Penhayle Bay

[Gwiwer]

One would never know you had to remodel the area.

 

Thanks Jeff.

 

On the other hand I have the photographic evidence A case here of "it doesn't fit ..... "

 

 

The distance by which the backscene has been moved back is apparent here

 

[Removed a/c]

The buildings look really good in their new home. Are they still being made as I am unable to locate them on the Bachmann website.

 

Regards

Scott

 

 

[Oldddudders]

Are they still being made as I am unable to locate them on the Bachmann website.

As is increasingly the case with niche products, while Bachmann make them, they are an exclusive Kernow product. Try here http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/category/1106/Ready_Made_Buildings

[Removed a/c]

Thanks Ian.

[Gwiwer]

I have had to concentrate on significant house renovations during September and as a result no further work has been done to the layout until this week. On the other hand five rooms inside have had everything from ceilings to floors "done" in a huge logistical exercise which required furniture and contents to be moved out, everything repainted, new lights installed in the kitchen and carpets, fixings, underlay, vinyl tiles and hardboard panelling beneath them all lifted. The floorboards were then sanded and varnished before everything was cleaned up and the furniture replaced. In all I reckon about 200 hours work on top of the day job over four weeks or so.

 

Meanwhile back to the comparative relaxation of modelling!

 

The back scene has been refitted to accommodate the clay dries and owing to its additional length in the new setting a small balsa fillet has been introduced to fill a gap. The panel has also been repainted as it had to be cut to fit its new position. The rather average painted representations of industrial units which I was never happy with have gone as the dries now occupy most of that space. I have started on the scenic work required to blend the scene together once more and have also - despite comments above - taken the bold step of cutting the end wall off one of the dries units so that they will appear to be one long unit rather than two plonked end to end. That was achieved using the jig saw on its slowest speed to slice through a lot of awkwardly-shaped resin. The roof panels are metal and were cut back using repeated strokes of the Stanley knife.

 

I'll organise some pictures soon.

 

Hot on the heels of the clay dries Kernow MRC has announced a mine engine house. Described as derelict the images show more or less complete but abandoned structures i.e. not tumbledown but lacking any sort of internal machinery. Numerous engine houses have remained in or been restored to this sort of condition while many others in Cornwall are in various states of ruination. I have two of these on order for the layout. Being a distinctively Cornish structure I had always intended that at least one would feature but have struggled to scratch-build a suitable representation. I do however have the land space ready and waiting as intended from when the layout was built so there should be less work required to get these into the scene than the clay dries. They are expected in the second half of 2013 and I anticipate customising both with one becoming more derelict and overgrown than the other.

 

Edit : When I type a word that is the word I want to use. "Auto-correct" please take note .....

Edited October 9, 2012 by Gwiwer

[Gwiwer]

Slowly and surely the clay dries are taking shape in the landscape.

 

The two drying sheds and the chimney unit have all been superglued together into a single structure. This required the careful cutting off of one end wall and trimming back of the roof panels all of which was successfully completed. The backscene has required repainting as noted above.

 

With the structure in its final position a "concrete" area has been created alongside as found at the likes of Burngullow, Carbis Wharf and other loading points. This is created from casting plaster mixed with "wet water" from the spray bottle and a little "warm white" acrylic paint which I hope will give a satisfactory colour when thoroughly dried out. Grooves were cut in the wet plaster using a spare set of plastic wheels and tidying up will be done when everything is completely dried out.

 

Trimmings of plaster and some of the dry powder were also brushed and blown into the dries to represent china clay and some also brushed onto the walls as well.

 

Using some wagons of an age which implies the dries are now redundant here we see the newly-created concrete track bed, some of the "clay" and the effect of a little plaster slurry brushed onto the walls then almost brushed away to leave a weathered effect.

 

 

A better view to the interior.

 

 

The metal roof trimmings were retained as scrap and will remain dumped as shown to represent junk. They also form a handy makeshift fence to prevent anyone sneaking around the back!

 

 

An overall shot suggesting the scene now looks like a redundant dries rather more than three out-of-the-box structures.

 

 

While looking the other way there is still some detailing required (including a line of grass along the base of the building) but otherwise it's getting there.

 

 

In busier times and before the structures were joined together or detailed in any way:

 

 

While back a little further in time a short train loads at the dries behind a class 22 while another short train approaches on the down main behind a 52.

