Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[Harlequin]

On 09/11/2021 at 17:01, Regularity said:

If these guys can do signal box name boards, why not ask if they can do running in boards?

The S and G characters are wrong, I'm afraid.

 

OK, it's time for me to show my hand. I have made a much more correct GWR Signal Box nameplate font, including the special characters for abbreviations of "Junction" and other similar things. I've got that font tied in to a little bit of graphical magic that lets me type any old text and it automatically expands a nameplate around it.

 

I've already sent John a full set for all his boxes as a PDF. The relief on the characters would be so small at 4mm scale as to not be noticeable so they don't need etching or 3D printing. Just normal printing is good enough and thick photo paper gets you close to the scale thickness for the nameplate (0.3mm). Here's one I made for @Andy Keane last week:

 

And here's my version of Box Signal Box:

 <Lost Image>

 

Notice the S doesn't curl over so much and the rather chunky tail on the G.

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by Harlequin

[KeithMacdonald]

May I recommend these?

 

https://thebeautyoftransport.com/2013/01/02/the-font-of-all-knowledge-gill-sans-and-british-railways-signage/

and

https://thebeautyoftransport.com/2015/02/18/lions-and-wheels-british-railways-lion-emblems-1949-1964/

 

 

[Michael Edge]

Easy enough to etch them, if you design them with the correct font I'll put some on a test etch for you.

[St Enodoc]

13 hours ago, Harlequin said:

 

Very easy to use the proper font in a CAD program to make raised letters, all nicely aligned and centred and 3D print a board...

 

One day perhaps.

[St Enodoc]

16 hours ago, Harlequin said:

The S and G characters are wrong, I'm afraid.

 

OK, it's time for me to show my hand. I have made a much more correct GWR Signal Box nameplate font, including the special characters for abbreviations of "Junction" and other similar things. I've got that font tied in to a little bit of graphical magic that lets me type any old text and it automatically expands a nameplate around it.

 

I've already sent John a full set for all his boxes as a PDF. The relief on the characters would be so small at 4mm scale as to not be noticeable so they don't need etching or 3D printing. Just normal printing is good enough and thick photo paper gets you close to the scale thickness for the nameplate (0.3mm). Here's one I made for @Andy Keane last week:

 

And here's my version of Box Signal Box:

 

Notice the S doesn't curl over so much and the rather chunky tail on the G.

 

Thanks! Now you've broken cover I can confirm that Phil has sent me a PDF with all four Mid-Cornwall Lines signal box nameboards in both 4mm scale and 16mm scale that I can use on the lever frames. I agree that the 4mm scale ones should be fine without relief as the lettering is small enough for that not to be noticeable. My current plan is to print the boards on to self-adhesive labels and stick those to .020" styrene. I'll try one on Porthmellyn Road box when it's finished. Watch this space.

 

13 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

Easy enough to etch them, if you design them with the correct font I'll put some on a test etch for you.

Thanks Mike. I'll discuss this with Phil off-line as the font and the nameplate magic are his IP.

Edited November 10, 2021 by St Enodoc

[Michael Edge]

I'm doing another test etch this month, always looking for bits and pieces to fill them up.

[St Enodoc]

With our next running session looking as though it will go ahead a week today (touch wood), I've been tidying up and sorting a few things out, including testing the signals and the train describer (which were all fine, I'm pleased to say).

 

I'm also making slow but steady progress with the signal box, painting the brown woodwork one side at a time. I tried Tamiya XF-10 Flat Brown but it was drying very fast, which made it tricky getting clean edges. I decided to go back to enamels and, rather than use up my precious supplies of Railmatch 602 GWR Stock Brown, found a very ancient tin of Precision Paints B119 BR Underframe Brown, as used on HSTs and similar. This is in a 50ml tin, which is still about half full and, after stirring in all the sludge, went on very nicely. Once I've done all four sides, and tidied up the edges, I'll do a trial fit of the windows and probably take some more photos.

 

Separately, I've been corresponding with Graeme in Queensland to check the interlocking for the combined Treloggan Junction and Pentowan lever frame. He found a couple of errors, which I've fixed, so I think that's about finalised now.

 

The final task in hand at the moment is to complete the design of Pentowan station, to get the best fit in the length and width available for the three platforms, a small scenic area at the front and of course the carriage sidings. As always, I'm using Computer-Absent Design for this and so far it's looking quite promising.

[St Enodoc]

Well, I've been and gorn and dunnit (again...).

 

I just placed my pre-order for 18100 from Rails of Sheffield. I'll just have to carry on working a bit longer.

[acg5324]

3 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Well, I've been and gorn and dunnit (again...).

 

I just placed my pre-order for 18100 from Rails of Sheffield. I'll just have to carry on working a bit longer.

Just go sick on that extra day.

[St Enodoc]

8 hours ago, acg5324 said:

Just go sick on that extra day.

Might not need to - had a Lotto win last night.

 

After deducting the cost of the ticket, I made a gain of $2.40.

 

Ah, well...

[Barry O]

Yep..we won £3.70 on the Euromillions last night.. equivalent to a loss of£3.50...

 

No private jet to Oz then...

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

It's jacaranda time again, so we went for our walk in Hunters Hill once more, with a nice lunch to follow.

