Cornish lines in N.

[SRfanJV]

There has also been some small bits of progressed on Wadebridge as we build towards her exhibition re-debut in May 2024. 

 

34072 has had a crew and the ACE headboards fitted. Discs will follow in due course. 

 

I have also started the long process of fitting seated people to some of the bulleid coaching stock. 

 

There is masses of work to do on the layout, but this will very quickly pick up as we hit November. 

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by SRfanJV

[SRfanJV]

An incredible amount of work has gone into Bodmin General over the past couple of months to prepare her for 3 shows over the next 5 weeks. 

The first outing is next weekend to the Farnham model railway exhibition on the 8th & 9th October. 

 

A week later is the Poole show on Sunday 16th October and then we are scheduled to take her to Tolworth Showtrain on the 12th & 13th November. 

 

So what's been happening. The first and major task that has finally been finished is installation and testing of all the new MTB point motors. They took a bit little of learning and tweaking to get right, but they now operate beautifully. There is one short to sort out on one point, but this will be attended to on Tuesday. 

 

This is the first train running back into Bodmin after the work had taken place. 

 

Next, attention turned to the rolling stock. One of the complaints from the operators at it's last show in March was that not enough stock had been converted to the B&B couplings which we generally use. Another issue was that some of the coupling heights were the wrong causing them not to couple up. Therefore, I set to converting more loco's and wagons, I then got the coupling height out and sorted out a large number of them, so hopefully we will not have issues going forward. 

 

Whilst I had some of the rolling stock out, I have detailed many of the loco's with crews, real coal and some with fire irons/lamps. Extra detailing really does make such a difference. Weathering of the stock is a future plan as well. 

 

The cat however was trying to play havoc with the progress made. 🤦‍♂️

 

One missing class of loco's from Bodmin is the 45xx prairie tank. Sadly, the Dapol RTR model is just awful in terms of running quality. However, when doing some research I noticed that Tramfabriek now produce replacement coreless motors for them. I gave one a go, but again no improvement. So I will now wait for a masterclass models 45xx chassis to be built up using N gauge wheelsets to hopefully rectify this issue. Sadly, this will involve considerable expense, but you cannot have a layout of Bodmin General without a 45xx tank.

 

A lot of work has taken place on detailing. I have started to install the point rodding using Laurie Adams parts from the 2mm Association range. 

 

 

I am curently in the process of modifying a lamp from BH Enterprises to the correct design and have made good progress on an etched brass telephone box. 

 

Finally, lots of new trees from MBR, JTT Scenics and Hornby have been installed to freshen up the layout. 

 

More to come shortly, including great progress with the backscene.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by SRfanJV

[lmsforever]

One of my cats used to do this he would watch for a while then very carefully lift the rolling stock off the track and gently lay it on its side .Then he would look at me with a very proud look and purr loudly.

[D9020 Nimbus]

5 hours ago, SRfanJV said:

One missing class of loco's from Bodmin is the 45xx prairie tank. Sadly, the Dapol RTR model is just awful in terms of running quality. However, when doing some research I noticed that Tramfabriek now produce replacement coreless motors for them. I gave one a go, but again no improvement. So I will now wait for a masterclass models 45xx chassis to be built up using N gauge wheelsets to hopefully rectify this issue. Sadly, this will involve considerable expense, but you cannot have a layout of Bodmin General without a 45xx tank.

In my opinion the problem with the 45xx isn't the motor, but the gearing. Getting it to move slowly requires a very low voltage, with obvious problems. I've found it gets better if run in for about half an hour continuously, but can still be problematic. The Ivatt tank and to a lesser extent the M7 have similar issues.

 

I'm hoping that they'll get round to re-doing it after they've done the M7. But you can have a layout of Bodmin without it; set it in the early diesel era with D63xx's…

[SRfanJV]

3 hours ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

In my opinion the problem with the 45xx isn't the motor, but the gearing. Getting it to move slowly requires a very low voltage, with obvious problems. I've found it gets better if run in for about half an hour continuously, but can still be problematic. The Ivatt tank and to a lesser extent the M7 have similar issues.

 

I'm hoping that they'll get round to re-doing it after they've done the M7. But you can have a layout of Bodmin without it; set it in the early diesel era with D63xx's…

I completely agree with you, it certainly is the gearing that is causing the vast majority of the issues. 

 

I do have 63xx's but where the layout is mainly set between 1954-56, Im loathed to use them too much. 

