Cofga

Mine arrived today and it sounds like a 1950s coffee grinder and runs worse than my Oxford Rail Dean’s Goods did right out of the box. I turned BEMF off in the decoder and that helped a bit. I have also lubed it and now will start a long run in as The Stationmaster suggested might help—I hope he’s right.

i can’t remember the website where I read this but it is likely they simply interpreted what Rivercider and The Stationmaster discussed as being yellow and blue ratings. Good to have this more nuanced Look at the actual facts.

Prior to 1943 the line was rated yellow but during the war they upgraded the line to blue use it as a bypass in case the Germans shelled the seaside tracks at Dawlish. Be aware that Pomroy apparently did 2 books, the one you have mentioned plus another titled “The Teign Valley Line“ which is the one I purchased and have on order. The Peter Kay book sounds like a more exhaustive one but it is a bit pricier so I think I’ll hold off and see what is in the one I just bought.

Thanks, I’ll look for those. I did find a copy of the Teign Valley Line by Pomroy on eBay and it is on the way, but most others were not available. I’ll keep and eye out for the South Devon book too. If I can’t find an appropriate schedule I guess I can merge the others into a reasonable facsimile. There is a fairly interesting website on the Teign Valley with some nice photos and links. I read somewhere that the largest locos used on the line were 2-6-0s and I have one on order although Dapol has now set delivery back to September—anyone interested in a Hornby King class—too big for the TVR.

I think I have settled on basing my layout on the GWR Teign Valley Line in the mid-late 1930s. Is there anywhere I might find operating schedules for that time period? Of the currently available crop of books on GWR lines in Devon do any provide particular details on this line?

I doubt the trackage was ever upgraded enough to take my King Class locos but the Dawlish diversion is one factor favoring this route for modeling. Maybe I need a Castle for the fleet.

As always you’re the gal with the answers!

Unfortunately the general search turned up nothing. Maybe the search parameters ware too specific due to asking for assignments. Computers frequently don’t give us what we want only what we ask for!

I would like to reletter my brake vans to reflect their assignments to relevant yards. For example on the Mortenhampstead branch I assume brake vans would be lettered for Newton Abbot since most goods trains originated and returned there. Is this a valid assumption? Would brake vans from other locations appear on that branch, for example Penzance? I assume vans lettered for Didcot would not unless a van had been recently transferred to New Abbot and not relettered quickly. Where is there a list of locations that would have had brake vans assigned to them? For example would there have been vans lettered for Exeter for use on the Teign Valley line? Would there have been vans lettered for Plymouth? I am planning to use the Teign Valley line for my layout so need to know logical locations for lettering my vans. Thanks—Larry

Thanks for the database link, very useful. If Dapol goes ahead with the yellow roundel I guess I can either replace it with the gilt decals I already have or use that as an excuse to backdate it with the Great Western lettering on the tender. My Hornby king has the yellow roundel so at least they will match!

The GWR archive website says But does that mean these were the only locos in the class to receive outside steam pipes or that some were originally built with them and this 163 were modified in addition to them? My assumption was the former and that the outside pipes were a modification only and not an original build option. Interestingly, in comparing the photos on Hatton’s website I cannot see any difference in the cylinders, so was there a noticeable difference in the rebuilt loco cylinders or were they just new with different apertures to accommodate the outside steam pipes? Also since you brought up the roundel, according to the GWR Archive website the GWR shirt button roundel used from 1934-42 was gilt (which I assume meant metallic gold) when applied to locos and yellow on brown rolling stock. However on the Dapol model as shown in the Hatton’s website photos the roundel is yellow not gilt. So who is correct Dapol or the GWR archive? Or was there some variation during the time period of use?

Yes, I’ve done that to 2 Bachmann 0-6-0PT’s and a Collet Good’s 0-6-0. However since I don’t have ready access to a list of locos and their modification dates I would prefer to stick with the stock Dapol versions and assume they are accurate. I still need to renumber that one as it is 3202 which really is too late a number for my time period. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Great, that’s the one I’ll order then. I just wish they were doing one with steam pipes and the Great Western name on the tender, my personal favorite. Thanks again.

According to the GWR Archive website the GWR shirt button roundel used from 1934-42 was gilt (which I assume meant metallic gold) when applied to locos and yellow on brown rolling stock. However on most of the locomotive models I have seen and purchased the roundel is yellow not gilt. So who is correct the manufactures or the GWR archive? Or was there some variation during the time period of use?

Sorry but no time to read through all the posts on this 40 page thread, so here’s my question. I am interested in the 2-6-0 with the outside steam pipes and shirt button rondel. Anyone know whether the loco number being offered actually represents one of the locos from the time period after the steam pipes were moved outside? Also is there any information as to what year that loco was modified with external steam pipes? From the info I have seen these modifications were made between 1928-1958 so it would be nice to know where this loco fits in the spread. I like the looks of the modified locos but my time period only extends to about 1936.

I installed a SoundTraxx UK diesel 21PNEM decoder which conveniently has the sounds for the early Derby Class DMUs which themselves used similar AEC diesels. I had to experiment with the various CVs to find the one for the cab lights and after that reprogrammed the decoder function map accordingly. If you are still trying to figure that out I’ll check my programming notes and get back to you. I now can control all lights. Be aware that the cab lights are by default directional and also only come on when the “headlights” are on. This is a beautiful runner even with only one powered boggie, probably due to the weight of the cast metal chassis.

Excellent resource, and it explains a lot. The short track in question may have been a coach dock probably added in the 1881-82 renovations. The writeup also addressed the short platform questions and how the entire station area was worked through the first half of the 20th century. Thanks for the link—Larry

Here in the US railroads nationwide have long used a well defined set of whistle and/or horn signals. For example 2 long indicated a train or loco was about to move forward and 3 short meant a reverse move, etc. I have been looking for a similar set of signals for UPK steam whistles and early diesel locos for the low and hi horns but can’t seem to find much. Videos provide evidence of the guard whistle being blown when the train was ready to leave and that was followed by a single whistle blast from the engineer, but other than that I am mystified. Since all my steam locos and my GWR Flying Banana have DCC sound I’d like to use them prototypically. Thanks for any guidelines—Larry

Keith, in this diagram there are two short tracks on the left side above and below the incoming track. I assume the lower one is a headshunt but what was the purpose of the upper one? Was is a place to store a loco or car?

Good to know I won’t be breaking laws with a wooden walkway instead of a foot ridge. And thanks much for the track plan. I want to use the 1935 working schedule for Moretonhampstead as the basis for the branch as it is one of the few in Karau’s book that does not rely only on one loco under steam. I count 25 trains including 2-3 goods and at least 1 engine movement. More than enough to keep several people busy running trains. May even need to cut back on some of those passenger runs. Surprising since Ashburton right next door had about half that many but even 13 is enough to satisfy most model railroaders.

I have both vols of Paul Karau’s book so no need to scan. I viewed a lot of online photos today and the grass covered platform across from the station doesn't seem long enough for passenger use and is centrally located and there is really no place for a footbridge to have been there. There are photos on the South Devon website that shows the present footbridge being installed and they even had to build a small landing on the side opposite the main platform to serve as a base for it. Unfortunately no good historic photos of the general area turned up. At any rate I think you are correct that only the platform in front of the station was used for passengers. However, back to my second question concerning passengers crossing on a wooden walkway at track level where no footbridge is provided. I noticed that at the Totnes station they have a wide wooden walkway from the car park to the platform for a passenger crossing so does that mean there are no laws against passengers crossing wherever they please?

I am looking for a 1930s track diagram for Buckfastleigh, especially a signalbox diagram. I plan to use this as the basis for a through station layout. I’ve seen photos of the current footbridge being installed as part of the heritage railway but was there one there originally? Which begs the question, what was GWR or UK law concerning installation and use of footbridges? If a footbridge was not provided and there were up and down platforms were passengers allowed to cross on a board walkway or did they have to walk to the nearest road crossing to cross over? Thanks—Larry

Of course I just happened to have an unopened package of the Wills point rodding kit with these deflector ramps included. Apparently they were installed over facing point locks. The instructions say that every set of points that a passenger train passed over had to have a facing point lock to firmly hold the point blades in place. Thanks—Larry

In Paul Karau’s “GWR Branch Line Termini” I found a number of photos of turnouts with what appear to be covers over the point mechanism. These appear to be either wood or metal devices placed between and parallel to the rails. They are about 1’ wide, several feet long, and are sloped at each end. My assumption is these were placed over the point mechanism to protect them from dragging chains and other low hanging appliances on cars and locos. My questions are (1) what was their purpose, (2) in what time period were they used, (3) which railways used them, and (4) what were the dimensions and construction? I would imagine they could be easily made from styrene or thin brass sheet, but does anyone offer them ready to use? Larry Puckett Contributing Editor, Model Railroader magazine www.dccguy.com

I found that even on the 36” radius curves on my HO layout the friction from the wheel flanges on the rail heads is enough to frustrate my Dean’s Goods 0-6-0 on a slight grade but my 0-6-0PTs can pull them. The widely spaced, fixed wheelsets don’t follow the curve like boggie mounted wheels do. On a flat there is no issue and the shunting layout I am planning will have essentially no curves or grades.