Porthcressa-on-Sea - A history

[class"66"]

Like your "new" trees Phil,scenery coming along realy well too.

[GWRPhil]

Like your "new" trees Phil,scenery coming along realy well too.

Thanks. The trees I kep in a box for a while awaiting the right inspiration. As it turned out it was the desire to frame that part of the layout without installing a dedicated back scene.

 

The scenery is going ok slower than I would like but one thing I've learnt, for me at least, is that the best scenery ideas come to me when I'm not thinking or working directly onthrailway and also not trying to push myself to complete it. So slower is better. Anyone who knows me would say I go through life at 90mph and taking my time over anything is not my strong suit. That's not to say I rush things and don't do them properly but do go at a rate of knots.

 

And they're right.

 

But one thing modelling has taught me and at least in my modelling I'm confident I'm starting to achieve is that taking it slowly has benefits in that once I've decided on something after a while of thinking on it I generally do it and am much happier with the results than if I'd just ploughed into it.

 

I think the layout is the perfect example of this it started out as a rush to make a layout and it turned out ok but I was never happy with it and constantly kept changing it. I've wrecked more track than is care to think about by ripping it up and modifying something. Then I started to really attend exhibitions significantly including my first Warley visit four or five years ago and started really looking at layouts and talking to there creators and realising how long it took to get a really well thought out layout to come from idea in the head to full completion. Although I know that a layout is never truly finished. It took time to creep into my brain and have an effect but it has. It's now been about 2.5 years since I first started to think about what I wanted out of this layout and 18 months since I started this feed. And in fact and I know most modellers would say "WHAT?!?" When I admit that in that 2.5 years I've hardly run any trains on the layout. I've not had what I would call a real running session in at least three years.

 

I know this has been hard for me but at the same time it's been a period I've loved. Progress comes in bursts but they are well thought out and I'm achieving results in happy with and that generally stay, recent tunnel moving being an exception, although this has been an evolution not the wholesale destruction I've done in the past.

 

With porthcressa's predecessor layout from which I started conversion into porthcressa everything was on the roundy roundy and scenic. Hence why it's taken so long to work out what I want the fiddle yard size even to be let alone the realisation after seeing some recently at exhibitions and inspiration from other sources that the fiddle yard could and now is going to be scenic but separate from porthcressa. Hence how Sonera Avenue TMD has come into existence.

 

I have promised myself that once the track is down for Sonera I will have my first really good running session in years. At current rate of progress I would recon on sometime in March or April.

Edited November 17, 2014 by hawkingetippyd

[GWRPhil]

I am looking to base Sonera loosely on laira TMD in Plymouth. To that end I will be doing some photo reconnaissance as soon as I can.

 

Could I ask anyone who reads this post/feed. If you have any pictures of Laira depot within the last 20 years if possible could you pm me. Please feel free to post the pictures on this feed but if you could on me then I could get you to send me the originals for study.

 

Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

Ps if anyone who works at laira reads this feed I'd really be interested in talking to you.

[class"66"]

Ile have look through all my photos for you Phil..

[GWRPhil]

Ile have look through all my photos for you Phil..

Thanks. I appreciate it.

[GWRPhil]

A brilliant Warkey weekend has meant aside from lighter bank account I have more bits to start making some more track progress. Hope to get that started next week. Will post some pics then.

[class"66"]

Yer no what  you mean by "light" bank account

[GWRPhil]

Having got back from Warley I though yesterday I really should start using some of the purchases so here are the results. I have installed the track linking porthcressa and Sonera tacked it in place ballasted and glued the scenic bits and installed copper clad at each end of the drop bridge and the ends of PORTHCRESSA and Sonera. Not necessarily in that order though.

Edited December 2, 2014 by hawkingetippyd

[GWRPhil]

I must admit I think the copper clad I could do better next time. I've only seen it demonstrated once and this is my first attempt at it.

[class"66"]

Looking good for first attempt Phill.

[GWRPhil]

Thanks.

 

I did toy with the idea of redoing it but that could open up a big can of worms. At the moment the railhead is virtually perfectly aligned.

 

Real test comes in a few weeks when I wire up this section and test it. Wiring won't take that long but my esu ECoS is currently back with esu in Germany being repaired. So that'll delay testing.

 

Plus there's something else as well

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's coming up to Christmas that's it.

[class"66"]

Nice updates phill.

[GWRPhil]

I'll be posting some more Sonera progress pics this week (hopefully). Thank to a kind donation of used track from my good friends Dan and Mick I'll be able to points aside completely finish tracking Sonera avenue. I will also post a suprise soon. Some photos of a low relief building for the back of Sonera.

 

It will form part of the complex that will become shay and sons paint and fleet services ltd

[class"66"]

Lots of pictures Phil :locomotive:

[GWRPhil]

No progress this weekend as I was visiting a friend and his layout. A really good day.

 

Gonna try and work out the track plan for Sonera using the track I've got so they'll be some photos of my progression of ideas. I've gotta do some cardboard mock ups of buildings I want to end up with so that I can work out the best track layout.

[class"66"]

Sounds good Phill.

[GWRPhil]

This is not layout related but i had to post it.

[GWRPhil]

Will post w few more and s link to some videos later

[GWRPhil]

heres the videos

 

 

Edited December 21, 2014 by hawkingetippyd

[class"66"]

Hey Phil have you any De-icer train wagon photos??

Ive started new project to build few of them... :locomotive:

[GWRPhil]

Hey Phil have you any De-icer train wagon photos??

Ive started new project to build few of them... :locomotive:

Sorry mate. I haven't had chance to get to see the set yet. Am keen to get out and get some photos when I can.

[GWRPhil]

Good morning.

 

To all the followers of this feed merry Christmas and happy new year.

 

Porthcressa and Sonera (thanks to Santa And my wife) will be getting two new permanent additions. For special railtours 9f evening star (Bachmann) and fgw dmu class 150 (Bachmann). Will get a few pictures of them soon.

 

Didn't get any railway stuff done on Christmas day but had great fun with the family Christmas Day Lego challenge 2014 - a vw camper van with around 5000+ pieces. It took me my wife Steph and our daughter 6.5 hours to complete but was well worth it.

 

Here's a couple of pics.

 

I hope your Christmas day was filled with fun, festive cheer and a great day with your family too.

 

Will post some new progress pics a little later today on the progress I've recently made on Sonera avenue (pre-Christmas)

Edited December 26, 2014 by hawkingetippyd

[GWRPhil]

heres some more updates on the Sonera side of things

 

in the first picture i have modified and put in place a bridge scratch built from plasticard for a scenic break for the end of sonera. at the moment as can be seen the layout ends with the conservatory wall but has been designed so that if in the future i get more space the layout can easily be extended. the bridge was very kindly given to me by my friends dan and mick who made it.

 

in the second picture the bridge can be seen in place with ballasting around it and with the Shay and Sons Brewery next to it. People familiar with the exhibition circuit in essex may recognise the building as the plaseur building that formed part of the exhibition layout shillingbury. my good friends dan and mick most kindly gave it to me recently to become part of Sonera and it is to become Shay & Sons Brewery named after my good freind dans rmweb name

 

 

picture 3 is looking towards the porthcressa end of sonera and in the top left can be seen the siding that will be used to access a fuel storage and transfer area where tanks will be loaded

 

 

the 4th picture is a more aerial shot looking towards the brewery and Sonera Avenue Bridge

 

 

picture 5 is looking at the tunnel portal that creates part of the scenic break between sonera and porthcressa and the newly fixed tunnel side brickwork using redutex brick sheets can be seen it needs to be weathered to match in with the tunnel portal itself. i havent decided exactly yet but may well use the same process i used earlier in this feed to help create my representation of the entrance to kennaway tunnel.

 

 

pic 6 is a closer in shot of nthe fuel depot siding

 

 

pic 7 looks down the length towards sonera avenue bridge with a general view of the track layout so far. as can be seen in the top left the sonera avenue sidings are still to be done and will have to wait a week of so until i can get another left hand peco medium point to turn the two sidings into 3.

 

 

pic 8 i of the end of the brewery siding with the bufferstop being installed. it is being glued in place with the ballast whilsts its dry and is being held in place by one of my special weights. each one weighs approximately 1lb and have track grooves in them to allow laying of track at appropriate spacings.

 

 

picture 9 is looking away from sonera avenue bridge towards the fuel sidings. on the right can be seen (in primer only) a brass kit from churchward models of a gwr pitched roof signalbox that will be sonera avenue signalbox. many thanks to my great friend mick whos impressive scratch building skills and brass model work has got the signal box to this stage. i will be painting the box and installing lever frames and signal box interior. the plan is to paint it traditional gwr signalbox colours as can be seen on the signalbox on the southdevon heritage line at ther totnes station.

 

 

pic 10 is a picture of the brewery building with a few general wagons in front of it to give the impression of what itll look like in use. im gonna take a pic when i can with some brewery wagons. when i get chance im gonna buy some white Dapol brewery wagons of the type i have featured on here before in various liveries and then paint them up and add transfers so that ive got some wagons in the livery of Shay & Sons. Something which i have to design still.

 

[class"66"]

Luv the old Lego!!! im sure ive got mine stil in my mums loft

Along with scale electric

[GWRPhil]

Managed to get some more filler yesterday whilst at screw fix. Such a cool place. So have started work on the bank by Sonera avenue bridge. Once it's dry I'll take some pictures of progress.

 

Whilst talking of screw fix whilst I was in there saw something very cool that I had to get for my wife. A 240v double socket with built in usb charging ports. Such a cool idea. Means she'll be able to charge her iPod in kitchen now without taking up normal socket.