Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I would tell you which layout number this is, but I have lost count! Needless to say I hope to finish this one! I started this project a couple of weeks ago, initially to keep myself proficient in CAD after being made redundant just before Christmas. I had been researching Pontsmill on and off for the last few years and I've always thought it would be a nice model as it is unique as far as Cornish Clay facilities go. After gathering the handful of photos that exist of the place and cross-referencing them with the best OS Map I could find, I started to produce the CAD model. A friend of mine (ewsjo on here) asked me what I thought of the Silhouette cutting machines. After reading the excellent thread on the machines here I decided to use some vouchers I had for Amazon and bought a Silhouette Portrait; it's a great little machine and more than worth the £160 I paid for it. I set the machine up and then spent the next couple of evenings supervising the production line as I cut out the parts for the buildings. Once I had the parts cut out I began to assemble them until I reached this stage: Quite a lot of bits are just positioned for the photograph, hopefully once it's completely glued together things will sit a bit straighter. There is also plenty of detailing to be done on the main building as well as plenty on the store (left most structure) and the office (right most structure). The layout is set in the 1980s and will make use of Class 08s along with Tigers, PRAs, VGAs, VDAs and Ferry Vans etc. Typical train: For more information on the prototype, see the thread here. Hopefully I have the momentum to see this through and I'll keep this thread updated as the layout progresses. Best Regards, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mason Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 This is fantastic and the silouette system you have used seems a pretty good idea and something i know nothing about and i am intrigued by how it works How does it work?? Is it a CAD programme that runs a small CNC type machine that cuts the building parts out?? Really sorry for my lack of knowledge on this Really does look good. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 This is fantastic and the silouette system you have used seems a pretty good idea and something i know nothing about and i am intrigued by how it works How does it work?? Is it a CAD programme that runs a small CNC type machine that cuts the building parts out?? Really sorry for my lack of knowledge on this Really does look good. Cheers The machine works in a similar manner to a printer only with a blade; you load a sheet of card or plasticard like you'd load a sheet of paper in a printer and then supply the machine with the cutting information. Here's an example of the type information you provide to the Silhouette: The cutter will cut every line and the depth can be varied so it will either cut through or just scribe the surface. You can use the software supplied with the Silhouette or you can use other programs such as AutoCAD or Inkscape to draw the shapes you want to cut. Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack00 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Jack, you've made a strong and promising start here. Sorry to hear you were made redundant. I look forward to the updates and will 'follow' with much interest. All the best Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mason Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 The machine works in a similar manner to a printer only with a blade; you load a sheet of card or plasticard like you'd load a sheet of paper in a printer and then supply the machine with the cutting information. Here's an example of the type information you provide to the Silhouette: Cutter_Artwork.jpg The cutter will cut every line and the depth can be varied so it will either cut through or just scribe the surface. You can use the software supplied with the Silhouette or you can use other programs such as AutoCAD or Inkscape to draw the shapes you want to cut. Cheers, Jack Thanks Jack that seems like a really cool bit of kit and something i might have a look at in the future, great job and a great way of doing buildings. Cheers for the info Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hopefully I have the momentum to see this throughI'll hold you to that when the next 23 layout plans emerge! :-pIt's great to see the progress from the cutter, it really seems to save time and increase accuracy. I always find marking and cutting is the worst part of scratch building because it takes for ever and I'm not very good at it! Glueing together is the simple bit... The building is a fair bit bigger than I had imagined too, it looks good with your china clay stock under it jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 I'll hold you to that when the next 23 layout plans emerge! :-p It's great to see the progress from the cutter, it really seems to save time and increase accuracy. I always find marking and cutting is the worst part of scratch building because it takes for ever and I'm not very good at it! Glueing together is the simple bit... The building is a fair bit bigger than I had imagined too, it looks good with your china clay stock under it jo Yes, some intricate cutting takes time on the machine, but the real difference is you can do something else whilst the machine is chugging away! The china clay buildings are quite large, mainly because you have two levels, the upper level is where the slurry is brought in from the settling tanks and dried, the lower area is the store for the dried clay powder, which being voluminous means it needs a large space to store a significant amount. That said, Pontsmill is a small dries, compare it to Rocks: Flickr link Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRDBLUE17 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hi Jack, You have made a great start to this layout and very interesting seeing your use of the cutter from your design work in Cad. I only know the location from the Vaughn? Books on the subject and Ponts mill always stood out for me as the ideal model. From those photos I can totally recognise the scene that you have modelled already and look forward to seeing it develop. Nice rolling stock too by the way. Sorry to hear about your work situation and hope you find something again soon All the best Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Nice place to model I took some photos in the early 90's I will have to dig them out one day! Nigel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 Thanks for the kind words all! Nigel, I'd love to see those photographs if you ever get the time to dig them out! This morning I primed the building with some Halfords primer. Once the primer had stopped smelling I brought the model in from the garden and began painting the roof. I am picking out odd tiles in a mixture of Games Workshop shades and then running a grey/brown wash over the top. Once the building is completely painted it will be dusted with white paint (clay dust). Next job will be weathering down the corrugated sheeting that makes up the loading building and building the skew bridge that crosses the canal. Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJ Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 This looks rather nice! Already sprayed in the grey it looks the part. I've also thought that Ponts Mill makes a lovely prototype for a small shunting layout, rural location, short trains and a variety of wagons. You don't mention what gauge it is but am I right in thinking you model in N? If so can I ask how you made the Clay Tiger wagon? I'm also building a small clay N gauge layout and one would be very nice. I look forward to seeing progress (and any more photos of the real place you find) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 This looks rather nice! Already sprayed in the grey it looks the part. I've also thought that Ponts Mill makes a lovely prototype for a small shunting layout, rural location, short trains and a variety of wagons. You don't mention what gauge it is but am I right in thinking you model in N? If so can I ask how you made the Clay Tiger wagon? I'm also building a small clay N gauge layout and one would be very nice. I look forward to seeing progress (and any more photos of the real place you find) Thanks! Yes, it's N Scale. I made the Tiger from a 3D Print that I had produced, you can find the 3D print here. To the 3D print I added brass walkways, handrails, pipes and buffers to the model. I then had some custom decals made based upon artwork I drew up. You can read more about it on an old blog post I did: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/689/entry-5579-penwithick-rolling-stock-2/ Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Country Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Fantastic modelling Jack, I've always thought this would make an excellent subject for a layout. I look forward to seeing how you progress with it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 A bit of an update! I've printed off a guide to show the positions of the tracks, building and canal. I'm thinking I'll extend the layout at the front so I have a longer siding at the front. I'll do this additional woodwork when I cut the canal out from the existing board. It's only the office and the machine room (not shown) that need any substantial structural work. The rest of the buildings have been primed and just need painting and detailing. The bridge is primed ready for painting, it's a relatively simple industrial Art Deco concrete bridge, I assume it would have been built in the 1920s. It takes the siding across the Par Canal, which by that stage would have been closed for a long time, the railway having been built upon the towpath. I have put the roof on the building I call "the store" and primed it. I have also built the canopy that sits in front of it (held in place with a file). I have started painting the doors; from the few photos I've seen I believe the original clay dries had wooden doors and the part of the dries which was upgraded for the mechanical drier/loader had steel doors. The steel doors are reddish-brown in colour. The conveyor loader will come out of the building through the little blister on the left side, I will probably 3D Print it. Finally a close up of the roof at the far end of the dries. I think it was here that vans (VGAs, Ferry Vans etc) were loaded via forklift with pallets of bagged clay. Back in the old days this area would have been for loading clay into open wagons with a wheelbarrow! Here you can see that there are actually two tracks, in the 1980s/90s only the road closest road to the dries was used. Looking at photographs it seems the curved canopy at the loader would not permit trains to go past on the 2nd road without impacting the canopy! Still plenty to do! Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Simply brilliant! I love the texture it has already, even in plain grey primer! The broken edges effect on the curved roof piece are a nice detail too. Is the skew bridge made up from pieces made onthe cutter too, it's really well observed and is full of the character of that area. jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Simply brilliant! I love the texture it has already, even in plain grey primer! The broken edges effect on the curved roof piece are a nice detail too. Is the skew bridge made up from pieces made onthe cutter too, it's really well observed and is full of the character of that area. jo Thanks! Yes I used the Silhouette. I took measurements from Google Earth and then drew up the parts in Solid Edge. I roughly assembled it Solid Edge to check it went together ok and then created the DXF for cutting. Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJ Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Looks great when all laid out like that. I may just steal the bridge details for my layout! Of course now you've lengthened the front siding you have room for the Royal train! You can get overlays for the coaches in N...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornish trains jez Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Looks superb so far Jack! And a great layout idea as there are very few china clay facility layouts out there. Looking forward to seeing this one progress. Best regards, Jeremy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted January 29, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 29, 2014 Very nice, always liked the idea of pontsmill as a layout only let down by the lack of variety in locos Structures look very convincing so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJ Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 As well as the usual 08s I have a photo of a class 37 there. And who's to say that some of St Blazey's other locos didn't work there when there weren't any photographers about..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted January 29, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 29, 2014 As well as the usual 08s I have a photo of a class 37 there. And who's to say that some of St Blazey's other locos didn't work there when there weren't any photographers about..... Wish I'd came across something like that when I was thinking about building a model... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Thanks all for the nice comments! As well as the usual 08s I have a photo of a class 37 there. And who's to say that some of St Blazey's other locos didn't work there when there weren't any photographers about..... Hi Tom, do you by any chance know which number 37 it was? I'm sure I remember reading (can't remember where!?) anecdotal evidence of the Blazey 03s running down there in the 1960s, that would have been with 12.5t open wagons with flat sheeting, assuming the flow was going to Scotland as it was in the 1980s. The other traction I have seen a photo of at Pontsmill is a County tractor used for pushing the wagons through the loader. Plate 220 in John Vaughan's "West Country China Clay Trains". Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJ Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Sorry I can't lay my hands on the photo at present. I think it was towards the end of the works life, and that the 37 was pulling a polybulk. I'll keep searching! I'd like to see you shunting with an N gauge tractor! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Sorry I can't lay my hands on the photo at present. I think it was towards the end of the works life, and that the 37 was pulling a polybulk. I'll keep searching! I'd like to see you shunting with an N gauge tractor! I had considered motorising a shunting tractor, but I don't think it's possible! I have drawn up the shunting tractor to be 3D Printed as it'll make an interesting vehicle to have parked at the site! There was similar tractor at Kernick that ECC numbered P390D, there was also one at Moorswater, though that was a slightly newer tractor, perhaps late 1970s/80s. I thought about trying to motorise it, but after sizing it up against a micro chassis I designed for another project it basically seem impossible with off the shelf parts. The motor used in the chassis is 6mm in diameter, to give you an idea of size. Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted January 30, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 30, 2014 Hi there, This looks really interesting. Using the cutter is inspired! cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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