John Brenchley

Thanks Richard I actually bought the N Brass chain at the same time as I bought the crane kits from them. I also bought some chain that I found advertised on the internet as 1:700 anchor chain. This came from China and seems marginally thinner than the N Brass chain but has the same number of links per inch. I think I mistyped 40 per inch in an earlier post - either way, the chain is still over scale. Best wishes John

An interesting idea Tim In the meantime, do you have any thoughts on whether I should stick with the overscale chain or replace it? John

I seem to have had several projects on the go at the same time recently including finishing off the water tank, continuing with the vegetation at the front of the layout and starting one of the two etched kits I have bought for the 6 ton yard cranes. The first project to be completed was the water tank with a close up picture below. The main change since I last posted has been painting the model in GWR light and dark stone colours (using the RailMatch range of paints), followed by weathering with washes of "roof dirt" and dry brushing with a variety of paints mixed to rust colours. Thread has been used to represent the chains and the etched ladder is now fixed in place. The fire devil has also been scratch built from bits of scrap brass - I initially tried plastic but it wasn't strong enough nor delicate enough in appearance. The legs have ended up slightly shorter than they should be but I had so much difficulty soldering them all on that I'm not going to try changing them now and once painted and located on the layout, its not really going to be noticed. Finally, a view from the other side. In both pictures, the unpainted crane can be seen (I'll post some construction notes as I build the second one). This one is complete apart from deciding on the chain which is just placed loosely in position at the moment. The finest chain I could find was 40 links per inch whereas from counting links on pictures, I think 70 per inch would be more correct. In effect, is is almost twice as large as it should be. So I have to make a decision. 1. I could take the view that the eye expects to see a chain so it is better to have a proper one even if it is overscale. 2. The alternative approach would be to say that scale size is the most important factor and some other representation of the correct thickness would be preferable, even if links can't be seen. i.e. something similar to the thread used to represent the even finer chain on the water tank. What do others think? (I have tried twisting wire together to try to create a chain appearance, but so far, haven't managed to achieve an acceptable result.) Best wishes John

Thanks Mikkel Although there are extensive comments on the various merchants that operated at both Tavistock stations in the excellent article in GWRJ Issue 17, it is not clear who owned what. My gut feeling is that non railway sheds such as those used for the wool storage might have been owned and maintained by the merchants with maybe a rent paid to the railway for use of the land. However the article also refers to Levers who handled agricultural supplies and says "Levers were accommodated in a corrugated iron pagoda shed at the south end of the goods shed, and later in the former stables". Since I think both these buildings would be of GWR origin, maybe they were just rented to Levers, rather than owned by them. Best wishes John

I haven't made any progress with the water tank this week (must get the paints out), but thought I would continue with posting some notes and pictures of structures that have already been finished and installed on the layout. Sundry Goods Yard Buildings The goods yard at Tavistock included many buildings used mostly by independent merchants ie wool merchants, timber stores, agricultural suppliers and coal merchants as well as the small GWR built stables. To quote Anthony Kingdom who wrote many books on the line:- "Of the remaining buildings within the station complex, some, such as the old workshops, remained as original but by the time of our journey many ugly prefabricated buildings had sprung up. These were often in a poorer state of repair than many of the older counterparts." I suspect his visits were in the 1960's so luckily, the "ugly prefabricated buildings" did not exist during the earlier period that I am modelling. On the main baseboard that I have been working on, I needed to include the woolsheds and stables that were sited at the back of the yard. Below is a collection of pictures showing them at various time between 1911 and the 1960's The top two pictures are the earliest and show that the wool stores initially comprised two corrugated iron sheds but it was only later that a third was added. They also show a lack of skylights so I am assuming these were later additions. The top right was also the only picture I found that could confirm the existence of a window on the left side wall of the stables. The middle right photo was most useful in giving a view of the stables and confirming that it was similar to many other stables that the GWR built. The bottom left picture helped to show the internal framework of the doors which encouraged me to model two of them open. Lastly, the bottom right picture from GWRJ was useful in giving a colour for the wool sheds. Of course this was in late BR times but I liked the faded green look so chose to keep it for my own version of the sheds. I chose to tackle the stables first and found useful pictures in the books by Steven Williams and also in the much older publication " A pictorial History of Great Western Architecture" which also had scale drawings. This was my first model where I departed from the use of embossed plastic as I chose to try out the printed bricks that are available to download from Scalescenes. Its a while ago that I built the model but I suspect I used either Red Brick or Dark Red Brick but I do remember that I used washes of water colour over the top to tone down the colour delivered by my printer. For the windows I used the Cobol sheet sold at one time by the Association shops. For the glazing bars I used the method of scribing them on the sheet and then filling the scribe marks with paint. Care has to be taken in removing excess paint as the clear plastic scratches very easily. Roof slates are again from the range supplied on a printed label sheet under the name ClearSolutions (marketed by Ian Barefoot). The wool sheds were built from thick card with an overlay of corrugated iron. This was made from aluminium BBQ trays. To create the corrugations, deep parallel lines were first scribed in a thick sheet of plastic, then a roller ball pen was used to press the aluminium into the scribed indents. The doors were made from plastic sheet and strip. Best wishes John

