Ardmore

Hi Gismorail (and others), I'm alive and well, and just getting back to work on Teignbridge after quite a long break. Time for modeling was rather limited for most of 2016 because I went back to work as a part-time consultant for my former employers (I retired for the first time at the end of 2012). Now that I have completed my final report for them, I can start to focus on the layout once again. Not that the last 12 months have been a complete blowout - I have slowly been building up my collection of ex-GWR locos, and acquiring pre-owned models when the opportunity arose. Most of these have now been detailed (lamps, etched name and number plates, real coal), and a number have made the 8,000 mile round trip to the UK for weathering. Thanks to Glen and Carol at GC Weathering I also now have a set of heavily weathered milk tankers and a complete parcels train, so there are some novel photographic opportunities to be exploited in the coming months. To get restarted, here is a recent picture of one of my Bachmann 4575 class engines resting between turns at Upcombe, the branch line terminus. 5533 was a Newton Abbot engine for a number of years in the 1950s, and a regular performer on the Kingsbridge branch until 1958. By 1959, it had been transferred to Penzance. More to follow. David

And it's only taken 21 posts for war to break out !!!

As Sir Alex used to say, it's squeaky b*m time for those of us who are awaiting the crimson and cream versions. David (not a Man U supporter)

Judging from the photographs I've seen in various books, Lotherton Hall was a regular visitor to South Devon. I suppose that's not surprising since it was allocated to 82A (Bristol Bath Road) from 1954 until 1959, and then moved to 82B (Bristol St. Phillips Marsh) until 1964. My other Hall is no. 4905 Barton Hall from the original batch constructed in 1929. It was an 83A (Newton Abbot) engine from 1956 until 1961 when it was transferred to 82B. It was one of the very few steam locomotives I saw on the Kingswear line in August 1963, although it was in a rather woebegone condition with steam leaking from a lot of places it shouldn't. I have a third Bachmann Hall currently awaiting attention and conversion to DCC. I was thinking of renumbering it to no. 4948 Northwick Hall (as seen on ANTB!), which was an 83C (Exeter) engine from 1953 until 1961. The model has a Hawksworth tender, but I'm not sure if that is correct for no. 4948 in 1959-60. There's an undated picture of no. 4905 in ex-works condition in the summer 1959 ABC combined edition with a Hawksworth tender so a swap with no. 4948 may be in order. David

And now for something a bit different. Two panoramic shots of freights heading east on the main line through Teignbridge. The first is a class J mineral empties headed by 2875 class no. 3840. The second is a class C express freight headed by Hall class no. 6954 Lotherton Hall. Thanks for looking and for all the encouraging comments. David

Andy: Thanks for your interest. The shop fronts and glazing were taken from several Walthers Cornerstone kits. The rest of the construction work was done using Wills material packs, and Wills and Ratio components (windows, doors, guttering, etc.). I've tried to capture the feel of the local architecture, without basing any of the buildings on a particular prototype. David

I've done some more work on the buildings next to the branch line terminus at Upcombe. Newly constructed are a low relief building behind the station and a newsagent's shop in the corner next to the Kings Arms Hotel. Seeking inspiration for suitable shop names, I decided on a selection of English, Welsh and Scottish authors, poets, and playwrights. Thomas Hardy is destined to be a greengrocer, while John Milton will be a fishmonger or butcher. Dylan Thomas, the estate agents brings back memories of Welsh estate agents when I was an impoverished student. Thanks for looking. David

And the least .... B1 61018 Gnu

Living in Atlanta, Georgia, I get most of my scenic materials from Scenic Express in Delmont, Pennsylvania. They carry a huge range of products, including MiniNatur, and I highly recommend a visit to their website, www.scenicexpress.com (usual disclaimer). Their paper catalog runs to 339 pages! David

Time for the final set of photographs tracking the progress of no. 4561 and its B set down the branch to Upcombe. Having run round the coaches at the branch terminus, no. 4561 reverses past the engine shed into the bay platform to collect a parcels van, then attaches this to the front of the B set, and sets off up the branch back to Teignbridge. The parcel van, a Bachmann crimson PMV, is a recent acquisition, and is still awaiting weathering. Thanks for looking. David

Hi Alan, Superb modeling. May I ask the source of the red brick chimneys on the newly constructed buildings behind the station? Thanks. David

Thanks for your kind comment. For the embankments and cuttings, I used a mixture of MiniNatur static grasses, and then added teased-out Woodland Scenics light green foliage on top. The hedges are made up from Treemendus rubberized horse hair, teased out, dipped in PVA, and then covered with Scenic Express light green foliage (leaves). David

Thanks for the kind comments. Here is another set of photographs tracking the progress of no. 4561 and its B set down the branch to Upcombe. In the final picture, no. 4561 is running round the B set at Upcombe. Next time I'll post some pictures of its departure back up the branch to Teignbridge. Thanks for looking. David

