Sleeper staining

500 sleepers are now stained and ready for laying.

The last batch laid out to dry

Had a problem with my staining mixture. Ran out of my first mixture and when mixing some more to the same recipe it came out too strong. After a little thinning down, with some more isopropyl alcohol, I think I got close enough. I'm trying to achieve a faded grey/brown colour to the sleepers with that almost silvery look they get when weathered. Hope to post better photos once I start laying the sleepers on the layout.

I'm using Exactoscale 1.6mm thick sleepers hoping I'll get some good variation of depth to the ballast. May well be extravagant and use wooden sleepers even where they will be completely covered by roadways and hard-standing in the Wharf area. Initially I'd purchased some copper clad sleepers for these areas. Now my thoughts are as the hard-standing looks like it was compacted earth, not completely up to rail height, tops of chairs and sleeper edges may well be seen in places.

(Note to self - Staining recipe used for this batch : 100ml water + 100ml isopropyl alcohol + 4ml black ink + 5ml sepia ink - each sleeper individually dipped quickly and shaken)

All this for just three inches

Over the last couple of evenings I have noticed that the layout, being placed on a work bench/table, is definitely at the wrong height for me to work on comfortably. This is probably a sign that I'm getting a bit old. Standing up the layout is far too low and being seated it feels too restrictive and awkward. This has got me thinking about what is the best height for the layout and that I ought to get the layout supports built sooner rather than later.

So with the thoughts that: I am 6' 3" and my partner is 5' 2"; that the layout is being built for my own interest and as a test bed; the layout needs to be at a height that is comfortable for me to build and operate; the layout needs to be at a height that my partner can hopefully appreciate it. My thoughts wandered to the recently suggested height of 4' 3". Initially I thought that this would be a about right but during my lunch break yesterday, to try and help make a decision, I started to draw the diagrams below.

If I put a front fascia on, 18" above track level, to frame the layout, I could still operate the layout without stooping. If I put a back-screen on the layout it would have to be at least 2' tall, however, my thoughts are that I will be operating the layout from the front anyway so a 6'+ back-screen would not be a problem. Looking at the above though I thought that 4' 3" might be a tad too high for my partner, also, is it too high for me to work on comfortably? The track bed might be better at my elbow height which would put it at 4'.

So.........

This might be a better height? Back-screen if fitted would still be 2' high. The bottom of the front front fascia would be just below my eye height but if I stand a little away from the layout it should not be too intrusive. If I sit on a tall stool while operating the layout, the front fascia should not be an issue. My partner would have a more open view with the track bed 3" lower than the above 4' 3". With the track bed being at elbow height it should be more comfortable working on the layout especially when adding scenic detail.

Time will tell, but a track bed height of 4' looks to be favourite. (We'd both better get dressed after the life drawing class........ :-)..)

Tredethy Wharf (May update)

This is not much of an update on progress, more a report that the layout has found a home which should help with construction.......

Apart from a fettle with some Bill Bedford W Irons, progress on the layout has been at a standstill from mid April through most of May. Work and social commitments have taken their toll, along with yet more furniture moving and rearrangements. This is all down to my daughter moving out into a flat and the rest of my partner's furniture coming out of storage. With all this going on I had to, yet again, reluctantly loose my 'man space' in the garage. But the upshot of all this is that I've negotiated some space for the layout in the house!

The baseboards for Tredethy Wharf now reside on a bench in what has become my 'man space' in the house. There's not enough space for the eventual complete layout, only the two scenic boards (beggars can't be too choosy) but this has enabled me to dabble a little on the layout for the last couple of evenings.


A while back I mentioned to the local P4 group that I was planning to use cork for the track bed. I was immediately informed that Balsa wood is starting to be recognised as a better material for the track base. Holes have been cut through the ply baseboard under the tie-bar locations for point control and 5mm Balsa has been glued in position. One part completed turnout has also been dropped into place. I was hoping to get the track plan glued in place but I've been side tracked a little this evening staining some sleepers.

The next update should show some good progress........

Tickets

I've gradually been building up a collection of photographs for the Wadebridge - Bodmin - Wenford Bridge lines and thought I'd share a couple of my recent ebay purchases. Neither are photographs but tickets issued for the lines. The first to catch my eye was a ticket for travel between Grogley Halt and Bodmin. When spotted I thought I just had to have it as Grogley is the inspiration and central to this project. The ticket ties in a little bit of reality to my fiction.