Thanks Andy I have issue 4 so will have a look at that and see if i can get the size approximately correct Best wishes John

Thanks Ian and Jerry for showing your water tanks - lovely models. I'll be picking your brains when it comes to building a similar one of my own. Tavistock was well endowered with water sources - a simple pillar supply near the main signal box, the one I am now making near the goods shed and a large rectangular tank on 4 metal legs sited near the turntable. I won't get round to that one till after the next baseboard is built but I'll be looking for ideas on how best to build the tank - etched (don't let Henk see that word) or maybe 3d printed - at least this tank clearly has a roof. Best wishes John

Hi Ian An overflow pipe is an interesting thought but how would it work in a pillar tank - where does the overflowing water go? Also just out of interest, how did water get into the tank in the first place - pumped from a source nearby presumably , but was it pumped up through the center of the pillar (probably not as many similar tanks were on top of a steel section frame) or through a hose just temporarily hung into the tank? Not really relevant to the model but just a bit of extra general knowledge is always interesting. Best wishes John

That's very interesting thanks Pete. Looking at the aerial photograph from 1928, I did wonder if there was some sort of frame or partial cover but the image wasn't clear enough to be certain. Even one of the much later pictures taken from ground level seems to show something overhanging the top of the tank near the ladder, but I had no idea what it might be. I think I'm going to assume that it is all missing unless I can find pictures from which I could base an addition to the model - its something that would be easy to add at a later time though. Best wishes John

Looking very good Jim Love your new painted backscene. John

Thanks very much As the person who first posted to explain how the depth gauge worked, its good to get your comment. Best wishes John

Progress on the Water Tank I've been rather slow in making progress with the water tank while I looked for more pictures on the internet and had discussions and help from members on the GWR Forum on Groups.io I had decided quite early on that the tank at Tavistock did not have a lid but was uncertain as to what the fittings looked like inside the tank. Photographs of a similar tank at Minehead helped but there was a distinct lack of useful pictures taken from above. I therefore had to make a few guesses on the appearance and fixing of the water level wheel / float and the operating arm pivot. In the end I cobbled together various bits and pieces from left over scrap etches and parts I had bought many years ago. For the wheel over which the float chain ran, I used one of the wheels from an old Ultima Models etch of assorted brake wheels, choosing the 16" diameter one as being about the correct size based on my measurements of photographs. I trapped it between two pieces of spare etch and threaded a piece of wire through them all. then fixed it with super glue to an indent I had cut near the top of the inside of the tank. I had no idea what shape or size the float should be but opted to use the head of one of my wife's dress making pins, glued in a hole cut in the circular piece of plastic that I was using near the top of the tank to represent the water surface. I thin piece of thread, hardened with super glue was used to represent the chain and it was attached to the top of the float and run over the wheel before being attached to a small piece of scrap brass filed into a round shape to act as the weight on the outside end of the chain. The operating arm was also made from a scrap piece of etch, sandwiched between two spare wagon V hangers to represent a support framework. They were spread apart and the ends glued to the inside of the tank top roughly opposite the depth gauge. A small etched ring was attached to the end of the operating arm and another piece of thread to represent the long operating chain will be glued to the bottom of the ring after painting is complete. Below is the tank with a spray of undercoat, temporarily placed in position on the layout. From this angle, the entry to the goods yard can be seen and the start of the backdrop of trees that I have been working on. Comparison of the first pictures of the tank posted a few weeks ago will show that the bracket has been thinned down a bit and I have also added a strengthening wire as pictures of most tanks, including the one at Tavistock seemed to show that these were needed to help support the weight of the pipe. Next I need to paint the tank in light stone, with dark stone at the base of the column, add the etched ladder that came with the Ratio kit and then make it all look slightly faded and dirty. A fire devil will also be needed - one came with the kit but it looks rather coarse and overscale so I'll try scratch building one. Best wishes John