 

[Oldddudders]

Simply stunning, Rick, even by Penhayle standards! As usual, your knowledge of the prototype helps with detailing and integration into the layout.

[SRman]

Nahh! He's just trying to make us all look bad. Don't pay any mind to him!

 

Great work as usual, Rick. Real atmosphere ... I think Ian summed it up rather nicely, actually.

[richard37670]

that looking very smart i was wondering wither to buy the kernow dries they look very nice on the layout there

[d winpenny]

Looking really good

 

David

[Gwiwer]

And one for fans of things blue (hoods and hydraulics .......)

 

 

For anyone thinking of taking the plunge and adding these buildings to the layout I can certainly recommend them. They don't need anything more once the boxes are opened. They do benefit from little details being incorporated. The comments above suggest the effect of a short working session on the presentation of otherwise ready-to-plonk buildings

 

Commercial success of a product such as this commissioned by a single retailer can also ensure that they are in a position to offer us more such items in the future which the manufacturers perhaps feel they cannot take the risk of including in the main catalogue due - perhaps - to limited geographical appeal.

[winterbournecm]

That looks great mate. You've captured the tight spaces involved between train & structure well. The squeezes at Goonbarrow are incredible. Have you thought of the algea & moss thatched roof along the dries (and seagulls)? The finish provided looks great so you may not want to fiddle!

[Gwiwer]

Have you thought of the algea & moss thatched roof along the dries

Oddly enough I have just come in from applying some green weathering powder around the base of the structures to represent slime at the footings. The metal roof panels are reluctant to accept any form of additional weathering and have only had a light shake of white powder (mixed plaster and weathering powder through a fine sieve) applied from "The Heavens". Not sure if it will stay put though.

[Physicsman]

It's been a few weeks since I've looked at Penhayle Bay. You've done a very good job with the Kernow buildings, Rick. They're already so integrated, they look like they've been there forever. Lovely stuff!

 

Jeff

[Gwiwer]

Another hour's detailing work and I'm more or less happy with the result. The end wall I cut from one building when they were joined has been re-used to create an end-on low-relief of another building and the two are linked with a rusty girder cut from Plastruct and painted with Floquil colours. The offcut of the girder has been placed on the ground as scrap and several other pieces of junk have been located and dumped around the site. Groundwork includes the addition of white, brown and green weathering powders to show clay dust, soil and green slime or moss. The leading wagon of the featured train has been part-filled with dry plaster to represent a train being loaded. The scenes shown below would date from the mid sixties .....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Thanks for all the positive feedback on the clay dries. These will be joined on the layout by a pair of mine engine houses once released by Bachmann via Kernow MRC and probably close to a year from now.

 

Moving right along.

 

October is slipping away and November really marks the start of around five months of the reliably better weather when I aim to have the railway in its best condition and running every day for at least a few minutes. I also normally hold a "Friends Day" before the weather gets too hot with a small number of guests enjoying a leisurely afternoon amid the scenery and the little trains.

 

The blue parcels rake has become a little more varied of late with the addition of a Thompson full brake and SR Van C. Both are nominally in blue but have been heavily weathered. The Thompson has a light factory weathering but the Van C - which must be one of Hornby's better offerings of late - came out of the box in shiny blue plastic.

 

The full rake now comprises at least one (and in some cases many) each of SR Van C, Thompson full brake, BR 50-footer, BR GUV, BR BG, BR CCT, BR PRV (ex-Insulfish), GWR Fruit D, GWR Syphon G and SR PMV. Many have been fully or partially weathered. Those made by Lima and Dapol only operate rarely due to their poor running qualities but are sometimes used as a static rake or as individual vans in sidings.

 

 

 

The Dapol class 22s are running supremely well and are clocking relatively high running hours due to their reliability, superb slow-speed control and haulage capacity. Quite unlike the real things, in fact! Allof mine are Kernow MRC weathered editions but all have also had detailing and additional weathering added including - if you can call it "added" detail - the absence of one skirt panel on blue D6330. The work-stained blue machine is seen here leading a rake of weathered passenger stock.

 

[P.C.M]

Hi Rick,

The layout is looking great, I like the new clay dries they really look the the part. The mine engine house should really finish of the layout too.

