Ashburton -

[28ten]

Cheers, the coach is actually an LB&SCR 1863 composite brake, and has been built from a 5 & 9 Models kit. A lot of the early railways used the same coach builders so, together with some modellers licence, I think I've managed to pull it off. I've a similar kit with a luggage compartment to go with it of which I intend to start work on soon, so I'll most probably cover it's build on here when I do.

Send me an email with your details/address and I'll sort you out with a hard copy of the article

The windows are very like some GWR Broad gauge stock. Your model certainly captures the look of pre-modernisation GWR coaching where no two coaches were of the same profile

 

[Simon]

I sat down with sketchup tonight and worked on some rough ideas the first shot shows 143ft sq grid overlaid onto the plan (this is 3sq ft in 7mm) the buildings are roughly sketched and there is a vague idea of the board area. 18ft less fiddleyard will get the whole lot in plus the forecourt which I really wanted as it is part of the character. the other shots are just general views.
this simple exercise has already thrown up a couple of issues re the ground contours - so its time well spent

I really like this idea of yours. Although Ashburton might be seen as a bit hackneyed it is a lovely prototype and your staging as sketched out would make for a very memorable model I think. I am particularly taken with the idea of being able to approach the model from the forecourt and town as would an intending passenger, that plus the non rectilinearity of the whole thing.

I have bored people with this before but one of the most inspiring things I have ever read was Cyril Freezer's 9d Peco booklet on modelling branch lines. Cyril was a very good writer on this subject and I loved the way in which it was all written in the present tense. I still find his notion of setting out to model a branch line accurately with limited relevant stock which you build up to gradually intensely appealing.

As an aside that is one reason for (personally) finding the fantastic plethora of 4mm scale stock now readily available to be a bit of a paradoxical "turn off" from a modelling point of view. On the one hand it can only be a good thing, but on the other hand it somehow seems to smother creativity - or perhaps that's just me.

Either way I think your idea pretty much ticks all my boxes, especially the moving forward in time to those modern hydraulics and the surviving milk traffic!

So which year will you and Ashburton be available for a trip to Bradford on Avon We had John Lycett Smith's 2mm version last year, a very lovely model indeed.

 

[28ten]

Simon
thank you for your comments, to me , it is the perfect GWR BLT I looked very seriously at Uxbridge Vine st, but it was too big for one person to tackle in 7mm. The final clincher has been the GWRJ article which just captures the mundane existence of a branch line, and I do like the idea of the whole social background to any layout whatever period. I agree about 4mm rtr- if you have ambitions of a huge 4 track mainline then it is a necessary evil but otherwise - but its a turn off to me, it might sound snobbish but I dont want the same models as everyone else!
I like the idea of a banana shaped layout that wraps the viewer into the scene, and Ashburton is perfect for this, I just hope I can do it justice :scratch: You might get a virtual 3d model by this time next year, but you might have to wait until 2015 for a completed layout! Once the drawing is done I will be using as much technology as possible to speed things up, I have a few tricks planned for the boards, based around a central spine and hanging building modules off that, I will be doing everything possible to avoid visible baseboard joints :laugh:
I have added one shot from my collection, just to show the road view, I can see this scene with either a D63xx of 14xx poking its nose out from the roof....

 

[Jordan]

... it might sound snobbish but I dont want the same models as everyone else!
....

With you all the way there, Cynric... I even tried modelling British 1:87 HO to get away from the RTR same-ness; now that IS a lonely furrow to plough!! :shock: Saw the 7mm light eventually of course...

 

[westernfan]

[quote=""28ten"":7q1bzm2j]... it might sound snobbish but I dont want the same models as everyone else!
....

With you all the way there, Cynric... I even tried modelling British 1:87 HO to get away from the RTR same-ness; now that IS a lonely furrow to plough!! :shock: Saw the 7mm light eventually of course... [/quote:7q1bzm2j]

well now that you mention rtr i too was fedup with all the clone type products in oo so i went back in time (45 years) and opted for triang tt and all those white metal kits and thus my tt ex berlinerbhann railbus was born i even drilled out the magzac in the triang windsor castle and installed a seuth smoke unit then i also saw the light of o gauge

 

[28ten]

A quick 10 mins this morning has a backscene added and the shape revised. it will go through a lot more changes yet but the idea is coming together. once these rough visualisations are ok I will draw up some detailed plans for laser cutting the structures, windows etc

 

[Pannier Tank]

Hi Everyone,

Just Joined the Group.

