Project 16 - Down Platform Furniture

On the previous layout I set up a cameo scene based on a photograph of passengers standing on Axminster station near its foot bridge. This required me to fabricate my own human figures to achieve the same costume and pose as in the photograph. The plan was to recreate the scene on the new layout.

I was not too happy with the figures that I made previously because they are a bit over size in height and build so I searched for some proprietary models. I found and bought three of the five figures needed, that were a good match, from the excellent Monty's Models range. I have not found a close match for the other two, a balding middle aged man and a middle aged woman in a summer dress.

It was at this point that I moved the foot bridge to its correct position near the road bridge completely destroying the cameo scene! But the figures are so good I decided to leave them in their original place. The girl in the pink dress has been modified by giving her a head scarf made from kitchen foil.

The palisade fence in the above photograph is Ratio GWR spear fencing with the diamond points cut off. Not quite enough in the packet to complete the job so I designed and 3D printed the extra panels to good effect. Had I known the fine detail would print OK I would have printed the lot.

Moving along the platform the waiting shelter was scratch built in the 1980s from hardboard and card. Next to it is a rack of fire buckets.

Beyond the road bridge is a water crane, station name board, swan neck lamp, noticeboard and the co-acting signal described in an earlier posting. An LSWR style bench is needed to complete this scene.

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Project 16 - Station Throat

One for those who like a lot of track. This is as busy as it gets at Misterton.

From left to right, down headshunt, down main line, up main line, up siding, goods shed siding, crane siding.

Ballasting and grassing has started as progress moves beyond the east end of the station into open country. Sidings were spaced further apart from the main lines hence the grassed no-mans land between them.


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Project 16 - Down Siding Landscape

On the east side of the cattle dock at Crewkerne was a coal office but the coal stacks were on the other side of an adjacent siding. Here on the model we are right at the front edge of the layout so the coal siding and coal stacks are off stage.

Just to highlight that there was coaling activity near here a sprinkling of coal dust has been applied to the yard.

The office itself is a very old Airfix kit, which is a bit crude by todays standards. Nevertheless, it is still available under the Dapol brand.

On the west side of the cattle dock was a hut (purpose unknown) and this too is an Airfix kit. In this photo the ramp up to the loading platform is seen.

The embankment was made in the same manner as West Field, except wood filler used on the car park was applied instead of plaster of Paris to cover the foam.

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Foreign Territory - LMS

For one fully immersed in BR(S) I felt like a foreigner on a visit to The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway last week, a 3.5 mile stretch of line in the Lake District.

The ornate station bathed in LMS red paintwork

1245 (Barclay) was the engine in service, an ex colliery locomotive. Here it exits the short tunnel at the end of the station platform to run around its train. This scene shows how a tunnel can be the ideal exit from a station to a fiddle yard on a model railway and be completely authentic to prototype.

Surprise finds in the Engine Shed. 

BR Fairburns, 4MT Nos. 42073 & 42085 that started life on British Rail Southern in Kent and a Lowmac. The Lowmac was of interest because I had scratch built a rake of N gauge Lowmac models and this was the first time I saw a real one.

There was a small selection of Bachmann rolling stock in the railway shop and some attractive locomotive models carved from coal. No other shops were found to satisfy the railway modeller around the lakes. I did get a surprise in our local Co Op grocery store where they had some back issues of Steam World from 2007 price cut to 50p each. I came away with the July 07 issue that featured several articles on BR(S) in the final year of steam engine services (1967).

Project 16 - Cattle Dock

The cattle dock at Crewkerne had a brick platform, unlike the stone block station platforms. Three pens were provided and an unfenced loading platform alongside.

I have three different area plans and an aerial view of the station and yet none of them clearly show how the livestock gained access to the pens from the road side. Two plans show a ramp to the unfenced loading platform alongside but no access gates were provided from there.  There was one access gate located at the back of the rearmost pen. This gate must be the entrance for livestock but the plans do not show a ramp to it or much space to manoeuvre livestock lorries. None of this matters from a modelling aspect because the rear half of the dock is 'off stage', as shown right!

The platform  is made in the same way as the station platforms, being a plank of wood 18mm thick covered in granite dust on a dark grey painted base.

The fences at Crewkerne were board on concrete posts. For the model they are 3D printed, but matchsticks and card would be just as good and simpler to make.

The gates are fitted with paper hinges so that they can be opened and closed. Paper hinges are not robust enough to withstand prolonged use but they will only be moved for the occasional photographic session.

The gates are also fitted with working latches made from thin copper wire.

The final photo shows the loading gates open with a cow about to enter a wagon. However, Crewkerne was more noted as a dispatch centre for male calves destined for Scotland where they were processed into veal. I would like to show a pen of 6 month old veal calves but 00 gauge calves are not available in large packs. Best we can get is a pack of cows that include 1 or 2 calves. N gauge cows are too small to represent 6 month old 00 gauge calves but TT cows (Noch or Preiser) are close enough in height but carry too much weight for calves. The pens willl have to remain empty until I solve this problem. A couple of water troughs are also needed to complete the pens.


To Part 29
 
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Project 16 - 6 Month Review

Having spent most of my working life planning and managing development projects I have been conditioned to set and work towards milestones. Hobby activities are no exception. I started Project 16 - Misterton Rebuild at the beginning of 2016 and set myself the goal to complete the layout within a year. By complete I mean an operational and fully scenic layout. There is usually ongoing little additions and changes that occur afterwards. Most of the track work is operational and about half the layout landscaped so I can safely say that I am on target.

If I had to choose the most significant advances in the past 6 months it would be Track Work and West Field. Track work because I opted to design and 3D print my own sleepers with integrated chairs for the straight track (turnouts are Peco by the way). Consequently track laying was a major task that took some considerable time but it looks authentic and running trains is smooth and trouble free. The other significant advance was the creation of West Field simply because it has made such a big visual statement on the layout and is completely new whereas some scenic elements, especially most buildings,  have been reused from the previous layout.

Major works to carry out in the next six months are to build a cattle dock and finish its siding; create East Field, Clark's Lane and reinstate Railway Cottage; create Crewkerne Tunnel Portal and embankments and I'm toying with the idea of scratch building Crewkerne's 7.5 ton yard crane.

The scene on the model railway shown above was staged from a photograph of a passenger train at Crewkerne Station. Sky and steam effect have been added. You'll have to take my word that the likeness to the prototype is remarkable.

The model station building was made in the late 1970s. (About 40 years old now!)

To Part 28.

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