Bodmin General(ish)

Assume this is a new layout as there is already a 4mm layout on the circuit called Bodmin General (ish) 

 

Looks to be an interesting project...

Bodmin Generally is OO using Peco track, built by a late friend Brian Stenning (father of our late friend Graham) and now in the hands on Phatbob on this forum. It is still out and about at shows

Edited October 13, 2019 by roundhouse

5 hours ago, roundhouse said:

Bodmin Generally is OO using Peco track, built by a late friend Brian Stenning (father of our late friend Graham) and now in the hands on Phatbob on this forum. It is still out and about at shows

Thanks for the update - I got the ish bit wrong...but remember seeing that it was a nice layout

9 hours ago, bcnPete said:

Assume this is a new layout as there is already a 4mm layout on the circuit called Bodmin General (ish) 

 

Looks to be an interesting project...

 

Pete

 

Bodmin General is one of my favorite stations and I have visited it quite a few times, often on the way further south its a great place to stop for lunch or coffee and cake as well as arranging a days visit. The layout may have a different name once building starts, I may look at a map of Cornwall and pick a name

 

The station area itself both fits a space on one side of my work room, plus being a heritage railway fits my eclectic stock of models, plus allows me to indulge in track making. However its not going to be a an exact model of Bodmin General.

 

The track plan will be similar, but may differ in certain aspects. The engine shed on the western side will be there, not decided what I will do with the goods yard

 

Same with the buildings, the station building will be a kit bashed Ratio station building, Wills and or Ratio parts will be used for the engine shed. What ever else I build will depend on the design I settle on with the goods yard.

 

Initially as I said it was going to be built to 00SF gauge, however as most of my stock is kit built and I had settled on flexitrack to 00 4mm scale with 1.5 mm thick sleepers only Exactoscale Fastrack bases fitted the bill. It slowly dawned on me it would look so much better if modelled to EM gauge standards. The main cost would be Markit EM gauge loco axles. Plus I have about a dozen etched brass chassis to upgrade older whitemetal kit built locos

 

Some years ago I converted a K's 57xx by adding 40 though plastic sides to the K's chassis and switching the Romford 00 axles to EM gauge ones. I am currently doing the same with a K's 14xx and a K's Adams Radial tank, this time using High Level slimline gear boxes. I am also building both a Southeastern Finecast and a Branchlines P class chassis The SEF chassis will have a standard SEF body, the Branchlines chassis will have a Wills body with a Branchlines etched brass body upgrade kit (I bought a Wills P class loco with both the chassis & upgrade kits included) both have Highlever Road Runner gearboxes and Mashima motors.

 

We moved house 3.5 years ago but there was no room for a model railway, we always intended building an extension to the house and rather than buying a largish shed we included its intended footprint into the extension design, we had hoped for the extension to be finished within 6 mths but like most had issues with the builder. 2 years later (I had a health issue which slowed things down for a bit) I have time to model in earnest again

 

Sorry if I have pinched a name or idea from anyone, was not intended, just a title which described my project

 

The test plank will be built this week, I have retrieved the track underlay from the loft along with some Peco platform edging as I want to test platform heights and clearances, plus have a test track  

In between the showers/rain as well a pruning a buddleia bush (green waste bin tomorrow) I cut down a piece of 9mm ply for the test plank. Also an eBay buy arrived with the post

 

 

In my view whilst not really any good for the layout (other than a heritage visitor) it was an opportunity I thought too good to miss, It had been advertised for two weeks on eBay starting at £40, confusion whether it was 00 or EM gauge, stated Airfix 5 pole motor not working, + a D11 motor. At the end of the first week I offered £30 too late in the day. Tried offering £30 during the second week but was below the start price, relisted again at the start of last week I cheekerly offered £30 again and it was accepted

 

I knew it was a Wills 4F, had a 5 pole motor, Romford wheels, hoped it was EM gauge and thought the motor should be easy to repair, if not I had a spare. If it was to 00 gauge I have a spare Wills 4F chassis to EM gauge or an unbuilt Wills etched chassis. 

