Dymented - the Serious stuff starts!

[JeffP]

Don't worry about the weather. We are on our way down to ours. It'll get much better now....sorry, worse, I meant worse.

[Philou]

@JeffP Have a safe journey - it's set fair from North to South for the next couple of days - excepting along the Atlantic coast where it's going to be damper - but milder.

 

Today's images are the buildings for Dymented and the small waiting room at Pontrilas - you may notice a bit of recycling going on!

 

Pontrilas - Waiting room on the Shrewsbury platform (is it the up or the down side?):

 

 

Dymented - showing the adapted Ledbury island platform building now as the main building on the Ledbury side of the station:

 

 

 

..... and the Pontrilas waiting room simply recycled as the Dymented waiting room on the Pontrilas platform:

 

 

More buildings on their way, BUT I have an appointment with another load of wood to collect and cut, and there may not be a lot to show tomorrow.

 

Cheers everyone,

 

Philip

[JeffP]

Got here ok.

We'd forgotten that the house is not really set up for cold. Bedroom at 8 degrees?

 

Your CAD drawings are very good, I hope it all goes ok.

[Philou]

@JeffP Thank you - it's the freebie version of the original SketchUp. The pay version has a lot more features apparently, but it comes at a cost - not quite as much as AutoCad, but more than I want to afford to just doing drawings for myself. Blender is another one - I've seen that in use and apparently free too, but it takes time to learn.

 

Glad you got to 'home' safely. The weather is due to turn milder during the next few days. I hope you've got at least one good wood-burner as it was down to -8°C here last night!

 

I've got the basic measurements of Pontrilas Station so now down to pencil and paper - as it were.

 

Wood collected, cut and stocked this morning so my afternoon is seemingly free and there maybe something to show tonight.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Philou]

Hello chums,

 

Just a work-in-progress update on Pontrilas. I have the basic shape and I think the proportions are about right, though after I took the screen shots I discovered that roof was set too low and the windows didn't look right - so off it came . It won't take long to put back on, but I shall do the windows first this time to make sure it all fits. The water tank was also rubbed out and done again as it just didn't hang together - so that is now sorted .

 

I'm modelling the station as it was first built (well, what is shown in the earliest photos that I've seen) with the water tank built as part of the station building. That was removed at some time and the station extended some distance towards the tunnel. The platform façade was changed too by removing the two short wings and a door added - the roof became a canopy and extended over the new-build. As I remarked in an earlier post, I have no idea where the water tank went until a new one was erected north of the signal bow in the early 50s.

 

Here are two shots of the basic design:

 

 

 

Cheers everyone,

 

Philip

[Philou]

I had tried to post this last night but at the moment of hitting 'send' the t'intertubes fell over and nothing here this morning. So a quick résumé of events so far:

 

I found a spiffing photo of the station with an Austin A40 parked right outside and tappity tap Google I found the dimensions of said car - 13' 3" which is 53mm at 4mm scale. Super swinging dodgy upside down. By enlarging the picture on my viewer I got the car to be within a smidge of 53mm on-screen. Allowing for distortion at the edges of the photos, it was scribble scribble on paper noting the salient dimensions and then tappity tap mousy-mousy and eventually a building emerged on the screen. Having made adjustments for the roof (mentioned earlier) and other minor details I ended yesterday night with the makings of the building.

 

Now, I don't why, but on closing down SketchUp, I thought I'd look at some photos of the A40 and I typed in Austin A40 and this big rounded thing appeared on screen. How was I to know that A40 was a model number that had been used by Austin in continuation for some years and the body change was denoted by a name change - Devon, Somerset, Farina!! As far as I was concerned A40 was a follow-on model from the A35 that a friend had (that was really tiny!). Rats!!

 

Anyway, the Farina was the model I needed and that measured 12' 1/4" which is 48mm (1/4" between friends makes no difference at 1:76.2) so my building is about 10% too big and as I haven't a shrinking ray incorporated in the software (there is but it's not straightforward) it's time for the BIG RUBBER and a case of start again. To be frank I was having a struggle with the drawing as it didn't hang too well in certain details - I now know why!!

 

So a fresh start at remeasuring this morning and then drawing again this afternoon - at least the windows and doors seem to come in three sizes only - so draw each different one once and then insert into the elevations. The water tank will perhaps now look less bulky too!

 

Keep safe,

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Philou]

Huzzah and hooray! I am underway again and using the revised dimensions the model seems to be coming together rather better. I'll post up some images later tonight.

