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Porthallow - BR(GW) branch terminus


stivesnick
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Molinnis is no more, welcome to my new layout Porthallow. Not so far away geographically, but set 50 years earlier. 

 

Many years ago, it appeared that model railway exhibition shows were dominated by GW branch line terminus layouts. At that time my intent was to do something different. Times have changed, there is more variety of layouts and the release of some new N gauge GWR goodies have resulted in a modelling U turn – so here is my Great Western branch line terminus set in the 1950’s. The intent is to create a layout that is not too cramped and also has space to represent  the edge of the coastal town that the railway serves.

The original idea was to base the layout around Looe in Cornwall. The track plan is distinctive with the platform on the “main line” leading to a separate run round loop and yard. In N, the station and goods yard would have fitted into a 8 foot scenic section. However, I wanted to assume that the dock was still in use for both stone and fish traffic. Even if treated as another fiddle yard, it still adds length. The layout was getting too long, so a re-think was needed.

 

The Looe track plan does not lend itself to compression.  I wanted to keep the 4/5 coach platform length, so the only option was to put the run round loop adjacent to the platform with the goods yard beyond. Although there were plans, never implemented to provide a loop adjacent to the platform, the layout is no longer Looe, hence the name Porthallow  (the next town around the coast). The other main change to the original Looe plan is that line to the docks will run inland rather than along the river edge. 

Gerry Beale’s excellent book “The Liskard and Looe Branch” was used as the basis for the layout to understand how such a route operated and the different types of traffic handled.

 

The layout keeps a number of feature of Looe, these  include:

1.       No engine shed – the line was served from Moorswater shed (also considered as a basis of a model)

2.       Class 45xx locos rule –the pictures in the book after the mid 1920’s show that 45xx locos were used on all passenger and freight services. The train service required 2 locos – the retained mineral  traffic mentioned above would justify a 3rd. On the model, I suspect that the odd pannier tank or the new Sonic models 56xx will appear on special workings.

3.       Mainline tender locomotives were not allowed on the line.

4.       Two sets of coaches are needed for the passenger service. The first set does one return trip in the morning, then the loco works the daily freight. The second set and second loco work the rest of the passenger trains. Many trains had an extra coach or two added during the summer. Non-corridor stock will be used for the passenger service.

5.       Pictures show some mixed trains so a fish or parcels van will be added to some passenger trains.

6.       Although the goods yard was by the river, it was not used as a quay as the yard was upstream from the town bridge.

7.       The operational procedures meant  it was possible to have a locomotive “locked” in the goods yard, whilst a passenger service arrived and departed.

 

Proposed rolling stock for the layout includes:

1.       Passenger Train 1

2.       Passenger Train 2

3.       Excursion Train (corridor stock)

4.       General goods train

5.       Mineral Train

6.       PW Train

 

Scenically, the steep hillside behind the station is retained to justify the long thin railway land between the hill and the river.  Buildings will be freelance rather than try to copy local prototypes and will be located into the hillside with lots of steps between the road and the front doors.  A key building will be a large hotel that overlooks the river and station. Beyond the buffer stops the start of the town centre will be included which also acts as a scenic break to hide the line heading off to the docks.

 

The proposed plan is shown below. The overall length of the layout will be 3300mm x450mm (11 feet x 1 foot 6 inches). The scenic section being around 2000mm.  Behind the railway, the road rises around 50mm from the town to the church at the left hand end of the layout.  In front of the tracks, the land drops down to the river. The dark grey lines represent rock faces with the houses behind the town at around +60mm.  

 

The current lockdown has meant that many of the buildings are already completed. Baseboard kits from White Rose Modelworks have just arrived  and construction is about to start.

 

Any comments welcome 

 

Nick 

Porthallow 2 final.pdf

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The two main baseboards have been built today from White Rose Modelworks kits. The two boards are 1200 x 450mm each. The station board has been modified to remove the front section to allow for the river bank. 

 

As the photos show, the first board has also passed the important "mug of tea on the board test". 

 

Nick 

20200613 baseboard tea test.jpg

20200613 baseboards.jpg

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I have added the "river bed" on the station baseboard, made from 4mm MDF and marked out the track plan to show where the cork roadbed needs to go. The purple line on the town board shows where the backscene will go to hide the dock fiddle yard. 

 

Nick

 

 

20200614 Trackplan from LHS.jpg

20200614 trackplan from dock FY.jpg

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Most of the track has been laid. A couple of minor tweeks -

 

  • The loading dock siding is now straight rather than curved to following the loop. I wasn't happy with the track ending up so close to the line to the docks. It now allows 2 coaches to be stabled and space for a Dapol magnet on straight track.
  • The point at the end of the loop has been changed to a curved point. This allows the track to the dock to be straight rather than the curve shown on the marked up plan in a previous photo.

