Wessex & West: Avonbury to Lostwithlea! Early 90's GWR Wessex to Cornwall multi-deck layout

[PaulRhB]

2 hours ago, Rhysb said:

Various locations from the Bristol area, Westbury, Salisbury and Somerset, Devon & Dorset.

Just a shame Alp Grum didn’t make it into that list 

[5BarVT]

2 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

Just a shame Alp Grum didn’t make it into that list 

It’s a bit higher than all the others mentioned.  Gradients might be a bit steep.  Good excuse for a pretty helix though.

Paul.

[Andrew P]

6 hours ago, Rhysb said:

All,

 

Apologies for the delay in an update but the big house move is now completed. I have moved a few miles down the road into even more rural Somerset to a 15th century farm. And yes the farm has many outbuildings :-) one of which has been under construction (and battling with planners!) and is almost ready to house the layout and its extensions!

 

Overall the room is about 48' x 15'

 

As I am sure PaulRHB, Temeraire and the others will attest after many many hours, weeks etc of track planning im pretty much 90% there on the new track plan, which I will share with you all soon. The remaining 10% of it will be ad-hoc when building. 

 

It will be a double deck round one side (eventually) with a central peninsula. Some areas will be triple deck. I am aiming very much for the american style of layout building but keeping the UK theme of it. Various locations from the Bristol area, Westbury, Salisbury and Somerset, Devon & Dorset. They all have something in common: Wessex! So I think the old Wessex Junction layout name may come back!

 

Thanks

 

Rhys 

Does it all fit in just ONE COUNTY?

[ess1uk]

Great layout

[ess1uk]

Great layout

[SouthernMafia]

That is a cracking room for a layout, look forward to seeing it progress!

[Rhysb]

Well after what seems an age (more like a year and a half!) I'm calling the train room finished and ready to start having fun!

 

 

And a view from the other end:

 

Ian (Téméraire) popped in yesterday on his way home and we had a good chat about track plans!

 

Also good news the baseboard plywood arrived today too!

 

Onto the build....

 

Rhys

[Melangoose]

The new room looks awesome.

That's a lot of wood for baseboards.

[Rhysb]

Well baseboard building is well underway! As discussed the layout will be multi-deck. Initially the lower level will be the fiddle yard and the main deck the scenic area. In time there will be a scenic upper deck as well. The peninsula will be a slightly different level as well.

 

Anyway this first photo shows how the lower and main decks are constructed. The main deck comes out 200mm further to allow leg room when seated:

 

The peninsula is also getting there. this is also multi-deck but built more like a mushroom layout:

 

 

And a few of the room overall so far:

 

 

Been messing around with the track plan for Avonbury station as well. Im sure I will make some changes knowing me 

 

Hopefully tonight the peninsula will be completed

 

Thanks and stay safe

 

Rhys

[Rhysb]

So over the festive break I have pretty much got there with the benchwork (helix's aside). 

 

The Avonbury side of the layout now has the lower FY deck and the full main deck complete. (note test fit of Leighford on the peninsula on the left)

 

I will mainly focus first on laying the fiddle yards and getting the peninsula running. That way Leighford can be up so I can at least play trains rather than spending all my time building! The peninsula track planning:

 

And finally cut the track bed, tested some track and given it a lick of paint ready to go!

 

 

 

 

As you can see the old Leighford (Leaford Junction) board which was almost 14' long is dwarfed in its new home. 

 

I have been working hard on the Leighford yard and that board and will post that soon.

 

Stay safe

 

Rhys

[Rhysb]

Well after a break from the layout its back to Spring building! Before I headed back out to the layout room though I decided to make a start on the stone wagons. I wont bore you with the standard weathering but here is a fun project! Marvin!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Hand painted with graffiti pens.

 

Thanks

 

Rhys

[Andrew P]

1 hour ago, Rhysb said:

Well after a break from the layout its back to Spring building! Before I headed back out to the layout room though I decided to make a start on the stone wagons. I wont bore you with the standard weathering but here is a fun project! Marvin!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Hand painted with graffiti pens.

 

Thanks

 

Rhys

Excellent work Rhys, your a very naughty boy. 🤣

[Towbridge Junction]

Cor!! Brilliant weathering and graffiti, looks just like the real wagons. 
 

Just discovered this thread, I look forward to seeing more in the future 👍👍👍

[Rhysb]

Long time no speak! Its been a big update at Leighford... or should I now say.... Lostwithlea!

 

Due to the size of the layout it was important to get to a position early where I could play trains to prevent me getting bored. On the advice of Ian (Temeraire) its always about working on a small area, playing trains and not trying to do too much at once. So with this I setup a temporary fiddle yard to allow trains to run onto the peninsula into the old Leaford layout. And for the considerable future I will work on this area and play trains.

 

However one massive change. Cornwall!