 

I DO have a question for Mike, @The Stationmaster (as I know he is a fan of the North and West route), do you have any idea of the corporate colours that the LNWR may have used for the wood paintwork on their station buildings (and signal box)? Perhaps they didn't and they were the colours of the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford railway - or should I just stick with the standard GWR chocolate and stone? The window frames that I have done do look rather good in plum and spilt milk (within the limitations of the colour palette of SketchUp), though I have an idea that it should be green and cream.

 

I found plenty of information on rolling stock colours but not for buildings.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Philou]

The images as promised - the model is better proportioned now and having the windows in place makes it look the part. I have the main doors to put in place and there are four casement windows to do in the water tower block plus four service doors here and there. I do have to tweak the lower rooves as I didn't allow for the overhang of the slates and their gutter boards whereas I did on the main roof. A bit of rubbing out and a couple of lines to put back in place and it should be complete by tomorrow afternoon:

 

Platform side:

 

 

Approach side:

 

 

It seems a very squat sort of building to me!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Philou]

Good evening chaps and chapesses,

 

The day turned decidedly mild today, so it was out into the ice-box this afternoon to do some wall jointing. I surprised myself in doing a little more than I thought I would in the time I'd allowed myself.

 

I did some more of Pontrilas station, almost done - I just have the water tank to do - but I'm not sure in what colours it should have been painted - was it LNWR or GWR or even the NA&HR? I'm looking at the period immediately pre-The Great War. Any ideas?

 

Here are the two views:

 

 

 

Oh, and I have 5 (yes five) more chimneys to add too.

 

Cheers everyone,

 

Philou

[Philou]

As the weather is continuing mild, but not as mild as yesterday, and dry it was decided that I should do some woodwork - unfortunately not for the railway but the garden. In all fairness the decking has been missing a decent set of stairs and so having done the stairway to heaven, I couldn't really refuse. In any case, as we're both getting older, the existing stairs are becoming difficult and lethal (wasn't me, guv).

 

So I took the opportunity to not only get the wood to make the stringers but also enough to make the frames for the loft doors - kill two birds with one stone - eh? Saved a bit on fuel too doing one journey instead of two. There won't be much railway progress for the next couple of days (I have to hand-cut the stringers) but I shall be doing some more 3D. Here is Pontrilas station in place, though it needs a bit of tweaking to set it down into the platform surface correctly - do that tomorrow.

 

Here is the station looking in the Newport direction:

 

 

...... and in the Hereford direction:

 

 

I might make a start on the Pontrilas signal box - still don't know what colours to use. It's definitely a very light colour for the most part with some framing in a much darker colour. I suspect it's GWR chocolate and stone. I've done the water tank above in my version of plum and spilt milk for a change and I think it looks rather swish - but it probably never was!

 

Cheers everyone,

 

Keep safe,

 

Philip

[Philou]

Stringers are all cut and tomorrow cutting of decking planks to length awaits me. I MIGHT have all the parts cut and dry-assembled by tomorrow pm - we'll see.

 

I did start on the Pontrilas signal box late yesterday but I couldn't concentrate - so I restarted today and I have the makings of the box. I need to do all the ship-lap panels and there are two windows and two doors to be placed at ground floor, plus the entrance door and window - oh and stairs.

 

I found another related thread that I had completely forgotten - I've thrown down the gauntlet (to spur me on mainly) to see who can finish their layout first - I hope @ed1234 is still about and reading RMWeb - otherwise it'll be just me!! It was thanks to him that I got started in doing 3D drawings of the layout and buildings.

 

Here are the two preliminary views of the 'box:

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

 

[The Stationmaster]

On 10/03/2022 at 20:04, Philou said:

Huzzah and hooray! I am underway again and using the revised dimensions the model seems to be coming together rather better. I'll post up some images later tonight.

 

I DO have a question for Mike, @The Stationmaster (as I know he is a fan of the North and West route), do you have any idea of the corporate colours that the LNWR may have used for the wood paintwork on their station buildings (and signal box)? Perhaps they didn't and they were the colours of the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford railway - or should I just stick with the standard GWR chocolate and stone? The window frames that I have done do look rather good in plum and spilt milk (within the limitations of the colour palette of SketchUp), though I have an idea that it should be green and cream.