[SRfanJV]

More progress over the weekend has seen the lamp move further forward. The ladder and platform have now been made and soldered up. 

 

In the end, I used thinner wire for the swan neck, as it just looked more to scale in relation to the real one. 

 

The next one to make a swan neck for is outside of the engine shed and I have made a start. 

 

Finally, and only 9 years after partly rebuilding the goods shed (where does the time go?), it has its first canopy built.

 

 

I have used bits of plasticard and mircostrip to create it using a couple of photos that I have in my collection.

I hope to complete the other one and paint them both during the week so that they are all done for the Farnham show next weekend. 

 

Still lots to do on the goods shed and other parts of the layout, but we are getting there slowly. 

Edited October 2, 2022 by SRfanJV
Addition of photos

[SRfanJV]

Well, the good news is that we have rectified the short that we found on one section, the layout has been tested and we are all ready to go for the weekend at the Farnham exhibition. 

https://farnhammrc.org.uk/?page_id=158

 

Lots of work has taken place in terms of detailing. 

 

First, the goods shed canopies are now complete and the internal wall of the left hand entrance has been fitted. Just the guttering/downpipes, stair railings and painting to complete this now. 

 

 

A new horse drawn coal wagon has been made up and painted. 

 

The 2 lever ground frame for the carriage siding has been made up and painted. 

 

The entire front of the layout, including the lighting gantry has also been repainted, so it should look spotless. 

 

 

The big change has been the continued work on the backscene which is being painted by my lovely other half. It is now much further progessed from the photo below.

 

It has also been excellent to have some help with painting and maintenance of various bits, here is Richard and Peter up at the clubroom hard at work painting parts or making drainpipes. 

 

There is still more work to do which won't be done by the weekend or next weekend's show at Poole, but we are shortening the jobs list. Hopefully, things like the point rodding, lamps and weathering can be done by the Tolworth show in November. 

 

We hope to see you this weekend. 

Edited October 7, 2022 by SRfanJV

[SRfanJV]

A very good first day at the Farnham show. 

The additions to the layout have certainly made a difference. 

 

The point motors on the whole have been an excellent upgrade from the original switch type. However, there are a couple of them that still need adjustments.

 

The real winner though was the backscene which has made such a difference. 

 

 

We're looking forward to more tomorrow. 

[SRfanJV]

Sunday at the Farnham show is well underway and this morning, I thought I would show a view not often seen. 

The fiddle yard fully set up during the show. 

 

 

Trains run in from both sides of the layout to 2 sector plates and or a cassette for the long china clay wagons.

 

Finally, a lengthways shot of the layout from the fiddle yard end. 

 

[SRfanJV]

No rest for the wicked as they say. 

With another show for Bodmin General looming this Sunday at Poole, Keith and I set straight to the changes, repairs and upgrades needed from the Farnham show at the weekend. 

 

The first and highest priority task was to investigate why the point leading into the goods shed was not functioning in one direction, thus meaning that we could not use goods shed and cattle dock area all weekend (very frustrating). First, we found that the microswitch on the point motor was not engaging correctly and also that the omega loop was in such a position that it was preventing the motor from moving through its range of travel, thus not allowing the microswitch to change either. 

 

Keith is now in the process of changing the omega loop and putting in a new wire to rectify this. It will be finished on Friday. 

 

One of the complaints from the operators from the weekend was that you could not see which way the points that send you into the long cassette or the 5 road sector plate on both the Bodmin Road or the Wadebridge side were facing. Tonight I embarked on installing the wiring (yellow wiring loom) for some LED's to show which way these are set. 

 

As part of this, a small panel extension is also required so using a piece of 4mm mdf, i have cut out a piece to the required shape and drawn an exceptionally crude diagram of where the 'go faster' stripes will be placed and the position of the LED'S. 

 

I will paint and varnish this over the next two evenings before completing the installation of the panel and 4 LED's on Friday. A longer term job will be to reconnect the LED's that are in the fiddle yard so that the operator down that end can also see which way the points are set. 

 

We have also physically numbered each point motor so that the switch for them can be more easily identified. 

 

More to come soon. 

Edited October 12, 2022 by SRfanJV

[SRfanJV]

Its been a fight. Thats the only way to describe this week's work on Bodmin. 

We have had a number of issues when trying tweak some of the point motors. The extent of this meant that we actually changed the design of attachment between the motor and wire to the tiebar. 

