Penhayle Bay

[Gwiwer]

Summer Saturday congestion isn't confined to the roads! Both down platforms at Treheligan are occupied and a third train waits outside in the loop. The up main is also busy and in the right background the St. Agnes branch train snakes into its bay platform.

 

 

A class 52 "Western" rolls through Penhayle Bay under a fair sky with a down express.

 

 

And goes on its way across the viaduct ignored by the boating family on the river.

 

[Gwiwer]

Thank you. Always good to have a bit of summer sun to play with and show the advantages of natural light and an outdoor layout.

[P.C.M]

Hi Rick,

Nice pics, I do like the Western on the viaduct.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Gwiwer]

Seasons Greetings from Penhayle Bay

 

"We three engines pulling the train,

Steaming through sunshine, hail and rain

Are bringing the mail

Through to Penhayle

In good time for Christmas Day"

 

[Lee m22]

Love the pictures!

 

I think someone could loose themselves in your layout for many hours exploring all the scenes to view. I love the surfer photo!

 

Great stuff!

 

Regards

 

Lee

[Gwiwer]

30 years ago today some friends of mine went off to do what they often did, freely and voluntarily, and left their families behind six days before Christmas. They never returned.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDjwUzUnNpU

 

16 lives were lost in the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster. All eight crew and all eight of those they had launched into a hurricane and mountainous seas to rescue.

 

 

The Penhayle Lifeboat appears as a mark of respect to the memory of those lost, some of whom were friends, and for all those who freely volunteer their time when the need arises.

 

 

"For Those in Peril on the Sea"

 

 

The little harbour lights on the layout will be turned off for an hour tonight along with those in the Cornish village of Mousehole which was home to the crewmen of the RNLB Solomon Browne.

 

 

While we prepare ourselves for the festive season please join me in taking a moment to remember those who have empty places at their table and have lost family or friends.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Gwiwer

[Gwiwer]

Penhayle Bay has commenced a two-year running session starting in 2011 and ending in 2012!

 

After a day of scorching temperatures in the high 30s and more of the same to come over the next few days tonight has cooled to a beautiful 24C and the little trains are running under the lights.

 

On New Year's Eve and in weather such as this it's no surprise to find the beach car park packed and the beach itself the most popular place in town as midnight approaches. There is a train in the shot as well!

 

 

Meanwhile a much quieter Treheligan is disturbed only by the drone of a Western creeping through on china clays under cover of darkness.

 

 

All is far from quiet at the Golden Fleece up on Station Road however. Newly floodlit thanks to the timely arrival of a batch of Viessmann products the place is packed with cars everywhere.

 

 

It's not even midnight but it appears to be standing room only already.

 

 

The light festoon is a spare I had after equipping the beach scene and is temporarily fitted to the pub for the big party tonight. The banner on the front says it all.

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL FROM PENHAYLE BAY

[The Stationmaster]

And Happy New Year to you too Rick, I hope you're enjoying 2012.

[steve22]

Thanks for so much pleasure this railway gives to so many of us around the world. Thank you too for the very moving visual and modelling tribute to your friends, the rest of the crew and those whom they set out to save; it reminds us all just how much some people give up for others, regardless of the great and obvious risk to themselves. Best wishes to you, Rick, for 2012.

Steve.

[SRman]

Happy New Year to you, Rick and Sharon. Keep running and improving Penhayle Bay for our pleasure through 2012 and beyond - it is one of the highlights (among quite few others) of RMweb.

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff.

[P.C.M]

Hi Rick,

Happy New Year to you and Sharon, Love the pics of the new years eve running session, I am glad it cooled down enough for you, It's already back up to 30.

 

I agree with Jeff, it's agreat layout and the best thing is it's in Oz so I get to see it.

 

Cheers Peter.

[SRman]

... and that's coming from one of the other great layout owners!!! :

Edited January 1, 2012 by SRman

[Gwiwer]

You're not wrong there Jeff. Peter is not only the owner of one of the finest layouts I have ever had the privilege of enjoying but owns some of the best modelling skills with it. Here's to a great new year of modelling and friendship in 2012 - but no train service until it gets just a little cooler tonight!!!

[SRman]

I'll drink to that. Cheeeeershh!

[DougN]

Well I think we here in Melbourne have some fantastic modellers Rick, Pete, Jeff.... I will go on and on. It is inspirational as well as daunting at times to keep the standard as high as we can. Happy new Year.... and keep out of the heat.

[Gwiwer]

There's no new work to show (well it is the middle of our summer holiday month!) but I spent a lovely day linesiding with the camera today and just enjoying what ever came through.

 

First to show was a 'red stripe" 37 on freight with fertilizer vans and cement wagons.

 

 

That was followed soon after by another 37 this time in metals sector grey and in charge of the silver bullets.

 

 

Those two passed at Pryce Moor giving an opportunity to compare livery styles.

 

 

Next to show was a 47-hauled passenger with air-con stock trying gamely to keep to its HST-style schedule for loco+6.

 

 

After a bit of a pause there was some more action on the down when the local passenger formed of a class 158 emerged from Nansglaw Tunnel

 

 

There was then a long interval between trains on the main line. During that time the cement wagons off the earlier freight were shunted by a grubby 08

 

 

The afternoon's events picked up once more with an HST set storming up through the woods

 

 

Then there was a considerable surprise as the china-clays were led not by the expected pair of 37s but by the GWR150 green liveried 47079

 

 

And seen here again broadside on crossing Darras viaduct.

 

 

The down mails produced the expected red 47 here seen climbing through the twisting cutting to Nansglaw summit.

