Gedward

This week I'll be mostly painting bricks for the signal box on Bovey Tor. Based on the box at Williton.

And in mono.

WB office. Still more details to add after it's been installed.

WB office. Still more details to add after it's been installed.

WB office. Still more details to add after it's been installed.

WB office. Still more details to add after it's been installed.

First attempt at scratch building. Based on Crowcombe station.

Work has begun on the second building on Bovey Tor. The weighbridge office.

Work has begun on the second building on Bovey Tor. The weighbridge office.

Bovey Tor station. I know this is only 90% done but anyway.

Those baseboards look good and strong.

Whether it's train operations, loco construction or scenery. We all live this hobby for different reasons. And we all have different goals and abilities also. This is very apparent in model clubs, where various 'experts' are available. But it's quite challenging when you're tasked with doing everything yourself.

I don't think that is cheating. I'm not planning to build any rolling stock for Bovey Tor. Is that cheating? George

BTW, the backdrop is painted on 6mm MDF. I used bendy MDF just for the corners and then used filler to hide the joins. This was a lot of extra work but I am not a big fan of corners in skies. George

Well I’ve only been using oils for 50 years so I can’t really help you. Joking aside, I appreciate your comments. As you know oil paint is versatile. I use a medium to help speed up the drying time. Something like Liquin by W&N, but there are others. I always work quite thinly and prefer to build up my paintings in several layers. And this doesn’t take an age to dry. I've never experienced sticky-ness this way.

Thanks Terry. White card (0.4 x 630 x 960mm -350gms ) I got from my LMS, 4D model shop in east London. Roughly 90% finished I guess. I still have a long to do list: Gutters, drainpipes, window sills, posters, signage, lamps, planters, benches and of course weathering. But I'll leave all that for after the platform is constructed.

Backdrop.

Recently finished painting the backdrop using oil paints. I call it 'after the rain'.

I've just started scratch building using the 'Pendon' construction method on Bovey Tor station building. George

The weathering looks very effective. I had to look twice. George

Bovey Tor station was first opened on May 16th 1855 as part of the Dart Valley Railway. And became absorbed into the South Devon Railway. In 1876 it then became part of the Great Western Railway. Originally just one platform, plans were drawn up to build a second, when it was a particularly busy branch line during the early 1900s. With the increase in freight traffic together with regular services to Tavistock. With decent goods facilities handling essentially, coal, milk and timber from the local traders and farmers. Sitting adjacent to the Tavistock canal, there were early designs to build a series of locks in order to raise the height of the canal to allow access to the goods yard for loading limestone from the local quarry. The cobbled goods yard, which still exists today, is legacy to those early plans. Services declined during and after the first world war. But there was an increase in services up and till 1939 and the start of the second world war. 1949 saw the opening of the large O’ Connor creamery in nearby Buckfastleigh. Again, the freight traffic increased and the small goods yard was often over stocked. Local passenger services and special summer services to Totnes, also saw a large increase traffic. On May 16th 1955, the line celebrated its centenary. From May 14th till May 20th they ran extra services and a ‘Centenary Special’. The village of Bovey Tor celebrated with a large street party. The local mayor, George Edwardson unveiled a special plaque on the wall of Bovey Tor station. Thankfully all of this helped save it from the Beeching cuts, in 1963. Today the line is in the hands of the 'South Devon Railway' preservation society. And is performing well due to an increase in passenger services in the extended season. However, after falling into financial difficulties in recent times due in no small part to some questionable management decisions. The line has had to sell off some of its property to real estate developers in Totnes as that area continues to expand eastwards.

Many thanks Simon. You're absolutely right. This is what it looked like prior to folding.

Great to hear! Have seen so many great projects on this forum. You guys have set the bar very high indeed. We used to spend our summers in Devon every year growing up in the 60s. I'm trying to capture the wildness of Dartmoor.

Thanks that's a good question. I plan to add a removable extension across a doorway.