 

I found plenty of information on rolling stock colours but not for buildings.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

It depends on the sort of date you are modelling Phil.  WR colours were definitely around by the late 1950s but I have seen some nationalisation era pictures of Abergavenny Jcn station which suggest it might still have been in LMS colours some time into the 1950s. (n.b. Abergavnny Jcn station was always an LNWR/LMS station until nationalisation although the line it was one was owned by the GWR).  

 

The N,A, & H ceased to exist as a separate company in July 1860 when it amalgamated with the OWW to become the West Midland Railway.  And in its turn the WMR amalgamated with the GWR in July 1863.    So N,A, & H stations would have been in GWR colours in the 20th century.

[Philou]

@The Stationmaster, Mike, thank you for the information. I was going to have the building in its very early 1900s form (as shown in the drawings above). The earliest (undated) photo I have found shows ladies in Edwardian dress (frilly, down to the floor, large hats) which makes it pre-1914 and the station with the water tower adjunct to it. I can then assume that the colours would have been chocolate and stone (though had it been LNWR, I thought plum and spilt milk looked rather good - as I mentioned previously).

 

No real update today as my stair-making process was thwarted by a sandstorm - well, Saharan sand mixed with light rain - that gave the sky a rather peculiar orange hue that lasted from day-break until mid-afternoon. It reminded me very much of the old sodium lights that were very much part of the townscape in the 60s/80s. The car is now a dusty orange colour.

 

Sand-laden clouds:

 

 

........... and car after the rain:

 

 

Oh, how Mrs Philou laughed! (And yes, over here, we're allowed to park on the footway - I don't agree, but due to the size of the agricultural vehicles passing daily we don't have too much choice until the barn is finished).

 

Progress is being made on Pontrilas signal box - most of the ship-lap cladding is done and then the toilet and stairs. There will be two doors and the two lower windows afterwards. I may have some pictures later tonight, otherwise tomorrow.

[Philou]

Progress on the signal box was slower than I allowed - partly due to the stairs being assembled whilst the weather was dry. I then disassembled this morning as I have groundworks to do such as creating mortar pads on which the stairs can rest. In any case, I couldn't have dragged them into place as they were just too darned heavy. It'll all be ready for the weekend.

 

Here is the signal box. I think I've caught the flavour but the ventilators are too big. The glazing bars ARE white but due to the limitations of my laptop the black edge lines are relatively thick - the widths of the bars as drawn are about 0.2mm wide (1/2") but are obscured by the lines. I don't think I can turn them off unfortunately.

 

Two views prior to placing on the layout:

 

 

 

Here it is in an approximate position alongside the tracks. I'll locate it more precisely tomorrow and I have to adjust the height as I noted the back is a good 18" lower than the front - I'm not sure why. There may be a knock-on effect on the road overbridge upon which the 'box is built. Just as well I hadn't drawn that detail yet:

 

 

Take care everyone,

 

Philip

[Philou]

Well! After an unexpected interlude of no RMWeb AND Mrs Philou having gone to see her newest granddaughter, I decided to 'do other things' which didn't include railway stuff, unfortunately.

 

I finished my stairs which were greeted by 'Oh, bit steep?' 'Persaxctly the same as my new stairs in the barn, dear'. 'Must have some handrails, then'. That'll be another small job to be tackled.

 

What i did manage to do, again on my own, was to replace the welded-steel burner that was in our lounge with a smaller cast-iron one. Gosh, they were heavy to manhandle! I found on dismantling the steel chimney, that there was an extensible pipe inside and so that saved me cutting a new one, just slid it out to its new length, tighten a joint and job jobbed! Brownie points all round!

 

I said no railway stuff, but I did manage to fabricate a door frame, a sub-frame and panel the frame to create the folding attic floor access door. Now that did take a little while and by the time I'd finished, Mrs Philou was back and I'd run out of puff - still haven't got my enthusiasm to go a restart the repointing and repair of the wall. The weather is set mild for the next few days so I expect I'll out there tomorrow. I just need a kick up the whotsit and I'll be underway again.

 

Here are some pictures:

 

Pointing and repairs of wall underway a couple of weeks ago; before:

 

 

and after:

 

 

The door frame pre-assembled:

 

 

Dropped in place on its sub-frame:

 

 

Partially panelled:

 

 

Rinse and repeat and voila! a pair of cellar doors:

 

 

I used some heavy duty cord off-cuts as handles - seems to work quite well too!

