A month on.

Well it's been a little more than a month since my last post and even though I've not been idle there does not seem to be much to show for my efforts.

During the last month I've built the base of the second fiddle yard baseboard; added the entry track and docking station for the storage cassettes on both fiddle yards; constructed a few storage cassettes; sculptured the styrene block to nearly all of the scenic area; covered all styrene on one board with Modroc; and thrown together a barn kit by Wills.

 

Not sure if the barn will end up permanently on the model as I don't think it is typically Cornish but as a temporary building it will help with a scenic break at that end of the model. I'll also make use of a Wills Farm Cottage kit for the cottage but I'll build it as a mirror image.

Quite a bit more time has been spent on further track testing, then doing a few minor tweaks here and there to improve running. Although while struggling with one particular annoying derailment, along with the fact that I'm struggling with my first chassis, I was nearly at the stage of deciding P4 is not for me. I could not work out why one wagon would come off and others stay on through a particular piece of track, then the next evening the problematic wagon would be OK. It was really trying my patience. Then a visit by local Scalefour group members and the encouragement they offered, plus a few more evenings of frustration, I think, I have finally solved the derailment problem.

A little more progress has been made with the clay wagons but not enough to show in this post. I've also started a test piece for trialling how to build up the ground work and apply grass, more of which later. So it would seem I've been busy though it does not feel like I have made much progress as I was hoping to have had the lighting pelmet constructed by now and to have started on the ground work on the model...

This project is certainly a huge learning process and is increasing my appreciation of all the skills that have gone into creating the excellent P4 layouts that are on the exhibition circuit. I will no doubt have many more trying/frustrating episodes... It would seem it's all part of the fun!

Tredethy Wharf progress

After a couple of weekends getting stuck into clearing some of the the crap out of the garage, then after some major tidying up, I have finally acquired enough space to erect all four boards of Tredethy Wharf.

Well, I've only just started constructing the final board this evening but once finished I'll be able to get some serious running sessions in to test the track and operation.

Clay Wagons GWR dia 013 (part 4)

Well it's been a while since my last posting, this was kindly pointed out to me at the last Scalefour Area Group meeting, but then I feel I've not much to report on the Railway front.

I've done some more running tests on the track and ironed out a couple more gremlins but also made a little more progress with the clay wagons. One evening, while browsing through some magazines, I came across issue 62 of British Railway Journal again. I suddenly realised that on page 196 there is a photo of a china clay wagon W92034 that has 4 shoe Morton brake gear. The caption beneath states '...Many of these ex-GWR vehicles were reconditioned in 1950 but replacement wagons, of similar design, were built by British Railways in 1955..." Seeing this one photograph does prove that some wagons had the 4 shoe independent brake gear replace possibly during the 1950 reconditioning program... So my first wagon was not so much of a mistake after all!

Above is the current state of my first clay wagon.

I'm starting to feel reasonably pleased with this first wagon though I have now noticed that the doorstops are too close together. I've positioned them in line with the doorstop straps/protectors moulded on the door of these Ian Kirk wagons...Doh.... does that mean I'll have to scrape them off and replace them? ... or is there an example/photograph/drawing with the protectors in this position? According to all the photographs I currently have in my collection,the new China Clay wagon produced by Parkside has these doorstop straps/protectors in the correct position, .

Last night, after contemplating what to do with the rest of my part rebuilt Ian Kirk clay wagons, I threw caution to the wind and scrapped off the doorstop straps on one wagon. Then out came John Hayes book on Coal Wagons to see if the maestro can help with ideas in how to replace them...I'll keep you posted if I succeed...

Scenic start

Since the last post on Tredethy I've progressed the layout a little further. A recent visit by Gordon, when he brought along a couple of his locos and a few wagons, did show up a few little issues with running. One point's switch blades were still not closing with the stock rail in one direction. This was soon solved by replacing the spring wire that was supplied with the Tortoise motor with 0.9mmm spring wire from Gordon's own stock. Another point was being temperamental and though most wagons ran through it there were still the occasional derailment...The thought was that upgrading the spring wire might help on this point. The main issue that presented itself was a loose wire in the plug between the layout and the control panel, even though the last time I applied power to the layout it all worked fine. At the start of the evening this loose wire caused a short that was affecting point operation and the fault took a good hour to track down and solve. This has shown me the problems that can happen with a sectional layout that is constantly being moved and knocked. Since Gordon's visit I've purchase some 0.9mm wire and upgraded the two remaining points and they both now seem to work more consistently with, so far, no derailments

With the track fully commissioned I've tidied the wiring on both boards and retested the layout. Though this is a very simple layout with minimal wiring this was still a task that took a couple of evenings.

