Gwiwer

The Brighton - Exeter working was 6B+6L for a couple of years, reducing to 6L in the winter. This was possible as it had been cut back to Saturdays-only after the end of loco-haulage and the demu stock was spare at weekends. The train ceased to run altogether after summer 1973(?) and was reinstated using Hastings demu's the following year. Having travelled on that working quite regularly I'll confirm that the place to be was in the rear unit as it left St. Davids (which should have been the 6B but wasn't always) and in the declassified First Class compartment which was always labelled for use of Second Class passengers. Quite a stirring sight (and sound) all the way back to Brighton but especially so up from St. Davids to Central. A 3H on the bank will have had a fairly similar power : weight ratio but only one engine instead of four of course. But for those of us modelling in that general area we can legitimately place one of Kernow's models alongside WR stock of the time. These units also replaced WR stock on Bristol - Weymouth turns on occasions and I am trying to locate a verified reference to one having been appropriated at Reading for an all-stations to Bedwyn working on one occasion.

I think the fairly terse statement from Kernow is a good indication that we are not about to learn any more behind the reasoning for the switch of manufacturers. The original manufacturer, who is represented among our membership, has maintained a diplomatic silence on the issue here as befits a professional in the industry. Kernow has previously indicated that about half the original production run of 7 variants had been pre-sold. With the new announcement that only three liveries are now coming in the first batch (still put at sometime in 2011) those who really wanted one of the other four may have to wait even longer. The addition of a sound-fitted one is welcome however and should shake the trestles as the EE power unit fires up at a few exhibition stands in due course! To hear one of those units start up at and depart from Portsmouth Harbour was a remarkable assault on the ears as the exhaust reverberated around the station and the heavy axle-loading thumped (in another sense!) the daylights out of the tracks out over the water. I don't doubt that a 3H will appear sometime. I don't much doubt that Bachmann will utilise their skill to get the most out of the various SR toolings and consider a 2HAP / 4EPB though there are differences between electric and diesel vehicles. I have no doubts either that a blue-grey 3H will appear though not with an EPB driving trailer (which would make a 3T) but with the standard 3H centre coach. And I don't doubt Dapol will continue to serve Kernow and their customers well and I look forward to their Beattie well tanks later this year which are said to be progressing in time for the intended September release. I also note above that we have a corroboration of the operation to Exeter of a 3H unit. Still nothing on whether it got as far as Barnstaple though there certainly were rosters in the days of 33 haulage down there which had those locos come down from Waterloo and take a train out to north Devon before returning later or even an other day.

Kernow are not listed as being at Ally Pally. Their next advertised event is at their local Hayle MRC show which they always support. That support will be more welcome than ever this time as the Hayle club suffered a fire in their premises very recently; the extent of the damage / loss sustained (of which there is some) has not been made widely known so far. The 3H became more numerous than the 2H but all units were delivered, and ran for some time, as 2-car. The 2H / 3H units have had rostered duties at times as far afield as Ashford (Kent), Kensington Olympia and Bristol Temple Meads and even on the Brighton - Victoria express (electric!?) service for a while!. They have made occasional visits to Bridport, Yeovil and allegedly Exeter via Honiton. I heard tell of one reaching Barnstaple but I have no supporting evidence or corroborating report on that. I'm not sure about Birmingham New Street but I believe they have worked to Oxford on rare occasions. Reading however was on their regular rosters for many years where they entered General from both ends after Southern closed.

Kernow's staff would have been at full stretch recently with the Carn Brea show on their doorstep as well as their every-busy shop to manage. The Newsletter is normally published on a Saturday though can vary by a day either way depending on business needs. The current page at Kernow still indicates that the Thumper will be the originally-announced 2H version from Dapol but also states "Further update on these models due in the next few weeks!" so watch this space. They also have indicated that the model, originally planned for release about now, has gone back to a "Delivery is expected to be during 2011" date. Kernow have indicated that they were unhappy with the amount of space the motor block was to take up and returned the specification for this to be re-worked. If the original production slot at Dapol has been lost and / or there have been issues with the CAD-CAMs which has been suggested might have been the case with other Dapol models recently, then I can understand that they may have reached agreement to switch manufacturers. The power unit fitted to the Bachmann CEP would be adequate and unobtrusive in a Thumper; it doesn't need something as chunky as is fitted to the 150 Sprinters which is what has been suggested was to be the case. The precise wording on the Bachmann site is " We are delighted to be given the opportunity to produce this popular prototype in OO scale" which can be interpreted as them not having planned the release themselves but rather having been handed the commission. Kernow still retains a good deal of special business with Dapol through their several clay wagons both imminent and announced. Watching this space with considerable interest. Spot on. They also couldn't find photographic evidence of a 2H in green with V livery for quite a while. As soon as one was produced they duly announced that version as the seventh livery variant.

