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Focalplane

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  1. Focalplane
    This morning I went down to the station to take some long planned train photos, to be posted in the French Railways forum, but also to take a look at an SNCF building in the old goods/freight yard. This building is in good condition other than the graffiti and appears to be used as a mess room from time to time - there are tables and chairs and a galley kitchen with microwave. Security appears to be good even though the building is at the far end of the old yard, away from the station building.
     
    I think an approach to SNCF is worthwhile, though it does seem to see occasional use. It might a useful club house, should there be a club to use it! It is not far from the tracks, an added bonus!
     
    Two photos:
     

     

  2. Focalplane

    One coal wagon loaded

    By Focalplane,

    I have made up loads in 4mm many times (I think my first one was a Peco Wonderful Wagons Tarmac wagon with tarpaulin'd load back in the 1960s) but this is the first attempt in 0 gauge.
     
    The wagon is a Dapol BR 5 plank with opening side doors, perfect for a coal hole! The load is real coal on top of a styrene filler. Glues included scenic liquid glue and full strength liquid white glue. The latter was found to be necessary in the larger scale format in order to bed down the coal.
     
    The problem with opening doors is that they need to be opened at the appropriate times. The resulting effect defies gravity but is better than not having the doors open at all.
     
    So, here are the ingredients:
     

     
    The styrene filler, painted black, is installed:
     

     
    Coal is added, one area at a time:
     

     
    The end result with one door open:
     

     
    And now two doors open:
     

     
    The load is basically fixed now, so what happens when the operations call for an unloaded wagon to be removed from the coal hole? Well, a magician's slight of hand will be called upon. Create a disturbance in the engine shed and quickly swap a full wagon for an empty one! That Hand of God again.
     
    Needless to say, this wagon now needs to be weathered.
  4. Focalplane

    Jinty in close up

    By Focalplane,

    The previous post didn't do justice to the Jinty, so here is a close up:
     

     
    No coupling rods and a few other details but she's almost complete. The body will be primed as soon as those details are added and then painted in Dirty Black which seems appropriate to a 1950s trainspotter! Looking at Flickr photos of the preserved Jinties is a bit like ordering Japanese food from their menu photographs. It's all a bit too perfect, which is one of the minor gripes I have about the heritage railways (the major gripes are something else, like them being rude to the faithful on gala days, but that's another story).
  5. Focalplane
    As I had hoped yesterday evening, today's weather is perfect for spray painting. The reason becomes clear in the photo below. I don't like to spray indoors and so use the loggia instead. This means that I am very dependent upon the weather, both the wind and the humidity. The high winds of yesterday have gone and the air is now clear. But what makes my spray booth special is the view!
     

     
    So the Jinty/Dobbin now has underclothing and I can go for a walk while it dries. It doesn't look much like rain!
  6. Focalplane

    The Dapol Terrier

    By Focalplane,

    I have been following an RMWeb thread on the recently available Dapol 0 gauge Terrier locomotive. This diminutive engine found its way into many an enthusiast's heart due to its long and varied life. So it is no surprise that this budget priced 0 gauge RTR has garnered a lot of interest:
     
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87122-Dapol-o-gauge-terrier/page-32
     
    Now on page 32 at the time of posting, the enthusiasm for this model is infectious. I had even thought about buying one and modifying it into one of the two Terriers that found their way to Warwickshire and the Edge Hill Light Railway. The latter company was short lived but in their time the two engines were occasionally borrowed by the S&MJR with photos of them on shed at Stratford 21D:
     
    http://warwickshirerailways.com/lms/smjsa73.htm
     
    But, to be honest, i won't be buying one. This post is more about where Dapol may be taking 0 gauge and how it could affect the 0 gauge market. Ready To Run locos have not been the mainstay of 0 gauge for a long time, and those that are available can be very expensive (though beautifully made). So this entry does indicate that, with the right model, there is a market out there. This can only be good for the scale, which, if Scale 7 and Coarse scale are put to one side, has a remarkably cohesive range available to modellers.
     
