Penhayle Bay

[Gwiwer]

Not an outstanding shot by any means but one taken in response to some requests for an illustration of the actual size of the layout. This is taken with my back to the cliff section and leaning as far back as I can without damaging the scenery! To put this into context the freight just about visible on the right is a Hymek with 8 milk tankers and 5 other vans in tow, beyond the road bridge in the middle-distance that side lies Treheligan station which accommodates a full-length train (loco+8 or HST) and the return at the far end which is the duck-under entry will also hold around seven coaches across the width of the span.

 

The shopping cart is used to hold the scenics and take the entire selection to where they are needed; that saves a lot of walking!

 

[Gwiwer]

The Kernow MRC "flat tarp" china clay wagons have arrived. These represent the well-known "hoods" in the years before the hoods were fitted in the mid 1970's.

 

A rake of the wagons awaits departure from Ponsangwyn yard with a class 42 "Warship" on shed.

 

 

The Warship seems to be resting for the day as a rather oily Western has backed onto the train. This gives an overview of the yard area, complete with redundant crane, derelict wagons and a sense of having seen better and busier days.

 

 

Finally the Western brings the train up to the main line where it is held in the down loop to allow something to come through on the main first. Another Warship is seen passing through on an up milk train.

 

[DougN]

Very impressive Rick. The overall layout shot is quite rare on this site. It gives every one a lovely image! Like the idea of the shopping cart.... My layout is only 14ft long but I seem to do lots of laps when doing things!

[Gwiwer]

Thanks Doug.

 

The overall layout shot is quite rare on this site. It gives every one a lovely image!

 

Amongst other things it also shows the scale of the whole thing and how much is still on the "to do" list, plus give an idea of why - being long and thin - it is quite hard to obtain a shot of any of the individual scenes without including something else such as walls, fences, workbench or incomplete scenery.

 

At long last we have a sunny day and it has been a joy to get outside this morning and run a few trains around while tidying up and repairing the inevitable wear and tear to the greenery. With a couple of hours spare after lunch I'll have another go at the new 5-arch viaduct scene as well.

[DougN]

That sounds lovely. Though I have been sitting in the layout room (lounge) looking at the layout thinking to my self I don't know where to start on doing things again. Then looking at the coffee talbe at the Wills station kit (to which I don't have any instructions {PM me if you have a copy} trying to figure out how to start it all!)Again thinking where to start... Then having SWMBO coming in going I want to go out this afternoon!... Where to start!

[Gwiwer]

It's not just about the trains .....

 

I managed to find two large vehicles passing in a tight spot today without a train in sight!

 

[westernglory]

One of my favourites on RMWeb.

 

Ooozes Cornish charisma, hydraulics, milk, clay, moors, beaches etc etc....

 

Very envious.....

 

Steve

[Gwiwer]

hydraulics, milk, clay, moors, beaches etc etc....

 

... and now the up Postal as well B)

 

[Kernow Joint Railway]

Hello Rick,

Excellent Pics of the "Clay & Milk Wagons". I'm modelling early 1900's. Could you possibly advise regards model-wagon type(clay) for that era and who manufactures them, and what "steamer(s)" would pull them? Looking forward to the Viaduct Re-build,

Kind Regards,

Michael Thornberry.

[Gwiwer]

Thanks for your comments Michael. I'm sorry I am not at all familiar with the time period you are asking about but if I turn up any sort of references I'll be sure to let you know. One thing you can be sure of however is that the railways in Cornwall had already got around 70 years of experience in handling china clay by that time. The Cardaon Railway started it all and was one of Britain's earliest conventional railways along with its near neighbour the Hayle Railway.

[Kernow Joint Railway]

Hello Rick,

Noticed you were AWOL and hopefully you are only on a "walk-about", mate and not ill, home-sick, mentally detained or in prison Looking forward to more Posts on Penhayle Bay. Take Care,

Kind Regards,

Michael Thornberry.

[Wheeltapper]

Hello Rick,

Excellent Pics of the "Clay & Milk Wagons". I'm modelling early 1900's. Could you possibly advise regards model-wagon type(clay) for that era and who manufactures them, and what "steamer(s)" would pull them? Looking forward to the Viaduct Re-build,

Kind Regards,

Michael Thornberry.

 

 

Michael

 

Firstly appologies to Rick for coming in on his thread but in answer to Michael's question in 1900 the now preserved Beattie Well Tank (then numbered 298) was based at Wadebridge for use on the china clay traffic . It would probably have been in the green LSWR livery then . China clay was carried by the GWR in 5 plank end door wagons which had the addition of a seperate 3 part zinc floor fitted and the load would have been covered by a tarpaulin which would have been badly stained. China clay was also transported in very large barrells ( I think they were known as Hogsheads.)

[Gwiwer]

Richard - no need to apologize in any way; you are adding information which I was not able to so my thanks are due to yourself.

 

Michael and all followers of Penhayle Bay - fear not, I am still enjoying freedom and good (enough) health. It is mid-winter here and with the layout being outside this is not a busy time not the best for grabbing pictures of anything.

 

I am busy with a few projects. In three weeks time I fly back to the UK principally for the Kernow MRC / YMR Show but making a decent holiday of it as well. A series of my images from Penhayle Bay should be exhibited at the show. I still have a fair amount of preparation to do for this trip.

 

As and when weather permits I am pressing ahead with the viaduct reconstruction. The 5-year old Metcalfe card viaduct kit is starting to show signs of wear and I have an all-new Wills plastic kit built ready to replace it. That sits on a new removable baseboard and the scene must be at least substantially completed before it can be wired and tracked then fitted to the layout.

