Cornish Riviera Area Group

[steve howe]

We have been experiencing problems with the Club website recently. These have now been resolved, please note the new URL:
http://www.hfmrc.uk
Contacts are:
chairman@hfmrc.uk
exhibitions@hfmrc.uk
treasurer@hfmrc.uk
Apologies for any inconvenience,
Steve
Steve Howe
Chair, Helston & Falmouth Model Railway Club

[steve howe]

With the bridge track work more or less fettled, we have made a start on completing the missing section to link the two layouts together. On Pat's original layout, the curve away from the Junction station was much tighter and followed the line of the siding in the background. The construction of the replacement corner and river bridge boards opened the opportunity to make the curve wider. Track laying is now in hand to complete this curve.

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There's a way to go, but the gap is closing!

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Planning is also in hand for the locomotive servicing depot.

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This will be a simple servicing point for locomotives returning to and from Watermouth, as the Junction is supposed to be ex. LSWR it will present some opportunities to make a change from the predominant GWR flavour!

[James Walters]

This is all very interesting indeed.

Have you any plans for the turntable yet?

I have in my collection a drawing for a 50' LSWR turntable (Type A, I believe) which was prepared by Pat English.
It is on my list of things to digitise with a view to producing a kit for it. If the drawing might be useful I could get it scanned and posted to you.

Best wishes,

James

[Worzels Works]

Exciting progress Steve,

Thanks for the emails recently and looking forward to catching up with you and the rest on my return to blighty, very much enjoying reading through progress here in the mean time!

[steve howe]

Progress has been a bit slow of late as it often is during summer, but the missing section of track linking the estuary bridge with St. David's Junction is now in place allowing trains to work as far as the original Junction board. Further progress will have to wait until these old sections are rewired and upgraded.



Steve

[steve howe]

Progressing with the new pointwork in the locomotive depot last night. I'm trying to do most of it in 'one hit'. The majority is on copperclad sleepering as the track in this area will be largely buried under ash and coal dust. All the vees now in place, slowly working over the wing rails and closures. I'd forgotten how enjoyable track building can be!

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[Hardwicke]

This is all very interesting indeed.

Have you any plans for the turntable yet?

I have in my collection a drawing for a 50' LSWR turntable (Type A, I believe) which was prepared by Pat English.
It is on my list of things to digitise with a view to producing a kit for it. If the drawing might be useful I could get it scanned and posted to you.

Best wishes,

James

Would that be similar to the original one at Swanage?

[steve howe]

This is all very interesting indeed.

Have you any plans for the turntable yet?

I have in my collection a drawing for a 50' LSWR turntable (Type A, I believe) which was prepared by Pat English.
It is on my list of things to digitise with a view to producing a kit for it. If the drawing might be useful I could get it scanned and posted to you.

Best wishes,

James

Would that be similar to the original one at Swanage?

Currently we are looking at the Metalsmiths range, pricey but good!
Steve

[RedDragon]

I think you’ll find the Metalsmith range of turntables is no longer available, happy to be proven wrong though

[Hardwicke]

http://www.metalsmith.co.uk

[Philip Hall]

The link takes you to the Metalsmith site which then directs you to Midland Railway Centre, which turns out not to be the one with the museum and big steam trains but another site with a similar name. That's when you find out the that the proprietor is winding down in preparation for retirement and the turntable kits are no longer being produced, although he's looking for someone to take these on.

Philip

[Hardwicke]

I couldn't get that link to even work on my phone. Oh well.

[steve howe]

Thanks for the updates chaps, annoying as we had planned to get one a while ago but deferred!

The SE Finecast kit may be an option but no one so far has had any experience of building it.

Steve

[grovenor-2685]

I couldn't get that link to even work on my phone. Oh well.

The link to Midland Railway Centre on the Micrometalsmith page is incorrect and just links to itself.
Try here, https://www.midrailcentre.co.uk/

[Hardwicke]

Thanks Keith.

