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Captain Kernow

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Blog Entries posted by Captain Kernow

  1. Captain Kernow
    One of the perils of adding cosmetic fishplates is that if you are using the rather nice P4 Track Co plastic ones, you need to cut them in half (unless you are putting them on an actual rail joint).
     
    When laying the track on Callow Lane, I prefered to lay the track more as lengths of (made-up) flexi track, using their components, rather than actually try to lay individual 45' or 60' panels.
     
    This means that I now have to cut small grooves in the tops of the rail heads at the appropriate intervals and glue fishplate halves on each side of an otherwise solid rail.
     
    Apart from the extreme fiddliness of cutting the plastic items in two, you then need to square up the ends where they have come off the sprue, and cut off the remains of the tiny plastic joining piece on the back of each fishplate half, so that it will glue nice and flat against the side of the rail.
     
    Of course, once it's all painted and weathered in, there could be a risk of it all disappearing into the overall scene of the layout, but I'm hoping that those on the main running lines at least will stand out a bit, as the rust colour will be fairly light (based on Humbrol No.62 Matt Leather), with the fishplates freshly oiled by the PW, and thus a darker colour.
     
    That is, unless the men in the white coats don't cart me off first....
  2. Captain Kernow

    Dirty modern stuff!

    By Captain Kernow,

    I've been detailing and weathering a couple of Re6/6's locos, together with a couple of his 'Sharks' for Matford. Not quite my usual period, but it's been fun, and I also get to play with them at Scaleforum!
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  3. Captain Kernow
    Having used Johnsons 'Klear' (original formula) for fixing virtually all of the ballast on Callow Lane, I've been having mild doubts about it's suitability in the long term to hold everything in place.
     
    Whenever I've done any work in the vicinity of any ballast, I've often found bits of ballast coming loose, and the overall impression I've got is that the body of ballast is slightly brittle and fragile.
     
    I'm keen that I don't get ballast coming loose for a pastime, when the layout starts to get moved around to and from shows, so I've taken the plunge and am currently about half-way through depositing diluted PVA (together with the obligatory drop of washing up liquid) on all the sections ballasted with 'Klear'.
     
    The bits that have dried out from yesterday already seem firmer, so I'm happy at the moment that this is the right way to go. The good thing is that with the ballast already held in place by the 'Klear', the depositing of dilute PVA doesn't displace any of it!
  4. Captain Kernow
    I've virtually completed the point rodding on the layout now, having applied primer to the brass rodding last night and painted it today. The only parts left to fit are the rods to the cosmetic point tie bars (which themselves haven't yet been fitted) and the sections of rodding that cross the baseboard joint (these will probably be lift-out sections, as per Bleakhouse Road).
     
    This is where the rodding will emerge from underneath the signalbox:

     

     

     

  5. Captain Kernow
    I've just come back from the Three Spires show in Truro (Falmouth MRC), and we all had much fun operating 'Engine Wood'.
     
    This was a very nice show, and friendly hosts, and there were some other nice layouts present as well. It was particularly good to have the chance to have a good look at the lovely 'Treneglos' and meet 2Manyspams and his colleagues!
     
    I found myself admiring the operational discipline of the 'Treneglos' team, in terms of the fact that you only ever saw locos on their layout that would have worked the North Cornwall line. All the trains were also correctly formed.
     
    This got me thinking about my own slightly more liberal motive power rostering policy on 'Engine Wood' and my other layouts too.
     
    There's no shortage of published material about what locos worked on the S&D, both from the point of view of locomotive classes, and individual numbers too. The amount of material available in books and on the internet means it has never been easier to research the correct type and number for one's motive power choices, and indeed, I have ensured that most of my 'authentic' loco types have numbers appropriate to the S&D.
     
    However, the 'slightly more liberal motive power' policy I mentioned above, means that I sometimes use other types of loco as well, in particular the use of diesels. We all know that the S&D closed in 1966, yet it amuses me to run green diesels too, sometimes in a 'diesel-only' operating sequence, sometimes mixed in with the steam locos.
     
    My use of locos like the WD 2-8-0 is also a bit on the liberal side, and last weekend I also found myself enjoying seeing John Farmer's 45XX prairie tank working trains as well!
     
    It occurs to me, that a goodly proportion of exhibition visitors will be non-enthusiasts, who wouldn't necessarily be able to tell the difference between an authentic loco and a non-authentic one. On the other hand, there are plenty of folk who will know!
     
    On balance, I think I will keep the green diesels on the roster, because at the end of the day, it is my train set, and I think I'd prefer to run what gives me most pleasure.
     
    Now then, should I weather that Robinson 04 and fit scale couplings to that next, or what about the Super D? I wonder if I could really get away with a Class 17?!!....
  6. Captain Kernow
    In my previous blog entry, I referred to the fact that the ballast on the main running lines on Callow Lane would be 'grunged up', with mud/cinders mixed in with the ordinary ballast, plus weed growth.
     
    Since making that comment, I've been checking out some photos of goods-only lines in the area (North Bristol/Gloucestershire) in the period (1960s), in particular the former MR Stroud & Nailbridge branches (the Oakwood book by Colin Maggs), and I've noted that despite these being freight-only lines, the ballast on the running lines appears neat and devoid of weeds and grot.
     
    So, I'm thinking, that I might scale the 'grungification' of Callow Lane back a bit, and just have the 'cinders/mud' ballast on the sidings only?...
  7. Captain Kernow
    More work has been done in the last few weeks on the ballasting. It should be borne in mind that although the ballast currently looks quite pristine, this is a goods-only line in the early-mid 1960s, and there is still grot, cinder/mud effects and weed growth to add. Some of the sleepers haven't yet been weathered and most of the rail sides will need more weathering as well. Also, the actual point rodding has yet to be installed.
     
    The general method of ballasting the full-depth sleepers of the P4 Track Co/Exactoscale track is to apply the loose, dry ballast, dampen with IPA alcohol and drop Klear onto the tops of the sleepers with a pipette type thing.
     
    First of all, some views of the ballast, which has been tamped but not yet dampened or had the Klear applied:

     

     

     
    Shortly after taking the above photos, I applied the Klear. Until the Klear has dried out, the whole thing looks horrible to my eyes, as despite the IPA (which is supposed to help the Klear spread without disturbing the ballast), a fair number of ballast disturbances inevitably occur....
     
    This is the simple tamping tool that I use to tamp the loose ballast down (thanks to Re6/6 for his suggestion with this one):

     
    Here is a bit of plain track, which has had the Klear treatment, and some of the irregularities smoothed out:

     
    Here is another section of plain line, in this case, the running line towards Coalpit Heath:

     
    I've found that I've had to be extra careful in the area around point blades when applying the Klear, in order not to gum the whole lot up solid. I've inserted thin strips of grease-proof paper (thanks to Will Vale for that suggestion) between the blades and the slide chairs, which seems to have helped.
     
    In the case of the 3-way point with it's copper-clad sleepers, the lower depth of the sleepers meant that I could use my normal 'Captain's Method' of applying the PVA neat between the sleepers with a small paintbrush and applying the ballast dry from above, vacuuming the rest off when the PVA has dried. I much prefer this method generally for the better control it gives you when ballasting, although it is very time-consuming as well (but possibly not as time-consuming or as fraught as trying to get all the loose ballast neat with a tamping tool and a small brush!).
     
    This is the 3-way point:

     
    Most of the sidings on the layout will feature a cinder/mud type of 'ballast', up to (or almost up to) the sleeper tops, with weed growth etc. Some 'mud/cinders' (in the form of Humbrol Air Clay - thanks to Chris Nevard for that one!) will also be applied on areas where there is currently 'pristine ballast', so that 'ballast effects' will be seen poking through the mud and the grot. The principle is that the main running lines would have had some ballast to start with (although it is mostly pretty grotty by now), whereas the sidings would not have.
     
    Despite appearances, there are no ballast shoulders on the layout, and more 'cinders/mud' type grot will abut the ballasted areas and merge with same.
  8. Captain Kernow
    I've made a start on the weathering of the track and ballasting on Callow Lane.
     
    I would normally do all the track weathering first, which usually involves painting and/or dry brushing each individual sleeper, plus painting the rail sides and chairs varying shades of light/mid rust-brown/brake dust etc. This would then be followed by ballasting/siding grunge/weed growth etc.
     
    My ballasting methods on previous layouts such as 'Engine Wood' and 'Bleakhouse Road' have generally involved painting PVA between each individual sleeper bay (3 or 4 at a time before the glue starts to go off), and sprinking ballast on top of the glue. The shallow depth of C&L or SMP sleepers makes this possible and I have been very happy with the results.
     
    Callow Lane, however, uses track with 'full depth' sleepers from the P4 Track Co/Exactoscale, and when I tried 'The Captain's normal method', this was the result I got:

     

     
     
    I'm using a mixture of beach sand and 2mm ballast from the likes of Woodland Scenics and Carrs, and I wasn't particulary happy with either of the above two experimental sections. The ballast was too low, and I didn't like the way it clung to the slides of the sleepers on one of the sections. It might be possible to repeat the process to get the required ballast depth, but I simply couldn't face that....
     
    So, this time, I have reverted to an alternative method, which is used by many others and which I have used myself in the past, involving the laying the dry ballast first, very gently wetting it with a misting spray and then dropping dilute PVA (with a drop of washing up liquid in it) onto the damp ballast.
     
    Here is a 9 inch stretch where the ballast has been wettened and dilute PVA applied. The cut up bits of bin bag are obviously there to protect the rest of the layout, including any of the steel rail within range of the spray:
     

     

     

     

     
    The bit of vertical white plasticard is a temporary representation of the brick face of the old disused platform, which will be installed once the ballasting etc. has been completed. I would add that it took over half an hour just to get the ballast reasonably neat on that 9 inch section, plus a fair bit of time faffing around wetting it, applying the glue and clearing up!
     
    Here is a shorter section which I did a couple of days ago, at least the glue has now dried solid (initially I used too dilute a mixture, and had to give it two goes, the glue I used tonight has a bit more PVA in it!):
     

     

     
     
    08/7/10
     
    Well, I've tried vibrations (to settle the ballast more evenly), and I've tried Klear on the ballast. The latter was more successful, but despite it's lack of viscosity, it is still apt to form 'bubbles' in the ballast, displacing carefully laid and tamped material... :headbang:
     
    Anyway, I did a section on the main running line tonight and when it's dry, I'll see how durable it is and how neat the ballast has come out.
     
     
    09/7/10
     
    The bit I did with Klear yesterday didn't come out too badly, but one or two small sections came away when I vacuumed up residue this evening. Some small spots of PVA have secured new ballast to fill the gaps.
     
    I've now done another section with Klear, however, this time using a small wooden tamper tool (idea from Re6/6) to tamp the ballast down neatly when still dry, and then have applied the Klear, which seems to disturb the ballast less, when it's been tamped with the wooden tamper tool. I've also deposited much of the Klear on the sleeper tops, from whence it has flowed around the ballast. We'll see how the sleepers have dried in the morning....
     
    However, another advance is the use of grease-proof paper (idea from Will Vale on this forum), to tamp down any wet blobs of ballast, once the Klear has been applied. What's also been quite effective is using the wooden tamper tool on top of the grease-proof paper...
  9. Captain Kernow
    I've now finished P4 box vans numbers 7 and 8 in the current batch build for 'Callow Lane'. These are two Bachmann insulated planked vans, which have had the Bachmann chassis completely replaced with various components from Parkside, Bill Bedford and our very own Craigwelsh of this forum.
     
    Notwithstanding the valid debate about the mouldings of the planked Bachmann vans, I had acquired a number of examples when the came out, and I wanted to use them on Callow Lane, (the OO layouts having enough box vans for my usual operating sequences).
     
    Whilst the Bachmann chassis are pretty fine, especially by the standards of only a few years ago, the conversion to P4 provides me with a number of smallish headaches, which I now prefer to solve by complete chassis replacement.
     
    On some of the vans I have converted (as opposed to having built from kits) during this batch, I have provided compensation, but I decided to build these two completely rigid, albeit with the usual pin-point bearings, and see how they perform. They have slightly more weight (60 grams) than my previous compensated or sprung examples (50 grams).
     
    During hand-powered speed trials on Callow Lane, with the route set over the sharpest turnouts, they held the track fine....
     

     

     

     

     
     
    Whilst most of my P4 stock admittedly has some kind of compensation or springing, not fitting it to these two has certainly saved me some time (although I would have had to have re-thought that, had they not run OK on the layout).
     
    I have used some of the Parkside brake gear, albeit modified. Also, for the first time on my P4 rolling stock, I have used some of Craig's 10' Morton brake levers. Whilst the ratchety bit (the bit that hangs down) was very fiddly indeed to put together, they did get easier the more I did, and I have to say that I am very pleased with the result indeed.
     
    I've now completed eight of the batch of box vans, which I think is enough for now, as I really want to get back to working on the layout again...
  10. Captain Kernow

    Box vans

    By Captain Kernow,

    I've realised that I don't have enough P4 box vans for Callow Lane, so I've diverted my attentions from buildings and crumbling platforms to building 8 - 10 box vans to bolster the wagon fleet.
     
    I'm using a variety of recent Bachmann items, purchased over the last couple of years as semi-impulse buys, plus some Parkside Dundas kits.
     
    Currently on the workbench are a Bachmann planked BR 12t box van, which is having to have a virtually complete chassis rebuild, once I found that there was no easy way to make the brake shoe assembly line up with the P4 wheel sets. Hopefully, though, it will look better for it.
     
    The other item on the workbench is a Parkside Dundas BR 12t plywood van, which is being sprung with Bill Bedford springing units.
     
    This will probably be followed by a Parkside LNER fruit van and a couple of Bachmann BR 12t plywood bodied vans, which will be built as 8-shoe clasp brake varieties, using Red Panda chassis as the basis (but probably Bill Bedforded as well)..
     
    After that, a few more Bachmann vans beckon, including a couple of insulated vans. I think I will try to do something with the Bachmann chassis on one of them, to see how much of it I can retain.
     
    There is also a recent Parkside LNER mineral lurking in the pile, which will probably be followed by a couple of Chivers 21t minerals.
     
    After that, probably have to get back to the layout...
     
     
    Update 03/4/10
     
    Here are some photos of the first two vans, the Bachmann planked one and the Parkside ply-sided one:
     

     

     

     

     

     

     
     
    Update 04/4/10
     
    Here's the start of work on the next pair of vans - a couple of Bachmann BR 12t ply-sided vans. The complete Bachmann chassis have been removed and a Red Panda 8-shoe clasp braked chassis will be put under each van. The first van will have internal rocker compensation, the other one will have external rocker compensation or springing.
     
    Lead weights have been epoxied to the insides of the van floors, ready for glueing the floors permanently to the bodies.
     

     
     
    Update 08/4/10
     
    More progress on the two ply-sided vans - now virtually complete, bar the painting and weathering:
     

     

     

     

     

     
     
    Update 13/4/10
     
    Here are the next two vans under construction - both Parkside kits - a BR 'Vanwide' and an LNER Fruit van. Both will be sprung using Bill Bedford springing units:
     

     
    I was also informed the other day that I had put the wrong W irons on the BR ply-sided van that I build a couple of weeks ago. If you look at the photo further up the thread, you will see the RCH type W irons, which were wrong for this kind of van. I really didn't want to remove the brass W irons, because they are epoxied in good and proper, so I ended up making up 05 thou plasticard overlays, which now give the appearance of the later BR axleguard:
     

     
     
    Update 01/5/10
     
    Not done much over the last couple of weeks, unfortunately, partly due to work and being extremely knackered thereafter on most weekday evenings, and then last weekend there was the RMWeb Members Day at Taunton. Then another week of general exhaustion after work (catching up with the weekend!), and this weekend I am redecorating the bathroom... ho hum!...
     
    I have, however, managed to glue the springs and axleboxes to both vans, and have made a start with the brake gear on the Vanwide.
     
     
    Update 07/5/10
     
    My thanks to everyone who responded to my request for information on the LNER van chassis configuration. I now have enough information to complete it, and in fact did more work on it last night. Photos will follow.
     
     
    Update 09/5/10
     
    I've now complete the construction of vans 5 & 6 - the LNER van and a Vanwide:
     

     

     
    I've replaced the Parkside brake lever on the LNER van with a modified Ambis one, together with a Bill Bedford ratchet. The brake lever for the Vanwide was a slightly more unusual shape, so I chickened out and used the Parkside plastic one, albeit thinned down and attached to the solebar by means of a bit of 0.3mm brass rod glued through both the lever and the chassis.
     
    The next two vans will probably be conversions of R-T-R Bachmann meat vans, one in white and one in blue livery. Both will get a lot of weathering when done...
     
    Of course, at some stage, I'm going to have to paint and weather all these vans!...
  11. Captain Kernow
    On Monday night, one of our members Andrew Howlett brought in some 4mm scale broad gauge models he had started a few years ago, but hadn't completed yet for personal/domestic reasons. I'll let the photos speak for themselves:
     

     

     

  12. Captain Kernow
    Last night we got the OO P87 circuit on TT2 temporarily wired up and actually ran some trains on the new facility for the first time.
     
    The honour of breaking the metaphorical ribbon went to John farmer's LY pannier tank, which was swiftly followed by a succession of other Western Region, Southern Region and S&D trains.
     

    The first powered movement on the completed OO circuit.
     

    A general view of the test track
     

    10800 getting his version of The Cornishman ready to put on the track
     

    This is the best that the camera on my phone could manage in terms of replicating the famous Turner painting 'Rain, Diesel & Speed'....
     

    Re6/6 takes the controls as his Light Pacific eases away with it's long train
     

    The lack of a third rail wasn't going to put 10800 off from running this!
     

    A change of motive power on the Cleethorpes - Exmouth. The spamcan and 80XXX came off and were replaced by motive power from the Captain's shed (both locos to be weathered in due course for use on 'Engine Wood'_
     
    Finally, here is the link to the YouTube footage taken by Brinkly, of Rod's T9 and an unreasonably long train...
     

  13. Captain Kernow
    Those who recall my layout and workbench threads on the old forum may remember the adaptation of a Hornby 'Thomas' range resin 'bookshop' to a chip shop to serve on 'Callow Lane'.
     
    I've now fitted part of the interior detail and a LED for interior illumination (the LED itself won't be visible from outside the building), plus some of the signs such as menus and a 'Closed' sign on the door. I've also done the main premises name board - 'Algy's Fish Bar'.
     
    This is the interior dividing wall prior to being glued into the main resin building:
     

     
    The wall is now glued in place:
     

     
    There a few more photos on my thread in the 'Buildings & Structures' section, but here are a couple, showing the building in position (temporarily) on the layout:
     

     

     
    I've now added some card 'ledges' to the base unit, on which the scenery surrounding the chip shop will be attached:
     

  14. Captain Kernow
    This is what almost 100 bases for point rodding stools look like before they are cut out of plasticard:

     
    And this is what they look like after they have been cut out!

     
    Here is a two-rodding stool mounted on a base:

     
    ....and with a 5p coin for size comparason:

     
    This is the jig that I'm planning to use to space the rodding stools and their bases at the correct distance from the track (9mm) and from each other (24mm - for pre-Grouping round rodding):

     
    Next up is to start drilling 1.0mm holes in the right locations in the baseboard, with the help of the jig, and to start glueing the bases and rodding stools in place.
     
    When they and the cranks and compensators are in position, but before the rodding itself is added, I shall paint them and do the track weathering and then the ballasting.
     
     
    Update 30/4/10
     
    Well, I'm becoming more and more aware of the fact that nothing else has yet been done to the point rodding since I last posted this several months ago!
     
    Until I at least get the bases and stools down, plus the cranks and compensators, I can't really start the ballasting, and I certainly won't do anything permanent about scenery until the track is fully ballasted and weathered...
     
    So, hopefully we'll see a bit of action on the point rodding front in the next few weeks...
     
     
    Update 02/6/10
     
    Well, it's certainly been 'a few weeks' since the last update, but I'm very happy to say now that work on installing the point rodding has at last commenced, with all locations marked out and drilled, and the bases and stools are now being epoxied in place. The cranks, compensators and actual rodding will then follow. Photos in due course...
     
     
    Update 08/6/10
     
    I'm happy to report that I finally glued the last cranks, stools and compensators in position with epoxy this evening. I won't be adding the rodding itself (0.45mm brass wire) until the track has been weathered and ballasted.
     
     
    Update 24/6/10
     
    Here are a couple of photos showing the current state of affairs - just awaiting painting and the actual rodding.
     

     

  16. Captain Kernow

    Bleakhouse Road

    By Captain Kernow,

    Tuesday 27/10/09
     
    Here are a few photos taken on Bleakhouse Road last weekend at the Cheltenham show. These two were taken during 'happy hour' towards the end of the Saturday, allowing Re6/6 to run his new Bachmann 150 and give us a glimpse of what BHR might have been like, had it survived to the modern day...

     

     
    Re6/6 has charge of the shunting at this time...

     
    I'll add to this particular blog as and when, but more information on this and my other layouts can be found at www.enginewood.co.uk
  17. Captain Kernow

    Callow Lane

    By Captain Kernow,

    Callow Lane is my new P4 layout, which has been under construction for far too long now...
     
    It is set in North Bristol/South Gloucestershire, and represents a small suburban goods yard in the Westerleigh area. There used to be an old goods-only branch running north-westwards from the Midland Railway's Westerleigh Yard, to a location called New Engine Yard. From here, colliery spurs ran to the pits in the district, amongst them being Mayshill and Frog Lane collieries.
     
    Callow Lane is actually set in the location of New Engine Yard, but the line then continues on to join the GWR main line just to the west of Coalpit Heath station, a route which would have required some considerable earthworks and steep gradients.
     
    Callow Lane is where the Westerleigh Yard to Coalpit Heath line goes from double to single track (the double line is back towards Westerleigh Yard). There are two sidings on both up and down sides, one of which runs through to a chocolate factory.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
     
    Tuesday 27/10/09
     
    Got the day off today, so have re-erected Callow Lane and have made a start on the point rodding. Here is a batch of two-runner point rodding stools with brass wire glued into the bases (the epoxy is setting), to assist locating on the baseboard.
     

     
    I drill an oversize (ish) hole in the baseboard and mount the stools on small square sections of 30 or 40 thou plasticard (to represent the top of the concrete block that each stool is mounted on). The squares of plasticard also have oversize holes drilled in them, and the whole lot is epoxied to the baseboard. When it's set, I can begin the track weathering and ballasting, and will then put the actual rodding in after that.
     