 

It is also something of a challenge to keep the railway operating as damp rail conditions make power pick-up erratic and there is always some tarnishing on the rails which needs a wipe off before a running session. With well over 100m of rail that's a lot of cleaning; the fiddle yard has been left to its fate this winter as it has before and will get a thorough clean-up in the spring. Meantime I satisfy myself with just the three or four trains I can run on the main lines.

 

Penhayle Bay is now featured in the RMweb Gallery so for those who haven't yet visited the link (which leads to some familiar and some new images) is in the signature. I also intentionally keep this to a single page of 25 images so the ones you see displayed will change from time to time; the least-viewed get taken down and new ones put up about every second week.

[DDolfelin]

"the least-viewed get taken down and new ones put up about every second week"

I'm sure I'm acquainted with that lady, Rick.

[Gwiwer]

It's been a few weeks since I was able to work on Penhayle Bay. A very enjoyable trip to the UK allowed me to both attend the Kernow / YMR show and exhibit some images of Penhayle Bay there. That was followed by a three-week holiday doing very much as I pleased in gorgeous weather.

 

Today saw the first session on the railway since I returned. It needs a thorough clean and some minor maintenance but is in pretty good shape.

 

I came back from Cornwall with a bag-load of goodies not least of which was a 15-wagon freight and a lovely Bachmann 0-6-0PT all weathered superbly by Lord & Butler. It's not every day you can get an entire weathered train all in one go! With only a short stretch of clean track I was able to pose the train for some record shots of which one is attached. GWR steam is just a little early for my theme but there were some shunting activities alongside the early diesels so when the class 22 and 41 appear this loco will be more at home.

 

[Gwiwer]

With our antipodean spring well and truly under way and the main running season almost here I am starting the annual tidy-up and refreshing of those scenes which may need it.

 

The beach car park has seen some grass growth .....

 

 

While the viaduct arch which is not used by the road has finally been completely greened and gated to prevent unauthorised access.

 

 

There are some new cottages on the workbench to go around the station area which will be fitted around the downpipe which intrudes slightly into the scene. With those and another backboard panel fitted this corner will be almost complete. In the meantime I have borrowed from my stock of items being collected for the next project to temporarily rename a well-known location and feature some SR stock!

 

[Modelling Mike]

I've stopped by this thread many a time over the last few months and it never ceases to be a source of inspiration. And great to see some Southern stock in that last photo! Keep up the good work, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing more of your running season as it progresses.

 

Mike

 

 

[taytrain]

great pics, a very fine layout indeed

[kiwinewt]

I like it!

 

Good to see a proper English layout across the ditch (surrounded by convicts )

 

Keep the photos coming!

[7APT7]

Hi mate

 

First time I have come across this layout... and have to say looking back on all the photos, is a great layout, love the seaside and the boats. Some loco and coach stock looks real good... Love it.

 

Do you have a track plan, and size of the layout because in some shots, it looks quite a length...?

 

Keep the photos come love all the different liveries you ave from older through to modern.

 

Regards, Jamie

[Gwiwer]

Jamie - there are plenty more pictures; it's my choice to not flood the board with dozens of them and instead just post one or two at a time.

 

The only track diagrams I currently have are not to scale. First a single plan of the entire layout and second a more detailed plan of Treheligan station and the fiddle yard. A few small changes have occurred since these plans were drawn up to improve operating flexibility and allow trains to run right through the yard in either direction on most tracks; a new crossover exists between 60 and 72 points, the East Siding connects back into the Up Through and 63 points together with the Back Siding have been removed. So if, for example, all the "Up" roads in the fiddle yard are already occupied I can bring an up train in via the crossover at 56 - 76 points and through any of the Down loops before it continues from 72 to 60 points back to the up exit road. Down trains can run through the "Up" side via 70 - 61 points at the entry end and 57 - 77 at the exit. This flexibility has amazed a few visitors when they suddenly see a train running in the "wrong" direction.

 

 

 

This shot gives an overview of the entire layout which is around 15 metres long by 2 metres wide. As you suggest it is bigger than some layouts as it makes full use of the outside location under the plastic roof. As an indicator of its size that is a loco + 7 coming around the curve in the foreground while a 66 is visible in the station heading 12 CDA clay wagons. Those trains don't occupy even half of one side. A double-headed 16-coach train can be run and not look out of place. And yes, this is 00 not N.

 

 

Another benefit of having a lot of space is that it is easier to create "timeless" scenes uncluttered by buildings or signs of a given era. Almost anything can run and not look wrong as shown here.

 

 

[Gwiwer]

The new viaduct module is nearing completion with just a final coat of paint to go on (the brown shade here should be "muddier") before a clean-up and addition of the water then fitting to the layout.

 

 

Detailing of the lineside through the pine forest with Ratio plastic sheets roughly painted in well-thinned Humbrol colours and the joins disguised with vegetation. This is stuck on by dabbing PVA in the required area and rubbing it randomly around so that the greenery sticks as seen near the loco cab.

 

 

Close-up of the lineside detail with two pieces of Peco "gorse" and a mix of Woodland Scenics ground cover almost hiding the gradient post.

 

[kiwinewt]

That viaduct looks good!

[Gwiwer]

The first test image of the viaduct backscene. Still obviously with some way to go but set up to give me an idea of whether the cloud base looks right and give you an idea of what the finished scene should look like.

 

[P.C.M]

Hi Rick,

The Viaduct looks superb, if it keeps on raining your river down the bottom will start to flow. I do like those wagons.B)

 

Cheers Peter.