Coombe Barton

Occasionally you find a resource on the web that is complete. This is one - http://www.buildinghistory.org/ - detailed, comprehensive, updated frequently. If you want to find anything this is really the place to start.

Just dug out some seaweed stuiff from when we used to run field trips - http://www.carolscornwall.com/On%20the%20Beach/seaweed.html and http://www.pznow.co.uk/marine/seaweed.html - the kids on the trips loved the identification while the geologists could get on with the geology.

Conservation Area Character Appraisals and Management Plans In the links below many more areas are designated as conservation areas - but those listed are the only ones with character appraisals. Appraisals look at: The history of the buildings Topography and landscape setting Settlement form Important views and vistas Locally distinctive features and vernacular building styles Past and present activities and uses Streetscape and the public realm Green spaces and trees Penwith Penzance, Marazion, Bojewyan, Botallack and Truthwall, Boscaswell, Carnyorth, Nancherrow and Tregeseal, Pendeen and Trewellard. Kerrier Breage, Camborne Town Centre, Helston, Plain-an-Gwarry, Redruth, Porthleven, Redruth, St Day, Tuckingmill and Roskear Carrick Chacewater, Devoran, Penryn, St Agnes, Truro, Falmouth Restormel St Columb Major, Tywardreath, Polkerris, Crantock, Fowey, Grampound, Pentewan North Cornwall Launceston, Altarnun, Blisland, Boscastle, Camelford, Port Isaac, St Kew, St Teath, Bude, Poughill, Stratton Caradon Looe

These documents are recent and give plenty of detail about the coonservation area. More importantly they usually give plenty of high quality photographs. I've linked to the man websites where I can, but some of the detail is proving elusive. I will update as and when I can. Each is arranged by the authority carrying out the appraisal. After each authority is the list of areas covered. Dartmoor National Park Authority Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Chagford, Crockernwell, Drewsteignton, Dunsford, Horrabridge, Lustleigh, Lydford, Manaton, Mary Tavy, Meavy, Moretonhampstead, Murchington, North Bovey, North Brentor, Princetown, South Brent, South Tawton, South Zeal, Sticklepath, Throwleigh, Widecombe-in-the-Moor East Devon Beer, Brampford Speke, Broadclyst, Broadhembury, Budleigh Salterton, Chardstock, Dunkeswell, East Budleigh, Kilmington, Otterton, Seaton, Sidmouth Exeter Alphin Brook, Alphington, Belmont, Central Exeter, Cowick Street, Exwick, Heavitree, Longbrook, Midway Terrace and Ide Lane, Mont Le Grande, Pennsylvania, Princes Square, Riverside, Southernhay and The Friars, St. David's, St. Leonard's, St. Sidwells, Taddyforde, Topsham Mid Devon Bampton, Bradninch, Crediton, Cullompton, Cullompton, Halberton , Tiverton, Upton Hellions, Willand , Yeoford, Sampford Peverell North Devon Barnstaple - Ebberly Lawn, Barnstaple Town Centre, Bickington, Croyde, Fremington, Fremington Quay, Georgeham, Ilfracombe, Lake, Mortehoe, Newport, Pilton, Rumsam, Putsborough, South Molton, Woolacombe Plymouth Adelaide Street/Clarence Place, Barbican, Devonport, Ebrington Street, The Hoe, Mannamead, North Stonehouse, Plympton St Maurice, Royal Naval Hospital/Millfields, Stoke, Stonehouse Peninsula, Tamerton Foliot, Turnchapel, Union Street South Hams Ashprington, Berry Pomeroy, Cornworthy, Ermington, Modbury, Newton Ferrers, Noss Mayo, Salcombe, Stoke Fleming, Stoke Gabriel, Strete, Totnes, Tuckenhay, Yealmpton Teignbridge Bovey Tracey, Chudleigh, Dawlish, Forde Park, Newton Abbot, Ringmore, Teignmouth, Wolborough Torbay Abbey Road, Babbacombe Downs, Barton, Belgravia, Cary Park, Cockington, Chelston, Maidencombe, Old Paignton, Polsham, Roundham and Paignton harbour, Shorton, St Marychurch, Torre, Tormohun, Torquay Harbour, Upton, Warberries, Watcombe Park Torridge This is a list of the conservatiuon areas - I have yet to find much on the sources of the appraisals. Appledore, Ashreigney, Beaford, Bideford, Bideford Clovelly Road, Bideford East, Bradworthy, Buckland Brewer, Bucks Mills, Clovelly, Dolton, Great Torrington, Hartland, High Bickington, Holsworthy, Kingscott, Merton, Northam, Sheepwash, Winkleigh West Devon (from this source) The reports are part of council minutes and do not appear to be collected. Bere Alston, Bere Ferrers, Bratton Clovelly, Bridestowe, Broadwoodkelly, Buckland Monachorum, Exbourne, Eworthy and Germansweek, Hatherleigh, Lamerton, Lifton, Milton Abbot, Milton Combe, Northlew, North Tawton, Okehampton, Sampford Courtenay, South Tawton, Stowford, Tavistock x3, Tavistock/Bere Alston Railway, Whitchurch and Weir Quay These are the ones I can find Tavistock

