SRfanJV Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 (edited) A thread about Salisbury & South Wilts Railway Society's Long running N gauge project has been long on the list of things to do which I have unfortunately never got around to. But, finally here we go. ThIs project was initially started back in 1991 when a member of the society came in one night with a plan to build padstow. They had planned due to their age increasing, moving up to O gauge however, upon looking at what was feasible quickly went the other way down to N gauge. When looking at the plans and books etc another member then took a liking to Wadebridge being a southern man. This shortly followed by two other members who were of a more Western inclination deciding to build Bodmin General and Bodmin Road (now Bodmin Pakway). Initial construction started in early 1992 with a view to completion in 1997!! Well as you may have guessed by now and 21 years later, that didn't happen. 3 of the 4 layouts have been exhibited, the odd one out being Bodmin Road. Since then Bodmin general has been rebuilt from almost the ground up as a restoration which started back in 2014 and is now nearly complete. Wadebridge is now having the same treatment and Bodmin Road is now operational but needs all of the scenic side of things completing and Padstow, well that is story for another day! As this thread develops it is our intention to demonstrate the progress with this project to see it through to its completion. We'll start with Bodmin General. I hope you find this thread interesting so here goes. Josh. Edited December 8, 2018 by SRfanJV 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted December 3, 2018 Author Share Posted December 3, 2018 (edited) Bodmin General - so this is what she looks like today but after this we are going to zip back over 25 years and bring you up to date slowly but surely. Still a long way to go with finishing all of the detailing and blending the old with the new but hopefully it gives a decent flavour of Bodmin General back in the mid 50's Edited December 3, 2018 by SRfanJV 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted December 9, 2018 Author Share Posted December 9, 2018 As promised in the previous post, I am now taking you back 20-25 years to show photos of the original layout. As can be seen, it was intended as more of representation of the real place as opposed to a scale model which is what the refurbished/overhauled one is now hopefully starting to represent. The photo above was taken looking though the bridge which back then was the scenic break, we have now added on another board so the layout is a board longer than it was in its original form. The signals were as bought examples which have now been replaced by more accuratwe MSE parts which an associate of the club Clive Hunt built up for us. The picture above the shows the late Chris Wagstaff who spent hours painstakingly chipping up pieces of real stone that were recovered from the site at Bodmin General back in the early 90's. They are believed to be bits from some of the original buildings that were demolished. The building he is constructing in this photo is actually the goods shed for Padstow, but he used the same methods for the buildings on Bodmin General too. This final photo shows the only building left on the layout which is fully original from the layout's first incarnation. However, it has got very tired and is soon going to be replaced by a new example. We will keep the old one though as this is covered in the original stone too. # In the next post I will be looking back through pictures from when the layout undergoing it refurb starting back in 2014 and bring you up to date including photos of what is currently happening to it in readiness for its next outing at the Bournemouth Model Railway Show in February 2019. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-DIMB Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 Hi What size is the layout as i'm looking to do something similar but I'm struggling to visualise how i will get it all in. Also do you have any photos of the fiddle yard? Thanks Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted December 13, 2018 Author Share Posted December 13, 2018 (edited) Hi What size is the layout as i'm looking to do something similar but I'm struggling to visualise how i will get it all in. Also do you have any photos of the fiddle yard? Thanks Paul Hi Paul, I only have a couple of average photos of the fiddle yard at present that I found on my phone as seen below. When I get the fiddle yard out of its crate in 2-3 weeks I will send you some better photos. The fiddle yard is slightly compromised as it has to link up to Wadebridge, the next layout in the sequence. Overall the layout in 13ft 5 inches long and pretty much to scale up to the main road bridge. The last scenic board has a bit of modellers licence involved to allow the boscarne line to disappear. Thanks, Josh. Edited December 13, 2018 by SRfanJV 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted December 13, 2018 Author Share Posted December 13, 2018 (edited) Part one of the rebuild, starting off with a photo from 2011 just before the refurbishment/rebuild started. We now move on to September 2013 part way through the refurb, All of the old fittings apart from the crossover at the end of the platform were replaced. Everything was stripped back down to its basic components and a new board added to increase the length of the layout from 3 to 4 boards in length. we created quite the mess along the way with all of the polystyrene that was being formed using wire brushes and other sanding equipment. The basic contours take shape. More to come shortly. Josh. Edited December 13, 2018 by SRfanJV 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 (edited) Its been a while....rest assured plenty has been going on though. We are currently working on both Bodmin General and Wadebridge, especially the former in getting it ready for the New Milton Show on thw 27th/28th July. The latest addition to the loco fleet is the wonderful model of an LSWR Adams O2. The chassis is a modified Dapol 14xx chassis. The motor has been changed to one of the new Graham Farish ones used in recent models. The body itself has been modified from an N brass G6 kit. Painted using halfords primer and satin black spray paint. Fox transfers have been used for the lining and numbers The shedplates and smokebox door numbers have been produced by railtec transfers. The couplings are B&B couplings. Just some fire irons and brake rigging etc to complete it. Next is a 1366 pannier tank. Edited June 20, 2019 by SRfanJV 9 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoker Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 (edited) This is great to see. In my youth I spent many a happy hour here, firing locomotives, shunting coaches, track bashing, odd jobs in the shed, etc. Always a pleasure to work around Roger and his dog Simba, Richard Bowhill Snr, or chat with Maurice Dart in the shop, even if he hated model railways! I think it gave him great pleasure to see it all preserved. And to sell his books, of course! I dearly miss him now that I'm in Canada. I look forward to watching this project progress. Edited June 19, 2019 by Stoker 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) As mentioned in my previous post, the next loco in the works is a collett 1366 outside cylindered pannier tank. The chassis is from a farish 04 which the wheelbase is a little short for but the closest I can get RTR and it also runs extremely well. I am currently in the process of making the J bracket, slide bars and crosshead utilising bits from various 2mm etches. I have removed most of the moulded fittings such as handrails, safety valves, whistles etc and I am now in the process of replacing them with brass and nickel silver fittings. Afterall this whitemetal kit is very old now. Once these modifications are complete I will look to tidy up any 'rough' areas. A new set of plates from narrow planet are also on order as are smokebox door plates from railtec. As can be seen, there is plenty still do but getting there before the paintshop beckons. On the O2 a gauging issue on the leading drivers halted play and i got this sorted out. Now back to constructing the brake rigging and toning down those rods. Edited July 7, 2019 by SRfanJV 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 (edited) The track is now slowly coming back together on Wadebridge. All that's left from the original layout can be seen on the right and rear of the picture. All of this will be re-done in due course as well. The points have been hand built using 2mm fs sleepers and Peco rail. Progress will now stop for a couple of weeks in order to prepare Bodmin General for its next outing to the New Milton Model Railway Exhibition on the 27th/28th July. Edited July 13, 2019 by SRfanJV 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 (edited) More progress tonight in terms of spot sleepering. The picture almost looks the same as my previous post but if you look closely you should be able to see more sleepers laid in. The section of track on the right in between the two turnouts has been left lose until I finalise the alignment and therefore has been left without sleepers. The two points top right of the picture are currently under construction by the owner of the layout Keith. Hopefully I can provide a pictorial update of his progress with these on Friday. Finally profiling and tweaking of the track in places has taken place to achieve the best alignment and smoothness as possible. Edited July 17, 2019 by SRfanJV 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 The last 2 points under construction. Hopefully they will be completed by next Friday so that they can be installed. Tonight's work comprised the most labourious of tasks. Soldering on all of the droppers for the feeds etc. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted July 27, 2019 Author Share Posted July 27, 2019 A few pictures of Day 1 from the the New Milton model railway exhibition of Bodmin. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted July 28, 2019 Author Share Posted July 28, 2019 Day 2 an unexpected great start to the day. Well pleased. 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted August 22, 2019 Author Share Posted August 22, 2019 Old meets new.... The last pieces of track have now been laid on board 4, meeting up with the last part of the original track on board 5. Some that that will be renewed too. Keith has already made a start on the wire and tube runs from the point tiebars back to the point motors which will be installed over the next few weeks. I mean while will make a start on wiring the entire board to meet up with the control panel once again. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted September 15, 2019 Author Share Posted September 15, 2019 The latest work has seen trackwork on board four completed, leading to droppers for the wiring being soldered onto the rails in the relevant places. This has been done using 0.4mm nickel silver wire making it much harder to see from a visual tidiness point of view. Wiring is now underway as can be seen below. Jeff and Richard are heating up the heatshrink to cover the joint between the droppers and the wires. Ignore the mess of wires, it will eventually all be glue gunned down in nice straight lines. A start has been made on this as can be seen on the right hand side of the board. Finally, keith had made a start on the point motors, making up the copper cladd sleeve used to attach the rods to the motor. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted September 15, 2019 Author Share Posted September 15, 2019 A buzz bars have also been included for the following: Track common Point motor common Electro magnet comment LED common. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted September 25, 2019 Author Share Posted September 25, 2019 (edited) Progress from 10 days ago. It looks a lot neater than it did in the above picture. If i dont see a glue gun for a while, ill be a happy man. The next jobs are: Install the point motors and wire in. Solder up wires into the 25 way plugs. Edited September 25, 2019 by SRfanJV 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share Posted October 26, 2019 We're at Taunton Rail-ex this weekend with Bodmin General. We have enjoyed ourselves immensely so far at a very high quality show. Come and see us tomorrow if you can. A couple of photos from today below: 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 (edited) Its been quite a while since the last post. So a little update in what has been going on with Wadebridge. To be honest, most of it is not visible. The Bodmin end fiddle yard has seen the most work. As can be seen in the photos. A new point has been made to allow a gentle alignment into the bodmin side of the fiddle yard. A new handle is in the process of being made for the traverser. The last electrical work on this part of the layout has just been completed. The next piece of progress or regress (dependent on how you look at things) is the removal of all of the trackwork around the turntable and Padstow end of the shed. We felt that the quality of the original trackwork was simply not acceptable to keep, so out it has come back down to the baseboard surface. Repairs will now take place, a new point will be made and then all of the new trackwork will go back down again. Edited January 25, 2020 by SRfanJV 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 (edited) More progress this week with the area at the town end of the loco shed seeing work. This involved clearing the old materials out, sanding and filling where required. Finally new cork has been laid. Keith is now in the process of constructing a new point to replace the old one. There is barely any original track left from the original layout now bar the bit you can see in the picture. Edited February 1, 2020 by SRfanJV 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted March 1, 2020 Author Share Posted March 1, 2020 Recent progress has been focused on getting the fiddle yard complete. The covers for the point motor rods have been made and a first coat of varnish applied. pre varnish and labelling for the 3 way point rotary switch. first coat applied. You can also see that the fiddle yard control panel has had a frame made and once sanded down, this will also get a varnished finish. Supports for the fiddle yard roof are also being made (front right of picture), these are needed in preparation for adding the hinged sections of the roof. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted March 1, 2020 Author Share Posted March 1, 2020 The p-way gang have also been at work on the track by the turntable. The newly made point has been laid in and the track renewed up to the turntable deck. The next piece to lay in comes of off the point and 'S' bends its way towards the coal stage. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted March 1, 2020 Author Share Posted March 1, 2020 (edited) Its not just the layout that is progressing at the moment. We will eventually need enough rolling stock to operate 4 layouts (if and when they all go out together). As part of the drive to fill this requirement, wagon building has been taking place. The wagon above is an SR 12 ton box van kit produce by the 2mm association. The wheelsets are also from the association but have an N gauge profile and the buffers are brass also from the 2mm shop. This was an enjoyable kit the make apart from getting the axlebox covers on. This pin point bearing diameter was too large for that of the box covers and I couldn't ream out the diameter much larger as there wasnt enough material to do so. Having said that, more 2mm association kits will soon be constructed. The second van is from the N gauge society shop but made by peco as a kit. This wascfsr simpler and quicker to build. However, I'm not a fan of the chassis of these kits as they are very 'plasticky' and overscale. Having said that, variety is important so after some underframe mods I will do some more. The couplings are B&B couplings which are far less obtrusive than the regulation rapido coupling. Final detailing such as Vac pipes will be added after painting and transfers have been applied. You can just imagine this as a short Wenford goods, now where is that 1366 tank (progressing slowly...very slowly) or even better a beattie well tank..... Next items will be a Maunsell P set, this is being made up by Andy Cooper for me out of Worsley works kits and 2mm association SR bogies. The next item for me will be a shoc open wagon followed by an SR cattle van. Edited March 1, 2020 by SRfanJV 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRfanJV Posted March 2, 2020 Author Share Posted March 2, 2020 A very quick update tonight. A very basic peco shoc open wagon has been made up. This will be enhanced by cleaning up any bits of swarf and then a good clean up in the sink. I will also be replacing the plastic wheels with metal ones and various bits of detailing added such as draw hooks, vac pipes and then finished off with a trip to the paint shop at somepoint. B&b couplings have been installed as well, nothing to strenous for a Monday. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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