4mm Podimore: proper pannier

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Like the interior Adam.

I'd be tempted to drybrush a light greyish brown along parts of the edge of the bench where the paint has been worn through....:eek: :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: AJC

AJC

Western Thunderer
Like the interior Adam.

I'd be tempted to drybrush a light greyish brown along parts of the edge of the bench where the paint has been worn through....:eek: :)

Yes, they’ll be a bit of work there - the intention is that the exterior will be well worn and the green faded. Inside should obviously be brighter but the roof is the priority.

Adam
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
Hello, what's this?

Baseboards_001.jpg

Baseboards_002.jpg

The plywood carcass of the layout still to be, but @ullypug for one might be encouraged. Two boards, each 1 m. long with a composite construction with half ply girder-based box, forming the rear, station area and 'main line'. in front of that the egg box construction allows the change of level to the exchange sidings. The tops (foam sheet) will follow as time allows, but first, more ribs for the curved-front board which I should get done this afternoon.

Adam
 
Last edited:

AJC

Western Thunderer
Is it a boat? I've added alignment dowels between the two boards, and happily the mating faces are still flat. Case clips to join then together and checking for levels next. Then I can put the deck on and it'll - hopefully - start to look like a landscape.

Baseboards_003.jpg

Adam
 
Last edited:

AJC

Western Thunderer
After a certain amount of mucking around, some basic landscaping is starting to appear. As you can see, I’ve used dense closed cell foam for the tops, at least thus far and the flat or level sections are mostly done. The open top bits are beyond the railway fence. What’s left includes the mainline ‘embankment’ which heads up 1 in 100 towards Ilchester, which is a nice simple bit of flat ply on softwood risers. The switchback bits of the exchange sidings I haven't quite worked out how to do...

5D1E38B5-AB7A-4C96-8DF4-DC676BD1FAB9.jpeg

Adam
 
Last edited:

AJC

Western Thunderer
A bit more thinking time was all that was needed in the end (as is usually the case). The result looks a little like an earthwork plan of a hillfort entrance at present, but tracklaying will change that, I hope.

Baseboards_004.jpg

To give a sense of what I'm trying to do, imagine that the mainline railway is set along the contour of a very gentle hill on the edge of low lying land. The quarry line is coming across that low lying land and has to gain a relatively small amount of height to meet it but doesn't have the advantage of an act of parliament to persuade the farm to part with their dairy pasture. This explains both the occupation bridge that will hide its exit and the odd switchback required for the industrial line to have a loop as part of its exchange siding. And who doesn't like a short length of 1 in 30? :D Operationally, this also means that the loaded wagons from the quarry have to be brought into the flat part of the loop, run round, possibly split and pushed over the hump. Empties will be lifted over the gentle(!) side which comes in at about 1 in 50 before disappearing offscene. This no doubt accounts for the rapid attrition rate of industrial locos on that system... In this, I'm informed by Iain Rice's suggestion that some deliberate awkwardness makes for more interesting operation (exhibitions) or play value (at home).

Now look at the trackplan:

Plan_C.jpg

The 'mainline', meanwhile, heads off towards Ilchester at 1 in 100, perched up on a low embankment leaving the level goods siding behind. Practically, this also prevents runaways in the layout's eventual home down at the bottom of the garden - 'Ilchester' will only exist when the sun shines and I can have the door open but its mousehole will always be present.

Baseboards_005.jpg

I probably ought to think about track at this point. I wonder how much I have in hand?

Adam
 
Last edited:

AJC

Western Thunderer
Podimore is now installed in its new home at the bottom of the garden atop a purpose built cantilevered bench. Now there's space to tidy things up a bit...

Baseboards_008.jpg

The back to back flatbottom points are roughly where they'll end up, the other turnout will need rebuilding on a curve to suit the exit from the gently curved goods loop. For the moment it's sitting there to indicate the curve required to reach the mousehole.

Baseboards_007.jpg

A driver's eye view towards Sherborne from the Ilchester direction. Admittedly, it's a bulldozer driver's eye view at present, but give it time...

Baseboards_006.jpg

Looking the other way, you hopefully get a sense of the changes in level. and the short, sharpish gradient up towards Ilchester.

Terraforming or tracklaying soon, but first, after an age, a bit of Sunday Cricket.

Adam
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
If you take a quick glance, you might believe that a railway was starting the take shape. Or are the tracklifting gang just out of shot?

Baseboards_009.jpg

Obviously, none of this is stuck down yet, but the point into the goods loop is built, the trap point is being thought about and should happen within the week and the P-way gang's hut is in approximate position. Since it's relatively new it won't be weathered much more than this.

Baseboards_010.jpg

Looking the other way, towards Ilchester, the points for the kick back goods siding are in position and the first rack for the goods loop is roughly in position. Yes, it will all be on pot sleeepers! The final point, a rather sharp 'Y', forms part of the industrial siding's loop and won't be tackled until I've laid the goods loop and the associated turnout which is just behind the camera.

Right, time for more Sunday Cricket.

Adam
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
Between Zoom meetings, I've managed to get underlay down for the entire layout. Not the most exciting development, but it does give a better idea of the overall plan and the changes in level. That's only half the job, of course because now I'm thinking about view blockers and disguising the exits. The area modelled is not the most wooded part of Somerset, but a few scrubby trees will serve, I think, along with some outliers of the (offscene) dairy.

Baseboards_011.jpg

The wagon is out for some minor repairs and to check clearances with the p-way hut which I think will stay here, though I'll have to build the embankment out a little.

