New book - The Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway

I can't remember the date this book was published apart from being some time leading up to Christmas. Colin, on Yahoo's China Clay Branchline User Group, informed me of its imminent publication, so a copy was ordered from Twelveheads Press. As soon as it arrived, it was confiscated and whisked off to Santa to be wrapped as a Christmas present. Though a little frustrating having to wait, it did add to the anticipation of the read.

I'd purchased a couple of other books by Michael Messenger, Industrial Railways of the South West and North Devon Clay but his recent publication The Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway is in a different class to the previous two books. It must the the most comprehensive book published to date on this branch line. Covering the early canal proposals along the Camel Valley during 1858-1825; different proposals for a railway beginning in 1830  through to its completion in1834; expansion plans and 'what might have beens'; personalities behind the railway; different plans for a branch to Bodmin including all GWR proposals to Bodmin and Boscarne; the eventual arrival of the L.S.W.R.; information on mining in the area and clay workings; traffic workings on the branch for its ealiest days to closure; locomotives that worked on the line, and diagrams of early coaches and wagons. There has been some serious research undertaken to uncover information within the book, which is well written and supported by many photographs and diagrams.

I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone interested in this branch line or any aspect of Cornish railway history. In fact I think it should be on the book shelf of anyone interested in British Railway history. This is a superb book...but then I'm a little bias on the subject.

Enthusiasum rekindled

It's been a while...

For the last couple of months, I've got to admit that, I'd lost my mojo for Tredethy Wharf.... Instead I've been spending my time on some wargaming projects. Very easy modelling, getting a few more models ready for the wargaming table. Normally these dual interests trot alongside each other quite nicely and over the Christmas break I'd planned on committing a couple of days fully to Tredethy Wharf. Unfortunately due to both me and my wife being ill, which meant cancelling all our Christmas plans and New Year celebrations, somehow knocked me sideways and I lost my enthusiasum for Tredethy. Luckily my enthusiasm for Tredethy Wharf fas been rekindled after helping Bob with his Winterschef layout at the recent Milton Keynes show.

Since the the show I've added the first coat of static grass to the second board, then after not being happy with the roughness of the result on the first board, I've attacked ridges and undulations with a hammer. This has left numerous huge rabbit warrens....hopefully these will vanish with further applications of static grass. Mind you, it might be worth trying to incorporate a rabitt warren and/or a few mole hills into the scene somewhere.

The rails on one board have been painted in, what I think, is a dusty rust colour and I've also started ballasting the track on the same board. I'm using Carrs Ash Ballast fixed in place with a diluted solution of Copydex. After looking at photos of the branch, the ballast might be a little on the coarse side, but this ballast should help to differentiate between the hardstanding mud/soil area around the sidings and the ballasted track.

I must get to grips with the buffer stop soon before working out how to represent the hardstanding areas, after which it will be onto fencing, hedges and trees... The current plan I'm working towards is to have the left hand end more complete than the right for the exhibition in May.

Creating the earth

After applying a mixture of Artex and sand over the Mod-Roc, then sploshing a thin coat of raw umber over the covering the layout looks a little like a badly iced cake.

I'm hoping that the rough surface will give some extra lift to the static grass helping to represent tufts and undulations that can be seen in fields.

After applying the first coating of grass, I'm not sure the result is what I'm after. I think I might have over-done the rough suface. I'll stick with the idea for now, apply a few different textures and colours of grass to bring the ground alive a little. If it's not what I'm after it can be changed...

Warley 2012

Last Sunday I made my first ever pilgrimage to the Warley show. The opportunity arose as a thank you from Bob after helping him during the past year at exhibitions with his Winterschalf layout.

Since coming back to the hobby I'd been thinking about making the journey to the NEC to see this show but had been warned that it had become too well attended. Warned that, trying to view layouts is something similar to a rugby scrum with crowds of two to three deep; traders being very busy with often a long wait to be served and/or difficulty in seeing what they have on offer. So with this in mind I went with a slightly negative outlook. I had a surprise in store....

Firstly... wow... I didn't fully realise how large this show was. Secondly, it was a well organised show with the different scales grouped together and most specialist traders in their own area. Thirdly, even though we didn't get into the show until just after 11:00am there was plenty of room. Granted there were one or two layouts during the day that had crowds of two deep but patience always produced a space somewhere. At no time did I feel I couldn't appreciate what was on show, though this might have been down to the layouts that I was most interested in seeing. As far as traders were concerned non, that I needed, were any busier than at any specialist show I've recently visited.