Thanks for the info Dave. The Devil, they say, is in the detail. Or in this case in my italics. Nothing there to say or even hint that there won't be future issues with different numbers

Kernow also has some very suitable locos for pulling them to order or in stock including some limited edition specials.

Thanks Ian. About 16" width there so yes, a very restricted space.

Cornwall wouldn't be Cornwall without the clay trains ..... And also without the sandy beaches, rocky headlands and the trains which take you to them .....

Added a few images of a "Warship" double-header during today's running ... ... and a scratch rake of stock in the BR sector era, but which sector is running the train?

Yes modelling is getting more expensive but only in response to two factors. First is the forces of supply and demand; we the modellers are demanding ever more (quality and variety) and it costs proportionately more to supply that demand. Second is the shift towards RtR which really goes hand in hand with the first. We have embraced the technological and international changes over the years which make superb quality RtR items the norm. This both drives more demand for further items and diminishes the need for scratch building. Instant gratification is a known phenomenon of the current generation but plethora of items - including the superb offerings now coming from Dapol as well as the other big suppliers - which can simply be taken from the box and run more or less convincingly is drawing those of older generations away from their workbenches and back to the catalogues and websites of the manufacturers and retailers. Modelling - as opposed to the simple purchase and running of a train set - is actually cheaper in real terms than it was 50 and even 25 years ago.

Most, actually. Varied though the parade was it didn't include a good many SG types such as ALF, ALP, AN, BL, CLF, CLP, DL, EL, FL, HL, KL, PL, NR, Y, 48, 80, 90, 91 nor any of the recent QRN deliveries. And there will be some I've missed from that list as well.

Nickel-plated Hymeks? Nice thought but ......................

The silver bullets do look really nice and the weathered ones (which sold out on advance orders) look to be stunners. Six ordered here, four silver and two dirty; was going to go for all eight but I have to be a little more realistic with quite a few of my advance orders due in the next few weeks.

Today I have begun to add the detail of the new field. Most of it has been grassed. A new hedgerow has been planted to divide it from the railway where the stone retaining wall has been extended by another whole panel of Vollmer card. Some trailing brambles are already growing from the top down over this. The new hedge also includes living and dead trees and marks out a small triangular area near the road bridge which seems to belong to someone other than the farmer.

Given the popularity of the south western lines and the not insignificant number of BLT / yard planks about the Class 22 should be very popular. They would also sit comfortably alongside the Teddybears for a layout of the appropriate area or possibly the upcoming Dapol /Kernow Beattie Well tanks.

Spent a little of today detailing the Skaledale small pub which sits on the roadway above Treheligan station. Also rebuilt the Cornish hedges (stone walls) along the roadway which can be seen in the top two shots. The roof has been done with thinned matt black paint, the ridge tiles are a mix of red and orange to give the characteristic Cornish vermillion, the lichen is yellow with a touch of red mixed in and the weathering on the walls is stippled matt black on a near-dry brush with extra layers around the chimney for smoke staining. Spare signs from Ratio platform shelter kits have been used as blackboards to advertise food and live music and the two old boys can sit on their favourite bench and watch the world go slowly past. Just need the wooden table and a couple of pint glasses for them now to complete the scene. And looking from the station we can see some new land has also been added. I can still reach underneath to the fiddle yard if required but the new area should improve the appearance of the scene. The hedge on the right hand side is complete with grassed topping while that on the left has the stonework done but awaits the grassing and shows the channel along the top between the card strips where the glue and scatter will go. Meanwhile the operating authorities have made good use of a Crompton which strayed into the area for the weekend; here it is seen working a freight through Penhayle Bay station. And heading off around the cliffs into the west ...