Baseboards_012.jpg

Meanwhile at the other end, the 1:4 turnout that forms one end of the industrial loop now has check rails and the cork sanding block and air raid shelter are placeholders. The latter may or may not be used, we'll see.

Adam
 
Last edited:

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Meanwhile at the other end, the 1:4 turnout that forms one end of the industrial loop now has check rails and the cork sanding block and air raid shelter are placeholders. The latter may or may not be used, we'll see.

This will be a tricky end to disguise without being too obvious. As you have alluded to earlier the area you're portraying it is not heavily wooded and personally I would have the 'mouse holes' larger and carry the scenery onto the first 30cm of the fiddle yard boards.

I've knocked up a quick water colour sketch of the area for fun and to try and illustrate.

The dark grey lines are the existing exit points and baseboard join. If the holes were enlarged and the fiddle yard lit with the 30cm or so of scenery the abrupt demarcation between the layout and fiddle yard becomes blurred. Further enhanced by a few strategically places trees, bushes, etc to break up the neat lines of the exit holes. And finally, as the exit hole 'roof' is higher it would be less noticeable when watching a train disappear.

0DSCF3456.jpg
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Apologies in advance Adam.

I keep seeing the name Podimore and all I can think of is Christopher Douglas's, Nick Newman's and Andrew Nickolds BBC Radio 4/Radio 4 extra comedy Dave Podmore's World of Cricket.
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
This will be a tricky end to disguise without being too obvious. As you have alluded to earlier the area you're portraying it is not heavily wooded and personally I would have the 'mouse holes' larger and carry the scenery onto the first 30cm of the fiddle yard boards.

I've knocked up a quick water colour sketch of the area for fun and to try and illustrate.

The dark grey lines are the existing exit points and baseboard join. If the holes were enlarged and the fiddle yard lit with the 30cm or so of scenery the abrupt demarcation between the layout and fiddle yard becomes blurred. Further enhanced by a few strategically places trees, bushes, etc to break up the neat lines of the exit holes. And finally, as the exit hole 'roof' is higher it would be less noticeable when watching a train disappear.

View attachment 128474

Thanks Dave, I see your thinking - it's far from too late to enlarge the mouseholes, at least at the left hand end. This is envisaged to be viewed at roughly eye level which helps of course. While not heavily wooded, there are small stands of plantation trees and the area is generously hedged. Even Enclosure Act straightline hawthorn hedges can be relatively substantial and it's far from implausible to have the mineral railway appearing from behind the hedgeline in a way that some of the east midland ironstone railways did which was plan A.

Plan B involved the proximity of RNAS Yeovilton and a strategic pillbox. These obviously sit up above the track as they did alongside the S&D's Highbridge route or the West Somerset and a dose of bramble. I'll mock a few up.

Apologies in advance Adam.

I keep seeing the name Podimore and all I can think of is Christopher Douglas's, Nick Newman's and Andrew Nickolds BBC Radio 4/Radio 4 extra comedy Dave Podmore's World of Cricket.

That's probably better than the reality for A303 users - the erstwhile Little Chef or Greggs. Now imagine, if you will, hearing the announcer at the St Lawrence ground, Canterbury, remarking on a change of bowling and my mate Leonie, her partner Ian and I falling into hysterics at the name of *Harry* Podmore (reasonably decent medium pacer, earring, about the right age to be Dave Podmore's son) for the same reason. My wife, not being much of a cricket fan or follower of Radio 4 comedy was nonplussed.

Adam
 
Last edited:

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Now imagine, if you will, hearing the announcer at the St Lawrence ground, Canterbury, remarking on a change of bowling and my mate Leonie, her partner Ian and I falling into hysterics at the name of *Harry* Podmore (reasonably decent medium pacer, earring about the right age to be Dave Podmore's son) for the same reason.

I can imagine half the ground in hysterics with this announcement. I wonder if the announcer kept a straight face!
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
I can imagine half the ground in hysterics with this announcement. I wonder if the announcer kept a straight face!

The Kent faithful being the Kent faithful wanted Darren Stevens or Matt Henry back on. Though I don't think we (supporters of Somerset, Yorkshire and Hants) were alone...

Adam
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
A development - and a reversion to plan A. This was the idea that at one end of the station was an accommodation crossing accessing Higher farm (a real farm, I should add, that has an accommodation bridge over the A303 today). This would have crossed the railway on the level with an embankment restoring the level of the earlier lane. My thought was that the quarry company's line came later and inserted a bridge through the rebuilt bank. The result would be a bit of a hump back effort which suits my purposes...

So here's the bridge:

Bridge_002.jpg

Bridge_001.jpg

Quite a cheap, lightweight, affair based on the bridges on the Fairford branch though in my world in poured concrete rather than stone or brick. That isn't why it's visibly out of square, however, none of it is stuck together yet. The advantage from my point of view is speed: I can knock the thing up from 60 thou' sheet without having to worry about courses of brick joining up or carving quoins. Here's progress so far, showing the near complete wing walls and abutments together with the girder deck. The parapets will be built up with a wooden frame work and corrugated iron infill. I probably won't park the milk lorry on it permanently, but for the moment it's there to show the scale of the structure.

Adam
 
Last edited:

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Nice idea - a pre-cast and/or poured concrete bridge :thumbs: - makes a change from the twee rose tinted chocolate box traditional brick/stone bridges :)

Can't help thinking if the concrete was poured on site wouldn't the wing walls be stepped or at a much shallower angle than 45 deg to prevent the concrete slumping? Unless they are pre-cast concrete slabs poured off-site.

Concrete bridges can be a fascinating subject in it's own right.
 
Top