 

What was planned to be Leighford (from the original Leaford) which was 3rd rail heading down to the south coast, I have now moved west into Cornwall. Thus in the future a train will head through Avonbury in the Wessex area and head west. The peninsula itself will be completely based in Cornwall. Hence we have a new station name... Lostwithlea. I am sure you can get the continuation of the Lea aspect of the layout with a very cornish name!

 

First of all the old Leaford station and curve to the old fiddle yard needed ripping up for something a bit more cornish. The semaphore signal adding to the theme.

 

Next I needed an entry point to this part of the layout so I knocked up a bridge to span the platforms and track:

 

Final coats of paint and onto the layout:

 

 

The idea is the station building stays in a similar place with offset platforms. I constructed a new bay platform as well. Access from the platform to the signal box and walking into the speedlink yard: Here is platform 2 (the up line) and platform 3 (the bay for the branch line)

 

And the offset platform 1 (the down line). The illusion is that the majority of this platform and the overbridge is the otherside of the bridge.

 

At the end of platform one is the Lostwithlea signal box. 

 

Looking west from under the bridge:

 

And finally a test shot as 47476 "night mail" heads up to Bristol with the mail vans:

 

Thanks for now.

 

Rhys

[SouthernMafia]

That looks great Rhys, the old Leighford is not much recognisable now!

 

PS did you acquire that 'other' layout? ;)

[Rhysb]

23 hours ago, SouthernMafia said:

That looks great Rhys, the old Leighford is not much recognisable now!

 

PS did you acquire that 'other' layout? ;)

 

Thanks Rich, No not yet, still a lot on the cards. We will see how it pans out.

 

Rhys

[Rhysb]

So a lot of work this weekend! The aim now is to get the fiddle yard and full loop of the layout in as quickly as possible. That way I can restore running to the Cornish part of the layout on the peninsula so I can at least continue to play trains!

 

Therefore work on the first helix and the loops round the back of it have started:

 

Also late last night I started to add the fascia to the layout. Certainly starts to take on the effect of a US style multi-deck layout:

 

 

Final overview of progress so far on the peninsula:

 

Thanks for now

 

Rhys

 

[Rhysb]

Afternoon everyone,

 

I have taken a few days off during this hot weather to work on the layout a bit. Really pushing to get as much track laid as possible and certainly the helix and the fiddle yard. Then I can go back to somewhat playing trains on the peninsula.

 

Well after a couple of days work helix number one is complete:

 

Now onto the fiddle yard, its about 56' from the first entry point to the last exit point. It comprises east and west fiddle yards. I have made a start on the west fiddle yard which has 3 roads off the up lines and 4 off the branch including a reception siding:

 

Overview of the west fiddle yard! Class 08 for perspective:

 

Anyway after getting a bit fed up with track laying I have started to get the viaduct complete as then I can fix the track above it. This is based on St Pinnock and Largin viaducts:

 

 

One side is complete, I just need to finish the other, paint and then fix in place. The piers will slot under afterwards.

 

Thanks for now, stay safe

 

Rhys

 

 

[Temeraire]

Nice one Rhys that will be the showstopper as you walk in the room!👍

[Melangoose]

The layout is coming on Rhys, keep up the good work.

[Rhysb]

And we have a test fit of a viaduct...

 

Thanks

 

Rhys

[Rhysb]

Well a little update after a long time! Managed to get a bit done as I had to use some holiday up before the end of the year with work.

 

Firstly one job I wanted to do and after taking some advice from Ian (Temeraire) I wanted to update the east end of Lostwithlea yard. This was always a bit of a compromise as it encompassed the old Leaford yard. I had done this with a trap point and loco space for running round but decided to change it for a headhsunt to allow longer trains into the yard:

 

Secondly I wanted to just try and move the Lostwithlea station vignette scene on a bit as during the next few months I would like to get the Lostwithlea area finished to a point to move onto the rest of the Cornish peninsula.

 

So out came the foam and shaper sheet:

 

I had made up a few trees and bushes with various materials and also some ground foams, mats, etc etc and started to build up the foliage:

 

And some final shots, really feel this has that cornish feel to it now:

 

 

 

Road surface and gardens of the cottages to do next. Have a happy new year and see you soon. Also my latest update video and running session is below:

 

 

Thanks

 

Rhys

[CazRail]

Found your youtube channel via your class 59 video a week or so ago. The layout looks great! 

[Rhysb]

Good Monday Morning to you all,

 

After rain stopped play on the golf course this weekend I locked myself away in the train room with many cups of tea (and mince pies... the wife was using up the mincemeat!) and decided to implement some plans that myself and PaulRHB came up with before Christmas.

 

This involved the branch line on the peninsula (Cornwall) as it had always bugged me. Not near finished but some progress below:

 

 

Enjoy

 

Thanks

 

Rhys 

[Rhysb]

Im amazed at how just a quick addition of some fascia to the peninsula has really brought the layout on! Now to add some shaper sheet, lay the inside track round the curve and then spray the track prior to ballasting!