Innerhome

From LSWR Engine Sheds - Hawkins & Reeve: (hope I've read correctly): Okehampton - 70ft - was 50ft changed 1943 Bude 50ft -(Pacifics still occasional visitors) Barnstaple - 50ft - engines could be turned on the triangle leading on the GWR lines - don't know if any Pacifics did. There are some photographs of Pacifics on Barnstaple shed - though would have assumed most worked through to Ilfracombe. Torrington - removed early on - again I think odd Pacific worked down Ilfracombe 65ft - from 1925 (?) Plymouth Friary - 50ft - I think engines turned on a triangle Launceston 50ft (?) Padstow - 65ft post war Wadebridge 50ft So - certain areas generated some tender first running

There is a book available from the Lightmoor press called "Great Western Railway Structure Colours". I haven't got it - and I don't know whether it includes internal schemes as well as external - hopefully other in RMweb will be able to advise

Also - see R A Cooke Track Plans - section 14 South Devon - if you could find on the second hand market. I think Foxline - Newton Abbot and Torquay might have a plan. There are a number of models of Kingswear - appreciate these may have compromises on the track plan - see for example layouts section of gwr.org.uk (sadly no updates since 2022)

Certainly agree with Stationmaster about the rules issues - and I've never seen a photograph suggesting an up train in one of the down platforms. My assumption would have been that the 08.55 ex Ilfracombe went right to the East end of the up platform - and that the Torrington came in behind it. It is suggested the Ilfracombe only had 4 coaches so this would be possible. The Torrington engine then runs round via the middle siding and pushes the though coaches onto the Ilfracombe. Two more things which puzzle me: West Box's points 21 did not have a facing point lock - yet for some moves Torrington coaches must have been drawn back onto the branch before the Ilfracombe arrived - presumably points clipped and padlocked ? West Box's home signal 38 is to the east of points 26 - so a run round move via the down platforms didn't have a means of signalling across points 26 - which would need to be changed. Presumably every one knew what they were doing - and would treat signal 38 (or 37) as if it applied to points 26 as well ? Must have been fascinating to see all this going on in high summer in the late 50s/early 60s

Two books from Xpress publishing - may - or may not be of help. "Operating British Railways History Southern region Part 2" - suggests that Ilfracombe services arrived first into the up platform followed by Torrington - with the Torrington engine running round via the middle siding and then pushing the Torrington coaches onto the Ilfracombe. District Controller's View no14 - North Devon - suggests Torrington in first - run round and draw back onto the Torrington branch - then Ilfracombe in and push onto the back - which would agree with Rivercider above. This book goes into more detail on the workings - there would appear to be a lot of coach and van shunting going on with the middle siding used to hold ECS and vans being switched between trains. On the basis of the photographs I've seen and the timetable above I think Torrington in first and then draw back onto the branch was the normal way of working - but if the Torrington was very late let the Ilfracombe in and have it go right to the end of the Up platform. Would certainly seem to have been a very interesting place to observe in it's heyday. The modelling downside is that the number of locomotive classes was fairly restricted - the GWR route being mainly 43xx (and nothing bigger - weight restrictions) - and the SR lines were maximum unrebuilt WC/BB. Of course rule number 1 can always be applied....

The inside rail of your layout is one polarity - for sake of argument say positive. The outside rail is negative. When you set the point to the siding the live frog allows the current to flow directly from inside rail to outside rail - ie it shorts so the engine won't move. If you place one insulated rail joiner - or have a break in the rail - on the inside rail of the main oval just to the right of the siding point frog the layout should work. You must make sure that you operate both points of the loop at the same time - ie both set for the inside loop or both set for the outside - otherwise you will have another short. I'm assuming you're operating your points by hand. You may find it easier to change your siding point for an insulated frog. As mentioned by Il Grifone - the original Hornby Dublo points of 60+ years ago were essentially electrofrog - they required extra wiring - and this caused a lot of confusion for customers who wanted "plug and play". The tri-ang ones were the equivalent of insulfrog so didn't need any extra wiring.

I think if you have a signalbox and you're exchanging tokens - or a train staff - then there would be a small amount of signalling - a minimum of a down home - and an up platform home and a final up home at the "scenic break" before the fiddle yard. The train service you describe could be run as "one engine in steam" - so you would have a ground frame to work the points - which might be in a signalbox type structure - but there would be no need to exchange tokens. In a minimally signalled layout ground signals were not always provided - the signalman would provide instructions. if you go to the Signalling Record Society website and search under "sales" and "printed drawings" and then Great Western - and select some small terminii - eg Helston, Cardigan that should give you a good idea of possible options.

You may also find "The Ashburton Branch" Peter Kay - published by Peter Kay - 2000 - helpful - but this does not have any building plans in it.

