Captain Kernow's layouts

Simon

Flying Squad
A great thread going on over on RMweb, with lots of very nice pictures. I have commented suitably (I hope) over there:p

I look forward to future developments and have loaded mineral wagons standing ready….

Simon
 

Simon

Flying Squad
Martin

Western Thunder and RMweb co-exist very happily and without being po-faced we would ask that we all please avoid making general, unsubstantiated and/or derogatory comments about RMweb (or anywhere else for that matter) on this forum.

Believe me, various of us understand that things really can "go wrong" in this context (and when all is said and done who of us are perfect?) but this is a forum for sharing the enjoyment and joy of the hobby and previous hassles are best left behind and forgotten.

Simon
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
A great thread going on over on RMweb, with lots of very nice pictures. I have commented suitably (I hope) over there:p

I look forward to future developments and have loaded mineral wagons standing ready….

Simon
I read your words just before turning in last night, so I didn't comment, but I would now like to thank you for them, Simon, I was moved and your kind comments mean a great deal.
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
I put 'Engine Wood' up the other day at home for the last time, before the layout is delivered to it's new owner in the near future.

Having checked that all the points and signals worked OK, I ran a few locos around, to test the various track electrical feeds and isolating sections. Fortunately all was as I left it, the last time the layout was up (which was at a show a few years ago).

Pannier 7795 was one of my first exhibition locos and has been used on 'Engine Wood' since the very beginning, so I thought it was only fitting that this loco should be the last one to turn a wheel on the layout, under my ownership.

I also ran my two newest OO locos on it, the Planet diesel and J72 'Jennifer', both of which should, in due course, be used on my new layout 'Bethesda Sidings'.

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Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
I was at Scaleforum last weekend, helping Rod Cameron and John Farmer with the massive Ouse Valley Viaduct and Balcombe station layout, representing a chunk of the Brighton main line in P4. It is truly a project on an epic scale, both in size and the understandable gestation period of the layout.

Brian Hingston, Nick Rogers and Mike Ainsworth were also on the team. Although the layout itself is essentially the work of the first two gentlemen (John and Rod) only, both Brian and Nick have made very significant contributions in terms of rolling stock for the layout, with construction having taken place over the last 12 months or so.

Others have also made important contributions, either in terms of building stuff or (eg. Mike Ainsworth) bringing superb locos and stock for the show and attending same.

Although I have been involved (rather casually, by my own admission) with the project since the early site visits to Sussex in 2009 (10 years ago, for goodness sake, where does the time go?), for a variety of reasons, my own contributions have unfortunately not been on the above scale.

That said, for the last few weeks at least, I suspended work on 'Bethesda Sidings', to allow me to complete one or two items for the layout, in time for the show last weekend.

The first item was a small building for Balcombe station. Rod made all the other buildings and structures for the station and did a splendid job, as evidenced by photos posted on this forum and also on the Scalefour Society forum. My contribution was to build the Gents toilet!

This is the prototype, the photos taken way back in 2009:
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Although I took detailed photos and measurements during a subsequent site visit in 2010, it took me until 2018 to actually produce the scale drawing, necessary for me to build the thing (from plasticard).

This is the Gents part-way through construction:
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The roof slates are the old Exactoscale self-adhesive ones, which were designed to be painted over with a dirty enamel wash.

This is the finished building, prior to having signage and advert hoardings added (which it had in the 1950s & 1960s):
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After taking these photos, I added the 'Gents' sign and also two period adverts. Here is the building in place on the layout (please note that the station area scenery is not yet completed, including the station garden adjacent to the Gents):
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I also built most of the buffer stops for the layout. Nick built a couple of Southern examples from Dave Franks kits, which I then put on copper clad sleepers, added cosmetic chairs and then painted and weathered.

I also built a lost wax SR buffer stop and another Dave Franks whitemetal example.

Finally I built a sleeper-built buffer stop from balsa wood and also painted and weathered a Bachmann sleeper-built example. All buffer stops were sprayed with red oxide (Halfords) primer, then 'Rail Dirt' by Railmatch and then weathered with Mig and Abteilung 502 powders.
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Now that Scaleforum is over, I have restarted work on 'Bethesda Sidings', as stated in my Cameo Competition thread. Further works will be taking place on Balcombe and the OVV layout in the future, however, and I will be offering my services once more, in due course.
 
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