Well, it's almost one year since I started this topic and I've made a lot of progress, particularly on the scenic front. Looking back, it's been a few months since I last posted some pictures of the branch passenger train. In this first set of several, we see no. 4561 arriving at the branch platform in Teignbridge, running round its B set, and then departing again for Upcombe. Next time, I'll post some pictures of its progress down the branch. David

It's been two months since my last post, and I have been adding some more scenic details as well as starting to construct some buildings to fill the vacant space beyond the end of the branch line at Upcombe. The first two photographs show some recent developments at Teignbridge: I've added some vegetation to the embankment west of the station, hedgerows to the road that leads to the bridge west of the station, telegraph poles and several trees. I've also had a first trial run at creating some rose bay willow herb, but I think this can be improved. On the Upcombe side of the layout, I've constructed a rather substantial inn ("The King's Arms Hotel") and three shops using Wills and Ratio components. The shop fronts were adapted from a Walthers HO Cornerstone kit. The buildings have been glazed, but there is a lot of detailing still to be completed. The three cars are Pocketbond Classix models. These have been sprayed with Model Master flat lacquer overcoat (taking care to mask the glazing). To stop the cars running away down the hill, I applied two-part epoxy adhesive to the rear axles! Thanks again for all the 'likes' and for the encouraging comments. David

Hi Andy, Thanks for your interest. I posted some track diagrams at the beginning of the topic. Although Upcombe station looks somewhat isolated at the moment, I am planning to add some buildings at the far end over the next few months. As regards weathering, I am adding this gradually as I build up the level of detail. I'm trying to spread my efforts across the entire layout, rather than focusing on any one part of it. Having grown up in the north of England in the 1950s and 1960s, I had quite enough of urban grime, decay and neglect, and several summertime trips to south Devon convinced me that the GWR was the line for me. Living and working in Bristol from 1973 until we moved to the U.S. in 1999 only enhanced my appreciation for the Somerset and Devon countryside. So the layout is an attempt to combine a quiet, pastoral branchline scene with a junction station where the quiet of a summer afternoon is interrupted at intervals by the passing of Castles and Kings, Halls and Granges, and their smaller relatives. Here are a few more photographs showing how I am adding detail as I go along. First, a couple of recent shots of the viaduct. I wasn't altogether convinced about the right bank of the river, so I went back and made some changes. I have also added some Hereford cattle to the field in the distance, one of which is lowering its head to take a drink of water. One of the locals is now enjoying the sunshine while he rests on the riverbank. Behind him, I have created what I hope will pass for a narrow Devon lane with high banks on either side and drying grass along the middle. Some thistles are growing in the field behind the hedge (which I made from rubberized horsehair). I have added some static grass to the goods yard at Upcombe, lending it a slight (but only slight) air of neglect, and planted some nettles next to the hut at the edge of the baseboard. The area around the branch engine shed has also received some attention. Undergrowth has been added, several plate layers have arrived, and the roof of their hut seems to be suffering from the effects of the weather. The engine shed itself is still in pristine condition, so it will need attention later. I have also done some work on the goods yard at Teignbridge, adding some static grass and planting some barrels to await collection. David

Looking back at my original post opening this topic I realized that I've managed to make quite a lot of progress on the scenic side of the layout over the last few months. Then I thought it might be of interest to others to see a few "then and now'" photographs. So here are updated versions of the first five photographs posted at the start of the year. Thanks for looking, and for all the encouragement over the last few months. David

Earlier this week, another three engines completed the 8000 mile round trip to Glen and Carol at GC Weathering in the UK. All were soon back in service on the South Devon main line. First up we have Hall Class no. 4905, Barton Hall. This was one of the first batch of the class; it entered service in December 1928 and lasted until November 1963. It was a Newton Abbot engine from June 1956 until April 1961, when it was reallocated to St. Phillip's Marsh, Bristol. I well remember seeing this engine during my first trip to Devon in August 1963. By that time there were few steam workings over the WR main line or the branch to KIngwear. So I was more than a little pleased to be stood on the road overbridge near Churston station one midweek morning and hear a steam engine laboring up the gradient from Goodrington. 4905 was leaking steam from a lot of places where it shouldn't, on a southbound passenger train. Here we see 4905, waiting to leave Teignbridge on a down stopping passenger train, and then setting off towards Plymouth. This is a Bachmann model which started life as 4962 Ragley Hall. In addition to being renumbered, it has had the red lining removed from the footplate, and the early BR emblem replaced with the later crest. Although the weight had to be removed to fit a DCC decoder, it is capable of hauling 25 vans or 5 coaches. Second among the recent arrivals is Hall Class no. 6954 Lotherton Hall. This was one of the last batch of original Halls, entering service in March 1943. It was a Bath Road, Bristol engine from May 1954 until December 1959, when it moved to St. Phillip's Marsh, so I'm sure it made more than a few appearances on the South Devon main line over the years. 6954 was withdrawn from the Marsh in May 1964. In the pictures, 6954 is heading east through Teignbridge, on an up fitted freight. This is another Bachmann model: the engine started life as 5927 Guild Hall, while the Collett tender came from 6937 Conyngham Hall. The lining on this earlier Bachmann model was much thicker and brighter than on more recent issues, and appeared much more overscale on the Hawksworth tender than on the Collett version. Hence the tender swap and the heavier weathering than that applied to 4905. The final new arrival is 56XX Class tank engine no. 6630. Although these engines were mostly allocated to South Wales sheds, a number of them were based at St. Phillip's Marsh in the 1950s, including 6630 which was a Bristol engine from July 1955 until February 1962. In real life, I suspect it spent most of its time on freight workings to and from South Wales, but this isn't real life. Here we see 6630 heading east through Teignbridge on on up mineral empties train. Agin this is a Bachmann model. Given its weight, it has no problems handling trains of 30 wagons or more. Incidentally, the down starter signal seen in the first, fourth and final photographs is a Dapol motorized signal. It's wired to a Train-Tech SC3 decoder and controlled from my NCE ProCab controller. It was straightforward to install, and adds another dimension to operations. Thanks for viewing - and for the comments and 'likes' for my previous posts. David