I've been collecting resources for years about Devon and Cornwall for purposes other than modelling. I've been using them for modelling research so sharing them seems the natural thing to do. Many of them in Cornwall may suffer webdeath because of the new Unitary Authority - these are based on the post 1974 districts. All links are to the CISI or CSUS (Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey) sites. Main CISI map Main CSUS Map Penwith St Just Nancherrow-Tregeseal Botallack Carnyorth Trewellard Pendeen Bojewyan-Stennack Hayle 1 Hayle 2 Penzance St Ives Newlyn Scilly Hugh Town Kerrier Porthleven Praze an Beeble Portreath St Day Troon Beacon Camborne 1 Camborne 2 Tuckingmill Pool Illogan Highway Redruth 1 Redruth 2 Helston Carrick St Agnes Newlyn East Chasewater Devoran Perranaworthal Truro Falmouth Penryn Restormel Pentewen Polgooth St Austell St Blazey Luxulyan Foxhole Nanpean St Dennis Bugle Roche Stenalees Newquay Caradon Looe Liskeard St Cleer Tremar Coombe Crow’s Nest Darite Pensilva Minions Upton Cross Henwood Kelly Bray Callington Drakewalls - Albaston Calstock Gunnislake Torpoint Saltash Launceston North Cornwall St Breward Delabole Treknow and Tregatta Camelford Bodmin

Taking inspiration from Doug's Harbour Office my thoughts turned to columns and the material they're made from. Many columns were rendered - so the Stucco sheet would do, but many were turned either from granite or sandstone. The turned height of the column block rarely exceeds 6ft and the diameter 2ft 6in, so something in 'stone without joints' to cope? That would wrap round a cylinder well. And while typing this, granite slabs. In St Just there's doorsteps in a single block of granite 5ft x 3ft, so the same sheet would so, as it would for granite lintels. These are not confined to the West, as in the City of London the old Martins Bank building (now Barclays) is built using in large lumps of Cornish granite. And of course many cottages and miners houses had granite lintels that are still visible.

To do Millbay docks and station in 4mm would require 60ft x 30ft (excluding fiddle yard) minimum to keep in in scale. Wouldn't exactly be portable for exhibitions, though In N 30ft x 15ft. Anyone do a 1361 in N?

There are always the transatlantic liners that called at Plymouth Millbay? Stonehouse?

Have a look at this thread - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/14046-bulleid-coach-door-hinges-a-new-perspective/

I was really impressed with this layout today.

Oops! SWMBO has just caught me reading that site

That is the engine shed - controlled (notionally) by a trackside lever. Lever 13 is a good candidate for model mechanisation.

Control Panels At some recent exhibitions I’ve been looking at the control panels people have been using. Some are almost as large as the layout they control. Others are a tad smaller. Most are maps of the system. So in my perverse way what better to start designing the layout than with the control panel. The design of Coombe Barton requires that the control panel is incorporated within the layout, hence why I’m starting with it. And the room taken up by said control panel will determine what track is laid where, to some extent. At least it determines how much . The point and signal control is entirely manual and will be using the Scalefour Society’s lever frames. The train control is DC – via a Morley Vector using the supplied remote. Uncoupling is via electromagnets for the Alex Jacksons. I’ve been trying to combine the signal box and control diagrams with little success, so separated them. Signal Box Diagram and Control Panel – yellow circles are where section switches, red circles where uncoupling magnet pushbuttons will be. The lever frame is about 6†wide. Putting the whole lot together will be interesting, but should look a bit like this.

Goods to and from the mill were taken by the branch goods from Totnes, passed Staverton, the wagons being left at Buckffastleigh, the train continuing to Ashburton. On the return journey the Staverton wagons were collected from Buckfastleigh enabling shunting at Staverton. This description taken from the 1950s, according the the Kingdom book. There's also something similar in Turner, C, (1994), Operations at Ashburton. In Great Western Railway Journal No 12, Autumn 1994, Didcot: Wild Swan Publications. All this should make for interesting operation. [Edit] However on the down journey there was time to stop at Staverton so that goods could be barrowed across the platform. [Further Edit]If such a delivery were to be made, the wagon would be marshalled next to the brake van so that the train cleared the level crossing.

Just looked at Clark referred to above, and a photo shows a clerestory coach and an open wagon occupying the 'headshunt', so it seems at one time to have been more than a trap point. The photo is undated. However the text says 'apart from a lengthening of the siding in 1928..." but the how, the why and the plan is open to question. As the lengthening could not really be behind the station, it could be surmised that the siding was extended at the headshunt end, moving the main line point towards Totnes and taking out the headshunt.

In Kingdom, A.R., (1977), The Ashburton Branch (and the Totnes Quay Line), Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company, the map gives a short headshunt. In the Signal Box Diagram (ibid) it is shown as a trap point protected by a dummy at each end. There is a fpl on the main. Measuring the map, from the toe of the (allegedly trap) point, the length of the headshunt is half the length of the siding (and from that you'd have to take the length of the point). However there is no scale. Date on the SBD is 1974. Dates of the maps - 1950s.

Following Mr Nevard's attempts at Railex, as spotted by the Stationmaster - this may be something we don't want to reproduce - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/7352575/Cockroaches-cluster-on-trains.html

The Bunds So the anti spill in plastic caused problems. Especially with plastic solvents. To be expected, wasn’t it? Yes, well ... So this time a visit to Pets at Home (the dogs sent me, actually, to get them some treats) to get a couple of £1.59 stainless steel dog bowls. Small ones will do – you only need to use them as a bund in the most extreme circumstances so the volume needs be over twice that of the largest bottle/tin you’re going to put in them. They’re for stability, And you only need a couple - I tried to think of a situation when I'd need more constructional fluids open at once and found it difficult to imagine. Tools and materials: Stripwood Saw (a compound mitre model helps – but you can do all this by hand with a lot less noise and less chance of covering the dog in sawdust as she lies in the deposit) Clamps Glue Constructional details: Put the bottle/tin in the middle Cut some stripwood to fit the sides and chamfer ends - I set the saw to 30 degrees mitre having looked at what was needed by eye and it seems to work. Cut some stripwood to space the longer bits Glue and clamp Label, as what can be an effective fit for one bottle can be seriously large for one only a couple of millimetres smaller. Use That’s all – dimensions will depend on the dog bowls and bottles in use. And, as before, a couple of thousand more words. And the collection showing the constructional method.