Hi Andy Thanks for your kind comments on the Tavistock goods shed model. The only information I can find about cranes in goods yards comes from the publication "Great Western Way" which states on page 169 of the 2009 edition that "Cranes, where installed, were medium grey". Hopefully, this helps, though I'm not sure of the definition of "medium grey". Best wishes John

Definitely similar John though quite a bit bigger as would be appropriate for a station the size of Totnes. Great overall scenic treatment. Best wishes John

Any pictures would be gratefully received thanks

Now that I've got home from work, I've taken one more picture of progress so will add a few notes about the water tank. The Ratio model has its uses but is not quite right for the Tavistock tank so needed a bit of adapting as illustrated in the pictures below. 1 The plastic part of the kit as it is supplied - there is also an etched ladder and a piece of rubber hose. 2 The top and bottoms of the tank need to overhang the sides and are far too thick - on the left can be seen the base of the tank with its edge thinned down with files. The top on the right is still to be done. 3 The kit represents the style of tank with a pillar formed of angled iron whereas the Tavistock one has a round tapered column. I found a piece of spare sprue to use as the base of this then thickened it by wrapping with 5 thou plastic sheet and then sanded it down to what I though was about the right size. 4 From photographs it appeared that the base of the tank sat on a cross of T shaped metal pieces on top of a cement base. I made these from thin bits of plastic. The bottom of the column has a thicker ring with which to hold it down to these base pieces. I filed up a "washer" of plastic to thread onto the column to represent this. From pictures, I thought that there might be some angle supports underneath the tank so added 6 of these from plastic pieces. The tank as supplied with the kit was too high and a bit wide in diameter so I trimmed it's height and sanded the sides till the base and lid pieces overhung about the same as in pictures. I then scored it to represent 6 vertical panels and added rivets from a sheet of rivet transfers. This is the first time I have tried them so hopefully they will show up OK after painting. Below is a picture of the tank temporarily in place on the layout. As mentioned in the post above, maybe the roof in not appropriate - its just sitting in place at the moment so can easily be discarded. On other improvement I need to make is to thin down the plastic of the support bracket for the swinging arm - I completely forgot to do this before gluing it in place so we have to see if I can attack it gently with files or a scalpel. Best wishes John

Thanks for the explanation about the float. That explains why there seems to be some chain hanging down the outside of the tank. Must be quite a heavy float else what's to stop the weight of the chain outside the tank pulling it out when the tank is nearly full? Best wishes John

The Water Tank - request for help please In between thinking about tree locations, I've made a start on the column water tank that existed next to the goods shed using the Ratio kit as a starting point. However I wonder if anyone has more detailed knowledge of this type of tank - cylindrical, flat topped (as opposed to the conical style). Similar tanks seemed to have existed at some of the preserved stations and there's also one at Didcot but I can't find any on line pictures taken from above and that's the area I'm unsure about. The kit comes with a lid to the tank but looking at the aerial photograph (see earlier in this thread), I think this may not have existed in the case of the tank at Tavistock and perhaps the water should be visible. In either case, I hope someone can provide some information about two features - the operating chain / cranks and the depth gauge. From the pictures I have seen, I think the chain will be attached to a lever of some sort on the top of the tank and maybe this is attached to something the operates like a ball cock in a domestic cistern. Presumably, pulling the chain causes the water to flow through the pipe that is attached to the bottom of the tank. The other feature that I think exists is a water gauge. The Ratio kit comes with a small wheel to be fitted on top of the tank but has very limited instructions. One picture of Tavistock appears to show such a wheel at the top of the tank near the ladder but how would this work and what other aspects of it might need to be included on the model? Thanks very much for any help you can give. I'll try to post some pictures of progress later today. Best wishes John