 

I also had issues when installing the panel extension and rewiring the fiddle yard indicator LED'S. Somehow a short developed which blew 7 of the LED'S in the panel. 🤦‍♂️

 

We have got there in the end, although it did necessitate a 20 to midnight finish for Keith, myself and Neil on Friday. The goods shed and cattle dock area is now working again so tomorrow should see a lot more shunting of wagons in comparison to last week. 

[SRfanJV]

The only photo from the Poole exhibition today. 

 

We were awarded third place in terms of best in show, behind two considerably larger layouts with the winner being Northbourne in 00. 

 

I was pleased with this result. There were some issues with the points over lunch which needed rectification, but apart from that the layout ran fairly well. 

 

The finished panel extension and new LED's were a welcome addition too. 

Now for one more month's work before our final exhibition of the year at Tolworth Showtrain on the 12th & 13th November. On the 15th November, Bodmin will be stored away so that we can focus all of our efforts on Wadebridge. 

 

There is ALOT to do. Stay tuned. 

[SRfanJV]

The past 3 weeks have been spent on getting the point motor operation working more consistently. This was due to having problems with 4 of the points throwing correctly at the past 2 shows. Problems were either the blades of the point not moving far enough or the microswitch not changing the polarity when switched. 

 

We have therefore changed and developed a new method of connecting the motor to the wire that connects to the point. 

 

There are a couple of variations due to space constraints, but essentially the method is the same. A slider has been used to allow the excess movement from the point motor throw to be taken up and all of the points which we have modified are now using a crank. We have found this to be a much better solution than direct drive to the wire. 

 

 

 

Another change is that we have changed the movement of the motor from 3mm to 6mm. This has helped with ensuring that it moves far enough to throw the point in both direction. This was also one of the reasons why a slider was needed for each one. The blades on the point move approximately 2mm, now that the point motors move 6mm we have to use the slider to remove that excess 4mm of movement. 

 

Finally, we believe we have found a slight manufacturing error in the MTB point motors. The cam shaft which rotates when power is applied in some of the motors is not always changing the microswitch due to it being slightly in the wrong position. To combat this we have made a small plastic shim to ensure that ot does rotate each time. It seems to have done the trick.

 

A full running test is going to take place on Tuesday, which will then mean that the layout will be ready for its final booked outing for this year to Tolworth Showtrain near Hampton Court on Saturday 12th & 13th November. 

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by SRfanJV

[SRfanJV]

We've had a fantastic first day at Tolworth Showtrain. The layout has received many favourable comments and has ran very very well. Certainly the best performance since we changed over to point motors, so we are definitely moving in the right direction. 

 

Why not come and see us tomorrow if you can. 

 

Here is Richard, Kevin and Peter at the helm of operations. 

 

 

 

In Bodmin's absence, part of Wadebridge has been re-erected at the clubroom, from next week this will be the focus of our attention to make it ready for our 60th anniversary exhibition in May 2024 where she will join up with Bodmin General. 

 

[SRfanJV]

Another excellent day at Tolworth Showtrain. We received so many lovely comments from the public. 

 

We also have more potential invites for shows on 2023 and 2024, so it looks like we will be out on the road for quite sometime yet. 😁

 

We also took the opportunity to upgrade our layout sign. Hopefully people wont get confused as to which Bodmin the layout portrays anymore. 🤣

 

Out with the old...

 

 

In with the new. 

 

[SRfanJV]

Work on Wadebridge has started in earnest. 

 

When we put the layout back up, we immediately noticed that one of the baseboard tops had come loose. So, the first job was to rectify this. 

 

Some of the track had also been damaged or was poorly aligned across the baseboard joints. This made the decision easy to take them out and put in new pieces of track.

 

Most of these have now been cut to size. There are a few bits left to re do as can be seen below, but we have made very good progress during the first week. 

 

Neil and Mike also helped to replace a piece of track and copper clad joint which had broken off. This line is for the connection between Bodmin General and Bodmin Road which runs all the way down the back of Wadebridge.

 

The lighting gantry at the up end was also put back up to allow modifications to take place. 

 

We are on an even tighter time schedule to get Wadebridge fully exhibitable now. This is due to some very exciting news that we will be sharing with you all soon. Watch this space. 

 

[SRfanJV]

A lot of progress has been made over the weekend with a couple of the buildings for Wadebridge. 

 

The first building is of Eyres Garage. This was a car garage for over 100 years but, today it is now Wadebridge antique centre.

 

There have been a few changes to the building over the years, but the main structure is essentially the same. I believe there used to be some sort of canopy along the front of the building, but I only have a long range aerial photo from the early 60's so I can't be sure of the detail.