Though my modelling interest is P4 (I made a beeline for the 4mm finescale area with Bodmin General, Evenstow, Holderness Light Railway, Cornwallis, Allt-y-Graban Road, et al) I do like to view different scales to appreciate other modellers' work. It was one of these other exhibits that impressed me the most.

La Baraque

La Baraque

La Baraque

La Baraque

La Baraque

La Baraque

La Baraque is the work of Hans Louvet and depicts a metre gauge railway in the Auvergne province of France in 1908, all modelled in S scale. Hopefully the above photographs show the skilful modelling on this layout.

The only down side for me is that Warley is definitely too large an exhibition to appreciate all that's on show in one day. There was plenty that I did not get to see, I would have liked to have taken longer viewing layouts; browsing trade stands and finding time to sit down with a few of the demonstrators, but overall it was a splendid day. Would I go again...? Definitely...

Thanks Bob.

Let there be light

And the big G came and divided light from darkness and there was light.

The big G being a helping hand from Gordon who supplied the cabling and also checked all was OK voltage/current wise.

The model is being illuminated by six 12v 2.2 watt, wide angle, warm white LED lights spaced at 14". I think G thought it was good.... Next day (tomorrow evening) the apprentice will start creating the earth.

China Clay wagons GWR dia 013 (part 6)

Back to modelling posts.

Eventually the first eight of my china clay wagons are ready for the paint shop.

Eight, Ian Kirk, china clay wagons

I've built four with independent Morton brake gear and four with standard four shoe Morton brake gear. On one of the latter I've not installed tie bars between the W irons as I've seen photographic evidence of a rebuilt clay wagon without tie bars.

I might leave these wagons in the unfinished state for a while and start on another eight clay wagons. My reason... well I'm thinking it might be better to have sixteen wagons in the above state available for Tredethy's first outing in May next year. This would enable me to run two trains of eight, one set of eight empty and the other eight with tarpaulins. If I get chance to paint a few before May I will. Leaving the wagons in a part completed state might also make a conversation point, and at least they will be in a similar state to the layout... still under construction.

So which clay wagons to be next, Ratio, Parkside Dundas or more Ian Kirk... I'll keep you posted.

Hull Model Railway Show

A little later than I wanted with this post but it's been a busy week.....

Last weekend brought an opportunity for me to visit Hull Model Railway Society's exhibition. The last time I ventured across the Humber to visit this show was when it was being staged in the Hull Town Hall. I cannot remember which year it was but the main attraction for me then was a layout depicting Evercreech Junction. This year there were a number of layouts that I've not seen before that I've been keen to see for quite some time.

Halifax King Cross

Halifax King Cross

Not sure what I can say about Halifax King Cross apart from superb. Operationally very smooth and scenically it just fits the area being depicted. In my opinion best in show.

Canada Road

Canada Road

Canada Road is a simple layout and does make me question the size of my test plank. Operationally and scenically there is more interest crammed into 10'6" x 2' than in a quarter of my 14' x 1' 6" test plank. It also probably took less time to build. Hmm....

Stainmore Summit

Stainmore Summit

For me Stainmore Summit is a train spotting layout and one that I stopped to view on a number of occasions. A DC layout with double headed trains that worked well.

 

 

Farkham

Farkham

Farkham

Another layout that facinated me was Farkham a layout depicting a secondary line passing through an urban landscape in the 1980s/early 1990s. A double track running into a single line enabled trains to be brought into scene and halt while they waited for a service to pass in the opposite direction. The overall presentation with the weathered buildings and rolling stock gelled the whole scene together nicely. The way that it has been designed with buildings and trees breaking up the layout into little viewing pockets is very interesting.

A small selection of photos of other layouts that I spent some time viewing....

Foston Mills

Foston Mills

Barrowfleet

Buxton TMD

Peter Denny's Leighton Buzzard was also at the show and what can I say about this layout that has not already been written? I decided not to take any photos of this iconic layout, I just stood and admired it for what it is...a legend. I, along with many others, have long admired the Reverend's work through the many magazine articles that have been published on developments of his Buckingham branch. The first article I read was in the September 1969 issue of the Railway Modeller. At the time, being a very young spotty teenager, I did not fully realise what I was reading but it was an article that dramatically changed the way I designed and built layouts. Leighton Buzzard may be showing its age a little but I've seen many exhibition layouts that couldn't hold a candle to this 50 something year old model.

So a very good show indeed, excellent layouts with good demonstrations and well supported by the trade. Hope I'll be able to cross the Humber to visit the show again, all being well, next year .