treggyman

Hi GBRF had a loco in the area on driver training so went to see what I could see..... These pictures taken from the bridge outside Tesco Pool. First up an unidentified IEP on the IA84 Penzance Paddington AT 10.2 Followed by the GBRF driver training loco OZ61 Plymouth to Penzance at 10.34. The loco was 59003 Yeoman Highlander.....The first 59 I can remember seeing.... This was then followed by2x 158's on the late running 2C07 Bristol to Penzance at 11.00 Cheers Bill

Hi The statesman came to Cornwall again today & having just missed it last time i was determined to see it today...... It duly passed on it's way down to Penzance at about 12.30. I was at the Tesco Pool bridge...... 47593 leading 47853 It returned at about 3.45 & I watched it go past from Cooks Kitchen bridge.... First a picture of the preceding train headed by Kingswear Castle..... Followed 10 mins later by the clagging 47''s .... This time 47853 leading on the way home..... Cheers Bill

Hi Tony Thanks for the two sets of pictures posted above.... They will be most useful..... What an OS Reference point is doing in the signal box wall though..... It will certainly be a small feature..... Thanks again Cheers Bill

Hi There's been a bit of progress...... The boiler house has been clad in 'wallpaper' as has the stone part of the Linhay...... The boiler house has gutters/downpipes etc fitted & painted & in the main is complete.... I shall put a coal heap in the open coalhole doorway in due course..... The Linhay still needs a lot of work but is getting there..... My grandson came over last Monday to have a play on this layout & Hendra...... He spent all day shunting trains on both & didn't come up with any major problem..... Identified where additional magnets are required on Condurrow was the most useful but it seemed to enjoy operating it for a long period which is a good sign..... The same was true of Hendra . Anyway a couple of poor 'snaps' of the boiler house & Linhay..... That's al for now .... Hopefully get more done next week.... Cheers Bill

Hi Yes it did & returned to St Austell a couple of hours or so later...... It arrived in Plymouth about 20mins or so late but didn't stop for long leaving 20mins or so early.....Luckily....or it wouldn't have been light enough to get a pic..... It wasn't heavily loaded either....4 brand new completely non rusty rails.... Cheers Bill

Hi Western Aviator The pictures were taken from the footbridge just outsde the Tesco Extra between Redruth & Camborne. I didn't time the delay between the trains as they went past but took the info from the data recorded in the properties section of the picture archive....... The freight was in front of the ,I assume , late running IC88 Paddington to Penzance & Real Time Trains shows the freight at Camborne ( next station ) at 21.19 & the passenger at 21.29.... Cheers Bill

Hi Following a heads up from my grandson I took my trusty camera to capture for posterity GBRF 66708 bringing rails down for a drop at St Austell. Train was 6G97 The light was poor but as the train was about25 mins early at least I got a couple of pics.....Not brilliant but better than nothing..... This is the best..... 10 mins later it was followed by a 5 car IEP & as can be seen the light had really deteriorated.....So much so that the pics of the up 10 car IEP were useless..... AS I was walking home after the 5 car went past a 150 unit sprd by on it's merry way to Penzance. Cheers Bill

Hi some great pictures of what in the day were of a state of the art transport system.... Thanks for posting... Cheers Bill

Hi Tony Thanks for the above...... I had thought that it might be the case that the doorway was at the back.....BUT...... My Bible Ericplans has a plan of Brimscombe where the signal box is on the platform almost completely...... It has a two stage set of steps.... The first is a staircase to platform level & the second steps down into the locking room 'through' the platform...... Measuring the level drop & angle of the staircase it looks as though the bottom of the staircase will be just protruding past the front wall of the 'box.... In Brimscombes case the staircase stairs follow the line of the platform rather than at right angles to it like at Blue Anchor...... This meant i could use a set of drawings rather than guess..... Apart from the middle window which in Brimscombe's case is a double & Blue Anchor a single..... So just adjusted the dimensions to suit.... As far as cracking on with stuff I wish that were the case..... AS you can see from the slow progress I'm not getting on as quickly as I used to but am now trying to make time to do some modelling as life is doing it's best to stop me.... At the end of the day whether we're muddling along or modeling along so long as we're enjoying what time we have doing it that's the best we can achieve........ Thanks again for your valuable input... Cheers Bill