    One of the compensators that I will also need to install along the rodding run (this one isn't quite finished - it needs a representation of 'pivots' glueing into the two holes in the middle):

     
     
    Sunday 01.11.09
     
    Not much done over the last few days, other than prepare even more point rodding stools, drill their bases and glue bits of wire in. I've now got over 80 rodding stools ready to install on the layout, but I first need to prepar the plasticard bases for them to sit in...
     
     
    Saturday 21/11/09
     
    The point rodding is on hold at the moment, although all components are now ready for installation. First, however, I need to complete the final section of retaining wall, that forms the cutting, in which the railway sits, so that I know for sure how much room I will have to fit the rodding. I may also build some or all of the three running signals and fit them for the same reason.
     
    Here's the final section of retaining wall as a card mock-up, to check the angles and levels etc.:
     

     

     

     
     
    Sunday 29/11/09
     
    Today I finally completed the last (and fourth) section of the retaining walls that radiate out from the central road bridge. Photos to follow.
     
    The next job will be to start another row of four cottages, this time cottage backs with back yards and outside toilets, backing onto a narrow footpath that will run along the top of one of the retaining walls above the railway.
     
     
    Sunday 03/01/10
     
    I've been making some decent progress with the latest row of half-relief cottages (cottage backs based on Howard Scenics kit) and have posted some photos up in the 'Scenery & Structures' part of the forum, but here is one of those photos for information:
     

     
     
    More progress has been made on the cottages, and I've put some photos up on my 'Cottage Industry' thread in the Scenery & Structures part of the forum, but here is another one to illustrate the current state of play:
     

     
     
    Sunday 04/7/10
     
    Here are a couple of recent photos, showing the newly-installed point rodding stools and cranks:
     

     

     
    Work is currently progressing with track weathering and a bit of experimental ballasting has been done as well, photos to follow when there's a bit more to see.
  18. Captain Kernow
    Well, here's the first entry on my new blog. It's the first time I've ever had anything to do with blogs, apart from reading those posted by other people.
     
    Like most other folk, I shall start posting workbench and layout progress here, as and when there is something significant to report.
     
    The current layout project on-going are the construction of 'Callow Lane', my first P4 layout, set in the North Bristol/South Gloucestershire area and based on Midland and GW practice.
     
    But in a surprise development yesterday, an opportunity arose (or perhaps, more accurately, a reason) to build my long-mooted OO gauge layout 'Burrowbridge'. This was always going to be a small layout, very easily transportable, and capable of either being exhibited/played with on it's own, or plugged onto one end of 'Bleakhouse Road'. Burrowbridge is one end of the South Polden Light Railway.
     
    On the workbench are various items associated with 'Callow Lane', including an unfinished chip shop, which is a modified Hornby 'Thomas' range bookshop, of all things! I am also building retaining walls and will then paint them and the central girder bridge over the layout engineers blue brick colour and weather it etc.
     
    I also need to re-start the point rodding for the layout soon, to enable me to then weather the track and ballast it, prior to making further serious progress with the scenery.
     
    There is also a S&D/L&SWR 'Road Van' on the workbench at the moment, which is a 30 year old TMD kit, in many ways an 'aid to scratchbuilding' rather than a kit. It is being painted at present, which will include (hopefully) faded brown paint coming away in places, revealing weathered wood underneath. The vehicle is now owned by the South Polden Light Railway, and hasn't had much TLC for quite a long time.
     
    My modified 'Knightwing' diesel shunter has now had a Black Beetle motor bogie fitted to it and run in, and is a lot smoother now. I am now contemplating using the original single-axle drive chassis I built for it on another variation on that kit, only with ALL the weight over the driven axle! The previous configuration would not pull the skin off a rice pudding....
     
    Also contemplating some plastic wagon kit construction 'therapy' in the near future, there are several Chivers kits beckoning....
     
