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"Tawford Cross" (Lapford lookalike - ish)


Ramblin Rich

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  • RMweb Gold

I've often looked at Lapford myself. There is something interesting about the station and plenty of operational interest, plus there are plenty of photos around and easily accessible on the A377. Most of the buildings are still there. There are some plans for the signal box in an old Railway Modeller and makes an attractive model.

 

I am working on a few buildings and bits and pieces for my new layout, much as Tom has suggested. It's too cold to work for long in the garage and much more comfortable in the lounge, plus there is never very much on the television worth watching!

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks for the words folks. I agree that working on a few projects is a good way to go, I'm getting a few things together to work on the dining table in the evenings (if I stop waffling on here!). First up is a short rake of clayhoods to mess with, using the Scalescene / Model Rail replacement printed hoods. I may have a go at replacing the axleboxes too IF I can pluck up the courage!

Then a few Lima UKF vans which need the couplings changed at the very least, ideally new bogies too although replacements of the correct pattern are a bit hard to find (S kits I believe).

That 3 arch bridge also needs a look at too...

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Hi Rich

 

As I think you commented on it I made a 3 arch bridge, based on Lapford, with a skew for the clay works line, on my layout, with some pictures in the thread. It was much easier than I thought, especially if you ignore the complicated maths and just use trial and error! Let me know if you want any details of how I did it, dimensions etc.

 

HTH

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks Tom - I did see your thread. I think I've worked out how to do this now, will just need to experiment with DAS / tile grout as per "mudmagnet's" method.

PS - no I won't go N gauge! Eyesight & patience is failing, plus I've got too much invested in stock etc...

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  • RMweb Gold

Rich, Happy New Year!

 

Like the new plan...infact, I love the new plan :yes: (my architectural credentials mean I am not big on L shaped kitchens...let alone L shaped layouts :lol:) so big thumbs up from me...for what its worth.

 

Get it underway soon before you change your mind...or rather Planning permission has expired (5 years in UK once Full Planning permission granted I believe ;))

 

Keep it small and simple...but with guaranteed fun as a return.

 

Pete

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Pete - Happy New Year to you as well & thanks (as always) for the encouragement ;)

Yes, I think this is a working proposition, the 3 foot fiddle area is a bit restrictive in terms of train length but I can foresee easy scenic extension to the left and longer fiddle yards at both ends. I could set up to play in the conservatory with this minimalist version, or decamp into the loft / garage & add the extensions :)

The angled line is deliberate as I don't like tracks parallel to baseboard edges! My only concerns are the reverse curve into the siding parallel to the loop and how to disguise the left hand fiddle exit...

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  • RMweb Gold

Rich - Yep, sounds a good plan to get it started...that way you can have a few things running and longer fiddleyards can follow later.

 

I thought there was another bridge at the left hand end which would make a perfect scenic break?

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Pete - yes there is a bridge at left hand end but a little way down the line, I'm needing something immediately after the points if I'm going to use the left hand 3 foot bit as a fiddle area. As I'm just doing this bit for home use I may ignore the scenic break altogether!

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  • RMweb Gold

Got you - Sorry, missed that from your earlier description.

 

Perhaps you could make a temporary "removable bridge" which can be placed as and when to give the feel of a scenic break and for photos etc....and later if you extend the layout you can reposition it?

 

Just a thought....

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  • 5 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

Good grief, is it really 6 months since I thought about this?

Just to show it's still a going concern, I printed the XtrkCAD plan to see how it looked in a 3D mockup

 

post-6864-0-65051300-1339679736_thumb.jpg

 

post-6864-0-33080300-1339679746_thumb.jpg

 

post-6864-0-99815800-1339679755_thumb.jpg

 

post-6864-0-83121000-1339679761.jpg

 

post-6864-0-13676600-1339679727_thumb.jpg

 

Quite encouraged by the space available, I can get 4 UKF vans into the long siding easily (and there'll be even more room when I remove those "gert big" couplings!) ;) The platform is just almost scale length for Lapford (real thing is about 260ft = 1040mm in OO). I think I'll use the concrete style edging as that just says "(ex) Southern", even though the real North Devon line platforms are largely stone built. There's room for the 3 arches of the bridge too. :)

So, having seen it works full size, I'd better stop "mocking about" and build some boards! :P

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  • RMweb Gold

Great stuff Rich

 

I knew it was ongoing...even if mostly it was in your thought process ;)

 

You can't beat mock ups and seeing trains layed out on paper gives such a buzz doesn't it? (tell us you couldn't resist shunting those wagons about by hand either :D)

 

Look forward to the next instalment...

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Guest 34008Padstow

Looking good Rich. If you can find a copy then the Tarka Line with first great western is a really good book for inspiration.

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Pete, absolutely right about seeing things full size! Definitely given me a bit of a boost...

 

Hi Shane, if you mean the Past & Present companion, yep, got that! Along with 2 other Past & Present ("Devon" and "North & West Devon"), Mac Hawkins book "LSWR lines in the West Country Then & Now" and the Irwell press "North Devon Line". Lot of inspiration in them, plus the various websites I've indicated before but probably worth re-listing here for the record

http://freepages.nostalgia.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cyberheritage/

http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/north_devon_line_okehampton_web_optimised/index.html

http://northdevondiesels.webs.com/

http://www.reallygoodtrains.co.uk/reallybarnstaple.html

and a few Flickr images:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarkaman/5452124304/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarkaman/5452133054/in/set-72157626070317318/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarkaman/5452126296/in/set-72157626070317318/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarkaman/5451514495/in/set-72157626070317318/

 

Now you know what I've been doing the past 6 months! ;)

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I know that model railway names are not copyrighted, but for information there is already a 'Tawford' on the exhibition circuit. It was first exhibited at Plymouth in 2010, Barry & Penarth in 2010 plus a couple more times since then. The owner and operator is a good friend of mine and is my No. 1 operator on 'Crewlisle' at exhibitions.