 

The loco arrived, was to EM gauge + had a spare unused Anchorage D11 ( sold one at the weekend for £14). Took the motor out of the chassis , it worked and worked even better after a clean and an oil. The chassis looks like a Bristol Models chassis, built to EM gauge with etched brass brake gear. The chassis had a short and on close inspection one brake hanger had been resoldered too close to its wheel, a bab with a hot soldering iron solved the problem. Loco and tender now running nicely even without a full service. Plus I have a D11 motor to dispose off. So I guess the final net price will be around £20 ish 

 

Sometime ago I bought a Silver Fox Waggon & Machinebau rail bus

 

 

I unscrewed the chassis, with a wheel puller pulled out the wheels to EM gauge, now I have a Railbus for Bodmin

 

 

On 13/10/2019 at 17:38, hayfield said:

 

Pete

 

Bodmin General is one of my favorite stations and I have visited it quite a few times, often on the way further south its a great place to stop for lunch or coffee and cake as well as arranging a days visit. The layout may have a different name once building starts, I may look at a map of Cornwall and pick a name

 

The station area itself both fits a space on one side of my work room, plus being a heritage railway fits my eclectic stock of models, plus allows me to indulge in track making. However its not going to be a an exact model of Bodmin General.

 

The track plan will be similar, but may differ in certain aspects. The engine shed on the western side will be there, not decided what I will do with the goods yard

 

Same with the buildings, the station building will be a kit bashed Ratio station building, Wills and or Ratio parts will be used for the engine shed. What ever else I build will depend on the design I settle on with the goods yard.

 

Initially as I said it was going to be built to 00SF gauge, however as most of my stock is kit built and I had settled on flexitrack to 00 4mm scale with 1.5 mm thick sleepers only Exactoscale Fastrack bases fitted the bill. It slowly dawned on me it would look so much better if modelled to EM gauge standards. The main cost would be Markit EM gauge loco axles. Plus I have about a dozen etched brass chassis to upgrade older whitemetal kit built locos

 

Some years ago I converted a K's 57xx by adding 40 though plastic sides to the K's chassis and switching the Romford 00 axles to EM gauge ones. I am currently doing the same with a K's 14xx and a K's Adams Radial tank, this time using High Level slimline gear boxes. I am also building both a Southeastern Finecast and a Branchlines P class chassis The SEF chassis will have a standard SEF body, the Branchlines chassis will have a Wills body with a Branchlines etched brass body upgrade kit (I bought a Wills P class loco with both the chassis & upgrade kits included) both have Highlever Road Runner gearboxes and Mashima motors.

 

We moved house 3.5 years ago but there was no room for a model railway, we always intended building an extension to the house and rather than buying a largish shed we included its intended footprint into the extension design, we had hoped for the extension to be finished within 6 mths but like most had issues with the builder. 2 years later (I had a health issue which slowed things down for a bit) I have time to model in earnest again

 

Sorry if I have pinched a name or idea from anyone, was not intended, just a title which described my project

 

The test plank will be built this week, I have retrieved the track underlay from the loft along with some Peco platform edging as I want to test platform heights and clearances, plus have a test track  

Hi Hayfield,

 

No need to apologise at all - am not in any way connected with the original and it sounds like the name isn’t the same anyway so my bad for that. It was more that it sounded familiar so wondered if you were aware of it?
 

It was a very nice layout I recall and I probably have some photos of it on my phone somewhere.

 

Yours sounds like an interesting project and I look forward to watch progress as it’s a great location to model.

 

Good luck with it

 

Pete 

On 13/10/2019 at 07:05, bcnPete said:

Assume this is a new layout as there is already a 4mm layout on the circuit called Bodmin General (ish) 

 

Looks to be an interesting project...

It's actually called Bodmin General(ly)!

Martin

 

At the moment just the thread, In my mind it would be very wrong to call it either Bodmin or Bodmin General as I will be using the original and currant track plans as  a basis for my layout. So the working title is Bodmin General(ish)

 

Again I will use commercially available kits and parts for ny versions for the buildings and structures, but will alter the designs to adapt both to what I require and the limitations of whats available in kit and parts form

 

Stock is another issue, I like both LSWR and GWR stock, but also like some other things. The easiest solution would be to run it as a heritage railway, on the other hand I could run it as a GWR branch, a GWR branch with LSWR running rights, or a LSWR branch (taken over from the GWR) ?

 

 

I re-found (in my blogs) a plan sent to me of the North London P4 Groups Bodmin which predates the plans for the extension to our house which were drawn up by our architect several months later without any reference to the North London Groups plan, give or take a few inches both in length and width it fits my work room. I will need to alter the radii  of the exit curves, and perhaps loose a few inches here and there, for instance model the station building as part relief and no forecourt, bring the bridges in a few inches and alter the curves etc

 

This morning through the letterbox arrived a Comet Coaches Schools chassis and some sprung hornblocks, just need to stock up with Em gauge spacers. To add to the preserved stock I also bought at the weekend a Comet Coaches LMS inspection Saloon, lovely looking coach and just what you would see on a preserved line, just could not resist it.