As there has been some definite progress on my new layout this weekend I thought it was time to start a blog rather than it being an after thought on my Trevone Junction thread. Its my first attempt at modelling the BR blue era so I'm learning loads of new stuff through this. There is now some track laid (I already had the baseboards made) so it seems time to update things, although a small baby means progres will be slow!

The basic trackplan is below

St Petroc is small, very run down, quiet halt adjacent to the Wheal Oliver Clay Works. Its also the junction for a very remote branch line serving another remote clay dry (al la Wenford). Surprisingly for a small line there is still quite a variety of traffic. Its mostly inspired by the Newquay branch but I've stolen some of the best bits from the Barnstaple branch across the Tamar in Devon. The mainstay of freight is obviously china clay. Wheal Oliver is a small old fashioned works that probably won't survive long into the 90s. There are block workings of clay hoods (and later CDAs) from here to Fowey and short trip workings of wagons to St Blazey for the Speedlink. The branch sees very infrequent trains but to add to operating interest the large 37s are banned, and all trains need to be propelled with a brakevan as theres no runround at the end There's even daily general goods working, of mostly cement, household coal and fertilizer vans along the branch. Passengers are usually catered for with a 108 DMU but there is still a daily loco hauled train of Mk1 coaches, usually by a cl31 and a chronic shortage of DMUs means some odd loco hauled workings from time to time. This all may seem a tad unlikely but all trains are based on real West Country examples (just not perhaps all at the same time).

I've got the basic loop of track down and have already been making some of the buildings for the clay works which are shown below. When I get the lighting in the loft I'll try to add some photos of what I've done, meanwhile here are a couple of the clayworks. I'm going to build this as a stand alone module to be added later - maybe there's some way of making this a little micro layout in its own right

I've also got into wagon kit building so I'll try to post some pictures of them and the complete trains when I can