    Dapol's own wagons are a joy to behold. I have one 5 plank BR grey wagon and it is, in many ways, better value than an equivalent 00 scale wagon from the same company. The rivet detail is excellent, there are sprung buffers and three link couplers and a small bonus, the side doors open and fold down. At around £35 they are not inexpensive.
     
    The Dapol Terrier thread also shows that many 0 gauge modellers are taking their chosen model and modifying it to match a particular prototype (individual engines were much modified throughout their long lives). This may, in some cases, lead to some RTR modellers starting to build brass/white metal kits, which again can only be good for the scale's future.
     
    So what will Dapol do next? A GWR 14XX/48XX perhaps? With an Autocoach?
  7. Focalplane
    For Mikkel:
     
    Entering the shed - a view from the cassette fiddle yard behind the engine shed:
     

     
    View from the coal hole - at the other end of the diorama layout, from within the coal hole:
     

     
    Note that there has been some enhancement of the Sketchup file. However, if I am going to switch to a smaller turntable I will have to start all over again (and this time I will use the correct Sketchup template!!!)
  8. Focalplane
    After all that assembly yesterday, today was a research day. And I stumbled on something which may be relevant to designing the track layout. There is an excelklent website on Nuneaton's history which includes this:
     
    http://www.nuneatonhistory.com/on-london--north-western-railway-lines.html
     
    Lots of photos to view, including many of the LNWR, later LMS, shed. The latest turntable to be constructed was a 60ft Ransom and Rapier and this was used by the various locos on shed, ranging up to Stanier 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s. But not the Stanier Pacifics or Standard 9Fs, which were banned as they were just too long to fit. I am not sure how often a Stanier pacific visited Nuneaton, though cosmetically restored 46235 City of Birmingham was stored there for several months on its way to the old Museum of Science and Industry in Newhall Street, Birmingham.
     
    This begs the question as to whether I really need a 70ft turntable. All my reference books on the subject are in England at the moment, but looking at various web sites it would appear that any of the Stanier 4-6-0s would fit the 60ft turntable. Although the difference in size may not seem much, there is the possibility that with a 60t diameter I could fit in four roads each side of the turntable instead of three.
     
    However, there is something to be said for not cramming in too much into the already relatively small space. Having the buildings and tracks spread out will give a better impression of size and allow more room for all the small details that are intended.
     
    Another observation is that most model engine sheds are simply that - a shed for engines. In real life there were offices, stores and so on and these are rarely catered for in the RTR models. Or if they are, they are too small. So I expect to scratchbuild all the buildings, eventually.
  9. Focalplane
    I have been discussing my idea with the authorities and they have indicated that an 0 gauge track does not fit in with the Regional Natural Park rules. Not even if I renovate a dilapidated cabin, rebuild stone walls and plant an orchard, all of which would be acceptable.
     
    So it's back to the drawing board.
     
    I suppose this blog is going to be dormant for a while until I can come up with a new plan.
  10. Focalplane
    The IKEA cabinet doors arrived in the post this morning and by mid afternoon they were fitted. So all is left is to add the layout on top!
     

     
    The upper shelves in each cabinet are designed to protect any under layout electrics, etc., the most obvious being the turntable. Each shelf is adjustable if more or less space is required in the appropriate cabinet.
     
    There is not much I can physically add at the moment, so I dusted off Sketchup after 6 months and found its intuitive learning curve largely intact in my brain. I quickly mocked up the cabinets and then started to add the track, turntable and basic buildings:
     

     
    The two road engine shed is going to be based on various Midland sheds of an LNWR/LMS origin. Behind it will be the locomotive cassette which Metalsmiths sells. This "fiddle yard" may be screened off by a high brick wall. The backdrop will also be a brick retaining wall which will also mask the videophone at the extreme right of the layout.
     
