The North Cornwall line in 2mm Finescale

[queensquare]

I have been meaning to start a thread on my good friend John Greenwood's layout for some time. The layout lives in John's loft and is designed so that bits of it can go out to shows on occasions -  the Wenfordbridge section with its Beattie Well tanks and working gantry crane and road vehicles is well known on the exhibition circuit. The Wadebridge section, including the quay, is due to make its first public appearance at the Bodmin show this weekend as a work in progress and will make its full début at Railex Aylesbury in May.

The complete layout includes Padstow, Wadebridge, Boscarne junction, Bodmin North, Wendfordbridge, St Blazey shed (in the return loop/fiddle yard) and numerous halts, wharfs and dries in between. The layout is fully operable using DCC although only parts are as yet sceniced. I will post a trackplan after the weekend once I work out how the scanner works!!

John has built everything, including a fantastic stud of scratchbuilt locos. My involvement is in the buildings and I have contributed a fair number of wagons over the last few years.

The thread will follow no particular pattern but will hopefully develop into a record of progress on this ambitious project. I will start it off with a selection of pictures to give you a flavour. Taking pictures in the loft is not easy so I apologise for the quality of some of the Wadebridge pictures - I will try to get some better shots this weekend. Those of Wenford were taken last summer at the Stithians show in west Cornwall.

 

Overall view

The goods shed

O2 and N tucked up in the shed

Attempt to emulate the famous Dick Riley shot

Shunting at Wenford

 

Jerry

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2013 by queensquare

[roundhouse]

Wadebridge is looking superb so far.

 

Thats a station I have long term plans to model in, if I ever get the space to do it. I have the shed drawn up from back when I was at college ready to build it. The drawing may well have faded by now!!

 

Ian

[cornish trains jez]

Superb stuff there! Will be following with interest.

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

[The Stationmaster]

If it's as good as the bit which appears at shows it is a truly top notch layout.

[The Fatadder]

Fantastic

I hadn't realised that the small section seen at shows was part of a larger layout, very good idea as a concept

[Tricky-CRS]

I really do like Johns work it is truly inspirational, that working crane is true genius.

[Donw]

I have admired John's work for years and also admired yours since I first saw Highbury. The two of you working together is a brilliant idea I might have made it to Bodmin if I had known. I look forward to catching this somewhere. Meanwhile keep posting the inspiring photos.

Don

[nick_bastable]

the Adams tank is just wow  

[John lewsey]

Very very nice

[IanLister]

Hi. I saw this layout at the Bodmin show today and it is much much better even than the excellent pictures suggest. Val and I spent the whole of our 3 hour visit studying it and could have stayed longer. Thanks also to John and Jerry for the very helpful and informative conversations.

Ian

[queensquare]

Well the Bodmin show went far better than we expected considering this was the first time out for the layout. It ran well all weekend with a very short snagging list being compiled - mainly to do with a couple of baseboard joints and one section of pointwork in the fiddle yard.

We had a lot of fun with our various guest operators, the real treat was meeting and chatting with numerous locals who remembered the station well - particularly a couple of old drivers and a guard/shunter from Wadebridge.

 

 

The complete layout with most of the weekend operators present.

 

 

overall view looking east

 

 

Maristow street level crossing, West box and the entrance to the quay sidings.

 

 

 

Quay sidings

 

 

A very chirpy looking Quay operator

 

Jerry

 

 

[John lewsey]

Hi the buildings look superb I'd like to see some more photo's of them if that's possible

Regards john

[StuartM]

Love the slip, any chance of a close up?

Nice model all round

Must be great fun to shunt

[Phil Copleston]

Hi Stuart

 

The Town Quay section is indeed a delight to shunt. Almost a self-contained sub-layout in its own right and a nice quiet corner to practice shuffling wagons about, in fact. Here is a certain well known S scale modeller (Maurice Hopper) doing just that:

 

 

The track layout on Town Quay follows the real thing quite closely, as you can see by comparing this vertical view of the the model and the 1907 edition of the Ordnance Survey 25" map of Town Quay (orientated to match).

 

 

  

The pink lines are the Town Quay tracks plus adjacent main line from Wadebridge station (left) to Padstow (right) in yellow. The solid orange buildings are industrial and quayside structures associated with the railway. The buildings outlined in orange are town buildings iconic to this scene.

