TrevorP1

At the moment I've bought the rodding rollers from Modelu and the cranks from Wizard/MSE. My idea being that I can solder the rodding to the brass cranks and then just thread the rollers onto the rodding. Just a small number of parts to see how things go. My signalling diagram is based on Port Isaac Road but I've had to work out the rodding layout. So far it's enjoyable but time consuming. A voyage of discovery! First I want to install the equipment that is at the side of the platform wall so that the second platform can be built. A lot of Burngullow Lane was built during the various Covid lockdown situations. I bashed on too quickly and one of the things I didn't take into account was the point rodding.

Excellent! Looking forward to seeing it in position. I’ve walked across the real thing but I don’t care to remember how long ago!

Road overbridges can be a problem. To fix or not to fix! If all goes to plan I will need to face that problem this summer.

I can get a homesick for my native county of Hampshire but the county I love is fast becoming more developed and busy. By coincidence we were in Buckinghamshire a few weeks ago visiting Carol’s sister and the area around Aylesbury is becoming developed out of all recognition from the place I knew as a young man. Sadly, sometimes the memories are best…

I can’t speak for Captain Corelli but I completely agree about the Tolkien films. I much enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, being remarkably how I’d visualised events from the book but I gave up after the first Hobbit film and never bothered to see the others.

I had this idea about installing scale point rodding…. Perhaps I should be working in 7mm scale! Nothing like a challenge!

I’m immediately thinking of the average TV add and some of the ‘reality’ shows (in which I have no interest whatsoever!). Has society become used to garish artificial colours? I love bright colours and wish I had the nerve to dress like Michael Portillo but I find this lurid artificial reality quite awful.

Yes, it’s a borrowed tender in order to get 6880 running and earn some hire fees. As far as I know the plan is still to finish building the Collett 3500 gallon tender. It had been hoped to get 6880 running much earlier in the year but the excessively damp weather we’ve all had put paid to finishing the paintwork any sooner.

Thank you John! Do be careful with the buses though... As we know from the famous photo, buses got to the north side of the bridge but I'm not sure about over it! On the south side there is an impossible (for a bus) hairpin turn or a lane that becomes pretty narrow and tight even in car. There again, Cornish bus drivers are pretty intrepid fellows. 😀

Weirdly, even though I've owned and enjoyed a Lotus that thought never occurred! 'My' Chapman hailed from Bude and studied engineering at Camborne College. If something needed repairing or making from metal Dick - always Richard to his wife - was your man, and if he couldn't do it then you really were in trouble! Interestingly son worked for McLaren and raced his own home built car. For the motor racing followers among us there was Williams and Chapman Haulage contractors in Delabole. (I'm not sure where this photo came from so if it causes problems I'll remove it).

I thought I'd pop up a few photos to show progress. I'm trying to be organised in that I'm first working on areas that are behind the running line. The station approach area is a fair stretch and some of this was built on a small 'tray' and secured into position after the donkey work was done. Please be aware that none of this is finished and you will see lines at the base of buildings, dust etc. Apart from the goods yard, none of the track is ballasted as I want to put in the bases for point rodding rollers etc before this is done. So. Every country station worth it's salt has a nearby garage and my long suffering Bachmann product now serves as part of the premises of Chapman and Healey, Vehicle and General Engineers. Visitors to Burngullow Lane will recognise the cottages in the background and the extra accommodation behind the garage is from Scale Model scenery. The 'Chapman' part of the name is from a much valued Cornish work colleague who is sadly no longer with us and of course 'Healey' is from Donald Healey another proud Cornish engineer. I couldn't believe my luck when KMRC introduced the North Cornwall goods shed! So here it is with a modified Oxford Rail cattle wagon parked nearby. I've standardised on a faded looking green from the Humbrol range as I feel it better represents a well worn Southern green. The KMRC product has therefore been refinished in this shade. Next up is the traders store. I've based this on structures from various photos and it is combination of Ratio bits and Slaters corrugated iron - plus coffee stirrers for the small platform. The box van is an old Bachmann (I think) product but I have so many vans now - old, new and kit built - that I've lost track! I've become a fan of 'Boomer Diorama' YouTube and the road surface was done using his methods. Briefly this involves layers of 'earthy' colours applied very wet, randomly and unevenly rubbed down, sealed with varnish and repeat until you're satisfied. It looks an absolute mess while it's being done but it works! There are a lot of very good ideas in his films - thoroughly recommended. The Pendoggett, St Teath and Delabole Victorian Society have apparently arranged for this strange machine to visit... It was left in the loading dock today. Moving swiftly on... Port Isaac Road once had a camping coach at the end of the headshunt and a Hornby clerestory and Coopercraft GWR hut serve as placeholders. The gorse seems to be doing well this year! There is a scene on one of the Southern websites of a family sitting on a sleeper in front of the vehicle and this is what I hope to do here, A winter project I think. I think the correct coach is available as an etch but whether I go to this bother or just put a normal roof on the clerestory remains to be seen.

Nice job Jon. The part under the centre of the smokebox is a lubricator tray for the bogie. I think the washout plugs might be a bit small but it doesn’t scream. Excellent stuff!

Pleeeeeeeese.........

This one? Farmer Moving South

I thought I'd pop up a couple of work in progress pictures to keep the ball rolling - but please don't expect more than 'irregular' updates. Firstly the signal box, adapted from the Churchward models kit of the original Swanage box. To save space I wanted a platform mounted box similar to Port Isaac Road and this is the nearest I could find. In the end it's been used as a kind of 'scratch aid' with the door moved to the opposite end and a new base and lobby made. The makings of the platform and lead-off can be seen. The up platform is in place but I'm leaving the down for now to make better access to install point rodding etc. At the Camelford/Okehampton/Up end of the scenic section is an over bridge which I hope is typical. The road will pass through a small farmyard area and I'll be using the KMRC cottages and the modified Scale Model Scenery 'Polsue Barn' (from a prototype near Mevagissey, behind the sports centre if anyone knows the area). I'm aware that some of the buildings will need the shade of the stonework adjusting but I intend to wait until they're all finished to keep the colours similar.