    The turntable will be by Metalsmiths, based on the 70ft Ransome and Rapier model. This will be placed in the middle cabinet. The three sidings off to the right will contain an ash pit at the rear, coaling road in the centre and coal hole wagon siding. As a small shed there will be a fair amount of hard labour involved by the shed staff - no LMS concrete towers here, despite the likely Scot and Jube visitors. The "cafeteria system" employed by the LMS will work with this layout. Essentially, an arriving loco will be turned and backed onto the ash pit. It will then move on to the turntable and back onto the coaling road where it will also be watered (the coal hole will have an integral roof top tank). Then the loco will be turned and either returned into service or laid up on shed. Other operational activities will include coal deliveries and ash removal. For this one wagon and a tank engine will have to use the turntable.
     
    The complete lack of points is necessary in order to fit an operational layout into what is a large diorama.
     
    The next job will be to get this plan down on paper at a 1:43.5 scale to check for minimum radii, etc.
  11. Focalplane

    Not much headway

    By Focalplane,

    The past week has seen glorious weather so the focus has not been on searching out potential land sites. However, we did do a couple of walks and on one of them we found a small property that has been turned into what the French would term a "recreational plot" with shelter/cabin, mown grass and stone lined borders. It was easy to imagine an 0 gauge track winding its way around the plot.
     
    The way forward may be a bit tricky, though, as the area is a Regional Park with lots of "interdites" (forbiddens). The way forward remains to be restoring an authentic agricultural plot (with fruit/nut trees, etc.) and just happen to have a 0 gauge railway among it all.
     
    Nothing comes easy!
  12. Focalplane
    Having successfully built two C&L 7mm finescale points (regular B6 and complex three way) I decided to try a 4mm scale regular B6 point. This is almost complete but along the way I have made some observations, worth documenting.
     
    The principle of construction is identical, but the 4mm kits are that much smaller and therefore fiddly. Pushing the chairs onto the rails was a lot more difficult for me to accomplish.
     
    Gluing the chairs on to the sleepers was also somewhat more fiddly and I probably overused the Butanone solvent.
     
    The preformed rails worked perfectly with just some simple trimming using an Xacto (not possible on the 7mm rails for which I used my Dremel and cut off disk).
     
    When I came to remove the almost completed 4mm point to fit the tiebars, I realized that the Butanone is not a good adhesive for holding the chairs to the rails and where the slide chairs are located this meant that all those sleepers fell off!
     
    The instructions do suggest some use of CA adhesive but I feel the advice should read "use a lot of" CA adhesive! The same comment applies to the 7mm points but less so. I am using a gap filling CA adhesive.
     
    I am making my points on my workbench, so it could be said that this comment would not apply to track built in situ. Right now I am patiently checking each sleeper and using CA glue where necessary.
     
    The appearance of the C&L track is definitely the best available for 00 gauge trackwork. The existing soldered track has the same appearance minus the chair detail. This now raises the question: should I switch to C&L for Shipston? The answer is probably "Yes!"
  13. Focalplane

    Guildex 2015

    By Focalplane,

    I spent a good part of today at Guildex, Telford, a superb exhibition dedicated to 0 Gauge. I received lots of good information and many answers to my newcomer's questions. 0 Gauge has an interesting following with the usual demographics (i.e. we're mostly retired) but the variety of offerings is quite amazing, particularly if you are up to building kits, etc.
     
    Of particular interest were:
     
    Connoisseur Models (Jim McGeown) from whom I purchased an LMS Jinty kit (as well as the extras needed from Slaters)
     
    Sidelines (Malcolm Binns) who makes very nice LMS coach kits
     
    C&L Finescale (Pete Llewellyn) who sold me some track components before the show (I haven't mentioned this before, but part of the 0 Gauge trial run was to build two C&L 0 Gauge point kits, successfully)
     
    Lee Marsh, with whom I am doing some business at the moment but I will keep that under wraps for the time being
     
    Alan Buttler, who owns Modelu, a new entry that provides 3D scanning and printing services
     
    And I stopped by many other stands as well. The halls were humming and not everyone was available to chat to. Next year I think I will attend both days.
     