None of this is granite. It's all killas - a local name for something that isn't granite - and this is mudstone. It's older than granite, Devonian age, the granite being intruded in the Carbomiferous. Because of the hot granite intrusion some of this mudstone is partially baked and metamorphosed (that's why you get the Delabole slates, a truly metamorphic rock) The wide mortar is probably to cover the edges of the rock lumps and arrest the splitting of the edges that moist salt air causes. If you go into South East Cornwall and South Devon the local name for mudstone is shillit - something that you wouldn't dream of using for building. This killas was originally mud deposited deep in a offshore basin and was probably about 4km thick when the granite was intruded. If you want me to be even more boring on this I can be.

Thanks guys. I've been testing the durability (both intentionally and unintentionally) of plastic trays for various acids and solvents. I'm now going to graduate to stainless steel dog bowls all round (couple of quid from a supermarket) to hold the solvents/paints/thinners etc. Much more durable and cleanable. Will post more when I have the new design built.

Or maybe something like a selection of standard doors and windows and surrounds, and things like chimneys, other building furniture that could be combined with John's stonework and brickwork so that regional and size variants could be made. Then of course we'd get into the Stone No 1 and Stone No 3 debate ... But didn't other companies have the same sort of standardisation? Could the idea be extended?

Coombe Barton Workbench For the past twenty five years I've been using half of an old church notice board as a modelling workbench. However age as taken its toll and the ply is seriously delaminating. So this is the construction of a replacement. I can now incorporate features that will make life easier that I'd neglected to do for the past quarter century. I've been using the modelling workbench for a whole variety of things, sometimes including railway modelling. However from the modelling perspective I looked at what the processes were that I had to follow and try to separate them, then looked at the tools and materials needed for each process so that I could accommodate them. Processes for the workbench (not an exhaustive list) with the general tool types needed. Trackmaking - cutting, drilling, fettling, soldering, solvents Control mechanism construction (panels, lever frame) - cutting, drilling, fettling, soldering, swearing Loco building - cutting, drilling, fettling, soldering, electrics, clamps Rolling stock building - cutting, drilling, fettling, soldering, solvents, clamps Building construction - drilling, scalpels, straightedges, adhesives, clamps Treemaking - soldering, cutting, messy painting, clay, scenic materials Detail construction - anything Painting, spray and brush - paints, airbrushes, fume extraction, brushes, thinners, drying time The purpose of this decision process is to have the common tools to hand and then move specialist kitsets in when I need them. I'm particularly good at spilling liquids, so have decided that all pots of liquids will live in a deep container, and then when I'm using them (which will usually be one or two at a time - flux and solvent are not normally part of the same operation) I'll put them into an Ikea food container - having tested the reaction of the fluid on the base first. The bottle is held upright and centred by a stripwood frame that's a push fit inside the container. More on this later. The bench dimensions are to suit me and my workshop site. Parts list: 4ft x 2ft 3/4" ply. (or if in new money, 1220mm x 605mm 18mm ply) 2 off 8ft lengths of 3/4" x ¼" hardwood strip for edges (2 off 2420mm of 18mm x 6mm) 2ft of 2†x 1†(600mm of something that's deep enough to hold the board on the table to stop it being pushed backwards - see later for construction) Depron 3mm foam to stick on underside to protect surface it’s lying on. (I’m also using this for tracklaying). You could also use cork – I did for the original version and that lasted 25 years. 8ft of 1 3/8†x ¼ “ hardwood (2420mm of 35mm x 6mm) for tool rack Brackets for tool rack – I used some 35mm sq beech I had lying around Copydex, screws, panel pins, matt varnish. The total cost was less than £35, sourcing the timber and glues from Wickes. This is a view of the finished article in use, finally starting the High Level Pannier chassis I bought to do over Christmas! I decided that my available space was 2’8†wide. Funnily enough this was about the width of the previous version. It can be picked up by one person without too much danger to doors and other furniture. And it also gives a 1’4†remainder that slices neatly in half to form the back and side boards. Rough cutting diagram Please note that the dimensions are approximate. Lengths have to be judged at time of construction because the back is slightly longer than the