Hi Had a bit of time today so converted the 'drawing' into a shell....... This when clad in due course with various plasticard sheets will hopefully look the part.... I normally do the corner posts out of square section & I may well do that again.... Having not used foamboard much for scratchbuilding I'm experimenting...... In due course I plan to do an interior so I will make a removable intermediate floor which may get fixed when finished.....There will probably be some sort of lighting so that the interior can be seen..... But that's way in the future..... Cheers Bill

Hi Well I finished off my 'scaling' to produce a drawing on the foam board base...... This is what I shall make into a shell & then add brick/timber/etc to to make the 'box out of.....A sort of kit.... Hopefully it will look the part when actually made up & clad...... Cheers Bill

Hi Tony Thanks for the pics.... Again most helpful..... I actually started scaling out the 'box last night....... From my Ericplans book & your pics of the' box I have a reasonable idea of how it will look & by using guesswork & known dimensions can cobble something for the stairs /porch area .....Hopefully...... Cheers Bill

Hi Tony Thanks for the pics of Stogumber....Very useful..... Thanks in anticipation for the BA ones when access is possible..... Yes it's the way the steps & porch are in relation to the Station building & signal box that I was most struck by...... Probably common but I've never noticed one like that before..... Cheers Bill

Hi Tony Thanks for the pics.....They are really useful & I shall probably be using them as a basis for my signal box when I get to it...... I've been in London visiting my other grand kid (& parents ) & have only just got back hence my slow reply.... As regards exhibitions I'm not aware of any but I've not really been looking yet..... I'll have a trawl & let you know.... As regards my grandson he's really keen & is a volunteer at the Helston Railway.... Also spends as much time as he can riding trains & spotting...... Did you spot Penhallick Junction as the background to the first picture of his new loco.... Cheers Bill

Hi Regarding the rust problem........ I'm assuming that you are using nickel-silver rail...... I've had slight issues in the past with copper clad sleepers & nickel silver rail going GREEN if acidic flux has not been cleaned off but never a rust colour.....( Copper oxide (Malachite ) is green..... ) But only on bare rail & not under filler or paint......I should but rarely wash homebuilt points/track etc & have not YET had a major issue...The flux I use is 9% Phosphoric acid but I have used others in the past ...... if using steel rail then I could understand the rust showing through as in your pictures seeming to follow the rail rather than going across the track though I would have thought if the flux were water soluble then it might follow the track but also follow the sleeper as well.... I'm curious as to the reason of your problem hence my post.... Hopefully you can sort it as I'm following your progress with interest.... Cheers Bill

Hi Geoff Thanks for the offer..... You've taken some nice pictures there... I especially like Williton Signal box.... Probably a tad small for my requirements...... As regards posting them I now know where they are so I can look at my leisure.... Hope you are keeping well.... Hopefully catch up with you sometime soon.... Cheers Bill

Hi Tony Thanks for the offer but not of Dunster...... I've been looking for a suitable signal box.......There are drawings of Dunster 'box in the Ericplans book (I believe this 'box is now Mineheads 'box having been moved ).... However reading the thread regarding the problems that the WSR finds itself in there are a couple of pics posted by GWRROB of Blue Anchor 'box....... This box might be ideal for the location I'm visualising with the proximity to the station building & the stairs between the two buildings...... Any pics of that box would be great.....especially the road elevation & a full frontal from the railway side....... I can work out dimensions from the plans I have in the Ericplans book Cheers Bill

Hi There aren't enough superlatives to describe the pics & video...... Superb work & having lived in the area at that time really catches the line at that time & brings back many happy memories.... THANKS for posting..... Cheers Bill

Hi Stoker I too would be interested in Muir Hill for my Condurrow layout....... Incidentally I'll have to repaint the door & bargeboard of my just completed boilerhouse.... Just as well I'd not done more to the linhay..... Cheers Bill