[steve howe]

Work has been progressing slowly on the Station Hotel:

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Slating the roof was made less tedious by the use of Scale Model Scenery's laser cut slates, this is a local firm to us and their range of scenic products seems to grow ever larger!

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Chimney stacks, South Eastern Finecast embossed brick and 3D chimney pots from Model Railway Scenes. I don't usually make stacks to fit the roof, preferring to build them in as part of the structure and fit the roof around them, somehow these slipped past. Initial mortar colour with Tamiya followed by dry brushing with poster paints.

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The front door needed some steps and a portico. The steps were simple layers of Foamex. The components of the portico were scavenged from the scrap box including fluted cable for the columns.

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I thought it would be nice to ornament the portico with some iron railings and Scale Model Scenery do just the job with their GWR decorative iron panels. These were often used to ornament the roofs of standard GWR station buildings, Truro station still has them.

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The portico in place and additional railings fitted to the roof. SMS's laser cut product is incredibly finely cut and, having a genuine thickness, looks more convincing than an etch.

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The seperate lobby for for steamer passengers was decked out with palms and cast iron benches. Hopefully some of it will still be visible via the glazed roof light!

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Finally for now, the ventilator on the stables roof under construction, and a chance to try out my new magnetic corner clamps! this will be slated as for the rest, just windowsills, downpipes and guttering to go!

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[Rod Cameron]

Very nice Steve

What kind of compost are you using for the palms?

[Alan Woodard]

That is gorgeous. Great modelling.

[steve howe]

Very nice Steve

What kind of compost are you using for the palms?

Peat free DAS!

Steve

[Terry Bendall]

Brilliant work Steve.

Terry Bendall

[DaveHarris]

Excellent work Steve! Im jealous!

[steve howe]

The Station Hotel more or less completed and trying out its site behind Watermouth Station.

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The final bedding in and street treatment will have to wait until further shops are completed.

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[Terry Bendall]

Very nice.

Terry Bendall

[steve howe]

The next building in the Watermouth streetscape is underway. This is the 'Co-Op' once the mainstay of the high street selling virtually everything from fire irons to funerals; pots and pans to packets of peas. The building is semi-low relief with an archway connecting it to the Great Western Hotel next door. The arch is supposed to lead to the Co-Op's dairy since milk distribution was originally their primary trade. This would give easy access to the milk dock in Watermouth station goods yard.

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The basis is South Eastern Finecast embossed plastic sheet (far superior IMHO than Slaters as the moulding is much crisper and very accurate) A base coat of Tamya buff is applied.

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Colouring is basic poster paints, often sniffed at because of their popularity in school art rooms, these cakes of paint are in fact high in pigment and very dense, being quite coarsely ground they dry to a slightly gritty texture which is just what we need.

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The lower elevation has its finished brick colour, the upper ones have just had their mortar wash

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A thin wash of matt enamel mixed to a sandy grey tone is applied working down the wall. Capillary action carries the wash into the crevices and also softens the brick colour, which I tend to make a little darker than needed to compensate. A word to the wise: spirit based enamels can affect plastic sheet making it brittle over time and inclined to warp. I always mount the plastic sheet to thick mountboard with a strong adhesive to counteract any movement. If the wash has lightened the brickwork too much, when dry a gentle rub over with a cotton bud moistened with white spirit will restore the color.

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The basic shell assembled. The shop front is a 3D print by Model Railway Scenes, http://www.modelrailwayscenes.com At the time they only produced a single right-handed version, however Peter the very obliging proprietor reversed the artwork and created a left-hand version which when joined gave a larger double door frontage more suited to the larger emporium! The gap above the arch will be filled with an engraved 'sandstone' block and further architectural embellishment is intended for the rather Flemish pediment.

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More research needed as what a Co-Op window display looked like!

[Mike Paterson]

Steve,

The Co op at Beamish might be a good place to start. Plenty of photos on the internet.

Mike