    My wife was thrilled to meet members of the Hillingdon Model Railway Club as that West London village is her birthplace. We had agreed that we should fit in a visit to Ironbridge and we were both very impressed with what we saw at this genuine World Heritage Site. So much so that we will be returning later in the year.
  14. Focalplane
    With two other projects on the go it may seem I am spreading my wings too wide. However, I have given this a lot of thought and, as explained elsewhere, there are good reasons for me to step up to 0 Gauge and eventually leave 00 Gauge behind. First, I have come to appreciate the larger gauge (over 00 and H0 Gauges) in recent years and have been educating myself on what is available to buy, to make, etc. A surprisingly good selection, it turns out! Second, my finger joints are getting on a bit (as is the rest of me) and my eyesight now relies on bifocals which, when clean, allow me to see all but the smallest 00 Gauge parts.
     
    Enough of that aspect, let me enumerate some of the problems I currently have even thinking about this new venture.

    I don't have an outdoor space big enough for an 0 Gauge layout.
    I don't plan on moving house to a property with the necessary space.
    I am therefore thinking of buying some land in an area where the climate is dry, the terrain firm and the planning laws don't allow habitation.

    Such a place does exist very close to my apartment in southern France so this is the most likely venue. The apartment will be housing my Legge Lane II shed project which will be 0 Gauge, so there will be space for running the locos when the weather is too cold, too hot, or occasionally too wet. Storage of stock, etc. will also be taken care of.
     
    The actual plot has not been identified but it lies within a protected natural area with some vineyards, a few olive groves but mainly scrub (garrigue in French). It is the scrub land I will be looking at. A small cabin is allowed but no services will be available, so a small generator will be required. Security will be in the form of stone walls and a metal gate and a padlock. I will probably have to rebuild the walls and install a secure gate. The only valuable items that will stay overnight will be the track and the generator.
     
    The good news is that the land is not expensive.
     
    Here is a photo, taken in spring of the type of land that could be available:
     

     
    Though I would be looking for a plot smaller in size and with defining walls. Road access would also be important!
     
    Such plots for sale do exist but I don't expect to be able to buy one and start building just yet. This project is in the longer term while I complete 00 Gauge kits and build Legge Lane II.
     
    Over the next few months I will be reporting on the land search and also sketching out some theoretical track plans. I will also be researching the best materials to use in what is a hot summer/cold winter environment. I find that research is a very rewarding part of the hobby but it is also important for me to chronicle my progress, hence the blog format. It's always interesting to go back and see how many times I change direction!
  15. Focalplane
    Shipston and I are about to part company for about three weeks and I have already promised some photos of the progress so far. But first, the report.
     
    The baseboard modules have gone together well and appear to be stable.
     
    Track building is 90% complete and about 70% laid. About 50% of the track is live. No point motors have been installed, however.
     
    Tests of the module connections appear to be good, see the previous post with video. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1581/entry-16037-first-loco-test-with-video/
     
    SteveNCB7754's buildings are looking good, particularly those that have been let in to the surface of the modules. Track has been laid in the goods shed. The station and platform will be needing some attention when I return but all the other buildings are ready to install with lighting, etc.
     
    I have done a small test of the ballast mix to be used.
     
    I have started to construct the end loading dock which will need fencing and a five bar gate.
     
    Comparisons with old photos show that I have captured the general spaciousness of the layout though there has been significant foreshortening. Even so, the run round loop is longer than need be. At 9 feet long and 2 feet wide, the scenic section should not give the impression of being squashed in to a restricted space. This has always been my intent.
     
    The liberty I have taken in expanding Shipston's services in the mid-1930s means that it will no longer be a single locomotive line but will be operated by the GWR with visiting rights afforded to the LMS via a fictitious line to Ettington Station on the S&MJR. The junction to Ettington will be just off scene and will be controlled by the station signal box. Yes, there will be a signal box in place of the two original ground frames. Tokens will be required, one for Moreton-in-Marsh, one for Ettington. And, there will be signals!
     
