7mm Pencarrow - Cornish BR(S)

[Pencarrow]

And then there were 3!



Which on one hand is a bit daft as the 3 are 2" longer than the fiddle yard, and that's without a loco...

On the other hand I was mindful that getting a matching spec coach ( no window surrounds, same colour etc) could be tricky in the future due to the current trend for small production batches.

I then found a 2nd BSK going cheap secondhand, so I now have a MK1 3-set. Can't use the full set on the layout but who knows what opportunities the future could bring...

 

[AJC]

So, Chris, with those restrictions, how are you planning to actually use your Bulleid pacific? I know the ACE was occasionally one BCK, of course, but quarts and pint pots come to mind.

Adam

 

[alant]

Not sure how I have missed this thread before but glad I have caught up with it.

Some impressive modelling!

 

[Pencarrow]

So, Chris, with those restrictions, how are you planning to actually use your Bulleid pacific? I know the ACE was occasionally one BCK, of course, but quarts and pint pots come to mind.

Adam

Well, what can I say Adam...

The layout and fiddle was designed around the typical BR period length train that actually used Bodmin North and were in the general area (and within the constraints of room length). So we should be seeing:

- O2 or N Class or 8750 pannier and 2x Maunsell coaches to Wadebridge
- N Class or 1368 and a half dozen wagons
- AC Railbus

However that's a bit dull, and I'm only building an inspired by layout. So we'll also be seeing:

- BWT or 1368 or Class 03 on the clay line with a few wagons
- 8750 or small prairie or Class 22 on a B Set with a train to the GWR Bodmin stations
- T9 and 2x Maunsell or MK1 coaches to Wadebridge

Everything above fits nicely on the layout and in the fiddle yard. The plan is to run stuff in three periods,
1. BR steam with an ex SR bias
2. BR steam with WR infiltrations / substitutions
3. BR early diesel just before closure

However...

The Bulleid Light Pacific is my favourite loco class. At one point I had something like 60 of the things in 00, but these are slowly being sold off. So quite naturally, any movement to 7mm would also include a Bulleid, regardless of the layout constraints.

It's unlikely a 3 coach train will run on the layout, but at least now I do have a full 3-coach set. It's unlikely, other than posing for photos, that the Bulleid and 3 coaches will be seen on the layout. The loop is however long enough to run around 3 MK1 coaches.

As you say there was a stock balancing movement from Padstow that involved a Bulleid running with a single D2406 BCK. That could be seen and would easily fit.

Whilst the layout is being built for home use. I've also designed it to be exhibitable and in such case the home-use cassette fiddle would be changed to a longer ladder version. 3 coach train lengths could then be run.

In summary, having a Bulleid and 3 MK1 coaches may seem daft, but there is sort of a plan... Honest.

 

[Pencarrow]

Not sure how I have missed this thread before but glad I have caught up with it.

Some impressive modelling!

Thank you Alan, much appreciated. You've got a tad of reading to do! Shouldn't have any issues getting off to sleep.

 

[john lewsey]

Hi Chris, some very, very nice work on here.
John

 

[Pencarrow]

Hi Chris, some very, very nice work on here.
John

Many thanks John!

 

[Pencarrow]

Today has been a bit testing...

I decided that I should build the adjoining girder bridge abutment and attach it to the arch bridge structure. This will enable the rest of the stonework to be completed. Easy?

Nope. As usual I made things difficult for myself. The girder bridge is offset about 5deg in plan from the arch bridge. A further added complication was that the section of board the abutment sits on slopes in two directions. The first track it crosses also drops. Essentially there was no flat or straight datum to work from.

Further jeopardy was added after some mental maths went a bit askew. Plasticard thickness subtracted rather than added to the width of the abutment. Doh. Sadly only discovered once the prefabricated abutment was offered up to the arch bridge assembly. Oh and the arch bridge substructure wasn't fully home when measuring stuff up.

Suffice to say that the air has been blue at times today...

Two shots showing the horizontal offset:




A shot showing the construction.


Two shots double checking the girder clearance is not less than the min headroom. Worst case is the higher level siding. I did worry myself at one stage that the bridge was too low, but thankfully realised the headroom diagram was for electrified lines.




I do now know what the clear span of the bridge between abutments will be and can therefore now draw up the correct length girders.

The digital level and laser level have been invaluable today. Picked the wrong month to do as "dry" though....

 

[John57sharp]

Deep joy……

 

[Pencarrow]

Deep joy……

...Was not a phrase I used earlier!