base. After cutting sanding the edges (I used a belt sander) reduces the splinter count markedly. Construction Screw and glue back to base making sure that the total length of the back including the stripwood trim is the length of the base plus twice the thickness of the ply. I built it this way round, to screw the back into the sides, but equally I could have screwed the sides to the back. After fitting the back the stripwood edging went on round the back. For the sides I cut a chamfer at the top front of the sides to save the knuckles when reaching for the tools (believe me, it’s necessary if you’re me), then edge with the ¾†x ¼†hardwood all round strip, glueing (PVA or Copydex) and pinning (panel pins). The edging is to prevent splinters. Then comes the fixing of the retaining piece. This is the lump of 2 by 1 that is screwed to the bottom of the base to hold it against the edge of the table. It needs to be fitted sufficiently far back from the front edge of the board to take the clamps of the vices and clamps I employ. Precise measurement is not required (about 3†will do and it needs to be well fixed (I used six screws) because you’re pushing against this a lot of the time. Photograph and diagram of this: It’s important that it’s parallel to the front edge of the base, otherwise you’ll find it difficult to visualise right angles as when you push it back on the table you’re supporting it on it’ll not be square. It may not seem important but if it’s wrong you’ll soon know. A friend made of these following my original pattern and it wasn’t quite square. It was disorienting to work at. In this diagram I also show the foam/cork, but this is not fitted yet – it comes after the toolholders have been built. Toolholders I looked at the price of jewellers bench toolholders and coughed. They do the job, but ... So it was back to Wickes for 8ft of stripwoood, 1 3/8†x ¼†this time. A toolholder must fit the tools in use. I also had the remains of the ¾†x ¼†strip left, and some 1 ½†square beech from which I could fashion brackets. I wanted racks for pliers, screwdrivers and needle files and somewhere to put clips, solders and the small stuff that doesn’t fit in racks. As a picture is worth a thousand words, here's 4000 words. After cutting the wider stripwood to fit between the cheeks of the board, and determining the size and shape of the brackets it then came to making the toolholder. 8mm holes seem to be about right, so marking out a suitable spacing to fit both the board and the tool so that they can be grabbed easily is a matter of experiment. I came up with staggered holes at 30mm centres 12mm from each edge of the strip, laying two strips in parallel. The diagram and photographs show it far better than any description. The boxes for solders and clips are glued together. When allocating tool space I think it's important to separate the sharps from the rest, hence knives and drills are in plastic containers at the back of the board - handy but somewhat protected against stray hands and crys of 'Ouch!' Then the whole thing is turned upside down and Depron glued to the bottom with Copydex. To seal a coat of quick drying Ronseal matt varnish (dried in 20 minutes) sealed the dust in. This is the basic board with the common tools for the processes identified at the start. Then there’s the anti spill trays and the adaptations for the various tasks. These are all extras and will get built when I need them. The Anti Spill Tray This is some sort of tray with wooden inserts to hold the bottle of fluid. There's a large base - less easy (but not impossible) to knock over. Construction is a matter of cutting wood to length and screwing together. neither the frame nor the bottle need be a perfect fit - it just needs to be able to hold it upright reasonably securely.

If that one is 'leaning to the right' I imagine that the next door neighbours may be a tad worried.

Measure twice, cut once, they say. This one fell at the 'measure once' stage. The layout was designed to have four boards 3' 6" long, 2ft wide and one 2' square. It's portable and would have to be stored, and the design takes care of this. It also has to fit in the back of the car, a Focus estate. That's where the problems come in - I made an assumption (which is the mother of all cocks ups). So now there are four boards 4' x 1'9", two mainly station, one mainly river and one fiddle. The disdvantage is that I lose 3" off the scenery the length of the layout. The railway is unaffected. A decided advantage is that I simplify the cross-baseboard point and signal controls. I can still run trains 3ft long plus loco, I can still give myself problems shunting, all I wanted to do. I want to store all boards in their 'proper' orientation, i.e. right way up, so that things have less of a chance of dropping off (who am I kidding) I was at the stage of about to start to buy wood - but fortunately hadn't placed any orders. So now back to the drawing board to replan.