    Operations should be interesting. With no turning facilities the tender engines (Midland 3F, Earl 4-4-0) will run backwards to Ettington. Freight transfer will be important with no through freights (or passenger services) running direct from Ettington to Moreton and vice versa.
     
    The fiddle yard will have only three sidings, using a Peco 75 three way switch, but will have additional space for rolling stock as it is 40cm wide.
     
    Now for the photos:
     
    The first two are street level shots from the SW corner of the yard with the coal siding to the left and the station platform on the right. The test of the ballast mix is at the end of the coal siding:
     

     

     
    The third photo is a general aerial view of the station from the north. As always, the black painted corrugated goods shed dominates the scene. This is a magnificent structure by SteveNCB7754 and has a lot of interior detail including a crane.
     

     
    Another view from the same position but showing the cattle pens.
     

     
    And finally, the third module with incomplete track and the engine shed placed on top of the module.
     

  16. Focalplane

    Shipston Gas Works

    By Focalplane,

    Other than one photo on Warwickshirerailways.com, there is very little evidence that Shipston ever had a gas works. But this short movie has come to light with a very blurred view of the plant:
     
    http://www.macearchive.org/Archive/Title/midlands-news-23121963-closing-of-smallest-gas-works/MediaEntry/6692.html
     
    Note the movie says it was the smallest gas works. Whether this was in all the country or just Central England is not clear.
     

     
    I am not sure how this will be incorporated into the layout. It may have to be as a painted back scene, but I also have the idea of making a small bolt on diorama adjacent to the coal siding.
     
    EDIT: A much better quality movie here:
     
    http://www.macearchive.org/Archive/Title/midland-montage-24101963-shipston-on-stour-gas-works/MediaEntry/47026.html
     
    With the old Ordnance Survey map of the station it may be possible to piece together the various buildings and gasometer.
  17. Focalplane
    Two important elements of the scenery were addressed today, following further track laying on Modules 1 and 2 (photos are forthcoming, I promise!)
     
    The end loading dock was a simple ramp with fencing and a gate:
     
    http://warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrss536.htm
     
    I have started on the platform and ramp, using a timber frame with card and covered by Scalescene's blue brick. The surface of the loading dock appears to have been dirt, so this will be added later. A couple of interim photos:
     

     

     
    The cattle dock siding had a hard standing of ?brick to allow hosing down after loading (or "unloading" as seems more reasonable) cattle. I am not sure of the bricks or setts used, but photos suggest they were larger than standard bricks So I again used Scalescene brick paper but printed the sheet at 200% scale. I then used weathering powders to stain the surface. The prototype is here:
     
    http://warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrss538a.htm
     
    My version is slightly different as I needed to add some sleepers between the two pens to maintain gauge, so there are two paved areas:
     

     

     
    Ballast and dirt will be added around the sleepers and pavers. I will also need to add a water pipe stanchion and hosepipe. The water was supplied by the well sunk adjacent to the engine shed which fed the water storage tank. This infrastructure was removed by the GWR after WWI, but my "would be's and could be's" concept allows them to be maintained and used through the 1930s.
  19. Focalplane
    Each module needs a facia board as well as a back "scenic canvas".
     
    If I was in England I would ask for hardboard, while in the States it is known by its brand name Masonite. It is also sometimes called HDF. Wandering round several bricolages in France I could not find any on display, which is usually the quickest way to source something. In this case, however, I simply didn't see any hardboard at all.
     
    And how do you ask for something if you don't know what it is called?
     
    Well, of course, the internet came to the rescue and I discovered that it is known as Isorel. Who would have guessed! But why did I never see it on display?
     
    Well, the answer seems to be that it is kept out back in an area where staff can cut it to measure. And there I was thinking I could just buy a sheet! So now I need to measure each piece I need and go back and have them cut the pieces for me. Which I will do in the weeks ahead.
     