 

Nice to be back,

 

Cheers everyone,

 

Philip

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Philou]

Hello chums,

 

No real works done in the barn as due to the mild sunny spell that has arrived with swallows - all two of them that seemed to be taking an interest in the new floor upon which to 'hang' their nest. Our youngest cat was taking a great interest in them, too!! The fine weather meant mowing the lawn (first hair-cut this year) and starting to pressure-wash the decking - it's become a three-day job unfortunately.

 

I have done some walling work in the barn - rebuilding a corner and some more pointing. I'll post up a photo or two when there will be something decent to show.

 

I restarted the 3D work and completed the signal box for Dymented. I need to look at its location carefully for at the moment I've plonked it on the end of the platform so that the bobby can see right inside the tunnel-bridge on approach from Ledbury. The downside is that it has eaten a chunk of my platform that I may need to modify by adding the now used part at the other end - but I don't like things that are asymmetrical, it just doesn't sit right in my head - but then just look at the barn and the house we're in, nothing is square or symmetrical!!

 

The 'box has raised a couple of questions in my head such as (a) does it need to be just 'there' or could it go elsewhere and (b) would the builders of the line have constructed a tunnel-bridge to overcome the skew? In the case of (b), my thinking was that (i) I could do it just because but (ii) would have short straight girders been cheaper to buy and easier to put into place rather than much longer ones to form the skew - any thoughts?

 

Here are a couple of pictures showing the 'box:

 

In place on the platform, platform to be modified to suit; and:

 

 

View from inside the box looking into the skew bridge on the Ledbury approach:

 

 

I have say that on my earlier plan, that was lost in a harddrive failure, the configuration of the track was slightly different and consequently the juxtaposition of the signal box and platform was different. I just couldn't recreate it as it was this time round.

 

Lastly, an overview of Dymented station from the Ledbury direction:

 

 

If anyone would like to know, the signal box is based on the one that used to be at Hall Green. I've modified it by adding a toilet externally as I think the one at Hall Green must have been inside, possibly downstairs, as there is no evidence of one on the photos that I have seen. I thought I'd go more 'traditional'. Perhaps the original had a stove rather than a fireplace - the chimney looks a tad ostentatious.

 

Next 'box I hope will be a smaller affair to control the Ledbury Tunnel eastern portal and the loops there. I haven't found a photo of the one that used to be there - might have been too remote from a photographer's perspective, though there a few shots of trains coming out of the tunnel, one complete with assisting engine and in colour too!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by Philou

[Philou]

Hello chaps and chapesses,

 

Despite having visitors over the Easter weekend and gardening duties, I have been able to do the signal box for the eastern portal to Ledbury tunnel. I still haven't found the original picture that I thought I had so this time I chose to base my model on the one that used to be at Claverdon. It seems that it was re-built in the 1930s but it still was based on the traditional half-timbered ones. In this particular case, there was neither outside toilet, outside stairs nor finials - access to the levers (is there a name for the ops room?) was via an internal stairs with the loo downstairs. Though not shown in the shot below, I have given the bobby a stove and I replaced the rather austere 2 + 2 windows of the prototype with traditional 3 + 2 s. I shall place it on the layout later:

 

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by Philou
Hiccough on uploading and picture duplicated

[Philou]

Having done the 'box, I thought I should take the time to put it in place on the layout and here it is:

 

Looking towards the tunnel mouth (Ledbury direction):

 

 

and looking towards Pontrilas:

 

 

Eventually all the landscaping will be coloured in, but I'm avoiding it for the moment so as not to consume too much computing power!

 

Cheers everyone,

 

Philip

[Philou]

Hello chums,

 

Having posted up the previous two pictures, I found that SketchUp wouldn't save what I had done, not much was lost but the landscape had no longer the 'box. Having done the exercise once, I went for broke and re-did the emplacement of the 'box and also the occupational bridge that lay between the 'box and the tunnel. There is a colour picture of the bridge, but I think it may be copyrighted. Here are the results, with a bit of added colour;

 

Overview of the section of layout concerned:

 

 

View of the 'box trackside:

 

 

and a view from inside the 'box looking at the tunnel mouth:

 

 

Cheers everyone and have good weekend.

