Teignbridge (change for Upcombe branch)

[gwrrob]

Beautiful and a man after my own heart.45xx's and the Kingsbridge branch, what more could we want.

[westerner]

The backscene under the viaduct looks superb.

[Highlandman]

This is a fantastic model of Devon railways. The backscene is amazing and shows up the stock crossing the viaduct superbly, and Kingsbridge stock at that.

 

Keep up the great work. If i can make my attempt half as good as yours I'll be very pleased.

[john flann]

David, just found this. I agree wholeheartedly with every previous remark in praise and I look forward to seeing more.

 

You have certainly capture the essence of a GWR country branch. Well done.

 

Best wishes,

[Ardmore]

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been adding some buildings to Station Road in Teignbridge. Using the Wills Craftsman's Kits CK20 and CK21 ( post office and semi-detached stone cottages), I have created a row of cottages and shop to go next to the Royal Oak pub. The Wills kits come with coarse stone sheets for the walls, but in my opinion these are much more suitable for major civil engineering works such as bridges. I therefore substituted lime washed stone sheets for the walls as these (to my eye) give a better representation of typical south Devon buildings. 

 

 

 

 

This is still a work in progress as I plan to add some paving in front of the pub and shop, and walls and gardens in front of the cottages. The Whitbread lorry (like my other road vehicles has been sprayed with matt varnish (the windows need to be masked first!).

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

David

[Ardmore]

Like so many others, I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bachmann's new class 64XX pannier tanks. Mine arrived from across the Atlantic last week, and it's now made its debut on the Upcombe branch. Here we see it standing at the branch line platform at Teignbridge.

 

 

 

It's now leaving for the trip down the branch, auto coach leading. Until the new Bachmann auto coach is released later this year, the 64XX will be paired with the Airfix-DapolHornby model that dates back to the late 1970s. Even the most recent versions of this coach come with plastic wheels, so this one has been redone with metal wheels and the coupling at the outer (driver's) end has been removed.

 

 

 

Here it is again, passing the advanced starter on the approach to the branch line terminus.

 

 

 

And to finish, here are a couple of shots of the train standing at the platform in Upcombe.

 

 

 

 

 

I much prefer to have my pannier tanks in unlined black rather than lined green, so for the time being I'm going to assume that Newport Ebbw Junction has sent 6417 to Laira on a short-term loan (rule 1 applies). From the photographs I've seen, it looks like most of the Laira 64XXs got repainted into green by the end of the 1950s, but If anyone knows if any of the Plymouth allocation remained in black until 1960 or 1961, I'd be grateful for any information.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

David   

Edited September 1, 2022 by Ardmore

[Ardmore]

It's been a while since I posted any pictures of main line traffic at Teignbridge, so here are a few west-bound trains seen earlier this afternoon. First up is no. 6815 Frilford Grange with a Class C parcels train.

 

 

 

Not long after, no. 2846 came through with a Class E partly-fitted freight.

 

 

 

 

I haven't had much free time in the last couple of weeks to progress the scenic work on the layout, but the observant will notice that I have completed installation of the fence posts on the south side of Station Road.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

David

[Ardmore]

It's been a while since I last posted, but I've been doing other things and it's only in recent weeks that I've had a chance to resume work on the layout. The most significant development has been the completion of the river under the branch line viaduct. Here are a few photographs showing the work in progress. The first step was to mould the banks using DAS clay incorporating a few small flat stones I collected in Scotland last year. I also pressed some Woodland Scenics Talus into the river bed before the clay dried. Once it had dried, I coated the banks with a matt red-brown emulsion and scattered on some Woodland Scenics blended fine turf. 

 

 

The next step was to add a layer of static grass to both river banks.

 

 

I then painted the river bed with Vallejo burnt umber. When that had dried, I added a layer of PVA glue and scattered on more Talus.

 

 

 

 

Finally, I poured on four thin layers of Woodland Scenics Realistic Water, allowing each layer to dry before proceeding. The instructions recommend a minimum interval of 24 hours between layers, but I played safe and waited 48 hours. Here are a couple of photographs of my finished effort, one from the back and one from the front of the layout, the former taken before I reattached the backscene.

 

 

 

And finally, here is the first branch train crossing the viaduct since the river was completed.

 

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

David

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Ardmore

[Andrew P]

Hi David, Wow what a wonderful eye for detail and I love the work on the Wills Viaduct and the Water effect is spot on. I cant wait to see more as I am planning something quite similar but in Cornwall. Your Station and track work have come out top notch, thanks for updating and the pics are amazing, plus as I have said to John Flann, (Hintock) I love the little stories with the pictures.