I have used the section of baseboard top removed to create the river to use a base for the platforms and loading dock. 

 

Following the track laying, the works train waits for the locomotive to return to take the workers home. 

 

Nick 

 

 

20200621 track laid.jpg

20200621 PW train.jpg

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You will have all seen many pictures of the underside of a layout with wires, so I will spare you those.

 

The next building to be considered is the small hotel - shown yellow on the enclosed plan. 

 

A few years ago I brought a Tomytec school kit at the N Gauge show for possible use. The kit comprises a number of partially built modules that simply clip together as shown in the photo.

 

The question is what needs to happy to make it more british?

 

Some inital thoughts:

 

  • Paint the windows white
  • New entrance lobby  as door does not look right - single door with windows either side 
  • New roof finish - Slaters sheet or Redutex tiles 
  • Front patio - possible conservatory 
  • Add chimneys

Anybody got any other suggestions or think the building is so un- British I should start again.

 

Nikc 

hotel location.PNG

20200627 Tomytec hotel start.jpg

20200627 Tomytec hotel close up.jpg

Edited by stivesnick
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Loving the buildings. And as a fellow N gauge modeller with an interest in Cornwall in the 1950s/60s I shall follow closely. It looks like it’ll be a great layout to look at and to operate

 

Just one tiny point - isn’t the nearest town along from Looe Polperro? Porthallow is much further away on the Lizard. It also has potential for a model railway given the quarries nearby - once linked by narrow gauge. But I digress!

 

 

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3 hours ago, TomJ said:

Loving the buildings. And as a fellow N gauge modeller with an interest in Cornwall in the 1950s/60s I shall follow closely. It looks like it’ll be a great layout to look at and to operate

 

Just one tiny point - isn’t the nearest town along from Looe Polperro? Porthallow is much further away on the Lizard. It also has potential for a model railway given the quarries nearby - once linked by narrow gauge. But I digress!

 

 

Hi  Tomj 

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

In addition to the Porthallow on the Lizard there is another village of the same name just a few miles along the coast from Looe. I was just after a suitable name from the region rather than any speciifc location. 

 

Nick 

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10 hours ago, stivesnick said:

 

20200627 Tomytec hotel start.jpg

20200627 Tomytec hotel close up.jpg

 

Hi,

 

Would it be possible to clad this building in brick? That plus the big sash windows might give it a slightly Georgian feel.

 

Regards,

Mat

 

P.S. May your 45xx locos run without demur! I wish mine would!!

Edited by MatP
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Hi Mat 

 

Thanks for your suggestion. The walls of the building are not flat, the lines that can be seen are small ridges that would make cladding with brick papers difficult. but will try out on the spare section to see how it works.

 

Thanks also for the warning about the reliability of the Dapol 45XX - assuming that the Sonic model proves to be good runner, do we start the campaign for a Sonic 45XX or an enhanced Dapol model?

 

Nick 

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My Dapol 45xx is perfectly ok as a runner - although it could give City of Truro a run for its money speed wise! I had it converted to DCC by Digitrains and it’s slow speed control is much better

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Hi,

 

Alas, of my two 45xx's, one shredded its valve gear to pieces and one is so jerky I'm afraid it's about to go the same way. However, there are also good ones out there - and ones that are good runners now have probably stood the test of time and are therefore worth seeking out (a bit like classic Minis?).

 

What about cladding the building in very thin brick plasticard? IMHO the N gauge plasticard from Slater's doesn't look very good, but I have recently made a few small buildings using Expo N gauge plasticard (Hattons still have a few sheets in stock). It's nice and thin, unlike (e.g.) Peco brick sheets.

 

I'm looking forward to the 56xx with great happiness - I have a Welsh Valleys layout that I built 15 years ago (there are a few photos of it in my "Jardine Junction" layout thread. Alas I never got a Langley 56xx kit to cope with the tight curves. Also, given that its price is very reasonable for a loco of today, I would be very happy if it was a success and more tank locos resulted. I think a 4575 would be more suited to a Valleys layout but they're all good!

 

Best Wishes,

Mat

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Have started work on the station building. Like the rest of the layout, the building will be Looe(ish) but not an exact copy. 

 

Cut out the windows and doors this afternoon and formed the stone walls to where the fire places will go.  Designed to use the Gaugemaster/Kestrel doors and windows. Progress picture enclosed. 

 

Nick 

20200704 station building walls.jpg

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Some progress with the station building.

 

The main building elements have been put together and the Gents toilet and the luggage store built. Looe station had a very large luggage store as holiday makers would often arrive on morning trains, but were not allowed to check into hotels until after noon. Luggage was stored at the station for a few hours. 

 

Pictures enclosed. Close up photos and an inital coat of paint, always a good way to identify what further work is required. 

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

 

 

20200705 station building less roof.jpg

20200705 station building less rooof 4.jpg

20200705 station building less roof 5.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

With the backscene now fitted to the town end baseboard, I couldn't resist a mock up showing how the layout might look in the not to dstant future. Some boxes to represent the missing buildings included to give the overall idea. A 45XX brings a train of empty mineral wagons back from the docks.

 

Will likley raise the low relief buildings at the back so they have a better view over the shop roofs. Will also need to think about a better view block when the end is viewed at an angle 

 

Nick 

 

20200718 town mock up 1.jpg

20200718 town mock up 2.jpg

20200718 town mock up 3.jpg

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Some more work on the station building. Roof added. I found a Ratio station canopy parts and these were added to the main building, and used some different material for the canopy for the luggage store. The posters are from Sankey Scenics. 

 

Cruel close up photos show a bit of touching up still to be done.

 

Nick 

 

 

20200719 station building 1.jpg

20200719 station building 2.jpg

20200719 station building 3.jpg

20200719 station building 4.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...

Wiring work on hold due to a shortage of Colbalt point motors, so on with the buildings. 

 

The next building under construction is MacDonald' s Steam Laundry part of the edge of town scene on the right hand side of the layout. 

 

This rather bleak industrial building uses a Modellbahn Union kit. The basic shell is made from 1mm thick card and is covered with textured thinner card. The whole building looked a bit too grey, so I painted the roof in a cream colour to represent asbestos sheeting. I have then added some flues , signs anda few dummy external bulkhead lights. Gutters and perhaps some roff vents to be added. 

 

Pictures enclosed.

 

 

Laundry WIP.jpg

Laundry 1.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Whilst waiting for Colbalt point motors to re-appear I have started work on the scenic side. 

 

First up is the high level road at the back of the town. The basic frame was created from off-cuts of wood. To add interest, the road is on a gradient, so additioal bits of MDF were added to create the bases for the buildings. 

 

Steps up to the houses are cut from the Kestrel / Gaugemaster footbridge kit. I have also added stone walls using Slaters embosed sheet. The original walls followed the line of the road but didn't look right, so were replaced by walls with the tops parallel to the houses - I think that looks much better. The walls need to be painted. 

 

The next  part of the mock up is a cliff face using Chooch Enterprises rubber molded sheet. This also needs painting and will be cut toto smaller sections to allow for some ledges and gullies etc. Any recesses will be filled in with more stone work to create a more even surface for the road.

 

Finally some views across the town to asses the overall effect. Nothing stuck down yet but happy with the progress so far. 

20200905 hl road frame.jpg

20200905 hl road building mock up.jpg

20200905 hl road level walls.jpg

20200905 town view 1.jpg

20200905 town view 2.jpg

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A productive afternoon with some sheets of polystyene, a saw and a hacksaw blade. 

 

With the most of the buildings underway, an opportunity to get a impression of the finished layout. There is room for another set of workers cottages to g behind the pub. The large white card block will be another hotel. 

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

 

 

20200907_layout_view_1_basic_contours.jpg

20200907 layout view 2 main line end.jpg

20200907 layout view 3 station.jpg

20200907 layout view 4 goods yard.jpg

20200907 layout view 5 from dock end.jpg

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Been working on the cliffs and platforms this week. 

 

As mentioned in a previous post, the cliffs are formed from Chooch Enterprises rubber sheeting. I brought them at at exhibition some time ago, I can't remember which stand. They are easy to cut with a sharp blade. A bit of best Poundland interior ready mixed filler was used to hide the joint. Painted grey as a base colour then other colours added later. 

 

The platfroms are based around Peco stone platform edging. I assumed that the platform was extended by a coach length at some time to cater for the holiday traffic. The extension was assumed to have a sleeper front (2mm Slaters planking sheet) held together with sections of rail (plastic C section). The platform itself is 1mm card. Finishes to be added later.

 

The road surface has been added, again from 1mm card and some filler used to start to blend everything in. 

 

Progress photos enclosed. The space for the signal box is looking a bit tight, was there a minimum distance the signal box should be from the running rail? I need to allow space for a Dapol signal between the platform end and the signal box. 

 

 

20200912 cliffs and platforms 1.jpg

20200912 cliffs and platforms 2.jpg

20200912 cliffs and platforms 3.jpg

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