 

Philip

 

 

[Philou]

OK chums,

 

Goods sheds - that's the next area of modelling that I'm starting. With three stations I'm having three different styles - the one at Ledbury appears to be a big glass and brick affair, big enough for two cranes inside, Pontrilas is an all wooden shiplap construction (lots and lots of trees are loaded onto bolster wagons there) and I'm basing the one at Dymented on one at Colwall that seems to be mainly brick with at least 4 windows station side. I don't have many pictures of Colwall, so it'll be guesswork. I will also do a PO loading dock and building there, too. There are, in the one photo, about 13 coaches (perhaps NPCCs) that seem to waiting to be loaded or just parked there. I shall assume that they're taking the 'waters'.

 

When I have something to show, I'll post up (probably Ledbury first).

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Philou]

Allo, 'allo eet eez moi again.

 

Is it already a month since I last posted here? Good heavens, I'll put that right straight away.

 

Firstly, I have finished earlier this week the in-filling of joints where rainwater had washed out the original mortar and replaced missing stones from around where the purlins entered the walls.

 

Secondly, two things happened whilst my back was turned - all my lovely planking has to be relaid due to excessive shrinkage. I have at least 10mm gaps between them:

 

 

Bit fuzzy - sorry - but I think you get the general idea. It'll keep me busy until my metal studding and insulation arrives to dry-line the walls ......... and this arrived - not by post unfortunately so it can't be sent back - and I don't know if it's African or European:

 

 

..... one of a pair and they've set up home chez nous, right underneath where I want to shift the flooring:

 

 

I shall have to work quickly and as quietly as possible as I think Mrs Swallow has already laid a clutch as she's more often in the nest rather than off out doing what swallows do. The cats have been taking great interest in their comings and goings - so another reason to work quickly whilst in the vicinity of the nest - that's for tomorrow. These swallows were the first to arrive in the village and decided they liked it chez nous  - yay! There were two other pairs that came to see what I was doing earlier this week, but they just fluttered around a bit, made some noise, sh!t on my new flooring and fluttered off again - bit like manglement so I'm told!

 

There won't be much to tell regarding the flooring as it's a case of unscrewing the screws, sliding across and re-screwing in place - all 1000+ screws. Should be finished by next Friday.

 

Cheers everyone,

 

Philip

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Philou

[Philou]

A little update: This morning I undid the planks over the nest. Probably Social Services will be knocking at our door soon for having a HMO (House in Multiple Occupancy) - there are SIX eggs in the nest and she was very upset that I was that close. I quickly replaced the planks and laid some OSB as an extra layer and left them alone for today. I'll finish screwing down tomorrow early. I doubt if the six will develop into adults - I've only ever seen four fledglings at most in a swallows nest - but you never do know.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Philou]

A further update: Friday came and went due to visitors (people seem to like to stay a while chez nous) and my planking manoeuvres were completed on Monday. I have 'lost' one complete row of planking!

 

This afternoon I am about to order materials to complete the new ceiling (metal lathing, insulation and plasterboard) plus replacement planks. I shall also need to place conduit in the ceiling space ready for the lighting. I am going to run into some delays due to the rising cost of materials and I shall have to limit expenditure on a monthly basis (old age pensioner y'know). Besides, at the rate at which I work, it'll probably take me a month to use up the materials!

 

Next month will be the acquisition of two small Velii (that means some roofing work and my scaffolding - exciting times ahead!).

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Philou]

I don't know what happened today, but Mrs Philou and I went to town to get some extra plates to add to a set that she was given for Mothers' Day and ended up doing a 100 mile round trip as the shop didn't have enough and we had to pick up the rest elsewhere. Came back with the said plates and matching glassware, and in the back of the car were two Velii (yay!) that weren't being budgeted this month (boo). Seemed rude having gone all that distance and not bring them back.

 

All my materials to make up the ceiling are also arriving tomorrow - so that is definitely my work for the month of June sorted! Scaffolding to be erected over the next couple of days so that I can get onto the roof to remove some tiles - oo-er.

 

Pictures galore will ensue.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Philou]

Scaffolding is now up having been delayed by more visitors and a period of heavy rain/thunderstorms having arrived last week. We are now to have a heat-wave of up to 37°! As I'm not allowed too much sun and it will be very hot, I shall start by setting out my laths in an area that won't be affected by the Velii. The windows can wait a few days. BTW, I am informed by M. le Maire, that I have to put in a planning application for the Velii as I am doing works affecting the look of the building - oh! You can't even see where they're to go let alone the pent of the roof as the building is so high above the footway! I won't need to wait for permission to start as it's more of a notification of works, though.

 

As we're off, photos will follow.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip