Cowley 47521

Especially when 1980s vehicles are not that easy to find in this scale!

Just superb.

In my imagination it looked a bit like that John.

A bit luxulyan valley in the 1970s possibly..?

Heading north out of Lapford. And leaning into the curve.

That looks excellent!

I pressed the post button before I’d finished writing it then!

I mean I’m no photographer but what I find works well when I make videos on the phone (and I imagine that it’s a similar situation) is to take a step back and then zoom in. For some reason in a smaller scale like N it seems to give it a lot more presence. I’ve just taken these two to show what I mean: Standard: and then taken from further back but zoomed in:

It’s really nice to see it running. Did you film it on a phone Duncan? I’ve got a couple of ideas that might be useful.

Are you still there..?

That used to be a handy little cut through…

Looks great so far Steve. Lovely texture on the stonework. Nick

That’s really well done Duncan. You’d think from the photos that the lines go in very different directions. It just goes to show that with a bit planning you can draw the eye in a direction that makes a scene feel a lot bigger than it actually is. To be fair it’s like every scene on your railway - you take a first look and think oh that’s good, and then you look again and see even more.

Thanks Paul. I really appreciate that.

@Torbay Expressand @fezza - those were the days! For me it was any excuse to get a run behind a 33 on the line after work, although I picked up the odd NB 47 along the way too. I really loved the line back then because you just didn’t know what was going to happen next.

Ah yes the coal trains for Exmouth Junction. I used to love watching those attack the bank up to Central. I think the empties might have carried on to Yeovil Junction possibly? I’ll stick with DCC for any future layout I think. Having made the plunge and learnt the new way of doing things I can’t imagine going back now really.

Blimey they are rather nice. It was mentioned in my Lapford thread that these did make it up my branch in the last couple of years of freight running up there. I wonder if Mrs C would like a couple for Valentine’s Day..?

Thanks Rich and yes I know that it probably sounds a bit strange to have got this far and then to be talking about selling it. I’ve not completely made my mind up as to what I’ll do with the layout yet but part of the problem is that it needs access around three sides to operate it and that means it needs quite a large room to fit it into (I could have planned that better really). I’ll see how it goes and just enjoy running trains for the moment. Much agreed about Steve Flints photos though. Nick

I’ll pass your kind comments on to Paul when I see him on Monday and I’ll get the proper dimensions and try take a couple of photos of the backscene Tom. Sometimes it’s just good to get a few ideas while you’re thinking about what to make. Thinking about it is part of the fun anyway. I’ll be following this with interest!

Moors View is actually my best friend Paul’s railway and I know he won’t mind me sharing a few details here as I helped make a few bits and bobs on it. I think I remember the board being 2.4 long, but with most of the curves hidden there’s probably around 1.9 metres of visible track. If he’d completely hidden the curves then that would have been less obviously but it seems to work well as the curves aren’t too sharp (the inside ones are 3rd radius from what I remember). @NGaugeTom, some of your ideas were very much what Paul had in his mind when he was planning it; somewhere to see the trains running through the scenery, no points out the front, curved backscene, able to swap eras at times etc. That’s a nine coach train and loco nearly filling the visible section of line, but it kind of works because of the way the geography somehow looks much larger and the railway builders have had to find a way through it! (The photo was taken before a lot of stuff including the backscene was finished but it gives a good overall sense of the idea). Hope that’s helpful. Nick

They both work to my eyes. I particularly like the top one with the threat of rain in the air.

I think that’s a very good idea. I was looking for a photo that I’d seen a while ago and just realised that was actually taken by @Captain Kernow of this parish. The second photo shows that there was a type of run round loop formed out of part of the up platform loop (which had become a headshunt by then) and the adjacent siding. I quite like that arrangement I must say but with a couple of extra sidings in the yard possibly. Those photos capture perfectly what I’ve always loved about the place.

Hi Duncan. Yes that’s exactly what I’m looking for with this. I’d like the option of being able to do a little bit of shunting and stabling permanent way traffic in the little yard pictured, but the main thing for me that I love about the scale is seeing trains running through the landscape and building the landscape itself. I’ll need a bit of signalling with this but even then it’s only going to be a few colour lights dotted around (probably going to need some advice on that actually). In other news Lapford and Eggesford is featured in this month’s edition of Railway Modeller and having just read the article I’m really pleased with what Steve Flint and the team have done with it. I never imagined this happening when I bought that first Dapol 33 a few years ago! When that model arrived on my doorstep (exactly three years tomorrow!) in February 2019 I didn’t have the time to look at it as I was on my way to work so I took it with me and unwrapped it at lunchtime. Just by happenstance I was painting a customers house that was right next to the actual railway line between Lapford and Eggesford that day so… Well I thought it would be a shame not to..? (next stop Eggesford)

Hello everyone. I’m hoping to run a couple of ideas past you. It’s a plan for a potential new project and if you have any thoughts or ideas then I’d love to hear them! As our many children are moving on and due to a couple of other changes in circumstance (including us finally getting married after 14 years!) Lapford will probably have to vacate its current space and be either moved to a purpose built structure in the garden (at the cost of quite a substantial amount of money). Or I look at maybe selling it, but keeping the stock and starting something entirely new in the two thirds of the loft which has now become available and that I converted to an unofficial bedroom a few years ago when we had more of the children at home (it has velux windows, it’s properly insulated, height wise it’s slightly cozy but not too bad). I’m slightly tempted with the latter option at the moment because I’ve got the itch to take what I’ve learned and try and do something better. Unfortunately there’s no way Lapford will even get through the loft hatch due to its width so that option is out anyway. Right then. If you’re still reading then I think you’re actually interested! I give you Project Seatonslightly erm, Junctionish! Here’s a rough diagram that I drew the other day while getting the vague idea down. The stations have been renamed (to protect the innocent) because this is a slight reimagining of the area and of history: I know it’s not the clearest but hopefully it makes sense. I’ll go through a few points: 1) The part of the route from Honiton to Chard Junction has remained double line after route singling elsewhere. 2) Seaton Junction becomes Lyme Junction in this reality, but it’s still closed and looks how it did (apart from retaining the down main) in the mid 1980s with a few sidings still surviving (which will see the odd p-way train). 3) East Devon Parkway will be a virtual copy of Tiverton Parkway but with Network Southeast signage and the reason that it’s there is because… 4) The A35 is a slightly more important route in this reality and has been diverted (as a dual carriageway) to cross the railway and then miss Honiton entirely and running instead towards Ottery and eventually the M5 junction 30 via Clyst st Mary. 5) I’d like to incorporate a (sensible) climb to get maximum height above the loft hatch for access and that will become a version of Honiton Bank on the scenic section. (6) I messed up drawing the fiddle yard and it won’t actually be as squashed into the corner as depicted it.) I’ve got around 6 metres (possibly slightly more) to play with in the scenic L shaped section and obviously this is just a first draft, but I am finding it quite appealing and I think it could be something a bit different… I’d better post this as I’m about to run out of charge on the phone and I’m nowhere near a charger! Any thoughts much appreciated. Thanks for reading. Nick