Yan

At the outset, the primary concern of mine was fitting Rospeath Lane v.2 in my car. Rule 1d of the Scalefour Jubilee Challenge stipulates "The layout has to be portable and capable of being transported by a single car or similar size vehicle and exhibited by two people". I'm surprised it dosen't state that both operators have to be transported in the same car as the layout. As a cost saving exercise for exhibition managers, I feel it would be prudent for both operators to travel with the layout. The problem I face is Tredethy Wharf fills my car including the passenger seat. I've been relying on help at exhibitions from friends having their own transport. Also Rospeath Lane's footprint is larger than Tredethy Wharf which means there is more to fit in the car. This is why I've been worried about how I might adhere to Rule 1d. Since committing to the Scalefour Jubilee Challenge, I've almost exhausted the grey cells in working out how to fit Rospeath Lane into the car. I have measured the car boot space and all other nooks and crannies that could be utilised. Then, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to reduce the important clutter around the scenic section of the layout. In this I mean the support structure, lighting frame, control panel, cassette boards with blanking/information panels and tool box along with the all important operators stool for thous quiet moments. The diagrams below hope to show how I visualise it all fitting in the car, including a couple of small overnight bags for multiple day shows. Hope you can make sense of the drawings... One way I'll be saving space is to use the storage box tops for the lighting frame. This, along with the back screen, will help to create an enclosed space to minimise external light flooding the layout. I'm also planning to include the control panel within Baseboard 2. The current support structure for Tredethy Wharf has improved the stability at the expense of taking up more space in the car. My concern has been how to create a rigid support structure while reducing it's mass. I may have a solution in two trestles supporting and U girders, the proof being after it's constructed.

I’ve eventually been able to get my new hobby room organised. I have eventually organised my new hobby room, transforming it from a storage room, filled with furniture and boxes, to a space where I can begin building a layout. First task was to take a proper look at the original Rospeath Lane baseboards. The damage was not as bad as I originally thought… Hmm…it would have been an excellent layout with potential for expansion in the future. Despite building it in two baseboards, it would be very large and difficult to transport to exhibitions. The two baseboards were more for movability during construction and also in case a house move. Even though it has moved house, with now what seems to be minor damage, I’m sticking with my decision to replace it with a more manageable size layout. Last view of version one before being dismantled Today has been the day I embarked on dismantling v1 baseboards. The intention is to repurpose as much of the plywood as possible for version 2. The baseboards had been designed to accommodate tortoise motors so had a frame a depth of 110mm. Version 2 will not require a frame with the same depth as I’m proposing to use Makeit Miniature’s turnout actuator. This will mean I can tidy up the cross members to a uniform size. It's now just a pile of plywood None of the baseboard tops seem suitable for the new layout. This gives me a choice deciding to go with 6mm plywood as the baseboards tops or going with 5mm FoamX Board. Before I dismantled the baseboards, I salvaged all the sleepers and rail. With the plywood tidied away in a corner of the room for sorting later, I made a start on cleaning up all recovered wooden sleepers.

It looks to be coming together very nicely. I will be an good excuse to make the trip to Wells in August to see it in the flesh.

My intended period for the model will eventually be March to July 1959.This will allow the majority of locomotives seen on shed to be steam but also allow me to run a few of the early Diesel shunters and Hydraulics. This made me wonder about how they would have refuelled the diesels. Penzance didn't receive its first allocation of diesels until Sept 1958 when they allocated three Class 08s for training. In November of the same year, they reallocated two of the three, leaving one (D3514) which remained at Penzance until June 1968. The first Laira based Hydraulics started to appear at Penzance in 1958. My understanding is that D600 and D800 Warships carried a fuel capacity of 800 gallons. If this is correct, they would not have needed refuelling at Penzance for the return working. The Class 08 would still need to be refuelled. This would seem to indicate that Penzance’s diesel facilities may have been very basic in 1959. All photographs I’ve seen for the 1959 period do not show any diesel refuelling points. So have to assume that refuelling was very rudimentary, either direct from 50 gallon barrels or direct from rail or road born tanks. Further information I've gathered from Diesel Depots, The Early Years by Irwell Press indicates that shed staff initially treated the first allocations of diesel locomotives with a modicum of disdain. The Class 08s being stored on sidings away from the main running shed roads. In taking a look at my track plan, I realised that there was no such siding to accommodate locos away from the main running shed roads. I wanted to include some sort of diesel refuelling, so added a very short siding at the front. There will be room for some barrels of diesel fuel between this siding and the running shed. Track plan v.4 (including siding for Class 08 storage) In adding this siding along with some slight overall modifications, I’ve managed to increase the scenic area to within the last square inch of the 2711.52sq ins. Scenic area 2710.5 sq. inches I have purchased and cut the baseboard tops to the new dimensions. The next task is to decide on how much plywood from version one of Rospeath Lane can be used in the baseboard construction. I believe slow progress is better than none…