Ashburton is one of my favourite BLT's, however Moretonhampstead is growing on me due to the wider range of locomotives 61xx BR Std 3 etc.

 

[lancer1027]

Hi David and welcome to the mad house (i mean forum :lol: ) great to see another interested modeller on here. PS dont forget to get your projects on here, with plenty of pics
Rob :wave:

 

[28ten]

Hi All,
Just Joined the Group.

Ashburton is one of my favourite BLT's, however Moretonhampstead is growing on me due to the wider range of locomotives 61xx BR Std 3 etc.

Regards

David

Hello David and welcome :wave:
as I m sure you know Mortonhampsted is 'Ashburton in reverse' so there are many similarities. are you sure that 61xx were used? I know 44xx and 45xx were used (same at Ashburton) and I have seen mention of the Std 3, but im really not sure about the 61xx.
Are you planning a layout based on Moretonhampstead?

 

[Pannier Tank]

Soory, I should have said the 41xx / 5101 Series, the 61xx series were based mainly in the London Region. 41xx / 5101 were used on the Moretonhamstaed Branch on Passenger & Freight Services.

 

[westernfan]

ahh BLT branch line termius i thought blt ment bacon lettuce and tomato :lol:

 

[28ten]

Soory, I should have said the 41xx / 5101 Series, the 61xx series were based mainly in the London Region. 41xx / 5101 were used on the Moretonhamstaed Branch on Passenger & Freight Services.

Regards

David

With you now :laugh: I have just had 'GW branch line termini' out checking !

 

[Jordan]

Hi All,
Just Joined the Group.

Hi & a belated welcome, David! :wave:

The Wolverhampton MRC made (& still have, I think) a 4mm scale model of Moretonhampstead, to exact scale too IIRC. Unfortunately my impression of operations at exhibitions brought the words "paint" "dry" and "watch" to mind...

 

[Pannier Tank]

[quote=""Pannier Tank"":yc2q1t0m]Soory, I should have said the 41xx / 5101 Series, the 61xx series were based mainly in the London Region. 41xx / 5101 were used on the Moretonhamstaed Branch on Passenger & Freight Services.

Regards

David

With you now :laugh: I have just had 'GW branch line termini' out checking ![/quote:yc2q1t0m]

This is a nice book on the branch http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moretonhampstea ... 0946184887

 

[Pannier Tank]

[quote=""Pannier Tank"":6idavada]Hi All,
Just Joined the Group.

Hi & a belated welcome, David! :wave:

The Wolverhampton MRC made (& still have, I think) a 4mm scale model of Moretonhampstead, to exact scale too IIRC. Unfortunately my impression of operations at exhibitions brought the words "paint" "dry" and "watch" to mind...[/quote:6idavada]

Hi Jordan,
Thanks for the welcome. I'll keep a look out for Wolverhampton MRC layout, thanks.

 

[28ten]

My back has been rather sore for the last week and tonight has been the first time i could comfortably sit for for more than a few minutes, so i thought I would crack on with some planning. the shot is the start of the engine shed in sketchup. once the 3d modelling is completed I will be able to get some of the components laser cut.it is also a great way of working out how to make the model

 

[28ten]

I have been slowly cracking on with the 3d model. I have solved quite a few constructional problems so the time has been well spent

 

[28ten]

Some more detail and a test render........

 

[Steve Cook]

That looks very nice indeed guv Enjoyed watching the 3D concept develop on screen, what material do you plan to construct the engine shed from?

Steve

 

[28ten]

That looks very nice indeed guv Enjoyed watching the 3D concept develop on screen, what material do you plan to construct the engine shed from?

Steve

Probably a combination of laser cut parts with ply and DAS for the walls and plastikard for the windows.

I found an error in the drawings I had (the building was 6" too wide - which proves the point of drawing up a model