Crantock Tor

[Siphon208]

HI All- I thought it would be an idea to get back in to railway modelling, after a long period away. The post Beeching period is perhaps not everyone's "cup of tea". There are several locations in my locale to choose from! Rationalisation really took hold in the 60's on the Wirral, for various reasons, not just the notorious Dr B! This layout will feature a couple of disused trackbeds, a vastly reduced operating area, and the station will reflect that. I plan to run it DCC, and it will feature a run round (where the up and down lines have been cut), and a siding or two. Any advice on the operation and installation will be greatly appreciated, The area is Devon/Cornwall and the timeframe is 1968- 72.

I have already started, the signal box I used a Metcalfe cardboard kit, which I cannabalised, and repainted to reflect the area, and time frame.

Cant wait to start!

Edited May 27, 2018 by Siphon208

[Nick Holliday]

I think this is in the wrong section. It ought to be in the layout area, I believe. I've sent a note to the moderators, who might move it.

[iands]

I like the concept of redundant trackbeds (and possibly other bits and pieces) in a model, not something you see a lot of in layouts. I guess there is just as much skill required in making a layout look realistically run down/neglected/under used as there is in making a layout "in all its glory" with plenty of trains, sidings, platforms etc., all being used "to capacity" as it were. Will watch with interest how this develops. Good luck!

 

Regards, Ian.

[treggyman]

Hi

 

I agree with iands post above....

 

Certainly an interesting project which I intend to follow with interest....

 

Something I've thought of doing but haven't figured out how to but also keep operating interest....

 

Good luck

 

Cheers Bill

[Rivercider]

I have memories of that era in the West Country, having been born in Exeter into a railway family.

Before we had a car family holidays and days out were by train. I also remember trips by train

on the last week of service to Minehead and Ilfracombe, and the last day between Exmouth and Sidmouth Junction.

My dad would point out the locations of closed stations. junctions and sidings along the way.

I would suggest you will need a DMU or two, and a class 22 and a Warship, with perhaps some wagons loaded with recovered track or sleepers 

 

cheers

[Siphon208]

I have memories of that era in the West Country, having been born in Exeter into a railway family.

Before we had a car family holidays and days out were by train. I also remember trips by train

on the last week of service to Minehead and Ilfracombe, and the last day between Exmouth and Sidmouth Junction.

My dad would point out the locations of closed stations. junctions and sidings along the way.

I would suggest you will need a DMU or two, and a class 22 and a Warship, with perhaps some wagons loaded with recovered track or sleepers 

 

cheers

 

HI, I intend to use a Class 117  and a 121 DMU on the project- the track work is basically a single road in, and a run-round, where the original 2-road junction had been- I will post more as I progress!

[Siphon208]

Crantock Tor

 

This is the initial draft for the track layout. The station features a 2-road bay that was once attached to a factory sidings (but could be re-opened). These jjoined up onto the mainline. The branch from Helston came in on the other side of the signal box, onto an island platform, which was curved to ease the access on to the mainline, this is now abandoned, and has been since rationalised in 1967. The mainline has now been cut, just the other side of the bridge. So in effect, Crantock Tor has now become a terminus, with local freight, and class 117 and Class 121 DMus serving the station. The line up to Helston ran initially through a single bore tunnel- this too was closed in 1967.

I realise that the locations are not strictly accurate, but your model stock has to roll somewhere!

[stivesnick]

Hi

 

Like the track plan - its always good to consider what the station track plan would have been in the past.

 

A couple of thoughts:

 

I am not a signalling expert, but would the signal box be at the junction end of the platform?

Would there have been some additional sidings perhaps - coal yard, general goods shed.

Might be worth thinking about why the new buffer stop is located where it is - a level crossing perhaps

 

Hope this helps

 

Nick

[Siphon208]

Hi

 

Like the track plan - its always good to consider what the station track plan would have been in the past.

 

A couple of thoughts:

 

I am not a signalling expert, but would the signal box be at the junction end of the platform?

Would there have been some additional sidings perhaps - coal yard, general goods shed.

Might be worth thinking about why the new buffer stop is located where it is - a level crossing perhaps

 

Hope this helps

 

Nick

 

good to get some feedback- The original idea was to have the signal box where it is to control the branch coming in from the tunnel, the sidings, and also a crossover back on to the main running lines. I like the idea of the box being near the junction, too. The reason the buffer stop is located there, is this is the point where the main running lines were cut, and the run-round installed. Its always feasible that a level crossing could go in, at some stage. I intend to put in a goods shed/factory facility at some point. The plan at the moment is a blank canvas, and is open to other options, before tracklaying takes place.

[brianusa]

Actually your plan could be that of a still open locale especially with a signal box, etc.  If this is a goods only line, virtually everything would be swept away including signals and operating on a one engine in steam principle.  Its a good design so for more operation, perhaps back up a few years!

 

Brian.

[Siphon208]

Hi

 

Like the track plan - its always good to consider what the station track plan would have been in the past.