 

You will note that John Greenwood has taken licence and replaced the catchpoint with a very short headshunt (into which you can squeeze a Beattie and two wagons) to make this an almost self-contained operating area. This is apparent in some of Jerry's photos as well. 

 

Since spending a lot of last weekend operating this 2mm version of Town Quay, I keep thinking this would make a great S scale micro-layout too!

Edited November 5, 2013 by Phil Copleston

[Maurice Hopper]

Having been lucky enough to see this (and indeed operate a bit of it) on Sunday I will watch progress with great interest.  

[Donw]

Now I am really upset at missing the show. Wonderful work.

Don

[DLT]

Looking superb! Can't wait to see it.  Do you have any further exhibition appearances lined up yet?  Need any operators???

Wadebridge makes a superb layout, in almost any scale; particularly when the level crossing and quayside sections are included.

I will be following progress with great interest, does the layoiut have its own website?

All the best, dave.T

[2mmMark]

Looking superb! Can't wait to see it.  Do you have any further exhibition appearances lined up yet?  Need any operators???

Wadebridge makes a superb layout, in almost any scale; particularly when the level crossing and quayside sections are included.

I will be following progress with great interest, does the layoiut have its own website?

All the best, dave.T

 

As Count Arthur Strong would put it, John's not on the "Ilfracombe". However, I'm sure the layout can be well documented by proxy.

 

A good few years ago now, I helped operate John's "Bodmine" layout at quite a few shows. This ran impeccably and set me a standard for quality of operation of 2mm models to which I still aspire.

 

I've seen bits of Wadebridge under construction over the course of time.  It's great to see it now progressing.

 

Mark

[queensquare]

Hi Dave, I'm afraid there is no website for the layout although I may well add a page to my own site when I get around to updating it. John doesn't do the interweb at all - not even email!

Wadebridge has two more bookings at the moment. A full dress rehearsal at Helston in April - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/calendar/event/765-a-spring-model-railway-exhibition-in-cornwall/

before we take it to Railex in May  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/75111-railex-2014/

 

A few more pictures from the weekend.

 

 

Spamcan nearly finished, on ACE, also nearly finished!

 

 

45xx and B set from Bodmin General

 

 

O2 on a local to Bodmin North

 

 

T9 on a Padstow train off the North Cornwall

 

 

K11 in the yard

 

 

East box, still waiting for its name board.

 

Jerry

Edited November 5, 2013 by queensquare

[roundhouse]

How did you minaturise the Kernow box?

 

Superb modelling  - it would still be superb in OO let alone 2mm.

 

Ian

Edited November 5, 2013 by roundhouse

[Oldddudders]

Delicious modelling of a favourite prototype!

 

At Railex in May, I recall a respected 2mm FS modeller assuring me that there was an element of smoke-and-mirrors about working in this scale. Looking at his work then, and now this, I am convinced he was merely being modest. All modelling requires a degree of sleight of hand - but seeing these S-Scale chaps clearly enjoying the much smaller experience must tell us just how good this layout really is.

[queensquare]

Delicious modelling of a favourite prototype!

 

At Railex in May, I recall a respected 2mm FS modeller assuring me that there was an element of smoke-and-mirrors about working in this scale. Looking at his work then, and now this, I am convinced he was merely being modest. All modelling requires a degree of sleight of hand - but seeing these S-Scale chaps clearly enjoying the much smaller experience must tell us just how good this layout really is.

 

Thanks Ian but I still maintain there is an element of smoke and mirrors in 2mm. John's work, particularly his locos are staggeringly good and are a constant source of inspiration and certainly something for us mere mortals to aim for.  

My little signal box uses pretty everyday techniques and materials - Peco embossed stonework, Ratio embossed slates and a selection of evergreen strip.

 

Jerry

[DLT]

Think the above could be taken as proof that it isnt what you have, it is how you use it

And size isnt everything....

[Donw]

I can remember inspirational aticles by John 30 years ago. He was building O2s and Beattie tanks when small motors were very hard to come by. However don't knock yourself Jerry the evidence is on here in the Bath Queensquare thread (and elsewhere) of some superb modelling.

Don

[D869]

Lovely stuff. Can't wait to see it. I especially like the early spec spam can.

 

Is that the T9 that was on 'Bodmine' or is there a new one now? I seem to remember a mogul too. Is that still around?

 

Regards, Andy