The last few weeks have seen some more progress with detailing around the branch line terminus at Upcombe. First off, I've added a single-storey extension to the back of the engine shed (Wills kit), and repainted this building as well as the roof of the adjacent platelayers' hut. The major change that I've made has been to add a cattle dock (Ratio kit) to the end siding that leads from the run-round loop. Thanks for viewing. David

Hi Andy, Thanks for your encouragement. I have been following your various layout builds for some time now, and have learnt a lot from them. I am looking forward to your Cornish excursion (no pressure) and hope that we will see the reappearance of those fantastic buildings that briefly graced your Buckfast branch. David

Hi Quentin, The back scene behind the viaduct is made up of three layers of iD Backscenes sheets. At the back, the distant view is Series 207 Hills and Dales Pack A. In front of it, the foreground is a cut-down of Series 203 English Village Pack B (with the sky removed), and in front of that, just above the river are some bushes and fields also cut-down from the Series 203 Pack B. I mostly use MiniNatur static grass applied with a Noch GrassMaster. For fields and meadows, I use a 50:50 mix of 04-23 early fall grass and 04-24 winter grass. Near hedges and fences, I add in some Noch 07101 6 mm wild grass. Hope this information is helpful. David

Somewhere in South Devon, the sun is shining and the birds are singing as one of Swindon's splendid green creations drifts past. David

It's been a while since I last posted, but I've been doing other things and it's only in recent weeks that I've had a chance to resume work on the layout. The most significant development has been the completion of the river under the branch line viaduct. Here are a few photographs showing the work in progress. The first step was to mould the banks using DAS clay incorporating a few small flat stones I collected in Scotland last year. I also pressed some Woodland Scenics Talus into the river bed before the clay dried. Once it had dried, I coated the banks with a matt red-brown emulsion and scattered on some Woodland Scenics blended fine turf. The next step was to add a layer of static grass to both river banks. I then painted the river bed with Vallejo burnt umber. When that had dried, I added a layer of PVA glue and scattered on more Talus. Finally, I poured on four thin layers of Woodland Scenics Realistic Water, allowing each layer to dry before proceeding. The instructions recommend a minimum interval of 24 hours between layers, but I played safe and waited 48 hours. Here are a couple of photographs of my finished effort, one from the back and one from the front of the layout, the former taken before I reattached the backscene. And finally, here is the first branch train crossing the viaduct since the river was completed. Thanks for viewing. David

It's been a while since I posted any pictures of main line traffic at Teignbridge, so here are a few west-bound trains seen earlier this afternoon. First up is no. 6815 Frilford Grange with a Class C parcels train. Not long after, no. 2846 came through with a Class E partly-fitted freight. I haven't had much free time in the last couple of weeks to progress the scenic work on the layout, but the observant will notice that I have completed installation of the fence posts on the south side of Station Road. Thanks for viewing. David

Like so many others, I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bachmann's new class 64XX pannier tanks. Mine arrived from across the Atlantic last week, and it's now made its debut on the Upcombe branch. Here we see it standing at the branch line platform at Teignbridge. It's now leaving for the trip down the branch, auto coach leading. Until the new Bachmann auto coach is released later this year, the 64XX will be paired with the Airfix-DapolHornby model that dates back to the late 1970s. Even the most recent versions of this coach come with plastic wheels, so this one has been redone with metal wheels and the coupling at the outer (driver's) end has been removed. Here it is again, passing the advanced starter on the approach to the branch line terminus. And to finish, here are a couple of shots of the train standing at the platform in Upcombe. I much prefer to have my pannier tanks in unlined black rather than lined green, so for the time being I'm going to assume that Newport Ebbw Junction has sent 6417 to Laira on a short-term loan (rule 1 applies). From the photographs I've seen, it looks like most of the Laira 64XXs got repainted into green by the end of the 1950s, but If anyone knows if any of the Plymouth allocation remained in black until 1960 or 1961, I'd be grateful for any information. Thanks for viewing. David