Nice to see the mixed parcel rake and passenger train.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Gwiwer]

Just for a change I had some SR steam out on the layout and took the Hornby M7 to the weathering bench. This model was released with a factory "dirt squirt" which is beige and rather unconvincing.

 

It has received an overall application of a grey, brown and black mix of powders and some detail picked out with rust or mud colours. The side tanks also have white water staining and a spill down one tank has been brushed on in grey as that appears more convincing than white when applied like this. I hope it looks a little better now.

 

 

 

 

A crew is on order though there is no hint of when that order might be fulfilled at present. Route marker disks and fire irons will also be fitted in due course.

 

While getting down and dirty I also tried an experiment with some 16 ton mineral wagons. These were originally and superbly weathered by Lord & Butler "Dirty Boy". Today I added some coal and brushed black weathering powder roughly around the (formerly rust-coloured) inside panels.

 

Two sizes of coal are seen in two different wagons; the larger is Woodland Scenics "lump coal" and the smaller Chuck's Ballast Supplies "Cinders". After pouring the dry material into each wagon it was sprayed with wet water then dilute PVA in the same way that I and many others glue ballast. A light sprinkle of more coal was added over the top of the wet load which mostly sticks to the wet glue but avoids any hint of drying with a shine. A little dust spillage on the wagon ledges is a bonus!

 

 

 

In all I now have four laden mineral wagons which give a far more realistic look to a freight and do not present any problem for the locomotive in terms of additional load. With four empty wagons also in the rake I don't intend at present to load any more.

 

Edit - I have no idea why the text is shaded in this post but if an administrator has the ability to remove that I would be grateful!

Edited October 23, 2012 by Gwiwer

[SRman]

Looking good, as ever, Rick. :-)

 

I did notice that something seems to have happened to the rear buffer on the M7, though - it looks like the shank may have been pushed in through the buffer beam ... or is that just an optical illusion from the camera angles?

[Gwiwer]

You could be right about the buffer shank Jeff. I'll take a close look in the daylight another time.

[Gwiwer]

Close inspection of the aforesaid buffer shank showed that it had been involved in a rough shunt

 

It's been fixed now. All it needed was a gentle teasing out from the beam

[Physicsman]

Enjoyed the photos of the viaduct in post 418, Rick. And seeing your pics has reminded me of an important task - I need a "backscene" of some kind directly behind my viaduct, from river level up. I'd almost forgotten it!

 

Always fun watching your mix of locos!

 

Jeff

[SRman]

Glad the M7 was an easy fix, Rick. It wasn't intended as any sort of criticism - in fact, it's probably a compliment to the high quality of your photography that i was able to spot that!! It certainly didn;t detract from the superb modelling on show. I must do some more weathering myself. The inspration is there in your photos, so no excuses here!

[Gwiwer]

A couple of pieces of aluminium pipe dipped in a mix of Floquil paints and dusted with weathering powders are now added to the scrap on the ground by the clay dries. I now regard this scene as effectively complete having also attended to the last of the groundwork to blend it all together.

 

 

Illustrating some of that groundwork a lightly weathered "red shed" with the "unsilver bullets" rake is about to depart from the sidings and head up the main line.

 

 

Departing the sidings for the main line.

 

 

* * * * * * * * *

If there are any members in my part of the world who would be interested in dropping in to see Penhayle Bay in action please PM me. A date and time have been set but I don't wish to advertise them in full view of the internet as this is not an all-comers open house and numbers are kept small to ensure everyone's enjoyment.

* * * * * * * * *

[Gwiwer]

Today being a warm lazy spring Sunday I spent the afternoon gently sunning myself beside the line and snapping whatever came through

 

First an HST leans to the curve below Church Lane bridge and comes past Prys Moor

 

 

Followed by the Long Rock fuel tanks (on a Sunday???!!!)

 

 

Then the clay tankers .....

 

 

And finally a Sprinter ambled past on the Up line with a local stopping train though the destination might have been wrongly set!

 

 

Refreshing of this area for another summer's operation has included the addition of the gorse hedge from the bridge parapet down the top of the cutting seen best in the HST shot plus the now usual sprinkle of fresh greenery over the top of older faded stuff. All weathering on show is my own apart from the NACCO clay tanks.