Stoke Courtenay

[bgman]

I like left-overs John, got any more I'm feeling peckish again ! 

 

G

[Kingzance]

There is much that I find impressive on Stoke Courtenay John. Right now my attention is captured by the main signal box. I need something of similar dimensions for Kingzance - set in deepest, darkest Devon / Cornwall in 1930 and controlling a terminal station with four platform roads, a reasonable goods area and small scale loco facilities including a turntable. Did you hand craft it or was it bashed from kits?

 

Tony

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, bgman said:

I like left-overs John, got any more I'm feeling peckish again ! 

You could always eat a small prairie, though when I suggested it over on ANTB they wanted to send me to the funny farm.

 

But more pics to come!

[bgman]

30 minutes ago, checkrail said:

You could always eat a small prairie, though when I suggested it over on ANTB they wanted to send me to the funny farm.

 

But more pics to come!

 

30 minutes ago, checkrail said:

eat a small prairie, though when I suggested it over on ANTB they wanted to send me to the funny farm.

 

 

Ah ! What do they know over there ! 

 

I've got a 7mm one part completed and I may consider that for dessert later 

 

Greedy or what ?

 

G

[checkrail]

6801 on west bound parcels and 3603 returning from Earlsbridge cattle market.

 

 

John C.

[5BarVT]

8 hours ago, Kingzance said:

There is much that I find impressive on Stoke Courtenay John. Right now my attention is captured by the main signal box. I need something of similar dimensions for Kingzance - set in deepest, darkest Devon / Cornwall in 1930 and controlling a terminal station with four platform roads, a reasonable goods area and small scale loco facilities including a turntable. Did you hand craft it or was it bashed from kits?

 

Tony

Evening Tony,

I asked a related question a while ago because I have the same box. It is the Kernow commissioned Bachmann model of Truro. In respect of ‘real’ size, Penzance box is larger: 10 windows rather than 8 but the stairs are internal at Penzance.  Frame size is similar, 75 levers at Penzance and 71 at Truro. So very suitable for your station.

Paul.

[Barry Ten]

10 hours ago, checkrail said:

If memory serves the pic below is similar to a King photo I posted some years back, with the previous incarnation of the Hornby King.  That wasn't actually such a bad model except for the awful daylight between the underside of the footplate and the front bogie.  This later model is really nice.  Good smooth runner too.

 

 

John C.

 

If it's of any use, here's a pic I made of my King from that previous incarnation, where I've added a cosmetic frame extension using thin plastic card and some bodged-up details.

 

 

I've just done another of these over the weekend, again on a 2006-vintage King.  There's still enough space between the

bogie and the frame to cope with track undulations - not that that appears to be an issue with your track!

[Kingzance]

10 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Evening Tony,

I asked a related question a while ago because I have the same box. It is the Kernow commissioned Bachmann model of Truro. In respect of ‘real’ size, Penzance box is larger: 10 windows rather than 8 but the stairs are internal at Penzance.  Frame size is similar, 75 levers at Penzance and 71 at Truro. So very suitable for your station.

Paul.

Thank you Paul. Now I need to see if I can locate one, starting with Kernow I guess!

Tony

[checkrail]

20 hours ago, Kingzance said:

Right now my attention is captured by the main signal box. I need something of similar dimensions for Kingzance - set in deepest, darkest Devon / Cornwall in 1930 and controlling a terminal station with four platform roads, a reasonable goods area and small scale loco facilities including a turntable. Did you hand craft it or was it bashed from kits?

 

Was just about to answer your query, but see that Paul's answered it for me!  Yes, it's the Kernow commission, still available AFAIK, at about 60 quid.  There's a bit about it in my 'Stoke Courtenay' article in this month's BRM.  (Howard Smith asked me for a separate sub-section on the 'box to accompany one of Andy's photos.  I was happy to oblige though it's no great modelling feat on my part - just a careful repaint and a bit of detailing.)