Hi Railwest Book ordered.....Thanks for the heads up... Cheers Bill

Hi Railwest Thanks for the info on the S & D book by Fox..... I wasn't aware of that one so I must keep my eye open for a copy..... cheers Bill

Hi I thought Derek Phillips was based at Yeovil Town & principally worked on the Southern Main line & Yeovil/Langport/Taunton & Chard Branches..... He mentions going to Templecome (ex Southern) but not working the S & D so I would be most interested in this book as I have all his others..... Cheers Bill

Hi Tony Thanks for the above comment.... The link for the stonework is in the Feb 11th post by LBRJ...... I am pleased with it but if you read on further others are not so so maybe it's a bit pot luck & I've been lucky...... As regards your offer of pics of Dunster possibly.... The Eric plans booklet gives detailed drawings & plans of all the major buildings at Dunster....Which I have used as a reference for dimensions for other buildings that I've built on this & other layouts..... The specific design of windows etc isn't quite right for Cornwall but general pictures of buildings are always of use...... My parents in law used to live in Bilbrook so back in the day I was a regular visitor to the area..... I even did a photo survey of the line only to later discover there was no film in the camera.....How I laughed when I opened the camera..... If you've any more pics of the cattle pens at Stogumber though I would be more than interested as I had thought of putting some cattle pens in the short stub siding by the level crossing..... Cheers Bill

Hi No actual progress as such but...... Had a few minutes earlier & put a spare point (wrong hand so upside down ) & loose track & moved the goods shed on the layout to get a feel of how it might look...... It would work I think but the goods shed would have to be in half relief & the point would probably be best made customised to the situation....A sort of shallow 'Y' point..... Looking at my buildings bible....Ericplans GWR & LMS Buildings & Structures I see that Dunster had a short siding just before a single line level crossing.... Prototype for everything...... I realise that Somerset is not Cornwall BUT..... So one new point to be made......( & catch point ) The only other issues are ; That the goods shed now won't fit.....To be fair it didn't look right as it was a bit wide for the site it occupied & was mainly built to test the stone cladding sheets that I'd bought & the foamboard structure/carcass......... The backscene will be a challenge.... Normally I go out & take lots of photo's of buildings etc & print them out to cut & stick together to make a backscene......The scene I'm after is no longer there & buildings have been modernised...... Still I like a challenge.... Cheers Bill

Hi A bit of progress to report.... The Boiler house is now nearly done..... The roof needs painting,gutters & downpipes to fit when I get round to ordering the gutter material & then weathering..... A couple of pics of progress.... The gable end is self explanetry . The front shows just a small window for light & the large opening is the coal bunker......Wagons would be parked in front & the coal shovelled into the bunker..... I've no idea if this is prototypical but the theory works for me..... I had thought of modelling the boiler doors with glowing furnace showing on the back wall but to be most effective at heating the kilns the boiler would be on the RH wall as we look so I may just add a flickering glow....We'll see...... The problem with starting a layout & then progressing at snails pace is that ideas can change..... Although I'm happy with the plan it did occur to me that the yard is not quite right.... The works is fine so will stay as it is....... The problem with the yard is not enough storage for full/empty clay wagons. It crossed my mind that if I changed the layout to a through station that had been truncated at this point I could maybe move the goods shed to behind the platform with access from the platform road. If I had a level crossing there with the impression of abandoned trackbed on the other side it might look the part.This means that the short siding would have to go as I feel it unlikely that the line would have been built with a double track level crossing for a running line & siding & equally it would be unlikely for there to be a short siding just before a level crossing..... The signal box would then be at the level crossing end & I could make working level crossing gates for running round as in the admirable Bleakhouse Road by Captain Kernow of this parish........ The platform would have to be shortened a bit to get the goods shed siding in but as an intermediate station would possibly be how it was.... Something to think about any way..... It would probably make operation more challenging anyway which is no bad thing....... The speed I'm going there may yet be more changes afoot...... Next up must get on with cladding the Linhay...... Cheers Bill