 

 

The main structure was made about 7 years ago, but was never finished. A friend of mine, Clive did the painting to make it presentable, but it has always been my intention to go back and finish it. 

 

I have now made all of the windows using microstrip, I know I could get them etched but skills and knowledge to get windows designed for etching are lacking.

 

 

I have also made the canopy for the vehicle entrance. The roof was made using microstrip from which Redutex corrugations were then laid back to back to form the canopy roof surface. I used 0.5mm brass wire for the supports. These were bent to shape and then the ends filed to give a flat surface to mount them. 

 

Finally, I have added the strangely shaped extension on the front right corner using plasticard and corrugations from evergreen and AMRI. Sadly, it doesn't look like you can get the AMRI corrugations from Australia anymore. This is a real shame as it really was the best stuff you could get. Very thin, corrugated on both sides and about the right scale. 

 

There are still a few more bits to do like finishing the windows, guttering, main entrance doors, but we are now getting there. 

 

The second structure is a lineside hut from Severn Models that I have modified to make into a P-way trolley hut. There are two of them and they will sit next to the East signal box once I have constructed it. 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2022 by SRfanJV

[SRfanJV]

The last two weeks have seen lots of work take place on Wadebridge. however, at this stage most of it is not very photogenic. 

 

The up and down platforms have been completely relaid and the bay platform with its associated run round have been partially replaced. 

 

 

This was due to the damage sustained when in storage and the age old problem of the baseboard joint causing height issues. 

 

 

These issues have now been rectified and last night most of the track was rewired. A first test run of the 5 boards at the clubroom took place about half past 10. 🤦‍♂️

 

 

 

I'm pleased to say that it ran very well for a first attempt. Keith is back from his holidays next week so, he can get on with making adjustments to the points and point motors. 

 

I will complete the re-wiring and Neil will finish laying the cattle dock road.

 

All in all, we are moving at a fast pace. 

Edited December 10, 2022 by SRfanJV

[SRfanJV]

This weekend I finally got around to applying the first coats of paint to the wagons that I originally constructed during the first Covid lockdown in 2020. 

 

These include 3 SR 2+2 box vans, a BR cattle van, a SR cattle van, a BR shoc van, a BR shoc open and the chassis of a shark brake van. 

 

Apart from the 2 shoc's which are Peco kits, the others are all made up from 2mm association chassis with Parkside bodies. 

 

The Parkside bodies on the 2+2's are a little overscale which is a shame, but once weatheredI'm  hoping they will look ok. However, the 2mm chassis' are so much more detailed  and free running than a lot of RTR stock so it is very much worth it for this reason alone.

 

I used my Iwata airbrush in my spray booth to complete the job. First up, I primed all of the bodies using Precision Paints grey primer. 

 

 

I then masked up the body sides and painted the roofs. In hindsight and as I'm still learning the art of painting using an airbrush, I should have left the roofs off and painted them separately which would have saved a lot of time masking things up. 

 

 

The roofs were sprayed using Precision Paints BR roof grey with a bit of white or black added for some subtle variation between the vehicles. 

 

Next, I painted the chassis' and bodies independently from one another in their respective chassis black and BR bauxite both from Precision. Spraying the bodies required masking of the roofs another reason why I wish I had left them off. 

 

This is the current state of play. There are two coats of black on the frames and one coat of bauxite on the bodies so far. This will be built up further before adding a coat of gloss varnish. 

 

 

Ill then apply these transfers from Railtec before re-varnishing them with matt varnish and apply some weathering. 

 

 

So, I'm getting there with this project but, there is still a way to go before completion. 

All of the vehicles need vac pipes attaching, some need buffers and couplings, the cattle vans need the bars making and installing as well as the roofs which I have yet to make.

 

More next week. 

Edited December 11, 2022 by SRfanJV

[SRfanJV]

Another quick update this week. A while back I purchased this replica shed plate. I thought it would look nice to be placed on the presentation boards at the front of the layout where the locomotive shed is. 72F was the original shed code for it. 

 

More progress has also been made with the wiring. We mansged to run our first proper train out of the bay. 

 

 

Now the holidays have arrived, I hope to make good progress in between turns at Swanage. 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2022 by SRfanJV

[SRfanJV]

Over the festive period there has been little time to progress Wadebridge with so much going on, but I have completed some small jobs. 

 

The first of these was to solder in a number of copper clad sleepers in the section of track between the two points that give access to the engine shed area. 

