The current 'continuous running' topic in the main forum reminded me how long it is since I updated this, so:

It is still very much a goer of a project, and it is likely that I will be starting (with help from Re6/6) on extruded polystyrene-type baseboards in the near future - although on past experience I'm not going to state any timescales!

It has also grown a bit and is now about 20ft by 9ft. The reason for this is to give a longer scenic runpast section and storage, especially with 9 or 10 coach trains, and to enable prototypical curves to be maintained in the scenic section, only decreasing to a ruling 33 inches well off scene. Obviously this prevents all of it being put up at home, but that was always going to be a squeeze and a rare opportunity, so it will go up from time to time at DRAG and maybe at shows.

Here is the latest Templot of the frontage

The back (storage sidings) isn't finished in Templot, but with use of Peco pointwork I'll probably just build it in situ, likely to be 4 or 5 roads in each direction.

I haven't sketched out the latest scenic plan yet, but it is likely to be just a stretched version of the earlier one

The main difference is not having the s-curve, which is a bit contrived, but also to slew one of the lines at the river crossing. This is to take advantage of a nice single track bespoke bridge I have acquired, and so the premise will be that the line was originally built single track but doubled later with a separate (and different) river bridge.

As previously described in this blog, trains will mainly be a mixture of Southern Withered Arm steam and Western diesel hydraulics. There are no plans for any WR steam locomotives . The idea is for the layout to represent somewhere on the north side of Dartmoor in the 50s/early 60s at a time when the WR route from Exeter to Plymouth is closed for engineering and (diesel) trains are being diverted over the SR route.

Most of the stock for running on it I already have, and the train register will give me quite a bit of variety:

Ilfracombe portion of Devon Belle (WC with nine Pullmans)

Van train (hauled by WC, N, Hymek, lots of choices!)

Western on relief Cornishman or other named train (9-10 choc/cream Mk1s with the odd maroon replacement). Could also use D600 Warship on this when/if Kernow/Dapol commission is realised.

Local WR train (Ivatt tank, Hymek, Cl 22)

T9 or M7 on local SR train (Maunsell P set or augmented formation)

N on milks/goods/ballast trains

Short clay train (Cl 22 possibly)

Bubble car and Class 108 DMUs