Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[TrevorP1]

Mid Cornwall is starting to look impressive John!

I noticed the Indian Queens station sign. Especially bearing in mind the conversation on my thread about Cornish place names, I’m wondering where on earth the name ‘Indian Queens’ came from or come to that places like ‘Budges Shop’ (I think that’s right)?

[Chamby]

7 hours ago, TrevorP1 said:

Mid Cornwall is starting to look impressive John!

I noticed the Indian Queens station sign.... I’m wondering where on earth the name ‘Indian Queens’ came from...?

 

It’s something to do with the pub... it started out as The Queen’s Head, and had a sign with Queen Victoria on one side, and an Indian on the other, on the basis that Queen Victoria was also the Queen of India.  It became the Indian Queen Hotel, hence the evolution of Indian Queen’s.  The fact that the painted Indian on the pubs sign was an American Indian is beside the point...

 

Tales of Pocahontas staying in the village are probably untrue, the name didn’t emerge until 200 years after her alleged stay.  Apparently the location was named White Splat before. 

 

[Oldddudders]

7 minutes ago, Chamby said:

White Splat 

Sounds like the name of a movie you might not find on Netflix

[St Enodoc]

11 hours ago, KingEdwardII said:

I'm sorry to say that VGA is more archaeology than technology these days. Things are moving in the direction of ever-smaller connectors. My latest laptop only has USB-C connectors, even for the monitor connectors - they work perfectly, but it took a set of new cables & adaptors when I first got the machine.

 

The Raspberry Pi400 has a pair of HDMI connectors, but even there, the USB-C connector has made an appearance.

 

Yours, Mike.

Fair comment, Mike. The monitor also has an HDMI socket but the whole thing is mounted high on the wall with the cables in a surface conduit (see photo above), so the adaptor was a far easier way to go than removing the old VGA cable and replacing it with HDMI.

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, Chamby said:

 

Apparently the location was named White Splat before.

White Splat would be quite appropriate for some of the track in china-clay country.

[Chamby]

5 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

White Splat would be quite appropriate for some of the track in china-clay country.

 

Not forgetting the Herring Gulls, of course...

[St Enodoc]

26 minutes ago, Chamby said:

 

Not forgetting the Herring Gulls, of course...

Definitely appropriate for the beach at Pentowan!

[St Enodoc]

On 20/03/2021 at 18:24, St Enodoc said:

That looks very nice, Ron. I will need two more boxes in due course and this "Cookham" box will add a bit of variety, being gable ended rather than hipped roof. I was going to cut and shut a couple of the small Ratio boxes but I might well get one of these instead.

 

Thanks.

Ordered today, following an email conversation with Andy regarding an extra window in the back, which he is able and willing to provide. That's Treloggan Junction Signal Box taken care of. Pentowan will probably be a straightforward Ratio 552 but with the steps at the other end.

[St Enodoc]

Spoiler alert...

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The Waratahs looked good for the first ten minutes, when they led 6-0. Then the Reds woke up and it was business as usual, as predicted. Consequently, both sides retained their 100% records for the season.

 

Back in the railway room today I had a very satisfying afternoon. I completed as much of the wiring on the old Board 4 as I could, given that some track and points have still to be laid in their new positions, and all of the wiring on the old Board 5.

 

I think that the green wires on Board 4 are connected correctly. The multimeter suggested that they are but until I get the point motors working I'm only 99% sure.

 

The trailing wires will be connected to their respective buses once the boards are back in place. The rest of the wiring will have to be installed from underneath but I'm pleased to have got the majority of it done.

 

In fact, on Board 5 the only wiring left is to connect the positive side of the uncoupler magnet to its switch.

 

The two bolts left of centre hold the station building in place on the platform.

 

In case anyone's wondering about Porthmellyn Road signal box, I have started to build it, beginning with the roof, to confirm the final size. I've cut and joined the two sections and started to fill the gaps at the joint. Photos to come when it's a bit more presentable.