Good to know the 22's are still coming. Just like the real thing all too often they seem to have had a bit of a failure en route but will arrive eventually! Two (one green syp, one blue) have been ordered from Kernow since they were first announced. In due course they will look superb alongside Kernow's own D6xx Warships which are now said to be due sometime in 2011. I'll need at least two of those as well and very likely more.

Then I have got it right! There is no magic trick to this - it is simply a case of getting everything into scale with everything else you are doing. Platforms can be made to look longer than they are if they are narrow as well, though mine are not. The fact that the platforms look longer than they are suggests the eye is receiving and the brain correctly interpreting the information that they are long flat parts of an overall scene. When you count the coaches which actually fit into those platforms you will see that they are not so very long after all. Though granted 190cms (slightly over six feet in imperial measure) is longer than many modellers might be able to fit in. The curves leading into and out of the loop platform are also much easier than fixed radius track which again tends to exaggerate the length of the whole station area. I don't need to use the tight radius fixed geometry track and have used the medium radius points at either end which, in my opinion, give a quite sharp enough turnout.

Dave - you'll get much better views of the "sandy bank" if you go back to post 35 and view the linked videos. Jeff - like the SR it's a case of "maybe one day ..... ". I do have a germ of an idea for a small indoor layout which would link the SR and ER at somewhere fictitious in the vicinity of Moorgate. I could then run the CEP / EPB units in from Kent, the Cravens 105 or a 31 and suburban coaches from Gordon Hill / Hertford North and also have a use for the EFE tube trains. Being realistic I can't see that getting up and running any time soon if at all. My next project for construction late this year / early 2011 has already been announced and it still doesn't include 3rd rails.

Having wondered just how I might employ SR 3rd-rail EMU stock in "Cornwall" I was delighted to find a blue 33/1 Crompton on the doorstep today. I would ideally prefer a pre-TOPS un-named version but 33112 is the best option unless Heljan do a rerun of the sold-out D6520 or release another 65xx with pipes. So here is 33112 approaching Penhayle Bay and correctly showing headcode 62 (Waterloo - Exeter / points beyond semi-fast) coupled to and hauling the Bachmann b/g CEP. Surfers seem to have set up camp on the moors above Nansglaw Head. It's best not to ask how they got there but as one of them checks out (or perhaps worships) the break the train eases into the curves at Penhayle Bay station in the distance. Here it is seen from the path around Penhayle Head Later in the day the train returned up-country this time with the Crompton pushing. The red blanks mean the same as a tail lamp or lights; this is the end of a complete train.

The platforms at Penhayle Bay are both 90cms long. The three main faces at Treheligan are 190cms and the branch bay is 130cms. The "right" length for a platform is determined by the prototype you are modelling and compromised by the space you have available. Most stations in Cornwall have platforms slightly shorter than the longest trains which call, or at best barely long enough. In the days of loco-hauled trains a typical length west of Plymouth would be 7 - 10 coaches as the restaurant car and a few coaches at the London end would have been detached at Plymouth. Nowadays a 2+8 HST will just fit into some platforms or slightly exceed the length of others. What looks right on any individual layout will be a factor of how much space you have. I am lucky to have a 35 metre circuit which gives a lot of space. The image of the loco+13 coaches above shows that although the train is rather longer than the platform it is not out of scale with its surroundings - there is a lot of space around the train and the station itself. On a more typical room-sized oval or point to point the available space is much less and so stations must be reduced in size if they are not to take up the entire area. Shorter trains must be run accordingly which can look very wrong but we are all forced to compromise somewhere. A 2+8 HST with power cars almost touching and running through a station which occupies half the layout will not give much satisfaction to anyone. If you only wish to model a station with its comings and goings then you can build larger but if you prefer to also have a good run you will need to make some compromises. The space I have available allows me to run full prototypical length trains. Not everyone will have this luxury. It takes over a minute at realistic speed for a train to go round the layout which feels longer when you are actually waiting for it to come back! The longer platforms at Treheligan handle 7 Mk1 or Mk2 coaches and a loco within the signalling. Longer trains, and 2+8 HST sets, can stop in advance of the starter if it is "off" and will have a small part of the train off the back of the platform which is often the case in real Cornwall. Branch bays hold about 5 coaches at places like St. Erth, Truro and Liskeard so mine is a good representation of the real thing. Penhayle Bay station sits in quite a tight spot in a corner of the layout and in a location where I have also managed to get a lot of other scenic elements included. The short platforms are served by local trains often formed of a loco and 3 or 4 coaches (of which 3 fit in the platforms) and by dmu sets. An HST stopping there can pull right around through the tunnel to the advanced starter on the cliffs with coaches 5 - 7 in the platform; up trains can draw up to the starter if required which is a couple of coach-lengths beyond the platform. These S-bend platforms fit neatly into the small area and look the part; if they were longer it would look wrong and in any case the station site is restricted by the tunnel at one end and the viaduct at the other. None of the layout was pre-planned except a rough sketch of the tracks and major features. It was built very much as I went along and from a good knowledge of the area I am representing. I have been lucky in that 95% of what I set out to do has just worked. Some of that has been because I have a large space; if I were modelling in a small room then I would need to Templot everything before I even started. I hope that helps answer the question.