Then, after spending a couple of weeks on my wargaming projects, and a couple of days away at Stratford upon Avon trying to educate myself  with a bit of Shakespeare (probably too late in the day...), I've started to have another look at Tredethy. What is the next stage, ballasting the track, painting rails and chairs, or putting in the scenic sub base? I'm itching to get on with the scenic side of this test plank, so spent a few hours over this bank holiday building up the sub base on one of the baseboards with blocks of polystyrene .

There is still a bit to do on this first board before starting on the second. My intention is to sculpt the the polystyrene into the approximate desired contours before covering with a couple of layers of ModRoc. Once the ModRoc is applied I'll paint the rail and chairs then ballasting the track before making a start on the ground cover on the two boards. Not sure if this is the recommend order of things but it seems right to me.

Clay Wagons GWR dia 013 (part 3)

On my first wagon nearing the completion of its rebuild, I've installed 4 shoe brake gear with connecting rod and the clutch handle towards the end door. This would seem to be how the vacuum brake gear was fitted to BR's diagram 1/051 wagons.

I'm just starting to realise that this might not have been the case with these older refitted non-vacuum braked GWR wagons. My understanding is that they were initially built with DCII non-vacuum brake gear with both the brake handles at the opposite end to the end door. After 1939, conversion to Morton brakes was initiated to conform to the 'right-handed' ministry rules (though possibly not to all as I've seen a photograph of one preserved at Brewdley with DCII brake gear). 

My problem is, was the DCII brake gear replaced with 2 shoe, 4 shoe, or 4 shoe independent Morton brake gear? If either of the first two which side was the clutch, handle towards the end door, or towards the fixed end? Looking again at the few references I have, and photographs I have since found on the web, it would seem that they had 4 shoe independent brake gear. Some photographs however are not clear and are confusing me slightly. So I'm wondering if there could have been a variation of brake gear fitted to these wagons.

I’m starting to think (partly as an excuse to my possible mistake) that, as St. Blazey wagon works repaired these older GWR wagons, there could well have been a variation in brake gear fitted. That said I would like to have the majority of these wagons fitted with the most common type of brake gear that they were equipped with. Though I will probably also include at least one with DCII just to 'tip my hat' to the heritage of these wagons.

I’ve posted requests for further information on a couple of forums. In the meantime, while I wait for confirmation/criticism of my thoughts, these wagons will be put to one side.

GWRJ No.82

Since April 6th I've had weekly visits to my local newsagents looking out for the next issue of the Great Western Railway Journal. At last I was greeted this afternoon by the sight of  issue No.82 on the shelf....

Passenger Operations at Paddington Station Part 7, (the last instalment in this series)
GWR Horse Traffic and Horseboxes
A Honeybourne visit
'Bulldogs' at work Part 2

A cracking weekend

The title sums it up really. My birthday on Friday, followed by playing trains at the local Cleethorpes Model Railway show on Saturday, and then a good few hours on Sunday working on modelling projects.

One of the many modelling related presents I received was a very informative book covering a Summer Saturday working in 1961 on the North Cornwall Line, along with the Wadebridge to Bodmin services, including loco rosters and carriage diagrams. It will become another excellent reference as the Grogley Project unfolds.

Saturday saw me being tea boy and lunchtime operator on Gordon's model of Donington-on-Bain. This was its first public showing and very much a 'work in progress'. However being a local station it generated a great deal of interest about its history, as well as the model's construction.

Donnington-on-Bain

Along with Gordon's model two other P4 members, (Dave and Martin) were at the exhibition showing the initial stages of their next project. They are at the very early stages of building a model of Swan Yard at Great Yarmouth, and had on display location plans, photos, part of a Templot track plan, some stock and the beginnings of the baseboards. There are plans afoot for Swan Yard to make an appearance at next year's Cleethorpes show as a 'work in progress' showing the early stages of track laying, along with Gordon's Fish Dock Road and my Tredethy Wharf making its first public appearance. The organisers are kindly allowing our P4 area group to take over a complete room again next year...

During the exhibition it was also good to catch up with two friends that were members of the defunct Mablethorpe and District Model Railway Club, Steve and Bob. Bob was showings his Winterschlaf layout with Steve as support operator, a position I'll be filling at two exhibitions later this year. There was a good selection of other layouts at the show covering 009, N, HO American. HOm Swiss and OO gauge. Gamston Bank stole the show for me.

The thought that Tredethy Wharf has to be near completion in a year's time has spurred me on. During Sunday I think I managed to banish the two remaining track gremlins, no doubt more will surface as I use the model but for now it's working well. Once I've tidied up the wiring, I'll start to put some flesh on the bones. There are still the hidden sidings to design and build but I am looking forward to making a start on the scenery.

To top off this weekend, my son's band released their first single on iTunes with a supporting video on YouTube. I know it will not be everybody's taste but I do like what they are doing so please forgive me posting the following link...
Shades - A Note from Me (Official Video)
Please pass on this link to anyone you think might be interested. Oh...my lad is the good looking one hitting the skins... :-))