Yelverton

[AdeMoore]

Going well Alex looks very good,

The coupling on the van is one I do not recognise?

 Cheers 

Ade

[wiggoforgold]

DG Ade. If you look closely at 4658 there is one there as well, but without the loop. 4574 will be similarly fitted in due course.

Alex

[46444]

1 hour ago, wiggoforgold said:

The pictures reveal 4658 needs some glazing. 4574 needs a change of identity as further research suggests it was unlined when working on the branch. It also currently retains tension locks following a visit to Bleat Wharf in January.

 

 

Great stuff Alex. 

 

I do believe Extreme Etchings Lazer Glaze do suitable replacement Bachmann 8750 flush glazing. 

 

Hope that's of some help. 

 

Cheers, 

 

Mark 

[mullie]

That is looking really good, I do like a bit of Das ballasting it looks really effective.

 

Martyn

[Brinkly]

23 hours ago, wiggoforgold said:

The pictures reveal 4658 needs some glazing. 4574 needs a change of identity as further research suggests it was unlined when working on the branch. It also currently retains tension locks following a visit to Bleat Wharf in January.

 

 

Hi Alex,

 

4574 was unlined, certainty from March 1961 onwards, having received a general overhaul at Swindon in February/March 61. I'm not sure what livery the locomotive would have been in before this date.

 

From January 1957 until October 1961 4574 was based at Truro. 

October 1961 - August 1962 Newton Abbot was her home shed.

August 1962 - being withdrawn in March 1963 she was based at Laira. 

 

I'm currently in the process of working out what worked on the line and when. I have quite a few gaps, however, I do have quite a bit of information for summer 1961 onward - all of this information comes from photographs, which can be cross-examined, so it is accurate! 

 

Other possible options could be;

 

4561 was based at Laira from July 1961 until being withdrawn in May 1962. Not many photographs, but a couple taken at Horrabridge in July 1961 shows lining and  a small late crest.

 

4566 was transferred to Laira in October 1961, having previously been a Truro locomotive. 4566 received her final overhaul at Newton Abbot in June/July 1960 and was outshopped in lined green with small late crest. She was withdrawn, I think, in April 1962.  

 

4570 was photographed on the branch a couple of times in August 1962, having moved up from Penzance in the July of that year. She was lined with small later crest.

 

The only other regular 45xx locomotive to work the line from the summer of 1962 onward was 4555, and quite frequently  performer until closure later that year. 4555 was the sole member of the class based at Laira still sporting her early BR black livery with early crest ,and was bought for preservation in this condition in 1963. 

 

One earlier example which I can draw on is 4549, which sported the original BR black livery with small cycling lion crest; although, the smokebox number had been removed - possibly nicked - and sported a GWR style buffer beam number from early 1960 until her even in  December 1961. 4549 only worked on the branch for a few months between early 1960 and the summer of that year; transferring to Penzance. She was in appalling external condition in the couple of photographs I've seen. 

 

Quite a lot of photographs of the line were taken over the winter of 1955/1956 before the closure of the Princetown branch, and I think every locomotive was in plain black with the early BR cycling lion crest. A lot of the photographs of locomotives in this 'era' were withdrawn in the late 1950s and I think most were painted black. 

 

Again, there is another flurry of photographs taken from the summer of 1961 onwards - presumably because enthusiasts and local residents knew that closure was not far off - there were a lot of debates in parliament over rationalising the railways in that area during 1961.  January 1962 formal notice was given that that the line would close to all traffic in December, and certainly the number of photographs being take rocketed that year. 

 

There were a healthy number of the larger tank variant based at Laira. 4588, 4589, 4592, 5511, 55315541, 5544, 5545, 5560, 5568, 5569 and 5572 all operated on the branch between 1958-1962, but not at the same time! Liveries vary, but certainly from 1961 onward, only 5511 was still in in the earlier black livery with a large lion crest. 

 

Hope this is of use. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Nick.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by Brinkly
Typo

[wiggoforgold]

Thank you Nick. That is all very useful. I've done 4555 in unlined black with the large crest. Here is a picture.