The second is a passenger ticket for the goods only Wenford Bridge line. As my 'Plank' Tredethy Wharf is based on this line, again I thought this also had to be added to the collection.

Apparently passengers were allowed to travel in the Guards Van. I've also been informed that a Queen Mary brake van was sometimes added to the daily goods train when passengers were being conveyed. No printed tickets were available so tickets had to be hand written. What a nice piece of railway history.

I don't know the age of, or personal history behind either ticket, if anyone has any ideas please let me know.

The plank!!

Well, there it is, The Plank!

and

The Plank with track plan.

At this end of the layout I cannot decide on how the cottage / road / land contours will look, so the front profile board will be cut later. I also need to decide on the height of the layout so that I can start to construct the supporting frame/legs, but at least I am at the point where serious thought can be applied to track laying. Just need a little tweak here and there on the track plan and things will start to get interesting.

Wenford DVD

I recently purchased a DVD produced by Branch Line Video titled 'Memories of the Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway'. I had mulled over the purchase for a while but as the front cover had a picture of a Beattie Well Tank at Dumere Crossing I thought it might contain something of interest on the Wenford Bridge line. Being not sure what to expect I was, after viewing, extremely please with the purchase. I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone interested in this area and the workings of the Wenford Bridge line.


It comes with two DVDs, the first covers the history of the line starting with brief footage of the North Cornwall Line then moving onto the main subject highlighted with many stills and brief cine film. Of more interest to me is the second DVD. It has cine film footage of two trips down the Wenford Bridge branch. One starting with footage of workings at Wadebridge and progressing to an empty clay train working hauled by a Beattie 30585. The second of a Brake Van special hauled by 1369. Both have anecdotal commentary from men who worked the line. Footage is not surprisingly showing its age but still fantastic to see.

At last , some progress

I was supposed to be going to the Nottingham Model Railway Show this weekend but a couple of events changed my plans. The guy I was going with couldn't make it and my partner deciding at the last minute to visit her son, staying over until Monday morning. I've not been to the Nottingham show before the Scalefour Area Group guys had recommended it as one worth going to. With four P4 layouts there this year, which I have not seen in the flesh, and an impressive trader list I was fully intending to go. So why didn't I?

The previous weekend I'd made an attempted to reorganise the garage. The intention was to create some space so that I could make a start on baseboard construction. Though I was not able to create enough space I did clear a path to the sheets of plywood I'd put on one side for this project. Knowing the timber was at hand put a thought in mind. After the boss had departed and while watching the final game of the Six Nations, I rolled out the full size printout of Tredethy Wharf. A few scribbles were made, a couple of sketches drawn, and I thought, 'if I don't go to Nottingham I could get them built tomorrow.......Hmmmmm..... With no room in the garage to swing a cat I've been waiting for good weather at a weekend or an opportunity like this to make a start. It was a tough decision but this was an excellent opportunity to get stuck into the baseboards for Tredethy Wharf.


Sunday brought mayhem to the kitchen and gradually it spread though the house. Was I glad the boss was not around? ....... At the end of the day I had nearly finished one baseboard.

Baseboard One.
The above picture makes it look like the baseboard has a bottom but it's only resting on a piece of scrap plywood to stop me scratching the table.

This has been a bigger task than I thought. Last time I built any baseboards they were simple rectangular solid topped style boards. The two I'm making for Tredthy Wharf have curved fronts and need height front to back. I have also attempted to integrate the contours into the board end profiles. While weighing up angles and gradients for surrounding land I started to wish I'd made a quarter scale mock up. But out came all photos I have accumulated on this line ........ hopefully I will have the lie of the land about right?

In the above picture the nearest baseboard end profile board has the next boards profile end piece bolted to it. These two end pieces have pattern makers dowels fitted for alignment. I have not used pattern makers dowels before and though easy to fit they did take a little while. To complete the above first baseboard a couple more middle supports need fitting and the front facial profile board needs cutting and fitting. Then it's on with the second baseboard.

There was a bit of stumbling around, a couple of mistakes and plenty of 'thought time' involved but overall I think I've cracked it with the baseboards. Just need the boss to go away next weekend and I'll have both boards completed!!........