 

[Pencarrow]

Just been down a rather useful rabbit hole. Stumbled on this website which looks at Southern Coaches and there's significant info about the Maunsell 2-Set P coaches:

Bloodand & Custard - North Cornwall 'P' sets (Southern coaches)

Couple of nice shots of coaches at Bodmin North:

 

[Pencarrow]

I temporarily removed the cardboard station building mock up earlier and got this nice view.



Really must finish off the corner between the grain store and wharf buildings...

 

[Osgood]

Yet more Wills sheet, I should have shares in the stuff...

A bit of useless information.
Just investigating the purchase of a few Slaters sheets of various material finishes, and I initially had a sharp intake of breath at the prices.
But then I discovered the cost (at around £142 per square metre) is very much comparable to quality facing bricks (so the random stone sheets must be a bargain!).
Can't really argue with that (not that I'm planning on covering a real building with it....).

 

[Pencarrow]

After yesterday's shenanigans I thought it wise to double check every key measurement. Out with the laser level again to work out the height of the other abutment and then check it was correct after cutting. The left hand abutment at this stage was just the 3 faces cut and snapped but not separated, and propped up for measuring.





That will do.

 

[Pencarrow]

So the outcome from this morning's session was that the abutment shell is now complete.



I've had it mentioned to me when demonstrating that the use of ribs to strengthen and straighten the rear of structures and buildings is far too time consuming.

Well, to give an idea of time, to get to the finished job from the shot below took 16 mins. And that included working out that parts weren't sticking because the glue bottle was empty and finding a replacement.



In all, the abutment has taken 1hr 45mins, including measuring up, a spot of planning, measuring twice(!), cutting parts and sticking together.



The resultant lump is square, and strong enough to take the work that will follow detailed it up. I'm also quite confident that it won't split or warp over time.





(The square is Iain Rice's by the way, from his estate sale. Lovely to have something from somebody that was such an inspiration to me.)

 

[simond]

Chris,

given that you’ll clad this in stonework, was there any advantage in making the basic structure from PK, rather than timber, for example?

I know you’ve done it now, so it’s a moot point, but wouldn’t something like a 12mm MDF box be simpler (and maybe cheaper) for the carcass?

Atb
Simon

 

[Pencarrow]

Chris,

given that you’ll clad this in stonework, was there any advantage in making the basic structure from PK, rather than timber, for example?

I know you’ve done it now, so it’s a moot point, but wouldn’t something like a 12mm MDF box be simpler (and maybe cheaper) for the carcass?

Atb
Simon

Possibly Simon, and I know where you're coming from as I have used ply in the past but there's several reasons why I've not used ply for quite a few years:

- I don't have any handy, that's quite a big one!
- I can't cut the ply to the same accuracy as plasticard
- the plasticard shell is easier to adjust, add bits to, or reshape and it's a medium I enjoy working in
- weight, the plasticard shell is lighter and adds less to the overall board weight
- the work can be done quietly in the morning without risk of waking up her ladyship - I doubt using a saw at 7am on a Sunday would be popular!
- parts of this bridge structure are curved - not easy to achieve in 12mm ply
- the plastic cladding will stick better to the plasticard shell and I can just use solvent rather than impact for that
- I've had some bad experiences over the years with mixed media shells warping and differential movement if the environment changes (particularly going from a warm car, to a cold damp exhibition hall which will then warm up as people arrive)

In terms of accuracy, I can end up with this sort of result, my woodworking is nowhere near that good!:

 

[simond]

Yep…. Strong arguments!

 

[Richard]

If the Wills sheet will not hold the curve, and I think the smaller the piece you have, the harder it is to make it retain the bend, could you reform it, either by the gentle application of heat when it is held against a former?

The old fashioned method is to tape it to a bit of pre shaped timber and then pouring boiling water over it, but I should imagine a hot air gun (Used carefully) could do an equally useful job.

 

[Pencarrow]

Yep…. Strong arguments!

Yes, but I fully appreciate it's the horses for courses situation and having access to quality MDF/ply and a laser cutter is likely to sway decisions away from plasticard for other builders.

Ply or MDF does give instant structure and rigidity, whereas with plasticard you have to build that up. The plasticard ribs are cut en-mass using jigs for the width and my chopper for the shorter bits. The second abutment was far, far quicker to build than the first. No curves and no miscalculations resulting in a more efficient build.

I don't always get it right however. The row of terraced houses is going to need revisiting as stupidly I thought that dropping down from my usual 40thou to 30thou shell would be a good idea on one of the largest buildings on the layout. Muppet.