    Friday 02/10/09
    Well, I've done a little more work on my TMD Models L&SWR/S&DJR road van, namely painting patches of bare wood on it and applying small, random patches of Maskol, prior to spraying it with a dull-ish brown topcoat.

     
    Saturday 03/10/09
    I've posted a few photos of 'Plantaganet' running in, on my circle of Lima track, taped to a clean tiled floor. I don't mind using my rolling road if I have to, but I prefer to set the circuit of track up for running in if I can, as I think it gives slightly better results. I also have a circuit of P4 'set track', which I made up myself from C&L flexitrack, for running in P4 locos.

     

     
     
    Wednesday 07/10/09
    In a bit of blatant consumerism, I today took delivery (from the sorting office!) of a cheapo Bachmann class 47 in BR blue from Kernow Model Centre, only ??34, I think it was (as advertised in their newsletter last Saturday). It will be destined for a conversion to P4 and running on Callow Lane, in due course...
     
     
    Friday 09/10/09
    When I opened the box, I realised that the loco had 'dominos' in the headcode boxes. Whilst I was happy to change the number to a pre-TOPS one, I can't be doing with messing around with headcodes, for what was meant to be a fairly quick conversion and weathering job, so I've decided to sell it to someone at work and look out for a proper pre-TOPS blue example.
     
     
    Saturday 10/10/09
    Was supposed to have been going to the Taunton show with Re6/6 and a couple of other friends, but something dodgy has been playing around with my digestion, so discretion being the better part of valour, I felt it prudent to have a quiet day at home instead, if keeping an eye on a new and completely mad kitten can be called a 'quiet day'....
     
    When t'Missus gets back later, I will put him in another part of the house and put 'Bleakhouse Road' up for testing (Cheltenham show in two weeks) and for a photo session tomorrow.
     
    Tuesday 20/10/09
    Well, I did indeed erect BHR and photos were taken of it on the Sunday following my previous entry, but once the layout was safely stowed away again, the dodgy digestion problem re-emerged with a vengeance and laid me low for the best part of the following week, the end of which coincided with the forum being off-line.
     
    I've now re-started work on the S&DRJ road van in OO, and this is now half-way through being weathered. Whether I take it to Cheltenham this weekend or not will depend on having a chance to finish the job tomorrow night.
     
    I've also serviced a couple of locos that were showing signs of 'screeching motor' syndrome - my J72 now in NCB livery and my North British/Paxman 0-4-0 diesel - a little light lubrication sorted that out.
     
    Finally, I thought I'd lost the glazing for the chip shop on Callow Lane, but luckily found it again and that will soon be fitted, so that I can get on with another part of that layout project.
     
     
    Thursday 22/10/09
     
    I managed to get more of the weathering done on the S&DJR road van last night, which is finished in a tired and flaking brown livery of the South Polden Light Railway. I painted some old/bare wood colour on some areas of the planking and applied Maskol when dry, a la Martyn Welch method. When the top coat had been sprayed on and dried, the Maskol was removed, leaving the old grey wood showing through, as if the top coat of paint had been flaking over the years.
     
    I also applied some small, discrete lettering by hand, using a sharpened fabric pencil, which although sold as 'silver', comes out as a nice faded grey on the model.
     
    Hopefully I shall be running the van at Cheltenham this weekend, in the company of 'Plantaganet' and other light railway items...
     
    Tuesday 27/10/09
     
    Here are a couple of photos of the finished road van, taken on BHR at Cheltenham last weekend:

     

  19. Captain Kernow
    My thanks to Brian (Taz) for bringing his new City of Truro for me to have a look at the other day. I really do like this one, and my resistence to getting one is wearing extremely thin.
     
    I thought she would look good posing on Callow Lane, seeings as this is the only layout that is normally kept in a 'put up' state at home at the moment (for construction).
     
    But no, I didn't do a quick P4 conversion job - we simply balanced the loco on the P4 track, and mighty fine she looks too!
     

     

     

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