 The model is repainted Bachmann. I didn't do a lot to it, just changed the smoke box door dart for a Markits one, removed the moulded coal, and added the two grab rails on top of the boiler which not all 45's seem to have had. In the family archives there is a photo of me standing on the footplate of 4555 at Buckfastleigh in 1967, so I had to have a model!

The current 4574 will be renumbered as one in your list in lined BR green with a small crest. I'll do a new 4574 in plain green. as she was when running on the branch. She was outshopped in lined green, and there is a photo of her with lining earlier in this thread, but she seems to have lost it before coming to Laira.

There is a colour picture of 4549 with the GWR style bufferbeam number on p95 of Michael Welch's "Western Steam in Devon and Cornwall". Is that the one you mean?

Once I've done the 45's and 4575's, I'll need to do a 14xx, so I'm following your thread for building the Comet chassis with interest.  I've got an old Airfix body, which I hope to make into 1434 in plain black.

 

Alex

Edited May 4, 2020 by wiggoforgold

[Brinkly]

11 minutes ago, wiggoforgold said:

Thank you Nick. That is all very useful. I've done 4555 in unlined black with the large crest. Here is a picture.

 The model is repainted Bachmann. I didn't do a lot to it, just changed the smoke box door dart for a Markits one, removed the moulded coal, and added the two grab rails on top of the boiler which not all 45's seem to have had. In the family archives there is a photo of me standing on the footplate of 4555 at Buckfastleigh in 1967, so I had to have a model!

The current 4574 will be renumbered as one in your list in lined BR green with a small crest. I'll do a new 4574 in plain green. as she was when running on the branch. She was outshopped in lined green, and there is a photo of her with lining earlier in this thread, but she seems to have lost it before coming to Laira.

There is a colour picture of 4549 with the GWR style bufferbeam number on p95 of Michael Welch's "Western Steam in Devon and Cornwall". Is that the one you mean?

Once I've done the 45's and 4575's, I'll need to do a 14xx, so I'm following your thread for building the Comet chassis with interest.  I've got an old Airfix body, which I hope to make into 1434 in plain black.

 

Alex

 

Looks good, Alex.

 

I've detailed a couple of mine so far. In addition to the work you have done, I've replaced the top-feed on all of mine using Alan Gibson fittings. A couple have also received new whistles and I'm tempted to replace the chimney on one to see how it looks. I'm not convinced Bachmann have captured it correctly. I think it is a bit too wide on the top. Certainly, putting a Malcolm Mitchell one next to it high-lights the difference. One other easy fix is to replace the bogie and pony wheels. I've used Alan Gibson 3'2" examples on a few of mine. It doesn't affect the running characteristics, but visually it is a big improvement. I fitted Romford couplings to 5569, but I'm going to replace it with a Smith's, or possible Masokits coupling, as it is too 'chunky' for me! I also haven't replicated the bent frames on 5569, as she was circa 1958!

 

 

 

In Great Western Railway Journal No 16. (Autumn 1995) there is a rather detailed article on 4555, which is worth getting hold of. Also, in No. 17 (Winter 1996) there is a lovely article about Tavistock South station and a very detailed set of photographs of 4555 at Buckfastleigh taken that very year you stood on the loco! July 1967. No. 41 (Winter 2002) has a very detailed report of the operation of the Launceston branch, which is very useful. Lastly, No. 101 (Winter 2017) is an absolutely must for you, as it contains a very detailed article about the operation of Yelverton station before the signal box was taken out of use. Have you got Bernard Mills' latest book - Backtracking Around Plymouth, Tavistock South and Launceston? Probably the best book I bought in 2018! The photographs are lovely. 

 

Yes, that's the one of 4549. I have seen some black and white photos of her on the run into Tavistock. Interestingly, 4591 also 'lost' her smokebox number in 1962 and someone painted a GWR style number on the buffer beam. 