 

Your 'Kingzance' project sounds really interesting and I hope you'll keep us in touch with progress.  Having seen a simplified Penzance-like scheme named 'Penzuncle' in a book of trackplans in my local library I did toy with a similar idea with just two platforms - a sort of mirror-image Kingswear.  Good operating potential, but I eventually fell for the charms of the old roundy-roundy!

 

Cheers,

John.

[checkrail]

11 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Penzance box is larger: 10 windows rather than 8 but the stairs are internal at Penzance.  Frame size is similar, 75 levers at Penzance and 71 at Truro. So very suitable for your station.

 

Which makes it a little on the large side for Stoke C.  But you don't know about the offstage goods loops or the extensive quarry sidings just up the branch. (Neither did I until I just made it up a minute ago.)  Or perhaps it's just got more spare levers than average!

 

John C.

[checkrail]

10 hours ago, Barry Ten said:

If it's of any use, here's a pic I made of my King from that previous incarnation, where I've added a cosmetic frame extension using thin plastic card and some bodged-up details.

 

Excellent job and great close-up pic. Yes, I remember following how you did this some years back, and being impressed by the great improvement you'd made.  Then the new Hornby King came out before I'd got round to emulating your method.  Lazy as ever I traded up!

 

John C.

[checkrail]

Found a new photographic angle the other day.  Andy York liked it, and suggested I use it again with slightly different positioning of trains. So here's 6801 again on down parcels and 3603 arriving from Earlsbridge with cattle wagons.

 

Followed by 4908 Broome Hall pausing with a down stopper while 4574 approaches with a branch passenger train

 

The advantage of this set-up is that the loco on the down main hides the void on the left beyond the layout fascia.  Expect me to use it again.

 

It also demonstrates that focus stacking should be the next thing to get my head round, if I can drag myself away from these unbuilt coach and wagon kits.

 

John C. 

Edited April 8, 2019 by checkrail

[checkrail]

Two more as prairie and B-set come closer into view.  In the second one the branch home signal has returned to danger.  This shot also shows a bit more of the Hall, including Bachmann's rather nicely finished 3,500 gall. tender.

 

 

 

John C.

[Kingzance]

42 minutes ago, checkrail said:

 

Was just about to answer your query, but see that Paul's answered it for me!  Yes, it's the Kernow commission, still available AFAIK, at about 60 quid.  There's a bit about it in my 'Stoke Courtenay' article in this month's BRM.  (Howard Smith asked me for a separate sub-section on the 'box to accompany one of Andy's photos.  I was happy to oblige though it's no great modelling feat on my part - just a careful repaint and a bit of detailing.)

 

Your 'Kingzance' project sounds really interesting and I hope you'll keep us in touch with progress.  Having seen a simplified Penzance-like scheme named 'Penzuncle' in a book of trackplans in my local library I did toy with a similar idea with just two platforms - a sort of mirror-image Kingswear.  Good operating potential, but I eventually fell for the charms of the old roundy-roundy!

 

Cheers,

John.

Thanks John and yes, happily it is still available from Kernow! As I have a "significant birthday" in the next few weeks, it has been communicated to SWMBO as something I would like. I really enjoyed your article in the BRM and it has convinced me how important details like people and point-rodding are to the overall scenic impact, as is well-laid ballast.
Kingzance obviously has some "artistic licence" as neither base-locations have a dockside and I want to include a harbour environment with a small steam fishing drifter and a side-wheel paddle ferry based on the rather old Totnes Castle, the former being used to justify a trade in wet fish. Both will be to 1/100th scale waterline rather than 1/76th so they don't impose over the railway setting. As to progress, the twin-track out and back loops that feed the station complex (and provide a measure of out-of-sight stock storage) are complete and most of their visible sections are ballasted after testing with the trusty Bachman 87xx fitted with a (recommended) Zimo M622 chip. Most of the station track is not yet ballasted so the point-rodding infrastructure can be added at the outset and will not need retro-fitting (Model3U stocks permitting). The platforms and dockside over those loops are current  in progress and the transitioning baseboards have been assembled but not all the track is in place yet. I seem to have an issue on one pair of baseboards that has 16 turnouts and a double-slip (Peco Code 65 Electrofrog) over an area of 5' x 2'6" where I suspect I will have to separate the track bus to isolate the dock / goods from the passenger facilities.
Rome wasn't built in a day even if we would like our construction years to be compressed by the same factor as the scale in which we model!

