rail base to allow the straight points to be curved slightly - the late Andy Calvert showed this was possible with the finescale points.

 

Douglas

[packetlos]

Douglas,

 

This is my first (poor) attempt to smarten up a medium code 55 point, I have removed the spring as I will be using conrad motor driven point motors.

 

Andrew

Edited October 30, 2011 by packetlos

[westerner]

I remember your original thread and occasionally wondered how the layout was getting on. I'm pleased to see you are starting. Please keep the photos coming.

[Douglas G]

Douglas,

 

This is my first (poor) attempt to smarten up a medium code 55 point, I have removed the spring as I will be using conrad motor driven point motors.

 

Andrew

 

Hi Andrew,

 

That does look a lot better - I don't know why you say it is poor! Once ballasted, it should look great and is what I am aiming for, although at present I am planning to keep the return spring so I can use Seep motors. Othere options for slow motion point action would be expensive with 14 required for the station at Dulverton. I suppose you could add in an extra sleeper next to the tie bar.

 

Westerner, thanks for your message. I have to admit I have been an armchair modeller the last two or three years - somehow my modelling mojo just wasn't there. I think I had got a bit tired of doing buildings without a layout to put them on.

 

Now the boards are on the way, it is proving more fun doing the platforms and starting to develop my ideas on how to create the landscape, so hopefully with that structure in place, I can go back to the buildings refreshed.

 

I have decided to get some proper photographic lights recommended to me by Andy on another thread, so hopefully I can get some more pics posted soon and show how the buildings are constructed.

 

Douglas

[queensquare]

As others have said, these are superb buildings. Personaly I feel it would be a shame to use Peco track as the poor appearance would detract from the very high quality of your modelling. Obviously, as a 2FS modeller myself I would always encourage others to have a go although superb results can still be had using easitrac and building the pointwork to N gauge standards - see the Ropley layout thread http://www.rmweb.co....general-update/

The improvement in appearence of using easitrac over Peco is huge and running can be improved as well by tightening up the unneccesarily sloppy clearances of the Peco points. I have no doubt, looking at the pictures of your work, that you are more than capable of making good looking and reliable track work that would enhance those beautiful structures.

 

regards Jerry

 

http://www.rmweb.co....hbury-colliery/

http://www.jerrycliffordmodels.co.uk/

Edited October 31, 2011 by queensquare

[packetlos]

 

I am planning to keep the return spring so I can use Seep motors. Othere options for slow motion point action would be expensive with 14 required for the station at Dulverton. I suppose you could add in an extra sleeper next to the tie bar.

 

Douglas,

 

It might be worth investigating these from the German equivalent of Maplin, I bought five to try out before placing a larger order and although I have been testing just on the workbench they seem okay. It is better to run them on DC rather than AC as you can reduce the voltage to get them to operate at a slower pace as the motor they use is DC anyway.

 

Andrew

[Douglas G]

 

Douglas,

 

It might be worth investigating these from the German equivalent of Maplin, I bought five to try out before placing a larger order and although I have been testing just on the workbench they seem okay. It is better to run them on DC rather than AC as you can reduce the voltage to get them to operate at a slower pace as the motor they use is DC anyway.

 

Andrew

 

Hi Andrew,

 

I had a look at the Conrad UK site after you mentioned that you were using the Conrad point motors this morning. They look very attractive given they cost about the same as Peco or Seep solenoids, whereas other slow action motors are 2 to three times the price. I was a bit puzzled that a single one cost less per unit than the "saver" pack of three. I also wondered from the description if the saver ones lacked the built in switch for frog polarity, in which case they seem even less VFM.

 

I think the big thing about using these with Peco Code 55 points with the spring removed is that you are committed once the spring and associated webbing between the sleepers is removed, and you can't go back, except to swap to a Tortoise or Cobalt motor at great expense.

 

I would be interested to hear your experiences once the Conrad motors are in place in your layout and have been in use for a while. The seem to be some questions in RMWeb and the reviews on the Conrad website about their robustness.

