RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 25, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 25, 2016 (edited) For those of you familiar with my fictitious history of Shepherds Halt & Treamble Mine (see http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/56535-shepherds-halt-the-true-story-of-shepherds-station/?p=692081), I've been tweaking history again... So to continue..... It was now 1948. The war in Europe had ended and the railways were starting to recover. However, the Cold War with Russia was just starting. Rather than decreasing the military requirements, the country needed more, but these needed to be less obvious, more clandestine, more hush-hush. The MoD looked again to the West Country... With the track layout improvements at Shepherds station, the MoD realised that traffic to Penhale Camp was becoming more intensive than the little platform at Treamble could cope with. Now trains could directly access the branch, it was clear that a larger facility was required. With an eye to future holiday revenue, BR(W) agreed to build a new station in the valley below the village of Cubert. This would have passenger facilities, plus an exchange siding supplying a new line to Treamble and Lower Rose Goods, as the existing line to these locations was to be lifted. 1948 Aerial photo of the valley south of Cubert (© Pathe News) In order to prove the facilities would be suitable, and to help keep the real purpose of the new station (that of military use) from becoming general knowledge, a Welshman was commissioned to make a model of the proposed station. Only one photo of this model was taken. Again, today, no trace of this station exists. The hoped for holiday traffic never materialsed, as Newquay and St Ives retained their status as the go-to destinations. Edited January 27, 2016 by Stubby47 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 26, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 26, 2016 I'm hoping to get the layout on 3 x 4ft long boards - the rightmost board containing a simple Y junction to allow access to Treamble. The ground will be high at the back and low at the front, as the line is supposed to have been built in a shallow valley - may be a chance of adding a stream as well along the front. As with Shepherds, the line to Treamble will drop sharply to add some variation. Planned stock is late steam / early diesel, or possibly blue 25s. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 I look forward to developments, and I wonder what new railway architecture and infrastructure of 1948 would look like - utilitarian concrete or retro-classical? Though, always one to quibble unnecessarily, I would point out that all destinations are, by definition, go-to places! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 26, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 26, 2016 Must admit I hadn't considered the architecture - grotty concrete sounds like a nice change from traditional GWR architecture. And yes, all places are go-to places, there are just some you wouldn't... Fired up AnyRail earlier and produced this. Not too sure on the signalling requirements from the station outbound - I'm guessing there would be a home starter for each of the platforms, but not sure about the yard. The odd wiggle on the lower siding will not be there, just my inability to smooth out the trackwork - maybe a r/h point instead of a l/h one. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Looking forward to watching this one grow Stubby, should be a good one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 27, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 27, 2016 Doodling... I'm going to need quite a few trees... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted February 3, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2016 Doodling... cubert_plan_2.jpg I'm going to need quite a few trees... Stu, how does this fit in with the overall branch line concept? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted February 3, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2016 Shepherds Halt is proof to me I can build layouts bigger than just boxfiles, but is really too simple and needs two fiddle yards. It also is to awkward to both get in to and fit in the loft. Treamble is too good ( comparatively) to scrap. Cubert can be used to connect to Treamble when exhibiting and as a substitute for Newquay in the loft. I'll need to build a new Shepherds Station, but that will be a permanent fixture. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted July 7, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 7, 2017 This project is starting to come back into focus. Part of the challenge has been how to incorporate this layout, Treamble and a new Shepherds into a cohesive arrangement in the loft. Siting of Shepherds, with its requirement for a branch, has been the hardest obstacle, but I think I've now reached a suitable plan, helped by Rich Mawer's Buckingham. I think the track plan as drawn above will be suitable, depending on space maybe an extra exchange siding, but the chance to run my various fleet of passenger stock is becoming more than just a niggle. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted July 7, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 7, 2017 (edited) Shepherds Halt is proof to me I can build layouts bigger than just boxfiles, but is really too simple and needs two fiddle yards. It also is to awkward to both get in to and fit in the loft. Treamble is too good ( comparatively) to scrap. Cubert can be used to connect to Treamble when exhibiting and as a substitute for Newquay in the loft. I'll need to build a new Shepherds Station, but that will be a permanent fixture. Could you possibly do a time machine layout in that the 1948 set up gets reinstated as a Heritage line in (say) 1988 every other session? Best of both Cuthberts (sorry I just can't not say Cuthbert instead of Cubert.................................. Philth Edited July 7, 2017 by Mallard60022 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted July 7, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 7, 2017 With the stock I've got I should be able to do : GWR pre 1948 Early emblem BR(W) steam Late emblem BR(W) steam Green diesel Blue diesel The first two will need an alternative history to the Cold War requirements, but I'm sure something can be cobbled together. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave47549 Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 (edited) . Edited October 4, 2021 by Dave47549 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted October 16, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 16, 2018 Following my decision to stop building DM4MS, I've also considered what to do with this plan. Operating Tinner's Forge has made me realise I need a layout which I can operate from the front left (unlike TF which is front right). Cubert, as planned, would also need to be a front-right design, to allow the station to nestle into a rising hillside. A front-left position would have the viewers looking down the valley side on to the tops of the trains, not ideal. So this planned layout will also be cancelled. The two boards from Damian will now be used for either the new layout, or kept back for two smaller projects for exhibition layouts (one I am keen to do is the china clay circle). Thanks for all your input up to this point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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