 

Hunters Hill has a large collection of heritage buildings, of which this is one.

 

Behind the trees is the Gladesville Bridge, which is also a heritage structure. Completed in 1964, it is 305m (1000ft) long and at the time was the largest concrete-arch bridge in the world.

Edited June 20, 2022 by St Enodoc
Images restored

[Captain_Mumbles]

I love the Jacarandas!

In a few weeks time maybe not so much!

[FarrMan]

Lovely to see the jacarandas. Reminds me of my weekend in Grafton 34 years ago. Before preaching on the Sunday, I was warned that a kookaburra had a habit of parking on a windowsill and uttering it's well known call!

 

Lloyd

Edited November 15, 2021 by FarrMan
spelling mistakes.

[St Enodoc]

6 minutes ago, FarrMan said:

Lovely to see the jacarandas. Reminds me of my weekend in Grafton 34 years ago. Before preaching on the Sunday, I was warned that a kookaburra had a habit of parking on a windowsill and uttering it's well known call!

 

Lloyd

Grafton is certainly the place for jacarandas.

 

https://www.australiantraveller.com/nsw/north-coast/graftons-jacaranda-season-the-purple-patch-you-need-right-now/

[FarrMan]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

Grafton is certainly the place for jacarandas.

 

https://www.australiantraveller.com/nsw/north-coast/graftons-jacaranda-season-the-purple-patch-you-need-right-now/

It was the end of September when we were there, at the start of the jacaranda season. Lovelly.

 

Lloyd

[St Enodoc]

I've now finished the basic painting of Porthmellyn Road Signal Box, which means that it's ready for the windows to be fitted.

 

 

The windows will hide some of the imperfections that you can see in these close-ups. Downpipes and other odds and ends will hide more and finally some weathering will blend it all together.

 

I've also primed the roof. After another coat it can sit loosely on top of the structure for tomorrow's running session.

 

The next three photos were taken through the railway room door at as wide an angle as I could manage without getting the door frame in the shot.

 

On the left is Porthmellyn Road with St Enodoc on the other side of the gangway.

 

Looking straight up (or down, depending on which side you choose) the peninsula, St Enodoc is on the left and Wheal Veronica on the right.

 

Here St Enodoc and Wheal Veronica are left of centre and the rows of magazine shelves on the right are where Pentowan will be in the not-too-distant future.

 

All is now ready for tomorrow's running session (famous last words). The weak link here is likely to be me, as in about an hour I'm off to a retirement party for two industry colleagues, one of whom has worked for the NSW Public Transport Commission and its successors for a nice round 50 years. It's a good job random drug and alcohol testing hadn't been invented in 1950s Mid-Cornwall...

 

 

Edited June 20, 2022 by St Enodoc
Images restored

[The Stationmaster]

I hope the hydraulic (of a different sort) occasion went well and won't interfere with the running of certain small hydraulics?  The layout looks great and, strange tho' it will sound,  I almost wonder if adding scenery outside the railway boundary fence might actually detract from some of it rather than having the opposite effect?

[Andrew P]

Magnificent John.

[KingEdwardII]

On 14/11/2021 at 09:46, St Enodoc said:

jacaranda time again

The Jacarandas in bloom are one enduring memory of our vacation in Oz. Flying in to Sydney airport over the suburbs, there seemed to be thousands of them throughout the neighbourhoods. We have some great pictures of them in bloom downtown.

 

Yours, Mike.

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

I hope the hydraulic (of a different sort) occasion went well and won't interfere with the running of certain small hydraulics?  The layout looks great and, strange tho' it will sound,  I almost wonder if adding scenery outside the railway boundary fence might actually detract from some of it rather than having the opposite effect?

Thanks Mike. The evening went extremely well and I even managed to get on the right train home (and get off at the right station). The best part was catching up with industry colleagues that I hadn't seen face-to-face for months and face-to-face socially for even longer. The railway family at its best.

 

That's an interesting thought regarding scenery. As others here know I'm not a big "layout in the landscape" person. The main scenery will be the viaduct, some roads, bridges, the seaside at Pentowan and, of course the still-secret scenic treatment between St Enodoc and Wheal Veronica. The rest will be fairly restrained, just to join it all together visually really and reinforce the impression of being somewhere in Cornwall.

 

 

[Stubby47]

1 minute ago, St Enodoc said:

reinforce the impression of being somewhere in Cornwall.

 

 

Ah, lots and lots of seagulls then.

 

And China clay tips.

 

And old engine houses.

[St Enodoc]

21 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

 

Ah, lots and lots of seagulls then.

 

And China clay tips.

 

And old engine houses.

And a lifeboat station...

 

And trees all bent in one direction...

 

And hedges...

 

And WN/SN buses and Royal Blue coaches...

 

And Kelly's ice cream...

 

And...

 

And...

[KingEdwardII]

32 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

lots and lots of seagulls

Guard your chips and your ice creams, then! Them's a set of pirates out to loot you.

 

A problem not unknown in Sydney, such as the restaurants and cafes around Darling Harbour. Water sprays to hand on every table to defend your food!

 

Yours, Mike.

[St Enodoc]

51 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

old engine houses

There's already a Kernow/Bachmann one lurking, temporarily, in the background of the last two photos above, in the space between Treloggan Junction and the Polperran backscene.