1/32 Devoran Quay

Grotty cold grey day here, but I managed to wire up the first section of headshunt track and lay it and the turnout out in the garden more or less permanently. Levels and alignment about right I reckon, slight "hump" in headshunt to accommodate alignment of turnout, as per main line, but headshunt will then drop on to the concrete and follow its level without any cant. I shall align headshunt by spacing off running line and gluing in place as I go around.


Line otherwise in good shape around the circuit, a couple of minor ballast "washouts" to deal with and the bridge deck to re-fix to the bridge, all painted and prepped and waiting for warmer weather

Simon

Pleasant weather saw the apple tree pruned (thanks Harry!) the track all cleaned, the base for the bay siding all properly set in to place and fixed and a visitor or two



From a different angle:



Andrew Vines' D6318 is complete bar some glazing, awaiting a few pieces from Brian at Shawplan. It really does look utterly believable

Here are the new works with the station building mocked into a possible position.



Today has been a very good day from all points of view

Simon

Standing some stock on the bay siding yields some different views, even on a groundhog day



Off to watch Poldark now....

Simon

Thoroughly enjoyed Poldark, particularly having driven up from a wonderful few days in North Cornwall with John Greenwood this afternoon.
So, those evocative views of the bay siding beg the question - how are negotiations for the branch extension going

Lovely pictures, see you tomorrow,

Jerry

A cold grey day here, but I have managed to re-fix the bridge deck to the bridge with some "epoxy steel" and wire up and then permanently align and lay the bay siding.

Overall view of finished job:



And an alignment proving shot:



The dip in the main up is where Bulleid pacifics sit awaiting the right of way, dropping oil and water that plays havoc with the permanent way

All I need now is a PMV for the newspapers, the Class 122 ticking over on top of it and a line to "Bude"

One more small step.....

Simon

A bit more progress today despite it being a bit chilly. The whole bay siding and part of the branch line is now ballasted, both up to just short of the crossing on the bay siding C10.

I have also sieved more ballast, filling 3 clover tubs , and yesterday ordered two more lost wax LSWR buffer stops from Ken Martin for the bay siding and end of the headshunt. The weather's about to get nasty so I have covered everything up and come in.



I do sometimes wish the whole thing wasn't such pigging hard work

In other news I can't find where I put the roof for the PMV and have mislaid a pair of reading glasses - what a wally

Simon

I often lose glasses, only to find them perched on my face.

Helmut didn't mind the English beer, quite enjoyed sea mists and was just about coping with the modified headgear, but reflected that pigeons and garden railways could give rise to the most unpleasant of chores



The management are as a consequence (and in the best traditions of Exmouth Junction) working on better worker protection for Helmut and his colleagues...



The hut is a pleasant diversion into Plastikard bashing that doesn't require any precision, soldering, machining, purchasing or prevarication - well maybe bit of the last....

Simon

The pigeon crap has been removed and today saw the next section of track on the head shunt shaped and wired up and then glued into position on the concrete.

I then ballasted the turnout and most of the first section of headshunt, changing the mix from ballast to Basalt dust by the end of the section, with a gradual change in between. Here are some snaps of the work, not good quality as the light was going.



Alignment proving shot:



The headshunt track has no cant and sits slightly lower then the main line.

Another small step....

Simon

Nicely done Simon, pleased you were able to make the most of the decent weather today. I trimmed all the bushes on my line and discovered that I have quite a few failed solder joints to deal with

I note both of us are leaving the PMVs alone for the moment

Steve

I have at least now re-found the PMV roof

Tiny bit more progress this evening out on the line, second (already stuck down) headshunt section of 4 X 45ft panels was wired to previous section, soldered joint shrouded, stuck to concrete base and covered in dirt/stone, as was about a further panel and a bit. Here's a snap of the track joint which hides the soldered connections (the wires of which are visible in the previous post)



Hopefully shunting some freight over it this coming weekend

Simon

Next panel shaped, feed wires soldered on and and stuck down this morning. This evening the feed wires to the previously laid (and by now "ballasted") section were soldered and shrouded, less than two 45 foot panels and we're at the end of the road.

Tools laid out ready to solder joint:



Joint after soldering and heatshrink shrouding, masking tape holds wire down while superglue does its stuff, epoxy subsequently run around joints for additional security.



Overall view of work site showing proximity to the end of the line.



I'm toying with the idea of building a "stockaded timber" type of buffer stop at the end of the head shunt, but now I come to think of it I can't recall any ex LSWR examples, (as if it really matters)

Hopefully a spot of Basalt dust ballasting before the shop tomorrow morning...

Simon

I can't wait to have a garden..!

JB.

It's the watching ballast drying thread



I have also started thinking about the layout of the sidings in the yard...



I think the toe of the left hand C8 wants to move as close to the crossing of the "Y" as possible.

Simon

Headshunt now completed, wired and and all Basalt dust ballasted. The Ken Martin buffer stop is more or less done, I've just now blackened the brass prior to painting tomorrow. Here it is laid out at the end of the head shunt earlier today.



And from the other side:



Ken could only supply me with one, but as I needed two fairly soon I have been looking at lots of pictures of bufferstops. The timber stockaded type appears to be a bit of a Midland rarity, despite Sidney Pritchard's 4mm missionary work, so that was a definite no and so it was back to studying pictures of the North Cornwall Railway amongst my book collection.

The actual bufferstops on the light railway bay at Halwill (and those at Bude too) are both of a fascinatingly ugly/modern looking simpler "plated" rail built design, but with flimsy looking "halved" buffer planks that I really don't like. But this morning, looking at the books for the umpteenth time, I realised that the buffer plank (at Halwill at least) was up until some time in 1961 formed from a much nicer looking solid timber type arrangement, so I have decided that I will make a copy of this type for my bay siding. This will be a fair bit of work but much easier than the type above with its need for much rail bending in vertical planes. Following on from this (and from even more poring over pictures) a lot of the bufferstops on the line appear to be of a halfway "hybrid" design between the two types.

Oh the joy of books and utter nerd-idity

Simon,

That's looking very nice. I can just imagine a D6300 stabled up the head shunt between turns!!

Roger

Thanks Roger.

A few indifferent snaps from a good day in the garden yesterday.

The buffer stop was sprayed etch primer, Chaos Black and then dusted with iron dust for future rust effects.

I just need to paint the buffer face in Southern style, white with red horizontal stripe, treat the sleepers with preservative and then plant it and Basalt dust it into place.



We got the passenger coaches out - they do look very nice in the sunshine and with D6319 on the front very "Withered Arm" I like to think.....



Beee - Barp!

Fabulous stuff, dripping atmosphere

Jerry

Good news, I have made and shaped the first bit of plain line before yard Y turnout and cut all the rails to length on the Turnout itself, and thought a bit about how to lay out the gradient down into the yard. It looks good I think

Less good news, I have realised why my stop block looked a bit odd, I had centred the pads on the rails and not on the centres of the buffers, I made the same mistake 8 odd years ago on the first one - what a wally...

I have just butchered my nicely painted stop block beam and re-glued the pads in the correct position, I'll be re-applying white paint in the morning

Simon

Buffer plank sorted out and now with red line applied, a bit of tidying with white paint but I'm quite pleased with its "Southern-ness"



Now should I give it a lamp....

Edit: I've decided it will have a lamp as it is a line on which shunting trains regularly run up to the blocks and that it should be white as it is next to a running line, also it will be offset to the side farthest from the running line. This morning I made up a bracket for the lamp and drilled the stop plank on its rear face to accept the mounting pins, painting and gluing tonight....