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  • RMweb Gold

I know that model railway names are not copyrighted, but for information there is already a 'Tawford' on the exhibition circuit. It was first exhibited at Plymouth in 2010, Barry & Penarth in 2010 plus a couple more times since then. The owner and operator is a good friend of mine and is my No. 1 operator on 'Crewlisle' at exhibitions.

 

Oh dear, my apologies.... Perhaps I'll start thinking of other names :(

I can honestly say that wasn't obvious; when I thought of the name last year, the only "Tawford model railway" on Google was an article in a 1954 magazine! The references in Barry & Penarth clubs exhibition details are very brief, though - has this "Tawford" been in any magazines or on the web otherwise?

 

Nice to see this one re-appear and rather handsome in a Lapford kinda way it looks too :)

There is also a Taw Ford in Barnstaple :D don't think they sell trains though ;)

 

Cheers Mickey - yes that version of Taw Ford has a more obvious presence on Google!

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I wouldn't bother to change your layout's name if you are doing a prototypical layout. It is your layout so you can call it what you like.

 

'Tawford' was a name he chose at random & represents a modern freelance two platform town terminus with a few sidings. It has not been in any magazines or (to my knowledge) on the web.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello, I'm Nick, the owner and builder of the other 'Tawford'!

 

I've just stumbled across your plans on here, and certainly like what you've come up with. My Tawford was originally an L shape layout but quickly grew thanks to encouragement from my friends in the North Road Railway Club

 

The layout has not been in any magazines yet, and was first conceived in May 2009. It has so far attended shows at Yealmpton (near Plymouth) in its original L shape guise, and then at Plymouth and Penarth. This year I have been invited to Fareham on the first weekend of October and then Cardiff two weeks later.

 

Look forward to seeing more updates in your progress, I will try and post some pictures of mine at some point soon.

 

Regards, Nick.

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This year I have been invited to Fareham on the first weekend of October and then Cardiff two weeks later.

 

Regards, Nick.

 

Look forward to meeting you at Cardiff and seeing Tawford - I willl be operating on "Bishops Way".

 

Regards,

 

Dave

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Nick (Tawford) - thanks for the comment. I'm a bit worried now that there will be some confusion over you having the user name & me having a layout of the same name :O , so I had a wander round gooooooogle maps and found "Chawleigh" near Eggesford which has a nice ring to it - so a name change may come into effect sometime....

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It's just one of those things! I came up with the name when looking at Lynton & Barnsaple engines - I thought of Taw and just added the 'ford' and it sounded like a North Devon name so thats what I chose. I think I've also come across a Tawbridge before as well so there is certainly some competition out there.

 

Hopefully the photo below gives you a rough idea of how my layout looks, although it was taken over a year ago so the scenery has developed since then.

 

Cheers, Nick

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  • RMweb Gold

It's just one of those things! I came up with the name when looking at Lynton & Barnsaple engines - I thought of Taw and just added the 'ford' and it sounded like a North Devon name so thats what I chose. I think I've also come across a Tawbridge before as well so there is certainly some competition out there.

 

 

I had the same thought process - start with Taw- and add an ending. There's already 2 layouts called Tawbridge - Barnstaple MRC's layout and '10800's planned roundy-roundy. (North) Tawton exists in real life, but the -ford ending makes a realistic sounding place name. Perhaps something based on Yeo- would work, but Yeoford already exists & Yeoton doesn't seem right. Yeobridge maybe...? :scratch_one-s_head_mini:

(see, this is part of my prevarication problem - I end up wandering off into esoteric territory instead of getting on with something! :rolleyes_mini: )

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  • RMweb Gold

Mickey, that's actually a rather nice idea - along the lines of Ken Gibbons Lapford Road. "Cross" might be another suitable suffix too..

 

Getting back to actually thinking about building this - and that skew angle 3 arch bridge. :O It's a suitable project for table top work while waiting for the layout space the become clear again.

I think the best way is to form some arches longer than needed (maybe cut down a suitable cylinder - pringles tube?), then cut them on a mitre saw to form the angle. They could than be used to mark out the vertical "faces" of the bridge. I think this is how it should be, so that the arch forms a semi-circle at right angles to the tracks underneath, and the arches in the "faces" are not actually semi-circles themselves. The inner surface of the arch should have courses of brick / stone parallel to the outer faces and not at right angles to the line (so the outer course merges with the arch itself - called voussoirs according to Wikipedia!). The easiest way of doing the inner arch surface would be with suitable stone paper. I've got some air drying clay and tile grout to attempt carving stonework on the outer faces!

Anyone with engineering / architecture background care to comment (bcnPete maybe)?

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  • RMweb Gold

Hmmmm (strokes chin....) - that might just work...

Or I could just replace the bridge with a "gert big" girder like at Kings Nympton! :P

No - really want to do the 3 arch version as it's a signature item. I'll have a play with the mockup again :)

 

Like the place name idea too. Just found "Lapford Cross" is an actual location just south of the station - even better! :D

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