Thank you for leaving the comments guys. I'm thinking of around 4 ft 3 inchs as the track bed height above floor level. The height of the arch above track bed on the 1/8 scale model is approximately 12 inches. I don't know why I made it this high as I'd created the diagram below for a previous layout and should have taken note. So the arch needs to go up at least 2 inches so that there will ba a gap of around 14 inches between the track bed and the bottom of the arch facia. The cassette board end panels will be the only solid upright pieces on the model. The arch will rest on these panels at each end. My intention is to use lockable hinges on these panels so they fold down for transportation. This means they will be added at a later stage of baseboard construction so I can play around with the arch height during the building of the layout.

I'm still waiting for power to be installed in the Log Cabin. The house rewiring took longer than expected, and we decided to postpone connecting the log cabin until other outside work is completed in order to finally get the interior signed off. In the meantime, I've recently negotiated a small area in the snug at which I can work on a few projects. I'll have to see if the better half will allow me to solder, but for the moment I've been working on the 1/8th scale model of my proposed Boscarne Junction. I'd planned to make this scale model mainly to help with thoughts on baseboard construction and to see how it will look visually. As I've been cajoled into setting up a table titled 'Planning a new layout, Boscarne Junction' at Scalefour Cumberland 23, it will come in very handy. Unfortunately, as I've been distracted by entering the Scalefour Jubilee Challenge, I'll still be building the model. There will be another 1/8th scale model of my Jubilee Challenge project on the table to discuss with those that might be interested.

Well.. it's a little rough, but it's helped with a few construction ideas. Stage left Stage right Complete frontal view There still needs a few of the ancillary buildings to add (sand house, lamp store, etc.) and I might add a bit more detail on the buildings (like the openings to the running shed). I can also continue to play around with the sighting of trees in the background as well as the front. The single tree in the front is to act as a viewing break. Overall though I feel it has been a worthwhile project as it gives me a good idea how it will look. After looking at the model a few times, I'm beginning to think the proscenium pelmet too low. Something to reconsider when starting to build the layout, me thinks. I realise that the inclusion of the shed plate on the model will be contentious to some, but in my alternative history Rospeath Lane would have been 83G. Time will tell if I'm brave enough to keep it on the finished layout.

I've not posted on RMWeb about Rospeath Lane for sometime now, in the meantime I have added a few posts on my independent blog about this project. If anyone is interested to see how far I got until I lost my mojo, the blog can be found here at https://rospeathlane.blogspot.com/ During the six months since I posted on the above blog my problem has been the damage to Rospeath Lane's baseboards, along with its size. The damage must have occurred during our move to Cumbria and/or during its subsequent storage. Its size will infringe on the space required for my Boscarne Junction project. With these thoughts, I've been struggling to come up with a solution for the layout, that is, until the Scalefour Society announced the Jubilee Layout Challenge. In essence, the challenge is to build a layout to P4 standards, with a scenic footprint no larger than 18.83 square feet and for the completed layout to be transportable in a single car, including two operators. Now this got me thinking, would it be possible to condense Rospeath Lane into 18.83 square feet. If so, it might exist in the Man Cave along with Boscarne Junction. After a couple of days mulling over this opportunity, I made the decision to put pen to paper. A few more days drawing plans, checking the dimensions, then making amendments to squeeze it all into 18.83 square feet, I think I've come up with a plausible solution. As yet, I've not filed my intention to enter the challenge because there are still problems to solve. These being, formulating how to construct the baseboards, how to transport them securely, how to support the layout, along with its presentation and lighting, so it can all fit into my current car. I have until 31st August 2024 to register the design, the best and most complete layouts will be invited to Scaleforum 2026. So... 3 years from now, not long really, especially as I want to start constructing Boscarne Junction soon. But, I see Boscarne Junction as a long term project of ten years or more and it will require a rather larger vehicle than a single car to transport. Rospeath Lane could now become a cost effective stopgap for an exhibition layout.

Just when I thought version 8 was the final track plan, I’ve now produced a version 9. When starting to consider how the layout was going to be operated, my thoughts went to the enjoyment I gained when invited to operate other modellers layouts. Especially those where a signalman controls a signal box and the train driver has to obey the signals. Using bell codes, interlocking lever frames, and trains being driven to signals fascinated me. I questioned how I could include this feature in my model? If I create signal boxes in the Fiddle Yards, which use bell codes to communicate with Boscarne Junction signal box, there will be a problem with the Wenford branch. There was no signal box at Dunmere or on the Wenford branch. I believe the Guard of the Wenford train walked to Boscarne signal box to retrieve/return the key for the Dunmere Ground Frame. Then the train crew operated the two ground frames. I thought this is something I’d like to include in the model. So, in an attempt to introduce this type of operation I’ve decided to split the control into three areas. Boscarne Signal box & Wadebridge Fiddle Yard (There would be the possibility to split Wadebridge Fiddle Yard away from Boscarne Box). The Bodmin North, Bodmin General & Wenford Fiddle Yard. Train Driver who’ll also control both Boscarne and Dunmere ground Frames as the train crew would have done. In doing the above, should give a reasonably authentic operating experience to this layout. I started mess around with the plan to see if I could squeeze in Dunmere Ground Frame and the junction turnout into the track plan. The only way I found was to move the whole of version 8 track plan back to the left. This dramatically reduced the scenic area Wadebridge side of the level crossing, which I’d created in version 8. In the end I felt this compromise was well worth taking, as it will increase operational interest. There were always thoughts with version 8 that I’d add a further scenic board at the Wadebridge end for exhibitions any way. Version 9 will be no different. Still a bit left to do as there are still a few scenic items to identify and mark on the plan along with checking on edge profiles and land contours, but think I'm getting very close to finalising this track plan. Above is how the layout will look when at home. I briefly mentioned that the track plan is now drawn to fit the baseboards. I will construct the three baseboards making the curved scenic section with the same diverging angle (23 degrees). They will either be stackable on each other when boxed, or I could construct a rack into which they will all slide for storage and transportation.. Below is my cursory thoughts for exhibitions.

I intended to postpone revisiting the track plan until the Man Cave was empty and its internal dimensions were confirmed.. That was until I could squeeze in a day’s visit to Boscarne Junction after being in Torquay for a wedding. The visit was to take photos of the wider surrounding area. The site is now dramatically over grown compared to the photographs I have which were taken in the early 1960s. That said, the embankments, paths, field boundaries seem to not have altered. I took plenty of photographs that I hope will help me recreate the topography around the junction.. While at Boscarne then subsequently looking at my track plan, I began to feel I’d drawn it a little out of proportion. Siding 2 (along the back towards Bodmin North) looked too long. By reducing its length, it now feels more proportionate. In doing so I’ve been able to move the whole track plan to the right a little, which has slightly increased the visible track left to the level crossing. In my attempt to balance the space available between scenic and fiddle yards, I’ve had to reduce the overall length of the junction and sidings. There is approximately 13.5ft between the two quarter mile posts as opposed to 17.3ft for a scale quarter mile. Even so, the hope is this will still create a recognisable layout with the ability to operate as near as possible realistic train movements to a replica BR timetable. Tack plan v8 To give me the possibility to add a further board at the Wadebridge end, I’ve also twisted the track plan slightly. In doing so means the track beyond the level crossing (towards Wadebridge) now runs parallel to the baseboards sides. This will allow the fiddle board that I’ll be using at home to be connected to the extra scenic baseboard if the layout is ever invited to a show.

Is that a project that your contemplating Chris?

I have a very old copy of Adobe Illustrator running on an old Windows 7 laptop.

In Michael Messenger's book on the Bodmin & Wadebridge railway he mentions that (around 1920s); "Some clay went to Wadebridge & Padstow but much more when to the deep water port of Fowey". He goes on to say in the paragraphs about the line after nationalisation that; "China clay from the Wenford line went mainly in bulk to Fowey for shipping, via Bodmin General and Bodmin Road, but some was sent away bagged in vans and tarpaulined wagons over the North Cornwall line". My understanding is these opens would not be clay wagons though (somewhere) I have seen a photograph of a Beattie Well Tank leaving Wadebridge with a few clay wagons in tow. At the moment I cannot find the photograph so cannot if it exists nor confirm the date so its relevance for my project.

I remember the original article in the RM very well as I followed Roy Links design and build a layout. http://grogleyjunction.blogspot.com/2008/12/lost-layout.html Since then Iain Rice developed the idea further with his Broadwell Green design and I've often thought about this as a project but it never came to fruition. Will follow you progress with interest.

Must admit I'd prefer to have the Y shape. The problem being when operating the layout at home I'd be constantly ducking under the Bodmin General FY to get to the Wenford/Bodmin North FY. I think as I progress with age this would start to become very tiresome. As for exhibiting, this is a few years away and I'd also need to round up a team of at least 4 to help. I also realise the layout would need a corner at an exhibition and at a sports hall venue is normally where exit doors. I've started to work on different baseboard configurations to help with storage and transportation. As for construction I'm toying with following Gordon Gravett's principal of using insulation board for the baseboards. This might help keep the weight down and also help to construct the curved boards. I have a number of sheets of the stuff which was purchased many years ago to create wargaming terrain. Hopefully the 5ft boards will work out to be light enough for me to handle while at home.