Thanks bécasse for taking that time to put together that response - your diagram makes the suggestions very clear thanks. I'll try moving the trees around a bit as you suggest and see how they look. As far as low level bushes are concerned, I definitely intend that most of the brown part of the bank plus quite a bit of the river bank will be covered as this will add to the illusion of heavier afforestation. Bets wishes John

Hi Mikkel Thanks for your thoughts. I too was beginning to feel that the block of 3 trees immediately in front of the goods shed was perhaps a bit too high. I've replaced the larger olive leafed one with something a bit smaller and bunched them up a bit more to the left which I think helps a bit. I also swapped the offending larger tree that I had removed into the place of the unfinished one just to see how a single one might look there. A new view at rail height is below. The layout is currently supported on a line of cupboards and this gives a rail height of 130cm. A more realistic view would be that of an average height person so the picture below is as close as I can get to the view I see when I stand a couple of feet in front of the layout - more of the buildings then become visible. Even after only a few days, I'm getting more used to the changed appearance so I'll give it a bit longer before making any final decisions and gluing anything in place. Further comments from anyone would still be welcome. Best wishes John

Hi John The images below indicate the density of the trees behind the goods shed. In the aerial view, they are so close together on both banks that it is hard to see the river at all. The trees do thin out nearer the entrance to goods yard, closer to Abbey Bridge as can be seen below. Best wishes John

Hi Gentlemen You are certainly correct that a lot more trees would be more in line with real life. If I only considered the appearance from my operating side which is behind the station building, then a backdrop of trees would work really well. However, when visitors come or if I ever exhibited the layout, the view would be across the river so too many trees will obscure most of the train movements. Hence my compromise of fewer and lower trees but with a lot of undergrowth instead. Best wishes John

Where to put the trees? I've started placing trees on the embankment - 12 that are pretty much finished plus one that needs foliage (and maybe its height reduced a bit) and I'd welcome some thoughts from the more artistic among you as to where they would look best. I must admit that seeing them in place was quite a shock as I have been so used to the embankment with nothing on it. They certainly cut down the view but that was to be expected and as I mentioned in an earlier post, I need some compromise compared with the totally covered embankment that existed in real life. What I've tried to do is create "viewing windows" through to the buildings behind. Some pictures are below in not particularly good light - front on and 45% angles at just above track height and one from as high as I could get just to try to show where the trees have been placed. The advantage of the embankment being made of polystyrene with a thin plaster coating is that the trees are reasonably easy to stab into place and are easy to move around. I might leave then in place for a few weeks to see if I get used to them. Once happy, there'll be a lot more ground cover and undergrowth to be added between the trees similar to the embankment above the corner curve. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Best wishes John

Hi Jim That all looks very good. For gluing paper to styrene, I've had success with solvent adhesive ie MEC - lay the paper over the plastic, use quite a lot of glue and just let it soak through the paper from the front. Presumably it softens the surface of the styrene sufficient to grab the fibres of the paper. You'd obviously need to double check it had no impact on your printed surface but with my prints from an Epson printer, it seems OK. Best wishes John

A few final photographs to show the completed office added to the goods shed at Tavistock. Firstly a composition of construction shots showing The strips of roof slates being added to a sub surface of thin card. The roof trimmed and weathered with dilute India ink and grey / brown weathering powders. Gutters and downpipes from plastic, The barge boards added slightly proud of the roof surface so that the roof subsurface below the slates fits into the recess. The roof glued in place just needing some lead capping. The colour balance in the first two images is totally wrong - the problems of indoor lighting. The first one is far too brown - the slates are actually light grey before any weathering. The second one is not brown enough - the roof is actually sitting on a piece of buff coloured card. And lastly a couple of pictures of the goods shed back in place on the layout with a few goods vehicles artistically placed. My next job should be getting some forestation on that bank. Best wishes John