 

1434 is a good one to do. The loco arrived at Laira in May 1955, but by mid 1958 she had received a coat of green paint, full lining and the later BR crest. I'm fairly certain she was sent as a replacement for 1408, which was withdrawn on 21st May 1955. 

 

1420 is another possible candidate being based at Laira between August 1959 and February 1962; although, I haven't come across any photographs of her on the line in the 10 plus years (is it really that long!?) I've been researching and building my layout. 

 

Right, I'm off to fit a few more transfers to a BR auto trailer! 

 

Best wishes,

 

Nick.

 

 

[wiggoforgold]

Thanks again Nick. The pony wheels look good. Where did you source  the whistles?

Alex

[Brinkly]

I went for Modelu in the end. I fitted them to a couple, 5569 awaits a set!

 

 

On one of the Panniers, I used a Finney whistle shield etch, with Modelu whistles and it does look 'right'. For a 2003 model, I don't think Bachmann did a bad job in fairness to them. I also fitted Finney lamp brackets to a couple of locomotives too, but I cannot for the life of me remember which ones I fitted them to.

 

Best wishes,

Nick.

 

[Tankerman]

On 04/05/2020 at 20:35, wiggoforgold said:

Thank you Nick. That is all very useful. I've done 4555 in unlined black with the large crest. Here is a picture.

 The model is repainted Bachmann. I didn't do a lot to it, just changed the smoke box door dart for a Markits one, removed the moulded coal, and added the two grab rails on top of the boiler which not all 45's seem to have had. In the family archives there is a photo of me standing on the footplate of 4555 at Buckfastleigh in 1967, so I had to have a model!

The current 4574 will be renumbered as one in your list in lined BR green with a small crest. I'll do a new 4574 in plain green. as she was when running on the branch. She was outshopped in lined green, and there is a photo of her with lining earlier in this thread, but she seems to have lost it before coming to Laira.

There is a colour picture of 4549 with the GWR style bufferbeam number on p95 of Michael Welch's "Western Steam in Devon and Cornwall". Is that the one you mean?

Once I've done the 45's and 4575's, I'll need to do a 14xx, so I'm following your thread for building the Comet chassis with interest.  I've got an old Airfix body, which I hope to make into 1434 in plain black.

 

Alex

 

I used to go to Penryn station to watch the trains in the 1950's, being 10 in 1956 I wasn't allowed to go to the 'big' station at Truro on my own. 4561 was my favourite loco as she often worked the Saturday goods and I loved watching the shunting of the wagons.

 

At that time she was early BR black, not that clean and still had 4561 in gold on the red buffer beam, which at that age puzzled me, as I didn't understand that it was from the GWR days.

[wiggoforgold]

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been working on the backdrop for Yelverton. The prototype was surrounded by trees, particularly at the northern end of the station. At the southern end, the trees thin out a bit, and there are views of Plymouth and the English Channel in the distance.

I’ve tried to replicate this with the backscene on the model. At the northern (Tavistock) end of the layout, the landscape will be heavily wooded, less so at the southern end. At the northern end there a vies of the distant moor behind the trees.

The main part of the backscene is made from 6mm ply, and forms a spine for the layout. At the ends of the layout, this section has been left full height, as it has a secondary function of protecting the scenery when the layout is being transported. In the visible section, the top of the backdrop has been sculpted to match the scenery. The curved end sections are from artists mounting board.

When it is finished, the backdrop will comprise 3 parts, each one slightly behind each other, to give an impression of depth. At the front are trees, behind these are the distant tors, and behind that will be a roll up backcloth for the sky.

The trees are from ID backscenes. I also used their “Hills and Dales” sheet for the distant hills and the more open land at the southern end. As printed, the sections didn’t quite do what I wanted, so I cut out sections an rearranged them to give the effect I wanted.

The tors behind the trees are from a photo I took of Cox Tor and Staple Tor last summer. They are on a separate piece of ply, which will clip in place behind the main backscene.

Finally there will be a plain backdrop behind these. This will roll up as a single piece, and will be suspended from the rear lighting gantry which runs the length of the layout. This will probably be made from two thicknesses of Buckram, and sprayed with white and blue aerosols, as on my Upwell Drove layout.