 

 

I then used some tacks to make the alignment right which is a reverse curve. It looks wrong, but looking at the photo's it was actually like this. 

 

Once glued in, I rewired sections of the engine shed roads, coal dock and line to the turntable. This means that all lines now laid in are now fully operational as the video shows below. 

 

 

Another job that I am getting towards the end of is the spraying and painting up of the vans that I have (very slowly) been making. As mentioned before, these use the 2mm Association chassis' and Parkside & Peco bodies. 

 

I have sprayed them using Precision Paints early BR bauxite. On a couple of the vehicles I added a little grey or black to some in order to give some subtle variation in the shade. Once all vehicles had been given two coats, I sprayed them with gloss varnish and added the transfers from Railtec. Next, I added BH Enterprises vacuum pipes and drawhooks, painted the bufferbeams, buffers and vac pipes. The job was then completed by matt varnishing the the whole vehicle and removed the masking tape on the roof. 

 

In time, I will finish the other vehicles, weather them all and add the B&B couplings. For now, the rake looks like this.

 

The last job has been to add a few more sheds and garden paraphernalia to the collection ready for the allotments and gardens of all of the houses. These can be seen below. There is a range of kit built, 3d printed and proprietary sheds. I will probably need to double this number to complete the layout. 

 

[SRfanJV]

Lots of progress has been made over the past few weeks but most of it is not very photogenic. 

 

We had been having problems with a number of the Seep point motors that control the points on board 5 in and around the shed area. They just weren't firing with enough power to move the points across consistently which simply won't do. Therefore, I bit the bullet and with some luck on ebay, a set of 32 MTB point motors were available, (fiendishly difficult to get at the moment due to production issues) so I purchased them for an excellent price. 

 

The result is that the 6 points as already mentioned are being replaced as they were on Bodmin. Now that we have the experience of how to get the best out of them, we are confident that this is going to be a very good solution. It will also give slow moving points which is much nicer visually. 

 

 

Changes in the panel were necessary to accommodate these as the switches could no longer be sprung bias switches. 

 

 

We are now in the installation phase and in the next 2 weeks we hope to have them finished. 

 

 

 

Next, I am finally working on the cottage again. Most of the work has been on the roof structure, internal walls for support  and the windows. I hope to have this complete in the next 10 days. 

 

 

Finally, Richard is making excellent progress with the first signal which is the down end starter for the bay platform. We intend to make these work using servo's. 

 

 

More to come soon. 

[SRfanJV]

A lot of work has taken place over the past month. 

 

More point motors have been installed. This now means that the entire down end of the layout will have the MTB point motors installed. 

Since this photo, the point motors have been slotted into the baseboard vertically. The building behind sits on top of the motors to disguise them.

 

Some of the presentation boards for the front of the layout have been renewed and trial fitted. 

The cover for the point motors at the front of the layout is part way through construction. 

 

The servo operated level crossing gates have been tested for the first time in many years. All was well bar a minor adjustment. 

 

Gordon has been busy installing the fixings for the lights on the lighting pelmets. 

 

Meanwhile, I have been working on the up end bridge. New wing walls have been installed. I have also made a new bridge deck that is much more accurate than the original. 

 

 

The backscene first part of the presentation board at the up end has also been primed. 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by SRfanJV

[SRfanJV]

A quick update:

 

The up end bridge which acts as the scenic break is now complete bar the pilasters which I will be going down to Wadebridge to photograph and properly measure next month amongst other things. 

The curved wood panels were tricky to shape correctly as were the girder supports of which they are 3 on each side. These needed slowly filling to create the right shape. 

 

The other progress has seen Keith complete the installation of the two point motors at the down end station throat. These have been sunk into the board using a piece of birch ply to create a bracket for the motors. Cranks and tube have then been used to put the rodding run back in with a sprung loaded adjuster in each. 

 

As the photo below shows, the building then sits nice on top to hide any evidence that they are there.

 

There are two more motors on the town end board that have also been fitted which completes the fitting of the new MTB motors on the down end of the layout. 

The up end will stay as solenoid motors for now as I do not have type to change them all over before it's first show in 2024. After all, they do work. 

[SRfanJV]

Just a quick update. 

 

Richard has been putting in a sterling effort on the new signals for Wadebridge which will be operated by servos. This one is the down starter for the bay platform. 

 

He has now put the safety hoop in. The lamp bracket, signal arm,  mounting points for the arm and the base plate have all been made up. 

 

Most of the post will be under the platform and baseboard as it is quite a short signal.