Tony

[colin penfold]

1 hour ago, checkrail said:

Found a new photographic angle the other day.  Expect me to use it again.

 

John C. 

 

Good  

 

Colin P.

[5BarVT]

4 hours ago, checkrail said:

 

Which makes it a little on the large side for Stoke C.  But you don't know about the offstage goods loops or the extensive quarry sidings just up the branch. (Neither did I until I just made it up a minute ago.)  Or perhaps it's just got more spare levers than average!

 

John C.

Ahh but . . . Yes, and No!

I can use up 38 levers for SC if I don’t economise so probably a 45 lever frame.  The 71 levers I quoted is for the ‘modern’ 5 bar vertical tappet frame (abbreviated to 5 bar VT :-) ) installed in Truro in 1971. As built in 1899 it contained a 45 lever double twist frame so just right for SC. 

Paul.

[checkrail]

38 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

Ahh but . . . Yes, and No!

I can use up 38 levers for SC if I don’t economise so probably a 45 lever frame.  The 71 levers I quoted is for the ‘modern’ 5 bar vertical tappet frame (abbreviated to 5 bar VT :-) ) installed in Truro in 1971. As built in 1899 it contained a 45 lever double twist frame so just right for SC. 

 

That's good to hear Paul.  I'd guesstimated that SC would need around 40 levers, allowing for offstage distants etc.   Know nothing about the technical aspects of signal lever mechanisms, but you expertise has assuaged any doubts about SC's box size.  I thought it looked about right, even though I'd read some years ago that the Truro box had 71.

 

And now I know what 5BarVT means!

 

Cheers,

John.

[TheDoghouse]

Good evening John, 

i am a New member to the BRMWeb but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your layout Stoke Courtenayin the BRM magazine. The article has prompted me to contact you over something you may be interested in. Eighteen months ago a very good friend of mine the railway artist Barry Freeman passed away leaving quite a collection of railway models in both 4mm and 7mm scales. Most of the 4mm models were expertly painted and lined by Barry himself. Ousted recently  Barry’s wife has asked me to try and sell his collection and after seeing your layout I thought you might be interested in any of his models.

i personally model I’m 7mm scale so unfortunately they are not of interest to myself.

Please give me a call if you might be interested on 07713 962454.

Best regards

Mike Whatton.

 

[lightengine]

Welcome to RM Web, Mike

[checkrail]

A few more leftovers from the weekend.

John C.

 

[checkrail]

Just tried some more 'panorama' shots and this time managed to get a whole train in (because it's only two coaches!)

 

Small prairie and B-set depart Stoke C. for Earlsbridge.

 

 

 

 

 

John C.

[Anglian]

These latest low angle images are fantastic.

[Brinkly]

Just wonderful John! I hope my layout turns out like yours! 

 

Best wishes,

Nick.

[checkrail]

Waiting for my copy of May's BRM to drop through the letter box.  They had it in Tesco's this morning.

 

But meanwhile, as the April issue is now history, I can start showing you some of the outtakes from Andy's photoshoot.  First up shows Tiverton Castle on an up express overtaking the Earlsbridge branch train as the latter slows into Stoke Courtenay to end its journey.

 

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

Another Andy York shot of 5041 and its train.  I particularly liked this one, which shows the ancient Hornby ex-Airfix Siphon G to advantage.  It now rides on 247 Developments American bogies.

 

 

Before I take any more pictures myself from this angle I think I'll dab some paint on the inside of the platform canopy!   Could do with touching up the cream paint around the leading droplight too.

 

John C.