 

Thanks again.

[gismorail]

Wow this layout is getting better every time you post new pictures,

[Andy R]

David- I have to endorse the recent comments -your layout is evolving to be a beautiful essay of south Devon.

 

I for one really value your step by step descriptions of how you have created some features- such as the viaduct (earlier posts) and now the river scene. So helpful for those of us yet to start such scene on our own layouts.

 

I look forward to more updates and inspiration.

 

regards, Andy R

[Highlandman]

A fantastic model of South Devon. The river under the viaduct is a wonderfully observed piece of modelling. I can't wait to see more progress on this layout..

[Dbr1295]

Wonderful modelling. That view along the river in the second to last picture is fantastic.

[mightbe]

Lovely scene, especially with the larger rocks poking out of the bank--not a feature modeled often. VERY good backscene as well. Did you photograph it?

 

Also, what kind of static grass are you using? (both here in the valley and elsewhere)

 

Quentin

[Ardmore]

Lovely scene, especially with the larger rocks poking out of the bank--not a feature modeled often. VERY good backscene as well. Did you photograph it?

 

Also, what kind of static grass are you using? (both here in the valley and elsewhere)

 

Quentin

 

 

Hi Quentin,

 

The back scene behind the viaduct is made up of three layers of iD Backscenes sheets. At the back, the distant view is Series 207 Hills and Dales Pack A. In front of it, the foreground is a cut-down of Series 203 English Village Pack B (with the sky removed), and in front of that, just above the river are some bushes and fields also cut-down from the Series 203 Pack B.

 

I mostly use MiniNatur static grass applied with a Noch GrassMaster. For fields and meadows, I use a 50:50 mix of 04-23 early fall grass and 04-24 winter grass. Near hedges and fences, I add in some Noch 07101 6 mm wild grass.

 

Hope this information is helpful.

 

David

[Ardmore]

Hi David, Wow what a wonderful eye for detail and I love the work on the Wills Viaduct and the Water effect is spot on. I cant wait to see more as I am planning something quite similar but in Cornwall. Your Station and track work have come out top notch, thanks for updating and the pics are amazing, plus as I have said to John Flann, (Hintock) I love the little stories with the pictures.

 

Thanks again.

 

Hi Andy,

 

Thanks for your encouragement. I have been following your various layout builds for some time now, and have learnt a lot from them. I am looking forward to your Cornish excursion (no pressure) and hope that we will see the reappearance of those fantastic buildings that briefly graced your Buckfast branch.

 

David

[bgman]

Late to the party and most impressed, living in sunny Devon it certainly evokes the right atmosphere. I think your giving some of the others a run for their money here ! 

Keep it up !

[bgman]

Or as we say 'ere in Devon

 

 

 

[Ardmore]

The last few weeks have seen some more progress with detailing around the branch line terminus at Upcombe. First off, I've added a single-storey extension to the back of the engine shed (Wills kit), and repainted this building as well as the roof of the adjacent platelayers' hut.

 

 

The major change that I've made has been to add a cattle dock (Ratio kit) to the end siding that leads from the run-round loop.

 

 

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

David

Edited September 1, 2022 by Ardmore

[Allegheny1600]

Hello David,

Oh, my goodness! This is exquisite!

Cheers,

John E.

[Ardmore]

Earlier this week, another three engines completed the 8000 mile round trip to Glen and Carol at GC Weathering in the UK. All were soon back in service on the South Devon main line.

 

First up we have Hall Class no. 4905, Barton Hall. This was one of the first batch of the class; it entered service in December 1928 and lasted until November 1963. It was a Newton Abbot engine from June 1956 until April 1961, when it was reallocated to St. Phillip's Marsh, Bristol.

 

I well remember seeing this engine during my first trip to Devon in August 1963. By that time there were few steam workings over the WR main line or the branch to KIngwear. So I was more than a little pleased to be stood on the road overbridge  near Churston station one midweek morning and hear a steam engine laboring up the gradient from Goodrington. 4905 was leaking steam from a lot of places where it shouldn't, on a southbound passenger train.

 

 

 

Here we see 4905, waiting to leave Teignbridge on a down stopping passenger train, and then setting off towards Plymouth. This is a Bachmann model which started life as 4962 Ragley Hall. In addition to being renumbered, it has had the red lining removed from the footplate, and the early BR emblem replaced with the later crest. Although the weight had to be removed to fit a DCC decoder, it is capable of hauling 25 vans or 5 coaches.