 

Douglas

[Douglas G]

Personaly I feel it would be a shame to use Peco track as the poor appearance would detract from the very high quality of your modelling. Obviously, as a 2FS modeller myself I would always encourage others to have a go although superb results can still be had using easitrac and building the pointwork to N gauge standards - see the Ropley layout thread http://www.rmweb.co....general-update/

The improvement in appearence of using easitrac over Peco is huge and running can be improved as well by tightening up the unneccesarily sloppy clearances of the Peco points.

 

Hi Jerry,

 

Thanks for your kind words. I find your model of Highbury Colliery very inspiring and hope to catch it an exhibition some time. The fact that it is another prototypical layout set in Somerset adds to its appeal.

 

Regarding the track, it all comes down to time really, plus the fact that I don't like soldering :-) I know Easitrac reduces the need for soldering, but some is going to be needed for the points, even using sleeper bases and gluing on the chairs, if I understand correctly. I really do like the look of the bullhead track, but on a layout you will generally be looking from a distance and from the side, so the advantage over Peco Code 55 Finescale is less obvious, apart from the sleeper spacing. At exhibitions I have to get really close before I can immediately tell the difference between 2mm finescale track and carefully ballasted Peco Code 55 - it is actually more apparent to me from above, due to the thickness of the rail top in the Peco product. I am not keen on the idea of using Easitrac flexi track with Peco points, as I think that will just show up the deficiencies in the Peco points, and the difference in sleeper spacing and lack of gap under the track in the Peco points will be made even more obvious, in my view.

 

As regards going 2mm finescale, I might have considered this on a purely diesel layout where drop in wheels can be used or rims reduced, but there is no easy conversion option for the Dapol and Farish steam engines I am using (unlike the old Ballantyne wheels for Poole Farish locos).

 

It is interesting to read the discussion going on today on RMWeb on the accuracy of Peco Code 55 finescale, which mirrors similar discussion on the Yahoo N Gauge Group. If there was an N gauge version of Easitrac flexi track and matching RTR or kit N gauge points, all with a more appropriate sleeper spacing for 1:148 British practice, I would buy it like a shot.

 

In the meantime, I have now bought all the points for the station at Dulverton and find the medium and large radius Peco Finescale points, and also the 3-way turnout, are very accurate representations of the geometry of the points that were there at Dulverton. The only exception is the points at the ends of the main passenger loops, which were very large radius to allow high-speed running—for these I will have to compromise with Peco large radius points.

 

Douglas

Edited October 31, 2011 by Douglas G

[Douglas G]

An update on progress with Dulverton.

 

In the light of the news that Dapol have bought the Ixion N Gauge Manor, it now looks unlikely to me that Ixion will do the previously announced GWR Mogul. As these were the main locomotives on the Taunton-Barnstaple line, I can only hope that Dapol will decide to produce them instead, as they could use many of the components from the Manor. I do hope we will yet see both the Churchward and Collett side-window cab versions at some stage. In the meantime I purchased a Manor from Dapol at the Warley show as a stand-in for the moguls. Manors never did appear on the Taunton-Barnstaple line as far as I know, but I suppose it is possible they might have been tried as a light-weight but more powerful substitute for the moguls if more of them had been built. There were weight restrictions on the viaducts on the line which meant that heavier locos such as Halls were not permitted, and even the Moguls were apparently a concession over the yellow route designation.

 

I am still waiting for my baseboards to arrive, so in the meantime I am focusing on building the platforms and the yard behind the main station building. I am finding that modelling a real location, it is very difficult getting the relative heights correct so that the landform is correct. The key seems to be identifying certain datum points of determined height and working upwards or downwards from these. The obvious datum points/levels are the tops of the platforms, the tops of the sleepers of the track and the road level on the railway overbridge. I am slowly working out from these how the land should slope, in particular down from the road above the station and in the station yard behind the main station building, where the land sloped down from platform level down to the track of the Silcocks warehouse siding, as in this picture:

 

http://www.sciencean...?image=10548769

 

For the road, Google street view has been invaluable, and also old Ordnance Survey maps that show spot heights on the road at various points which tell me where it sloped and where it was level.

 

I have built the platforms and main station area on Sundeala board topped with Slaters black plasticard, with details such as platform edges scribed in. Embossed brick or stone is used for the facings. The advantage of Sundeala is that it is light and can be carved relatively easily. In particular if the platform facing is not quite right once glued in place, the Sundeala can be carved away or plastic fillets inserted to get the correct line.

 

My current job is carving the Sundeala down to the correct profile for the slope in the station yard - quite fiddly, but I'm getting there.

 

Douglas

Edited November 24, 2011 by Douglas G

[cromptonnut]

Just came across this thread, we had a very nice week's holiday recently down there just a few miles away on a cottage at West Hollowcombe Farm, and only discovered the fact there used to be a railway there on leaving as I passed a building that looked very much like a station and googled it when I came home.

 

This was the picture I found: http://www.exmoorian.co.uk/dulverton-railway-station.htm

 

Some lovely scenery down there - and you've got some fantastic buildings there so far to start on it. Will follow this with interest.

[Douglas G]

Just came across this thread, we had a very nice week's holiday recently down there just a few miles away on a cottage at West Hollowcombe Farm, and only discovered the fact there used to be a railway there on leaving as I passed a building that looked very much like a station and googled it when I came home.

 

This was the picture I found: http://www.exmoorian...way-station.htm

 

Some lovely scenery down there - and you've got some fantastic buildings there so far to start on it. Will follow this with interest.

 

Hi Cromptonnut,

 

It is indeed a lovely part of the world - I wish I lived there (apart from the high rainfall!).

 

The station building and goods shed were sold off for conversion to houses several years ago. The access road in the photo you linked to runs down the old cattle dock siding - fortunately I visited before this was put in and was able to survey the base of the cattle dock while it was still there.

 

Previously the station building was used as accommodation for staff from the Carnarvon Arms Hotel, while the goods shed was used as storage. The Hotel did have plans to convert it to squash courts, but this never happened. One time when I visited over ten years ago there was a hairdressers in the red-brick office at the end of the goods shed - it is amazing how railway buildings get used for so many things after closure.

 

It is worth mentioning that a group of people from the Dulverton Civic Society have been building a 4mm model of Dulverton in an outbuilding behind the Dulverton Heritage Centre. This is a link to a feature on painting the backdrop for this model:

 

http://www.ruralwork.../railway2sm.pdf

 

Douglas

Edited November 25, 2011 by Douglas G

[Gingerbread]

In the light of the news that Dapol have bought the Ixion N Gauge Manor, it now looks unlikely to me that Ixion will do the previously announced GWR Mogul. As these were the main locomotives on the Taunton-Barnstaple line, I can only hope that Dapol will decide to produce them instead, as they could use many of the components from the Manor. I do hope we will yet see both the Churchward and Collett side-window cab versions at some stage. In the meantime I purchased a Manor from Dapol at the Warley show as a stand-in for the moguls. Manors never did appear on the Taunton-Barnstaple line as far as I know, but I suppose it is possible they might have been tried as a light-weight but more powerful substitute for the moguls if more of them had been built. There were weight restrictions on the viaducts on the line which meant that heavier locos such as Halls were not permitted, and even the Moguls were apparently a concession over the yellow route designation.

I believe that the original plan was for the Moguls to be replaced by an expanded fleet of Manors and Granges as they were withdrawn, some 300 in total, so that justification looks plausible. Unfortunately nationalisation changed all this.

 

Whilst it doesn't solve the point-building problem, a 2mm conversion kit for the Manor should be available shortly, and if the Mogul does eventually appear a similar 2mm conversion kit is planned.

 

David