This has been under development for a few years. I was always going to build what is known to most as Bodmin North. But was just Bodmin in the days that I was going to set it in. My modelling is based on the north Cornwall (NCR), ex LSWR, set in the period 1930/4. Well I had good usable templot plans for this, but, due to a move of work room etc, I would not be able to set it up in its full 8.5 metre length. So what to do? The room I use as a work place now is 3150 square. I do need to go Infront of the door which is in the corner. So instead of closing the I loose 150mm on one side. It at least means I do not need take a part down to get out while playing trains. So I'm left with an L shape. The plan has been designed to be one large curve, yes I know it leaves a large empty corner. I will have two or three back sidings running into along the wall for covered storage, save putting stock away after play time. I should have a space big enough to get into if needs must. The tightest curve on the layout is the entry into station bay, this is about 1650r. The rest are all greater than 1800r. The point work all varies from A7 to C9 for the bay entry. The track work will be made by using CL components to 31.5 gauge. This gives a much smoother ride using Slater's wheels. As I still want to build Bodmin at some stage I want to use some of the buildings from there. Saves doing things twice. The stock I have and build is always with this in mind. The list is quite short as I seem to spend more time making and selling rather than constructing stuff for me. There are at the moment about 30 wagons completed, three locos, a G6 an 0395 almost finished, and BWT. I am organising a scratch build for an X6. Coaches are my main short fall, I have half a 2 coach gated PP finished and 3 or 4 paneled LSWR bogies in the wings. I would like a brake comp, probably an iron clad, for part of the ACE. Or a Maunsell, all nice and new. Well having bored you with the preliminaries let's see where we are. The latest plan needs some alterations doing. The idea is sound but sidings just need adjusting. Here are views to the station end and to the fiddle yard end, which will be a sector plate hopefully with 4 X 1200 tracks. This is enough for a 4-4-0 and 2 59' carriages. The imagination takes the two lines exiting the scene into one just beyond the bridge and trees that will be the scenic break. Now the goods shed. Here it as draw, but I have decided it needs to be parallel to the run round loop, as seen in second photo This also brings doing the cattle dock. The cattle van shows where I think it will end up, and the dock just behind the wagon, probably big enough for two wagons. On to the terminus end. From front to back, platform line, number one siding with the wagons, and number two behind these. One of these I see as being storage for the coal wagons for the small gas works off scene at the fiddle yard end. Above you can see also what will be half relief railway cottages and station masters house, they may be shortened and moved to the right 300mm. Here is a partly finished May sell composite, at run round clearance on the point work. The platform is long enough just to take a pair of these. So 48 footers and 6 wheelers will not be a problem. The other track I want to move is the bay. In the photos above and below you will see, I want to move it to the right, so that the platform continues on the same width as it is by the station building. This I feel will flow much better. That's where I am as of today. I now feel I can make the base boards. It will be made in sections, all different in size, this is to make it so it can be moved even those it is a fixed home based layout. I expect once the track and wiring is done it will be bolted together for scenic work.
Thanks. It will be slow, I get easily side tracked. I may get more enthusiasm once I've done the base boards. Least then I can work out how much more I'll need in the way of track components, I'll have to get them sent here rather than collect when in UK. As not sure now which year it that will be.
Blimey I didn't realise I hadn't posted her for so long. There will be an update very soon. Trackwork almost finished, ready for wiring. I will clear the decks of building debris and get some photos taken.
Well. Would you believe it, the track work is completed apart from detailing, things like fish plates, rail cuts, and buffers. The buffers can wait until the wiring is done. It had been spotted I'd missed a check rail on the three way. Well, here it is in place, the bottom one. Here we go with the track. Starting at the fiddle yard end. Moving towards the goods shed. Bay on the left, and cattle dock on the right. And up to the station building. The 3 wagons are in the loco release. Now in reverse order from the station. In the last picture of the three you can see the signal box to the right and beyond this there will be a bridge as a scenic break. From this a ramp will lead down to the yard on the left, with a row of cottages on the through road. I've just tested the sector plate in place, was to lazy to move the steps and clear the way for the base board too. The track is completed on this too. Finally the only track work not done, the hidden sidings. I will do these when I move the boards for wiring, it will be easier to reach. They will start where the cork is, and will be about 1250mm long, same sort of length as the sector plate. More soon, well, if there is anything that looks different anyway.
Instead of doing something sensible like the wiring, I decided to build a buffer stop. To a drawing someone on Rmweb, kindly sent me. The drawing has no dimensions so I had to scale from it as it's to 4mm scale. It scaled out a bit high, so I adjusted to 7mm buffer height. Here are the parts for one side. It looks like I'm not going to be able to build the three I need I have lots of small bits of rail to do the uprights and infill. But it's the long pieces I'm short of. The two bent and running rail need pieces need to be 120+mm to give working allowance. But for now I soldered the first side together to check the principal. I will need to drill some holes and add nuts, bolts and spacers. Here it is on one of the sidings by the station building. I will need two here and one on the goods shed road. I want to make each one different. One like this, one like this but with the front angled pieces going straight into the ground rather than bent to join the running rail. The third I'm sure I have a drawing for a smaller light weight one. All just to add variety, and to see if the subtle differences are noticed by people.
Part 2 of the buffer build. I've made the second side. They do not seem to be much easy to do the second time around. These two sides have taken best part of two hours each. So I reckon it will be about six hours in total, to primer. Which will give me a little work to do, to get the three I need. I think I've found what I'm going to for the bay, main platforms, and cattle dock. If I can find another type used in these locations I will mix them up to add variety. Hopefully the next session will get us close to being finished.
Well my guess at 6 hours is not going to be anywhere near correct. But who's really counting. It's keeping me out of trouble. After the third session I had two sides with bolt head details. This I did by using 1mm square brass rod. Slightly to big, but easier than filing round rod square. These were soldered into drilled holes. The forth session I made and fitted the mounting flange plates, fixed and then added bolts as before. I also attached the sides to some sleepers, which then meant I could add the tie bar. You may notice this has hexagonal ends just for variety. Here it is in what will be its location on the layout. Whilst looking up other types of buffers I found out something interesting about painting them. But it also created some other questions. It stated that in SR days the period I model, the plank was white with a red stripe. I've known this bit for years, but in terminal stations the iron work was painted chrome green, a station building colour. Now what puzzles me, is, do the mean the buffers that are on the platform lines, or any that are within the station area? This would be interesting as I could have them in varying stages of green rust. By the way as this is going to be next to the running line it will have a lamp fixed to the top of the beam.
Thanks, It took hours of drawing and redrawing, to get to a position that I thought looked about right.
Here we are, now ready for a clean before a coat of primer. It has been an enjoyable build, and quite refreshing to do something so simple, but quite complex to get the detailing looking correct. Now do I be sensible and do the wiring, or do I build another stop, or look at locos again. Whatever it is I need to find my bench and clear the unused materials from the room. "I NEED SOMEWHERE TO STAND".
Great work Peter, I think for the moment I'll stick to the Peco ones, I just don't see me getting four pieces rail bent to the same profile, for one buffer never mind several of them , if my 3D modelling skills improve I may get to print them. Paul
Sorry for no updates lately, but nothing has been done, I've not been doing any modelling for the last 6 months or so. One thing that may happen, is that this layout may either never finished or even dismantled. There is no problem with it, it's just we might be moving back to the UK. Now that's not a problem, but what will be, is if we rent the house not many renters would want a 1930’s SR based layout here in Brasil. So that means it would have to go. Now if we don't rent the house, we may be here one month every year or two. Not sure SWMBO would want me in my room for the whole month. I will keep people up to date, when I know more.