37114s Westbury(ish) O gauge photo plank

4.4k · November 12, 2023

A few weeks ago I made the impulsive purchase of a weathered Heljan class 60 off Ebay, I hasten to add I am not an impulsive person but do have a soft spot for class 60s. Ever since 2003 all I have ever bought loco wise has been BR Blue or suited to 1976 to 1978 and my Avon Street (in Bristol) inspired exhibition layout "Peasevern Yard" is firmly set in 1977 so there wasn't an opportunity for the class 60 to find a home on it hence my decision to build a small single road photo plank.

I had previously built (and sold) a Finsbury Park inspired depot scene which would have been ideal except it was a bit wide for displaying on a shelf, but it did inspire me to build something on the same lines which would be flexible enough to be used for all my stock. I live near Bath and have a few local railway books and hence hit on the small shed at Westbury.

I started with an offcut of ply which was cut down to 15cm x 60cm and then had framing added. I had some spare O gauge track which had been ballasted and some foam board used to create some raised concrete area. I uses offcuts of ply to create a backscene which is painted the same sky colour as the backscene on Peasevern Yard (P7Y), although the plan is not much will be on show by the end of construction.

To provide a scenic break on the right I decided to scratchbuild part of the servicing shed. These were very basic but also long lived (with some modifications) so ideal for both the class 60 and my 1977 stock. I have some strong photo mount card so decided to use that for the depot frame;

The dimensions are guesstimates from photos but in essence it is 12cm tall by 14cm wide. I was lucky to find a head on photo of inside the shed (albeit with a class 56 in shot) that will be mounted on the end to provide an illusion of depth. Here is the framework in place

Nick G · November 12, 2023

Nice work Rob. Now fit a sound decoder get a cheap DCC controller and having sat there ticking over with lights on.

4.4k · November 12, 2023

50 minutes ago, Nick G said:

Nice work Rob. Now fit a sound decoder get a cheap DCC controller and having sat there ticking over with lights on.

Ha ha, thanks Nick. All in good time but it it is definitely at the back of my mind to use it as a test bed for DCC..

Sweet pea · November 13, 2023

Nice work Rob. I like the idea of an O Gauge plank. Will be following with great interest.

4.4k · November 15, 2023

A bit of recent progress on the plank, I have mostly been painting things. The building frame has been painted a concrete colour as I need to paint it before adding the glazing and associated framework. I also bought from @mudmagnet some detail bits including a fueling point, battery charger and fire extinguishers etc. Most will appear on the plank but some will go on the extension to Peasevern Yard. Further work is planned on the concrete hard standing as drainage needs to be bedded in before I fix the fuel pump down.

I was lucky in my research to find a photo taken looking into one of the sheds which was perfect for mounting inside of my shed end. Unfortunately the loco in the picture is a red stripe liveried Romanian class 56 which is fine most of the time when the class 60 is on display but it is not ideal for my 1977 stock With a bit of cut and paste I managed to stitch in a domino headcode class 47 from another picture which is ideal for 1977 but not for the class 60 so a solution was required.

The answer was to cut a piece of card to size then stick an image on each side and then I can remove and swap it over depending on which locos I am photographing;

1977;

1992

4.4k · November 23, 2023

I have been making progress albeit slowly but it is coming together now, with progress on 3 fronts;

1) The shed. The shed is now glazed using some spare clear thin sheet onto which I have added some thin glazing bars. I am quite pleased how this has turned out, I have started to weather the external brickwork as well.

2) The concrete area; I wasn't happy with how this looked initially with some gaps at the end and also the card didn't really properly butt up to the track so I used some filler to fill the gaps and then painted more of the textured paint. I have cut in a plinth for the fuel pump and have some drainage grilles on order. I have to say I can't wait to get this weathered!

3) The backscene; My original plan was to use a photo of the Wiltshire Hills with the White Horse but it didn't really blend in. In addition I wanted to convey depth of the sidings beyond the board so resorted to an old trick I had used before. I found a good side on picture of a Yeoman PGA wagon which was duplicated and super imposed. The wagon was perfect as it screamed Westbury but with the design dating from 1972 until the 2000s was perfect for both my 1977 stock and the class 60. It is seen here loosely in place as I will fix it after weathering the track.

Edited November 23, 2023 by 37114
Typo

4.4k · December 5, 2023

It has been a while since my last update but there has been some progress.

Further to my last post and the base for the fuel pump being installed, I have also installed the catch drains which are a laser cut purchase off ebay and are perfect for my needs. I have also weathered the concrete and track with a mix of washes of various greys and blacks which looks much better

In addition I have also permanently affixed the backscene pictures, these blend in nicely with the recovered foreground

Next steps is to add some details to the concrete area and sort the backscene on the end panel. I will also paint the exposed wood work.

Edited December 5, 2023 by 37114
Add photos back in

4.4k · December 9, 2023

I have added on the details to the board earlier today, firstly the fuel point;

Also the battery charge, fire extinguishers and buckets, all from the mudmagnet models range. I have a couple of barrels that are still being painted and also a couple of weeds to add. The ripple in the wagon is something I haven't noticed before and is v annoying, and may end up needing to be replaced

I have also put up the shelf in our study where the display will live. The location is slightly odd at first sight but I have a height adjustable desk which I can stand at so needed to be factored in. The bare wood at the front if the board will be covered in black painted ply.

60029 is temporarily trying out it's new home.

Nick G · December 9, 2023

Somehow I have missed several updates on this thread but now up to date. Looking great Rob, O gauge 56 next is it?

4.4k · December 9, 2023

1 hour ago, Nick G said:

Somehow I have missed several updates on this thread but now up to date. Looking great Rob, O gauge 56 next is it?

Thanks Nick, afraid no chance of a class 56, I am no fan of them at all! I might be tempted by one of the upcoming 1990s era class 37s though, I am working on an early 90s 1/43 lorry at the moment so maybe new layout in the future..