    I have been spending a lot of time reading other people's experiences and one topic I came across was on the choice of color to paint the front facia board. Black seems to be the best choice, or else a very dark green.
  20. Focalplane
    Now that all four modules are joined together and in position, I decided to check the running between two modules. This join was made after the track was laid on each side, so is a real test of the alignment accuracy.
     
    I used the new Bachmann Earl 3027 which will be part of the GWR roster. This is out of the box, run in and with scale couplers and brass number plates added. I rigged up enough wiring to cross the module join and set the Dynamis DCC controller to 3027.
     
    I then tested everything, cleaned some remnants of paint off the rails and then took this video:
     
    http://focalplane.com/videos/ShipstonFirstLocoTest.mov
     
    The first run is at step 8 of 128; then a couple of fast runs, then finally a crawl across the join at step 2. If all my joins are as good as this I will be pleased.
     
    The sound effects are not from the loco - dishwasher and outdoor market in progress in the parking area outside.
     
    Comment: is it something about getting older/mature that slow running is more enjoyable and satisfying than fast running?
  21. Focalplane
    With everything now in one place (France) it was time to start to build a layout. The first few days saw me refurbishing two old IKEA bookshelves so that the space they were occupying could now be put to a new use (the old use was important as one of the bookcases holds my railway library).
     
    The apartment has textured walls and tiled floors and, being new, has corners that are close to 90º and floors that are close to level. This does help a lot. My first of two modules already built are light but strong with no apparent flexing and no tendency to warp. Being light it does not require heavyweight fixings and my plan is to use Molly bolt hooks along the back and simple posts along (or some way back from) the front.
     
    So here is the first module in place, at the right hand end of a wall that gives me around 4 meters run to play with:
     

     
    The wall attachment design by Molly works well (a bracket is sitting on the module, left front) and at the moment the "legs" are held by g-clamps.
     
    With this in place (and subsequently the second module as well) I started to lay track. I had already cut out the major scenic spaces (see earlier posts) and had laid some 2mm thick card as track bed for the station release crossover.
     
    So I then took each of the sections of track and soldered drop wires at convenient positions. For the switches/points/turnouts I also added the frog drop wire. I then drilled holes for the drop wires and threaded them through:
     

     
    I also remembered to drill out the hole of the Tortoise drive under the tie bar.
     
    Three track sections later:
     

     
    The track sections are glued down with Copydex rubber cement.
     

     
    There are no rail joiners at the moment (I plan to add Brassmasters fishplates later).
     
    Next, the siding beyond the goods shed needed its 2mm thick card track bed. After glueing it down I looked around for some weights. Living over a wine cooperative shop has its benefits!
     

     
    Edit to correct typographic error
  22. Focalplane
    Soldered track has its advantages and disadvantages. The latter include the lack of chair detail and the need to gap the copper surface of the sleepers to isolate the rails from each other. Despite these negatives, I prefer soldered track for its durability, relative ease of fabrication and overall look that, with a lot of help from Martin Wynne's Templot design software, is a great improvement on ready made OO gauge track from Peco, etc.
     
    The lack of chair detail I can put up with. The gaps have to be filled. The last few days have seen some experimentation on what material to use to fill those gaps. My first plan was to use Isopon filler, bought from Halfords. This is the classic "bondo" that I used when I was restoring classic and vinatge cars back in the 1970s. I don't remember having a separate hardener with the old stuff, though and getting the right proportion of hardener proved to be difficult with the new improved product. So I tried something else.
     
    This was Milliput filler. Again, the product promised much but in my puttying hands did not deliver quite the effect I was looking for and some of the fillings pulled out with minimal sanding.
     
    Back to the tool box, then. I found an unopened tube of the French equivalent of Polyfilla. It's called Semin Rebouchage et Lissage and is specifically for interior and exterior use, including humid areas. It is much finer grained than even fine-grained Polyfilla and comes out of the tube like thick cream.
     

     
    And it works! Good adhesion, easy sanding and a very smooth finish.
     