Recent images from Penhayle Bay. The summer Saturday timetable includes strengthening the branch train from the usual 1 or 2 cars to as many as 5 which is the limit of the bay platform. Here we see a 5-car rake approaching from St. Agnes formed of a Hornby class 122 "Bubblecar", a Lima class 117 DMBS and a Hornby class 101 triple. The connection with the main line train looks t obe assured as that is only just running in around the curve behind a Bachmann "Warship" The connection with the down train is made safely as well. Barely visible in the distance a class 47 leads a summer Saturday holiday train of 13 coaches (12 are visible in shot) which is the maximum length I can fit in the fiddle yard without fouling the points. 2 locos on 16 coaches will fit and has been run but blocks other tracks. Two GWR150-liveried locos are seen passing; 47079 leads an up passenger into Treheligan station while 50007 waits in the down loop with china clay hoods. As if that wasn't enough the GWR150 chocolate / cream bubble car is also on the branch! Getting three trains in shot with GWR150 liveries would be a rare piece of good fortune! For fans of large logo blue we see another 50 this time in the evening light heading through open countryside near Nansglaw with a down passenger train. And some video footage as well ..... First showing another summer Saturday train as a Western + Warship double-header coasts down the bank from Nansglaw to Penhayle Bay with 13 on, and is then seen heading off through the woods towards Treheligan Video 1 Then jumping forward in time the IC-livery HST set is captured storming up through the forest until it emerges on the cliff-edge above Penhayle beach and runs through the station. Here it is passed by a down set in GWT "Merlin" livery which we see sweeping around the curves and heading off into the west. Shooting a video whilst driving two trains at the right speed and getting them to cross at exactly the right spot isn't easy! Video 2 Finally the large-logo 50 was caught dashing through lowering sunlight with a down express from London to Penzance. This clip has no sound, sorry. Video 3

079 is a superb representation of the original. Just don't be tempted to fit the plug-in snow ploughs supplied; they don't belong on 079 but might be handy for another loco in your collection. Also it's nice to find a pack of etches which actually fit over the decals correctly. The RES-livery 474 double-arrow etches are completely the wrong size and unusable for example. 079 also doesn't have orange ETH sockets as per the supplied pack. Now do I put a few small oil smudges on the white wheel rims or leave a limited edition alone as I normally do?

I don't think it's down to lack of variety or interest, as I have hoped to show, but might be through lack of knowledge of somewhere so far away.

Indeed Peter, not as hot today. Though the direct sun still played its tricks with the points at the farm end for a while A couple more from today. First showing the blue Warship making the rare move of a down train from Treheligan up platform onto the St Agnes branch. This is only timetabled for summer Saturdays when a few cross-country expresses detach a portion here. My track plan, signalling and wiring allows for this on DC. The light weathering I have applied to the skirt and grille areas shows better in this shot than in those above. Then we see a maroon Western + Warship double-header approaching Treheligan station from the east with a long overnight train of mixed vans, sleeping cars and seated carriages. The clay "hoods" are a few years too recent to be an exact match for time but the new-fangled blue/grey livery of the rake in the up siding would be right.