 

 

The final up HST of the day disappeared into Nansglaw Tunnel and was dwarfed by the scenery around it as the afternoon drew on.

 

 

And finally the up vans squealed and groaned around the reverse curves of Penhayle Bay and attacked the 1:36 climb to the tunnel through the sand dunes.

 

 

As the sun light lowered over the sea that sighting made a fitting finale to a superb day as the train headed off to unknown destinations far up-country.

 

[Jules]

Great set of pics - I particularly like the GW 150 cl 47 head on shot. It looks like it has just reached the summit of an incline.

[Gwiwer]

the GW 150 cl 47 head on shot ..... looks like it has just reached the summit of an incline.

Yes and no. It's something of a trick of the camera as it has just started to descend from level track. So just over the top of a change of gradient, yes, but heading down not up. The "uphill" effect is partially generated because the tail of the train is also coming off a curve accentuating the perspective somewhat.

 

But in truth I just included it because I liked the picture! Thanks for the feedback.

[Gwiwer]

For those who use Facebook this layout now has its own page there on a trial basis. If sufficient interest is generated it will be maintained as a more permanent feature. Content is likely to be of a more general nature and less detailed than discussed here as it is aimed at a wider audience who are not necessarily railway modellers. There will be an overlap of images but not all will be the same as are shown here.

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Penhayle-Bay-Railway/344259852251407

[Gwiwer]

More lighting going in. An old Gaugemaster controller which used to power the trains has been reinstated to power street lighting around Treheligan. The station lights run off the main Morley controller but if the GM unit has enough output I can wire everything through there eventually. On-off switching is simply by a Hornby green lever switch in the main point lever frame.

 

New street lighting (the curved green one) alongside the existing platform lighting (the straight silver one). Street lights are from Viessmann, platform lights are from eBay dealer "everydaygoodz" and are unbranded.

 

 

Platform and HST headlights create a bit of atmosphere.

 

[Gwiwer]

The Hornby plastic signalbox at Treheligan with stick-on brick-paper walls is no more! It was looking tired and toy-like compared with the current standard of presentation. It has been replaced by a resin model of the GWR 'box at Blue Anchor from the Bachmann Scenecraft range suitably customised for its role here.

 

 

The brickwork has been toned down with brown and black weathering powders including the machine room windows. The upper structure has been painted black and white in the same scheme as the item it replaces rather than the tepid version of GWR two-tone brown it is supplied in. The roof has been painted in blended slate greys and has had brown and ochre weathering powder added for variety and to represent lichen growth. The chimney and vent have had black powder added. Internally the box has been painted with fawn walls (not as bad as it sounds!) and a mix of olive green and burnt umber for the floorboards.

 

I have managed to salvage the lever frame and block instrument shelf from the old 'box and incorporate them here as visibility is much better and some interior detail (none is supplied by Bachmann) is needed. The signaller and some interior detail is just visible in the image above. The name board is also salvaged from the Hornby 'box and is a Cooper Craft item stuck over the moulded Blue Anchor name which I didn't feel comfortable about grinding off.

 

Who says there isn't a place for ready-to-plonk structures? And that they can't be successfully customised?

 

I also captured the HST on the cliffs in decent light late this afternoon.

 

 

And then a 37 on the china clays growling up through the sand dunes. The ViTrains model doesn't look that bad with a bit of dirt added and it runs well enough as well; so well in fact that I now have two of them.

 

[winterbournecm]

Looking great. How many lamps will your Guagemaster run mate? I've got an old Duette wheezing and cutting out running mine. Though there are quite a few now. I have three separate "sections". I may need something with an extra UMPH!

[Gwiwer]

The wiring of Station Road at Treheligan has been completed. Five street lights and an internal light in the pub have gone in with the wiring concealed beneath the new road surface. Despite the pictures suggesting the bar might have a raging fire in progress the effect to the naked eye is much subtler.

 

The pub, which is a customised Sklaedale item, has had an internal floor fitted, curtains painted at some windows, the rear windows covered internally with scrap plastic sheet to prevent light bleed and has had a yellow LED fitted to the bar ceiling. The light from this is diffused through scrap blister-pack plastic (with plenty of air space to allow heat dissipation) which in turn has been painted with acrylic Turner's Yellow and dusted with light brown weathering powder.

 

 

I had planned to include a couple of spotlights in the hedge opposite the pub and trained on it in the manner often now seen. The spare lighting festoon would have been garlanded around the front as well as was shown for the New Year's Eve - Day running session. Those have not been fitted. While wiring it became apparent that they produced too much light and washed out the subtler street and interior lights.

 

 

The street lights are Viessmann items as are the internal LEDs and have proved easy to wire and robust in service.

 

Craig - the Gaugemaster is currently only running the street lighting so a total of seven individual units (five street lights and a double LED inside the pub). It easily coped with the festoon and two powerful spot lights as well. I intend to wire the station lighting to it for test purposes when I get the chance. That is presently wired in separate up platform and down platform parallel circuits from the Morley controller which copes with the total of 24 lamp posts but is audibly (the fan slows down) under strain.

 

All the lighting at Penhayle Bay (ten platform lights, four street lights and three festoons) is on a single parallel circuit which is easily handled by a very basic Atlas controller.

[P.C.M]

Hi Rick,

Pub looks good, what beers have they got on I could do with a nice pint.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Gwiwer]

It's a free house despite the sign looking a lot like a St. Austell Brewery one.

 

Always on : St. Austell HSD and Tribute, Paradise from the Bird-in-Hand, Hayle and Sharp's Doom Bar

Selection of guest ales as well including the occasional appearance of Braggett from the Blue Anchor, Helston