    Edit to correct spelling of Milliput!
  23. Focalplane
    I am currently gapping the copper clad sleepers so that the two rails are isolated from each other. This leaves a small groove on the upper surface of each sleeper which is non-protoypical.
     
    Or is it?
     
    I remembered seeing termite proof steel sleepers on the Cape Gauge Chemin de Fer Congo Ocean in the mountains between Brazzaville and Pointe Noire. I was doing some geological fieldwork at the time (in 2013) and we had heard of a rock formation that had to be blasted through when the railway was built in the 1920s. Today this particular section has been bypassed but the locals told us that one train a week still passed along the old line.
     
    I took a few photos and while focusing on the steel sleepers I noticed each one had a groove!
     

     
    The rock formation is in the distance on this photo:
     

     
    No doubt a passing train had a piece of substantial metal hanging loose and this must have caused the damage.
     
    I plan to fill in the grooves on my track, but it is nice to know that I don't actually have to - the precedent has been established in far away Africa.
  24. Focalplane

    Modules 1 & 2

    By Focalplane,

    The weekend allowed me to get on with Module 2 as it rained all day Sunday and I had nothing else to do except when the Rugby was on TV.
     
    And today I completed the joining of the two modules, forming a lightweight but rigid base:
     

     
    The structures fit nicely into the spaces cut in the polystyrene and I think the height will be just right once I have added a thin cork track bed. At the moment the layout has a spacious feel about it. No doubt this will start to disappear when track is added, but I am hoping that by making the baseboards 2 feet wide there will be a feeling of space that is often missing from a branch line layout design. The only real compromise has been to collapse the length of the layout.
     
    While the baseboard was perched on my balcony I took a second shot at "ground level". The fast setting sun obliged:
     

     
    Meanwhile I have started to construct the copper clad bullhead rail track, using the Templot templates. Except I couldn't complete any track until this afternoon when the track gauges finally arrived. The next task is going to be the release crossover switches/points.
     
    Here is my workshop area; it is used to be my desk for work but I am slowly rectifying my priorities.
     

  25. Focalplane
    As Spring seems to be on its way, today was the last chance I had for making a photo reconnaissance of the Shipston Branch with the trees and undergrowth bare. Here is a selection of photos. But be warned, there really isn't very much left to see!
     
    First up, at Shipston Station's site there is very little left, it is now a housing estate. But on one wall a householder has fixed a GWR cast iron plate (which was bought at the reclamation yard at Moreton so it could be originally from Shipston). I learned that the man of the house has found several bits and pieces along the route of the branch line, including a piece of original tramway fish belly cast iron rail.
     

     
    Other than the weighbridge office hut, now incorporated into a private yard, the only other piece of industrial remains is the gas works house, now a private residence with the original walled yard that contained all the original gas works plant. The large gas lamp featured in old photos still remains, but most everything else is gone.
     

     

     

     

     
    The line of the track leaving Shipston is still evident as a typical overgrown permanent way between two hedges. This photo shows the line immediately north of the station before it turns west toward Darlingscott:
     

     
    The two level crossing cottages next along the line are now private residences. After this, the line crosses the Fosse Way and arrives near the old Longdon Road Halt( for Ilmington). Here is another trackside crossing cottage with a view of the old permanent way:
     

     
    The branch line then turned south and then passed under the Campden Road, but the bridge has completely gone, having been filled in. Just north, however, the permanent way can be seen on a small embankment:
     

     

     
    Next a big jump down to near Moreton and the Lemington Lane crossing, also filled in and used as a driveway:
     

     
    And then to Moreton-in-Marsh Station. I took lots of photos, but these are of what remains of the bay siding/platform for Shipston:
     

     

     
    I also took some photos of large Warwickshire tree silhouettes. These I will add to Sweven's wonderful site on the buildings (and trees) of Studley and Astwood Bank:
     
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82563-the-buildings-of-studley-and-astwood-bank/?p=1793955
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