 

A couple of thoughts:

 

I am not a signalling expert, but would the signal box be at the junction end of the platform?

Would there have been some additional sidings perhaps - coal yard, general goods shed.

Might be worth thinking about why the new buffer stop is located where it is - a level crossing perhaps

 

Hope this helps

 

Nick

 

This is the trackplan that I have settled with- The abandoned platform would probably have gone at a later date, as would the coal merchants. The abandoned tunnel mouth would have been filled in. The track crossed a local road in to the town, hence the level crossing. The run-round was installed to serve the entrance to the coal yard, and allow locomotives  operating to the factory sidings, to reverse Options for expansion are there for a later date. MY planned running stock is as follows; Class 22, 24, 42, 52, plus a small shunter- probably an 06. There may be visits from a 47, and possibly a 23, which I have seen on Ebay, and very much like the look of ( wrong region, I know!) Passenger traffic will be handled by a 117, and a 121 DMU. Freight rolling stock; a couple of MGR hoppers/ 16T mineral wagons for the coal yard, and a couple of pallet vans/parcel vans/oil tanks for the factory. the layout is end to end, approximately 10' in length, but the option for continuous run conversion is there

Edited May 7, 2018 by Siphon208

[jonny777]

Good luck with this project. I always like to see layouts started from scratch and am amazed at their progress over time. 

 

You could get away with a 25, as the first ones arrived at Laira towards the end of 1971 to replace the 22s. However it might have to be one of the D7573,4,5,7 or D7656,7,75,6,7 batches because I'm not sure if D5180 actually got that far, except on paper - but it was listed as on loan in the magazines of the time.  

[Siphon208]

Progress so far;- I have purchased the Skaledale, "Butterley" station building from ebay, and renamed it and carried out some slight alteration and weathering ( although it doesn'nt need much!)

I have almost completed the island platform building (ex-Metcalfe) and weathered it accordingly. As you can see, it has been affected by neglect, and some local vandals; The island platform has been made from 15mm architrave, cut to shape, and infilled with cardboard, and then Metcalfe paving and edging strips. The brake van is merely shown here for scale. Ill finish detailing and painting the canopy stanchions at a later date

[Siphon208]

Progress so far;- I have purchased the Skaledale, "Butterley" station building from ebay, and renamed it and carried out some slight alteration and weathering ( although it doesn'nt need much!)

I have almost completed the island platform building (ex-Metcalfe) and weathered it accordingly. As you can see, it has been affected by neglect, and some local vandals; The island platform has been made from 15mm architrave, cut to shape, and infilled with cardboard, and then Metcalfe paving and edging strips. The brake van is merely shown here for scale. Ill finish detailing and painting the canopy stanchions at a later date

 

2 more image the broken canopy panes, and the forlorn platform 2- still displaying travel posters put up by the station staff, and the " Closure Notice that went up before the Helston branch closure!

[treggyman]

Hi

 

Looking really good....

Some nice details well executed......

 

Cheers Bill

[Siphon208]

Hi

 

Looking really good....

Some nice details well executed......

 

Cheers Bill

 

Thanks, Bill

nice to hear from an experienced modeller such as yourself! I've seen loads of locations this has happened to in the North West and beyond, where everything has been left to decay- This will mirror that philosophy that BR seemed to have then. I'm not experienced with DCC, so I've a question- can you just run the locos DCC and switch points electrically and not via a dcc controller?

Dean

[Ian Morgan]

If you have DCC to the tracks to control the trains, you can operate the points and signals any way you want:

• Manually
• Wire in tube,
• memory wire
• motorised (solenoid, 'stall' motor or servos) wired to individual switches
• motorised with a separate accessory control bus (e.g. Merg CBus)
• motorised and controlled by DCC accessory decoders.

There is a free downloadable book covering lots of such topics here.

[Siphon208]

If you have DCC to the tracks to control the trains, you can operate the points and signals any way you want:

• Manually
• Wire in tube,
• memory wire
• motorised (solenoid, 'stall' motor or servos) wired to individual switches
• motorised with a separate accessory control bus (e.g. Merg CBus)
• motorised and controlled by DCC accessory decoders.

There is a free downloadable book covering lots of such topics here.

 

 

Thanks Ian, I will download it now...………..

[Siphon208]

Crantock Sidings are attached to the mainline. They were once bigger than this, so a small signal box was put in to control them, and a short crossover on to the Helston Branch to enable stock movement, and traffic from the factory at the back of the station. Once the Helston branch was closed, and the up line from Redruth, it was taken out of use. The factory sidings are now controlled by ground frames. I have completed the building, and am almost finished weathering it...……..

 

[Siphon208]

I thought I would add my scribble plan, which shows the lifted lines, and those that are extant. The infrastructure and  directions are shown, also. I will make this more formal once the layout is nearer completion, to introduce the layout properly, and to show stock running on it!.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Siphon208