 

Second among the recent arrivals is Hall Class no. 6954 Lotherton Hall. This was one of the last batch of original Halls, entering service in March 1943. It was a Bath Road, Bristol engine from May 1954 until December 1959, when it moved to St. Phillip's Marsh, so I'm sure it made more than a few appearances on the South Devon main line over the years. 6954 was withdrawn from the Marsh in May 1964.

 

 

 

In the pictures, 6954 is heading east through Teignbridge, on an up fitted freight. This is another Bachmann model: the engine started life as 5927 Guild Hall, while the Collett tender came from 6937 Conyngham Hall. The lining on this earlier Bachmann model was much thicker and brighter than on more recent issues, and appeared much more overscale on the Hawksworth tender than on the Collett version. Hence the tender swap and the heavier weathering than that applied to 4905.

 

The final new arrival is 56XX Class tank engine no. 6630. Although these engines were mostly allocated to South Wales sheds, a number of them were based at St. Phillip's Marsh in the 1950s, including 6630 which was a Bristol engine from July 1955 until February 1962. In real life, I suspect it spent most of its time on freight workings to and from South Wales, but this isn't real life.

 

 

 

Here we see 6630 heading east through Teignbridge on on up mineral empties train. Agin this is a Bachmann model. Given its weight, it has no problems handling trains of 30 wagons or more.

 

Incidentally, the down starter signal seen in the first, fourth and final photographs is a Dapol motorized signal. It's wired to a Train-Tech SC3 decoder and controlled from my NCE ProCab controller. It was straightforward to install, and adds another dimension to operations.  

 

Thanks for viewing - and for the comments and 'likes' for my previous posts.

 

David

 

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Ardmore

[Andrew P]

Lovely pics and some nice recollections to help set the scene, brilliant. 

[Ardmore]

Looking back at my original post opening this topic I realized that I've managed to make quite a lot of progress on the scenic side of the layout over the last few months. Then I thought it might be of interest to others to see a few "then and now'" photographs. So here are updated versions of the first five photographs posted at the start of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking, and for all the encouragement over the last few months.

 

David

Edited September 1, 2022 by Ardmore

[Andy R]

David- stunning modelling and oozing west country atmosphere. Are you contemplating any 'waethering' of buildings and landscape or is your preference for relatively clean lines? Just a thought looking at the pictures.

 

I for one would also be interested in a track plan of the BLT if you have such a thing; it captures the isolated branch scene very well.

 

regards, Andy R

 

 

PS -please note the weathering comment is not a criticism David, but an observation that seeks to understand your modelling approach.

 

Andy R

Edited September 8, 2015 by Andy R

[Ardmore]

Hi Andy,

 

Thanks for your interest. I posted some track diagrams at the beginning of the topic. Although Upcombe station looks somewhat isolated at the moment, I am planning to add some buildings at the far end over the next few months. As regards weathering, I am adding this gradually as I build up the level of detail. I'm trying to spread my efforts across the entire layout, rather than focusing on any one part of it.

 

Having grown up in the north of England in the 1950s and 1960s, I had quite enough of urban grime, decay and neglect, and several summertime trips to south Devon convinced me that the GWR was the line for me. Living and working in Bristol from 1973 until we moved to the U.S. in 1999 only enhanced my appreciation for the Somerset and Devon countryside. So the layout is an attempt to combine a quiet, pastoral branchline scene with a junction station where the quiet of a summer afternoon is interrupted at intervals by the passing of Castles and Kings, Halls and Granges, and their smaller relatives.

 

Here are a few more photographs showing how I am adding detail as I go along. First, a couple of recent shots of the viaduct. I wasn't altogether convinced about the right bank of the river, so I went back and made some changes. I have also added some Hereford cattle to the field in the distance, one of which is lowering its head to take a drink of water. One of the locals is now enjoying the sunshine while he rests on the riverbank. Behind him, I have created what I hope will pass for a narrow Devon lane with high banks on either side and drying grass along the middle. Some thistles are growing in the field behind the hedge (which I made from rubberized horsehair).

 

 

 

 

 

I have added some static grass to the goods yard at Upcombe, lending it a slight (but only slight) air of neglect, and planted some nettles next to the hut at the edge of the baseboard.

 

 

The area around the branch engine shed has also received some attention. Undergrowth has been added, several plate layers have arrived, and the roof of their hut seems to be suffering from the effects of the weather. The engine shed itself is still in pristine condition, so it will need attention later.

 

 

I have also done some work on the goods yard at Teignbridge, adding some static grass and planting some barrels to await collection.

 

 

David

 

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Ardmore