Your friend might find xpress publishing - Operation Torbay and Operation Cornwall by W S Becket helpful. These give timetables and formations for 1957. The 22.10 Paddington - Penzance is quoted as Siphon G : Stowage Brake : Stowage Van : TPO (843 or 844 or 845) : TPO (806 or 807 or 808) : TPO (846 or 847 or 835) Full Brake : Siphon G. (1 Siphon G detached Bristol : 2 detached Exeter)

Looking for a photograph of a buffer stop at a Midland railway branch terminus - I failed miserably. I did find this manufacturer who i haven't heard of before - they are 7mm - and have a nice gallery of model bufferstops for various companies including the Midland. So - assuming the run round extended beyond the platform - presumably this is what would have been used. Bufferstops - RAGSTONE MODELS

If you're modelling Dursley you might find "Gloucester Midland Lines South 4B" - Neil Parkhouse - Lightmoor Press helpful (colour pictures from the 60s) helpful. Unfortunately not much in the way of stop blocks.

Railway Modeller - Feb 2012 has a layout of Kyle of Lochalsh - but no building plans - I think the station building is close but not 100% RM May 75 - drawing of water tank with key dimensions RM Nov 73 - plan of engine shed

Having thought about this a bit more - I think we need a rural location where a broadly north - south route crosses an east - west route. Even then that doesn't mean there would be through trains serving all the possible journey combinations. So a big application of "rule number one" is required. Some further suggestions: Templecombe Yeovil Junction - if one assumes a spur from Weymouth into the junction - which has certainly been talked about in the past - ie to allow Weymouth - Bristol trains to call at the junction Something involving the MSWJ - particularly if you assume it became joint SR/LMS and not GWR - an enlarged Savernake ? Newbury - DNS - has already been mentioned Ashchurch - with the interesting flat crossing Kingham - there would be through Cheltenham - Banbury crossing the layout Honeybourne Selby Penrith (you could have through Keswick - North East trains) The OP might find getting hold of a copy of the 1914 railway junction diagrams book reprint and going through this for some further inspiration helpful

Railway Modeller - November 2009 - model. See also "Victorian Preston and the Whittingham Hospital Railway" - David Hindle pub Amberley - unfortunately no actual building plans.

It would be helpful to know how much space you have - and also modelling period. In terms of county junction - then Barnstaple Junction - but that doesn't have the full traffic range you want - ie as far as I know no through trains Torrington > Ilfracombe or Taunton - Exeter - plus only two railway companies ie GWR/SR.

Would this be the website Hall Royd Junction - various transfers listed ? (also on Ebay - search MSE transfers) ? Good luck

Signalling record society s-r-s.org.uk has a signalling diagram - unfortunately it's undated - it's listed in the LMS section under joint lines.

Try googling Fort William Oil terminal - this was a small two siding operation. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3073155 There are four pipelines - which I assume would be Diesel : Gasoil : Kerosene : Unleaded and flexible hoses to connect to the tank wagons. I also assume there will be a small hut controlling the pumping apparatus - with the pipes leading back to the main storage tank. Another small installation would be Dalston near Carlisle Cumbria. In this case the railway siding and offices are separated by a road - Barras Lane - so on the railway side there is the basic pipework installation and not much else.

Big thanks to all involved in getting the Forum back up and running. It's amazing how much you miss something once it's not there.

For an interesting example of minimal use of points and crossings - have a look at Ely North Junction - where the Norwich and Lynn lines both come down to single track to join the March lines - and the loop which allows a West to East move has also been singled - but is still bi directional. I seem to remember an accident at a Scottish region station at a junction which had been reduced to single lead crossovers in the 1980s - which I think at the time resulted in a moratorium on rationalising to single lead - and indeed at Ely resulted in the loop - which had already been singled - being restricted to one direction only with trains having to reverse at Ely.

Russell - G W coaches appendix vol 1 page 92 gives May 1962 as the condemned date for diagram D98 - the brake thirds

The HMRS website has a couple of photographs of the diagram at Chester No 2 - unfortunately not very clear and they don't cover the full diagram - one showing the layout at the platform ends and one the junctions between the Crewe and Warrington lines. The photos are dated 1977 - so I think some rationalisation has already taken place.

Bicester (Oxford) - Bletchley is - I think - just over 20 miles for £760m - OK it's double track - but not electrified - so getting to Okehampton for £40m seems an absolute bargain. Does anyone know the possible costs for Okehampton - Bere Alston ?

Thank you to all who replied and to Martin who identified the location. I see that the distants were worked by number 5 box - the diagram shows levers 28 and 39 - so would have been interesting slotting. I hadn't seen a picture of one distant covering multiple homes in this configuration so something new learnt.

There is a video on youtube: The Signal Engineers - 1962 Electrical Engineering on the railway Very interesting video. At 6.45 minutes there is a picture of a gantry with several dolls each with a number of stop signals which don't look full size - plus on the bottom of each doll a single distant. Any idea where this might be - and in particular the function of the distants. I assume the one distant acts with any of the stop signals - although I would have thought these would all be low speed moves and am a bit surprised a distant has been provided. Thoughts welcome. Thanks