Porthgarrow : a mixed-gauge show layout on a single board

[Gwiwer]

8 minutes ago, ColinK said:

Moving sea - that must be a first at an exhibition.

Close! 
 

[Gwiwer]

The first few photos of Porthgarrow in its new home have been taken ℅ Hayle Railway Modellers.  These are cropped screenshots with permission. 
 

 

 

It’s fundamentally sound and was powered and running last club night. 
 

My own photo shows perhaps better than before the “moment in time” as the name board is being repainted from green to brown. 
 

 

I have on order a pair of LED lighting strips for better illumination and exhibition use.  Together with a repaired and reinforced backscene these, and possibly an upper panel, will contain and light the layout. 
 

The OO line remains incomplete and a static display but may be in working order three weeks from now when this layout attends its next exhibition. 

[Gwiwer]

Porthgarrow’s next public outing approaches. 
 

The layout is booked to attend Hayle Railway Modellers’ exhibition on 18/19 November.  
 

But not without a little drama. 
 

The layout is now housed in their clubroom which took a battering from Storm Ciaràn. One roof panel was ripped right off - the one directly above the layout. 

 

 

As it was stored under a thick plastic sheet no real damage was done beyond the card scenics absorbing more moisture than is good for them. 
 

A new roof panel was fitted within hours of the damage being discovered and a working session today tidied up the layout. 
 

[Gwiwer]

Final tweaks have been made today in advance of this weekend’s exhibition. 
 

The entire scene has been lightly weathered. The standard gauge tunnel mouth is temporarily blacked out with card rather than offering a view to open air; it remains my intention to add an outrigger to allow these trains to enter and leave under power but for now they are static and changed over by hand when on show to vary the scene.
 

The “exit” for narrow gauge trains where they approach the loader has finally been dealt with and again is no longer a void; an arch has been formed from stone-print card and the loading conveyor fixed in a suitable position although not straddling the line as I wanted. 
 

Cars and people have been stuck in place and the green DMU which works some of the passenger services, the narrow gauge “manager’s saloon”  and the flat wagons have been weathered.  The in-service ng loco has a driver which was a very tricky fitting in such a small space. 
 

https://www.haylerail.co.uk/exhibitions.html
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Porthgarrow attracted a lot of attention on the first day of its weekend exhibition ℅ Hayle Railway Modellers

 

Comments included:-

I’m looking at the real thing;

Absolutely stunning;

So believable

I’m right there 

So much to see in a small space 

 

And there’s tomorrow ahead.  The attendance plaque has now been fixed to the front woodwork. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

A busy weekend was thoroughly enjoyed with the attention and interest sustained into Sunday.  The demographic was a bit different with the second day seeing far more "mums and toddlers" attending but there was still a steady flow of what I would call "genuine modellers".  We do, of course, have to spark the interest asa early as possible in order to maintain a flow of young blood into the hobby.  

 

The layout performed well enough with a failed solder being quickly repaired before opening on Sunday and helping the smooth running no end.  The OO-9 stock is so small and light that the tiniest thing can upset it but there were very few incidents of uncoupling or derailing across the two days.  

 

The layout's next outing should be in April up the road in Pool.

 

[Gwiwer]

In cold damp clubroom conditions there has been just a little work done do far this year. 
 

A foam-board “lid” has been fabricated with a 2x2 front bearer which in turn rests on vertical wooden beading at each end. 
 

A small LED lighting bar has been fitted beneath this lid to obviate the need to rely on hall lighting when on show. 
 

A card strip is to go over the front to obscure the light when viewed from the front and to cover the bare wood. 
 

The next little piece of electrickery is a surprise. And one which followers of my work may recognise. 
 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Not at all in keeping with the 1960s theme but somehow sitting comfortably anyway. 
 

The steam railmotor is a superb little machine which ran perfectly in both directions on the test track. 
 

Porthgarrow’s OO line remains a stayic diorama for now. 
 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Porthgarrow is being tidied up and generally put into good order ready for its outing next month. 
 

Recent works include re-surfacing the station platform which brings it up to a better height and covers a few glue blots on the original plus the installation of the second overhead strip light on the “roof”. 
 

A boat has appeared in the water and strategically-placed greenery covers a slight gap in the sea wall. 
 

I have struggled with the planned fitting of festoon lighting over the beach. It is in place but despite working when tested it refuses to work now it’s fitted. The jury is out on its future. 

Most importantly the demountable extension board has been fitted allowing completion of the standard-gauge run-off. That means for the first time the sg line is also powered and able to show moving rather than static trains. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Recent work to have Porthgarrow fit for show next month has included refreshing all the vegetation and adding new trees.
 

The original printed sky backscene had become damaged and marked. Rather than try to fit another of the same sheets around all the fixed scenery I instead over-painted it. Using chalk paints and acrylics mixed I now have a sky which includes some cloud and even a few showers. 
 

The lighting will not be functional by next month. It was all fitted, wired and tested but the current proved too much and blew out the nanoLEDs after a few seconds. I had it stepped down to 3V but clearly that wasn’t enough despite the LEDs being quoted as 12V ones. 
 

So dummy lighting it shall be. For now at least. 
 

The station sign has been repainted in bolder colours but is still part-repainted into WR brown. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Some last-minute preparations for this weekend’s show saw Porthgarow gain a few bits “borrowed” from the currently-stored Waddlemarsh layout. 
 

A brick signalbox (with Scalescenes name sign) has appeared as have the bean-sticks from the shunter’s allotments.  The GPO van is fixed at the top of the roadway and - barely visible but adding interest - pot plants and a couple of dogs have appeared outside the cottages. 
 

Station furniture now includes a picnic table and a few more waiting passengers. 
 

The layout was cleaned and tested with both gauges powered and working. Various different locomotives were tried on the standard gauge line with the heavier ones performing better because they can cope with the slightly uneven track. Being laid on foam-board has its issues but it keeps the weight down.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Day one of the event and the layout played nice. 
 

The lighting is a bit uneven and can be improved upon.
 

Porthgarrow has been invited to attend another event later this year; more details as the time gets nearer.
 

The mermaid who has appeared on all my OO layouts to date, and whom I thought had been lost in the house-move, turned up the other day in a rolling stock box. She disported herself today on Porthgarrow beach

Tail-swinger:

 

Bulleid luxury

The lighting is uneven but there were many very positive comments 

And look who’s back ….. 

 

[Gwiwer]

Day 2. A busy show. A lot of interest. And another play-nice day. None of the annoying little glitches which frustrated me on its previous outing. 
 

Typical comments included “amazing attention to detail”, “so realistic” and “love the different levels”. 
 

Visitors from an 8 year-old girl to a 84 year-old veteran admitted to being inspired and our young friend asked her mum in front of me “Can I do that?”  
 

Yes. You can. I look forward to seeing you exhibiting your own work in due course. 
 

Porthgarrow is expected to appear at three more events this year one of which is by invitation only. 
 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

A little more detail recently added includes a Plastruct girder between storage and loading conveyor. This is painted black and rust with green weathering powder flicked onto the wet paint 

 

Porthgarrow has been on show today to invited members of other clubs. Along with the other layouts housed at Hayle MRC’s clubroom. 
 

That’s the second of three events this year; the third is at Carn Brea in the autumn. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fishplate]

18 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Plastruct girder between storage and loading conveyor. This is painted black and rust with green weathering powder flicked onto the wet paint 

 

Lovely modelling of unloved infrastructure.

 

I do like this sort of non-railway detail. It adds so much to the realism of a scene.