Edited June 28, 2023 by St Enodoc
Images restored

[nerron]

8 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Ordered today, following an email conversation with Andy regarding an extra window in the back, which he is able and willing to provide. That's Treloggan Junction Signal Box taken care of. Pentowan will probably be a straightforward Ratio 552 but with the steps at the other end.

Andy is very helpful and thoughtful.He sent me extras of the more delicate parts  because the package had such a long journey to Oz thus increasing the risk of damage!

[St Enodoc]

The Modelmasters numberplates for 8485 still haven't arrived, so I'm beginning to think they are lost in transit. Consequently, last night I ordered a set of 3D transfers from @railtec-models. I've read good reports of these on RMweb and in the magazines, so it will be good to try them myself.

[St Enodoc]

The next job on the layout itself is to connect St Enodoc station to Porthmellyn Road. The idea is to get St Enodoc operational in "fiddle yard" mode to terminate the china-clay trains away from Porthmellyn Road.

 

First I had to fix the two station boards in position permanently. I loosened everything off then glued the inter-board face before adjusting the rail alignments and clamping everything up before the glue set. The four straight tracks are fine but I'll have to adjust Up Siding 2 where the track crosses the baseboard join at about 45 degrees. To be honest, this join always gave me grief on the old layout.

 

Next I started the connection between the station and the Up and Down Branch tracks. I laid 10A points and also the short linking section on the Up line between 7B points and 15 points. Both these cross the baseboard join, which is now a permanent fixture. I won't lay 10B points, though, until I've decided on the relative positions of the signal box and the Down Siding.

 

Tomorrow I plan to lay the connecting track between 10A points and St Enodoc and, time permitting, carry on wiring.

 

 

These two photos show the state of play so far. You can see how 10A points are displaced in the Up direction by about 90mm from their former position, due to converting St Enodoc from single- to double-track. I also filled some of the redundant point motor and signal holes with scraps of cork to make life easier when ballasting. The old layout had two Down sidings here - I've reduced that to one, which will be a dummy for the Camping Coach.

 

Finally, I shunted 4206 and the long clay train back as far as I could before reaching 15 points. If I'd gone any further it would have derailed, because until this point motor is powered up it is still in the central position as supplied.

Edited June 28, 2023 by St Enodoc
Images restored

[TrevorP1]

7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

The Modelmasters numberplates for 8485 still haven't arrived, so I'm beginning to think they are lost in transit. Consequently, last night I ordered a set of 3D transfers from @railtec-models. I've read good reports of these on RMweb and in the magazines, so it will be good to try them myself.

I’ve been waiting a while for a set of transfers from Modelmaster and I think delays are quite common. Hopefully all will be well. It will be interesting to see what you think of the Railtec transfers though.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, TrevorP1 said:

I’ve been waiting a while for a set of transfers from Modelmaster and I think delays are quite common. Hopefully all will be well. It will be interesting to see what you think of the Railtec transfers though.

They were shipped on 5/1/21, Trevor. Even in present times, other things are arriving in under three months, which is why I've activated Plan B.

 

I wonder who I know that could use a spare set of numbers for a Truro-based 94xx...

[The Fatadder]

11 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

The Modelmasters numberplates for 8485 still haven't arrived, so I'm beginning to think they are lost in transit. Consequently, last night I ordered a set of 3D transfers from @railtec-models. I've read good reports of these on RMweb and in the magazines, so it will be good to try them myself.

I was pleased with the modern plates I used on a recent class 37, so will be interested to see how the GWR plates come out.  I have been looking at the lined version with the thought that it would be a lot easier than adding lining to the model masters plates on my Kings and Castles.

[Oldddudders]

3 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

They were shipped on 5/1/21, Trevor. Even in present times, other things are arriving in under three months,

On 12 December, I bought an ebay item from Oz. A photograph, unframed, it arrived safely on the 17th March. Things are that slow. 

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

I shipped a parcel to Germany at the end of February.  After a month had gone by the chap asked me where it was.  I had a look at the tracker and it was sitting in a warehouse in Hamburg.  Don't worry, I said, it'll be there soon...

 

A day later it arrived back at my house covered in stickers claiming it was too big to go through his post box and that he'd not come to collect it.  

 

Needless to say it's on its way back to Munich while my chum has a very teutonic melt down at DHL.

 

The real irony is in any normal year I would have taken it over myself, but since A Certain Event happened I no longer go to Munich as my prestigious internship with a well known German car maker does not run anymore. 

 

Also covid I suppose. Taken together further proof that Modern Life Is Rubbish.

[TrevorP1]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

They were shipped on 5/1/21, Trevor. Even in present times, other things are arriving in under three months, which is why I've activated Plan B.

 

I wonder who I know that could use a spare set of numbers for a Truro-based 94xx...

 

As much as I admire the Bachmann 94 I'm resisting...  at the moment...

 

A New Years resolution was to limit the number of loco acquisitions this year. I'm very happy with the 74XX I acquired and there is an Accurascale Manor on order. Not forgetting the 'wild card' 18000 from Rails - few people know that the real thing was often used on the 9:00pm ECS from Penzance to Millbay...

 

Thats it for 2021! (He says hopefully...).

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, TrevorP1 said:

few people know that the real thing was often used on the 9:00pm ECS from Penzance to Millbay...

Well, I did!

[SJR]

8 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

On 12 December, I bought an ebay item from Oz. A photograph, unframed, it arrived safely on the 17th March. Things are that slow. 

We seem to be very fortunate in NZ. Items airmailed from the UK are arriving here anytime between 7 - 14 days. In some instances this is better than pre Covid. It might have something to do with the NZ Government directly funding international air carriers to maintain airfreight links vital to our export sector. Transit times from Australia are not so good. I ordered some replacement tyres for a Dinky Toy from a chap in Melbourne; took 29 days...

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, SJR said:

We seem to be very fortunate in NZ. Items airmailed from the UK are arriving here anytime between 7 - 14 days. In some instances this is better than pre Covid. It might have something to do with the NZ Government directly funding international air carriers to maintain airfreight links vital to our export sector. Transit times from Australia are not so good. I ordered some replacement tyres for a Dinky Toy from a chap in Melbourne; took 29 days...

It's been very random here. Some things have arrived in a week, most in 3 -5 weeks, some in a couple of months, some not at all. My April Railway Modeller has arrived already but the March issue hasn't! Pre-CoViD-19 two weeks was about the average.

[St Enodoc]

Today I laid the missing link between St Enodoc 10A points and the Down platform.

 

After I'd done so, I found that the tiebar on 10A points was broken so I had to replace it, which is always more awkward on the layout than on the bench and therefore takes a bit longer. As a result, I had time to fit the point motor and connect it up and do some, but not all, of the wiring today.

 

I did, though, throw 10A and 15 points, and handpoints A, using a battery and wander leads, which let me push 4206 into the Up platform for a photo. On the right you can see an off-cut of MDF that I clamped to the end of the baseboard to form a temporary buffer stop.

Edited June 28, 2023 by St Enodoc
Images restored

[Barry O]

This is speeding along....

 

Yes  parcels to Oz don't take as long as "letters" for some reason (seen as a lower priority for the airfreight business?)

 

Baz

[5BarVT]

St Enodoc part covered with clay is looking good.  (Please don’t take it personally!!!)

Paul.

[Chamby]

16 hours ago, TrevorP1 said:

 

... A New Years resolution was to limit the number of loco acquisitions this year...

 

Ditto.  

 

I succumbed last week when I found that a very nice Hornby Grange had been added to Kernow’s bargains list.  It’s such a lovely model and runs so well that I don’t feel guilty at all, and am now very tempted to get another one!