Callow Lane - ex-Midland freight-only line in South Gloucestershire

[Captain Kernow]

3 hours ago, Blandford1969 said:

Here is a link to the original image

Not sure about that being Bath now, the structure above the platform canopy reminds me a bit of Plymouth North Road.

 

[The Stationmaster]

3 hours ago, bgman said:

 

I have found by eating a large tin of baked beans and sitting in a hot bath you get a similar result .

TMI

[Brinkly]

2 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

Not sure about that being Bath now, the structure above the platform canopy reminds me a bit of Plymouth North Road.

 

 

I think you are right, Tim. 

 

Regards,

 

Nick

[The Stationmaster]

1 minute ago, Brinkly said:

 

I think you are right, Tim. 

 

Regards,

 

Nick

But what about that crossover from the siding in the foreground - that doesn't match the middle siding connection at North Road or was that moved at some stage?

[Captain Kernow]

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

But what about that crossover from the siding in the foreground - that doesn't match the middle siding connection at North Road or was that moved at some stage?

I agree, Mike and there is a curve in the picture which doesn't quite fit either, but then again, this looks like it could be the old North Road before the post-war rebuilding, as the image does seem quite venerable.

 

On the other hand, it could be elsewhere but interestingly the Flickr poster thinks it could be Plymouth as well.

 

[Captain Kernow]

For the last couple of weeks or so, I've been trying to get all the basic scenic work done on the back edge of one of the boards, so that I can then turn the board around and get on with the bulk of the scenic stuff, which will need to be accessed from that side (which is the viewing side).

 

This is one reason why I've built the very low relief factory and got the two rows of cottages ready for permanent fitment, also why taking photos with the layout that way round is quite difficult.

 

One of the last things that needed to be done, before I turned the board around, was to bed the goods shed in and plant some greenery along the back wall, which is immediately next to the running line and opposite the cottages and low relief factory.

 

The goods shed was built a few years ago and the construction is shown in some of my blog entries on RMWeb.

 

The goods shed is heavy, being based on the Townstreet plastercast kit. The opening for rail vehicles is also very tight, hence the shed is located using brass spigots, glued to each of the four corners, which in turn locate into brass tubes of the same diameter, epoxied into the baseboard.

 

Although I could glue the shed to the baseboard, it is so heavy that if it became dislodged, I could not risk having it come loose when the boards are stored vertically and crashing through the rest of the scenery.

 

The first thing was to wrap a bit of cling film round the base, next to where the plastering for the ground surface will go, so as to avoid 'gluing' the shed to the layout.

 

 

 

[Captain Kernow]

Once the plaster had dried, the goods shed and cling film were removed, the area painted and then static grass and weeds applied. This side of the goods shed will not normally be seen by those viewing the layout:

 

 

 

 

When the goods shed is removed for storage or transport, the weeds and grass are left by themselves:

 

[Captain Kernow]

Now that most of the basic scenic work to the rear of this baseboard has been done, I re-attached the backscene board, putting the two rows of cottages temporarily in place and turned the baseboard. Each board is rather heavy, the woodwork being quite 'old school'.

 

The backscene hasn't been done yet, hence the bare wood surface.

 

Now I can take photos 'the right way round!':

 

 

[Re6/6]

Very convincing weeds around the goods shed CK. Good stuff!

[Brinkly]

Really nice, Tim: full of character!

Best wishes,

 

Nick

[Compound2632]

Just been through this. Superb stuff though I'm still waiting for a 4F.

[Captain Kernow]

45 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

though I'm still waiting for a 4F

So am I!

 

 

(I do have plans)

 

[lezz01]

Yeh me too. 

Regards Lez.

[Captain Kernow]

I now need to install a weighbridge and associated office.

 

I have a nice etched weighbridge and was thinking of using this rather agreeable Bachmann Pendon brick hut, but I have decided now to scratchbuild one and use the resin model elsewhere.

 

In the meantime, old school landscaping is taking place in the background:

 

Edit - I have added a query about the weighbridge plate in the 'Help' section - 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by Captain Kernow

[Captain Kernow]

I have now started scratchbuilding a model of the brick weighbridge hut from Leckhampton, the drawings for which are in the first volume of the old EricPlans booklets from the 1970s (mine has a price of 36p on the cover!).

I planned to build several structures from the two GW EricPlans booklets back in the day (in the 1970s), but the only one I actually completed was a model of Dunster station building, prior to the reopening of the WSR and long before Hornby had thoughts of bringing out their own version of it (Tim V will probably recall the agonising over the internal arrangements of the gentleman's lavatorial facilities!).

As such, it feels good to be having another go at one of these buildings, even if it's only a small one, all these years later.

 

[Tim V]

23 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

I have now started scratchbuilding a model of the brick weighbridge hut from Leckhampton, the drawings for which are in the first volume of the old EricPlans booklets from the 1970s (mine has a price of 36p on the cover!).

I planned to build several structures from the two GW EricPlans booklets back in the day (in the 1970s), but the only one I actually completed was a model of Dunster station building, prior to the reopening of the WSR and long before Hornby had thoughts of bringing out their own version of it (Tim V will probably recall the agonising over the internal arrangements of the gentleman's lavatorial facilities!).

As such, it feels good to be having another go at one of these buildings, even if it's only a small one, all these years later.

 

I remember that day - October 1975, a mere 46 years ago! I thought we couldn't get into the lavatories at Dunster but you did get in the ones at Washford. You found some graffiti - which I still remember (but can't print here!).

 

 

[Tim Dubya]

1 hour ago, Tim V said:

I remember that day - October 1975, a mere 46 years ago! I thought we couldn't get into the lavatories at Dunster but you did get in the ones at Washford. You found some graffiti - which I still remember (but can't print here!).

 

 

 

Our local station when we retreat to our Somerset Rivera holiday complex...

 

OK, the brother in-laws chalet at Dunster Beach.  "Edge of Beyond*", the best one right next to the golf course.

 

 

 

 

 

*or "Edge of Reason", after a trip to Dunster Village Deli for Rich's Cider.

 

 

[Captain Kernow]

Recent work includes continuing with the 'old school' landscaping and building the weighbridge hut (based on the Leckhampton ones in the Eric Plans book):

 

I've also been playing around with some photos of Victorian factories from the internet, reducing them to a suitable size, cutting them out and placing them between the major existing structures that form the backscene:

 

[Captain Kernow]

I meant to use this photo of the weighbridge hut, which had been given an initial coat of paint:

 

[Captain Kernow]

With the weighbridge hut, I had got to the stage of putting mortar on the brickwork a little while ago:

 

Today, I finished installing the windows:

 

 

[MrWolf]

That is some very neat and tidy work there. I do like the separate sliding sash frame. I'm rather wishing my weighbridge didn't have its back to the audience now!

[NHY 581]

What a terribly neat little building, CK. 

 

Spiffing. 

 

Rob. 

[Captain Kernow]

I hadn't originally planned to have a weighbridge hut on 'Callow Lane', but recently decided that there ought to be one.

 

The location is within the blue circle, at the bottom of the approach lane:

 

As documented earlier in this thread, I have been (slowly!) scratchbuilding a model of the Leckhampton building, using the drawings from the old EricPlans booklet, which for me is a bit of a nostalgic trip back to younger modelling days.

 

The building still isn't finished, but just needs the chimney and roof details finishing off.

 

In the meantime, I have been pondering how to place the Smiths etched weighbridge plate. I wanted it to be flush with the existing yard surface and not visibly sit on top of it.

 

The surface of the yard at that location is tile grout, laid in place a few years ago sanded very smooth, to represent a metaled surface (part of which has worn away in places, to reveal old cobbles beneath).

 

In the end, I marked out the exact site for the weighbridge plate and scored the tile grout, along the outline, with a sharp scalpel. I then got a rotary tool going and removed tile grout to a depth of approx 2mm. The sides were cleaned up and the etched weighbridge plate placed loosely inside, to ensure that it was not proud of the adjacent ground level:

 

 

The weighbridge hut building was also placed alongside, to get an idea of what it would look like:

 

The next step was to glue the etched plate in place, using 5 minute epoxy. Sufficient epoxy was used to act as a 'filler' between the tile grout and the plate itself and the whole thing weighed down until the glue had cured overnight.

 

A very thin gap around the sides of the brass plate were then filled with a mixture of Polyfilla and PVA and left to set overnight.

 

I then marked round the weighbridge plate, to show where I would scribe some surrounding granite setts:

 

I then scribed the setts into the tile grout:

 

 

Next steps, apart from finishing the weighbridge hut, will be to spray the brass plate with primer and a top coat and paint the surrounding granite setts.

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by Captain Kernow

[woodenhead]

11 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

 

Next steps, apart from finishing the weighbridge hut, will be to spray the brass plate with primer and a top coat and paint the surrounding granite setts.

 

Uh oh, I think some of your tile grout has come away exposing the original stone sets near the weighbridge.

[Captain Kernow]

Weighbridge office nearly finished, just need to pain the guttering and downpipes (since done) and apply a little weathering: