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Harry Dawe

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Posts posted by Harry Dawe

  1. 14 minutes ago, Alex TM said:

    What's the paint that you used on the Terrier?

    Hi Alex, it's Humbrol 86 IIRC. It looks a bit flat straight out of the tin and I had to gloss varnish, then matt lacquer over the top to get a better colour and sheen. 

    • Thanks 1
  2. I thought I'd start a separate thread for the locos and rolling stock I'll be modifying and making for my West Dorset Light Railway project. 

     

    Recently I completed this wagon, which uses a variety of different techniques including the salt technique as more frequently used for rust effects. It's an old Airfix wagon which has been fitted with Smiths 3 links and otherwise just repainted. Transfers (what's left of them!) were a gift from James Hilton

     

    IMG_20200618_170641 IMG_20200618_171259 IMG_20200618_171110

     

    I've written a full description of how I did it here if you're interested. 

    • Craftsmanship/clever 1
  3. Tracklaying started.

    Not the hardest bit but I'm slowly working my way up to doing point blades! Not entirely sure how I'm going to pivot them, whether that be fishplates or the flexibility of the track. 

    IMG_20200607_162122 IMG_20200607_162107

    I know it's a bit messy, but the side I took photos from has most of the solder and that side will have the backscene on it! 

    IMG_20200607_162059

     

    I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with the board scenically, but there are a handful of ideas floating around. 

    IMG_20200609_172827 IMG_20200609_165907 2020-06-12_04-05-57

    Maybe a Wantage style train shed. Longer than the one I have drawn, but I think the Glyn Valley style station may be kept. 

    • Like 1
    • Agree 1
  4. This is just a little micro to try out track building as well as couplings, some new ideas for making buildings and other structures. There is a small village just outside Bridport called Pymore which has an inn, a mill and a few houses- the perfect place for a micro! The idea is that it will represent a small through station currently being used as a predominantly freight terminus due to the closure of the Bridport-West Bay end of the line; similar to the GWR situation.

    spacer.png

     

    It's a 4x1 board and whilst I could have fitted more in I decided simplicity and space would work the best. Cassettes on the left hand end will be used- the track to the left in this picture will be the rest of the line whilst the nearest will be the track to the mill, so plenty of shunting opportunities as well as possibly a paraffin and coal merchant- as well as maybe a cattle dock as there are numerous farms around.

     

    The right hand end features the station- I think it would be possible to make a small sliding loco length traverser on the end to run around stock as I didn't want to squeeze the whole layout into this space- I could extend it one day. Not sure yet. I think I will do a Wantage style train shed that technically doubles up as the current carriage shed to hide the lack of depth behind the station.

     

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    A bit blurry but you get the idea!

     

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    The goods yard/mill entrance- do I include these yard buildings or do a mill gatehouse?

     

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    And finally, I've started laying sleepers for the points- cutting down the coffee stirrers and cutting them to shape is quickly becoming tedious! I think when I have access to the facilities I'll laser cut them similar to the Timber Tracks sleepers.

     

    Anyway, progress has been good.

  5. @lezz01 thanks I'm glad someone likes it!

    @Captain Kernow thanks also! I'm using wooden sleepers (cut down from coffee stirrers to be specific) with pins to solder the track to. Track is code 60 Peco flat bottom, I haven't decided how to represent the spikes yet- they do seem a lot of work! Do you have any pics or articles on your layout? I'd be interested to see how it looks.

    @Nile that's an idea. The idea of no soldered joints holding it together scares me a little though!

    @Hando okay I'll have to read hat link- thank you. Had no idea about that!

    • Thanks 1
  6. A bit of stock that I've completed so far.

     

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    The coach is Thomas toy sides, Mainline Toad chassis and Ratio ends whilst the brake is Triang clerestory on a Ratio chassis. 

     

    I've tried out a couple of weathering effects including a partially recanvassed roof as seen above, peeling paint

    IMG_1935.JPG

     

    Ripped canvas

    IMG_1938.JPG

     

    Whilst I have built a small section of track as an experiment as I plan on trying to represent spiked track.

    On this piece the pins were the wrong size and shape lifting the track too high and not always perpendicular to the sleepers.

    IMG_1991.JPG

    This is actually the first piece of track I've ever made so if it looks dodgy that's why! The soldering isn't as neat as it should be and I didn't use enough pins so it isn't in gauge at the ends but otherwise it hopefully looks right.

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    Bit of a plug but if you like the stuff I make my blog is here.

    • Like 7
  7. This is my first post on RMweb as I suppose it's my first serious standard gauge layout really.

    I've always liked the idea of starting from a wider concept and then building a model from these ideas. With a bit more time on my hands, I decided to have a go at a proper history for my OO layout; the West Dorset area has always interested me as I regularly go to Bridport, West Bay and Lyme Regis, whilst Gerry Beale's book on the Bridport branch is a fantastic read.

     

    So I decided to have a look at where a line would be useful, and the town of Beaminster interested me. Up until the early 20th century, it was a very prominent producer of rope and sailcloth similar to Bridport, however its lack of a railway connection caused an untimely demise of the industry in the town as they were unable to acquire coal or transport their goods away, the nearest station 10 miles away.

     

    But what if, similar to the Bridport branch but later on, after the introduction of the Light Railway Act in 1896, the mills in Beaminster decided to build a railway service their industries?

    There would be two obvious options; join the LSWR at Crewkerne, or the GWR at Bridport or West Bay; or even both? Studying a 1950s OS map, (I know it's later but it gives the idea) and Google Earth as well as histories of Bridport and Beaminster allowed me to study a possible route. Another possibility is an extension to Charmouth for holiday and tourism traffic, in the same vein as the West Bay extension to the Bridport Branch.

     

    Whilst I haven't planned the specifics, the line can follow the River Brit for a fair distance and otherwise the only possible issue is that it would have to probably go around Horn Hill in Beaminster. In terms of industry, the flax mills and ropemaking that line the River Brit (as they originally used water power) between Beaminster and Bridport provides a raison d'etre as such, as well as the powdered milk factory in Beaminster and the sailcloth manufacture. Passengers would be a smaller service but potentially some will join from the main line at Crewkerne.

     

    This was an initial route plan, but terminating at West Bay rather than Charmouth- in terms of space, if the line wished to join the GWR it would struggle to join in Bridport however West Bay was rather under developed at the point of construction.

    image.png.5630482468a30535cb333586868d15b4.png

     

    Obviously all a bit straight at the moment, but I am planning on zooming in and working out how the route may travel easiest through the scenery.

     

    I think I will probably rework it without the West Bay part or GWR connection- the route more Crewkerne-Beaminster-Bridport-Charmouth. It will be to the west of Bridport as this is where many mills were situated, and the other side of town to the GWR stations.

     

    In terms of how this translates to a model, I think the key will be compromise- I'm not planning on slavish copies of the area but similar to David Taylor's Bridport, a little rearrangement and picking out suitable buildings and features.

     

    Lots of words but more pictures next time!

    • Like 7
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