Alex

 

[lezz01]

Nice Alex. You need to colour the top edge of the tree outlines, or they will stand out in the wrong way, to finish them off.

Regards Lez.

[brianusa]

Don't forget the station road coming off the moor; makes a nice divider!  Its all beginning  to look real good!

      Brian.

[Captain Kernow]

On 04/05/2020 at 21:19, Brinkly said:

1420 is another possible candidate being based at Laira between August 1959 and February 1962

After which, she went to Hereford (out-stabled at Leominster often enough), to work the Kington and Presteigne goods services, along with 1458.

 

All looking very nice, Alex!

 

[wiggoforgold]

Separation of the three scenic boards for Yelverton has taken place, and the sections are currently in the workshop so i can work on the wiring underneath the boards in comfort.

Prior to the take down I completed the installation of the proscenium. The sign was made for me from my sketches by Colin Farrant of Charlie Foxtrot Models at Trehunist near Liskeard. Colin usually makes buildings for wargames, but he is doing some commission work for me. The font is Clarendon, tweaked slightly to match the font used by the Great Western on the original sign, for which there is no exact match.

 

Alex

[bgman]

The sign looks very well made Alex and thanks for sharing the source.

I just ordered a couple of paint bottle holders ( much needed ! ) from his website and are cheaper than similar products I have seen, it'll help to tidy up my errant Vallejo collection.

 

G

[NHY 581]

Looks very nice indeed, Alex. 

 

 

This is turning into a lovely layout indeed. 

 

 

Rob. 

[bgman]

On 21/05/2020 at 09:34, bgman said:

The sign looks very well made Alex and thanks for sharing the source.

I just ordered a couple of paint bottle holders ( much needed ! ) from his website and are cheaper than similar products I have seen, it'll help to tidy up my errant Vallejo collection.

 

G

 

Hi Alex,

 

Further to the above post these arrived earlier and certainly tidy up some of my Vallejo bottles, very neat, inexpensive, helpful and so easy to put together.

 

 

 

Once again thanks for the info, usual disclaimer etc ref the supplier, but happy and also its "locally-ish produced".

 

I hope you don't mind me sharing these here.

 

G

[The Fatadder]

Not sure how unique the photos are, but if you have a look on Facebook at the group “Yelverton Roundabout” (a local history page) there are a good number of historic views of the station (along with other local stations).   It should be possible to find without an account. 

[wiggoforgold]

6 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Not sure how unique the photos are, but if you have a look on Facebook at the group “Yelverton Roundabout” (a local history page) there are a good number of historic views of the station (along with other local stations).   It should be possible to find without an account. 

Thanks Rich. I had a look. There's some photos there I hadn't seen before, and some I had, but better versions.

[wiggoforgold]

10 hours ago, bgman said:

 

Hi Alex,

 

Further to the above post these arrived earlier and certainly tidy up some of my Vallejo bottles, very neat, inexpensive, helpful and so easy to put together.

 

 

 

Once again thanks for the info, usual disclaimer etc ref the supplier, but happy and also its "locally-ish produced".

 

I hope you don't mind me sharing these here.

 

G

Not at all Graham. They look rather good. I must investigate his website to see if he does ones for Mig.

[bgman]

11 hours ago, wiggoforgold said:

see if he does ones for Mig.

 

Hi Alex, if you do find out would you let me know please as these are ideal and much better value I think.

 

G

[wiggoforgold]

Accommodation bridge at the north end of the station under construction.

 

Alex

[brianusa]

Convincing backdrop which looks good!

       Brian.

[wiggoforgold]

More progress on the accommodation bridge.  I didn't like the stonework, so I replaced it.  At the same time I changed the angle the bridge crosses the line at slightly, and this allowed me to rework the profile of the scenery.  I think the end result is an improvement.

I've done a bit more painting of the bridge, and am just waiting for some more etched mesh so I can finish the far side.

 

Alex