4mm Polsarrett: BR(S) N Cornwall Clay, The Final Countdown
NHY 581
Western Thunderer
I've officially named the layout...
View attachment 160921
...and no, I'm not smashing a bottle of champagne on it.
Indeed. Too expensive. How about a bottle of St Peters zero alcohol stuff.....?
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
Erm nope. That's not even fit for cleaning drains let alone launching trains.
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
Bits of glass in my grass.
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
Yes, the fascia lifts off:
It just sort of slots in. Mark, my copilot, will be in charge of making sure nothing gets scratched or dented.
jonte
Western Thunderer
Thank you
Peter Cross
Western Thunderer
London bricks along with most other manufactured bricks are smaller than hand made ones. Swanage bricks although now owned by a national company, are hand made and larger than the machine made from the rest of the company.
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
And today thoughts turn to the crossing gates. I have a kit of parts for a LSWR crossing from MSE. The instructions are a bit vague in places so I'm looking at photos available via Google of the Nanstallon crossing.
As ever, the Cornwall Railway Society has been most useful.
The above taken by Julian Stephens shows that the gate posts were set so they were in line with the gates when closed to rail traffic. It also shows they were hinged nearest the box and (by practical inference) the diagonally opposite corner. The MSE kit says to remove one part of the gate cross braces but these obviously have the X pattern. It also mentions adding horizontal rails, which are absent in the photo. That's 2 jobs saved.
As ever, the Cornwall Railway Society has been most useful.
A very interesting and varied selection from Julian Stephens
Hello Keith, You and your contributors are to be congratulated for the seemingly never-ending supply of images for the excellent site. It must have become a full-time job for you. Long may it...
www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk
The above taken by Julian Stephens shows that the gate posts were set so they were in line with the gates when closed to rail traffic. It also shows they were hinged nearest the box and (by practical inference) the diagonally opposite corner. The MSE kit says to remove one part of the gate cross braces but these obviously have the X pattern. It also mentions adding horizontal rails, which are absent in the photo. That's 2 jobs saved.
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
The second, third and fourth images are again from CRS but this time credited to Andrew Jones.
The first is dated 1970 but I doubt that the condition of the gates was any different to the early 60s. There's a bracket to cater for limiting travel when the gate is closed to road traffic.
1970 again and sad to see the LSWR cottage in such a sad and vandalised condition. The glass is broken and it all looks a bit sad. Obviously missing from the scene is the signal box.
Moving on a year to 1971, the glass has all gone, as has the chimney on the cottage. An interesting detail of the wicket gate too. Interesting that the X brace on the gate nearest the hinge has gone. It has to be an optical illusion but the gates look longer than the road width!
Items added on the 2nd March 2016 Those added most recently come first
Steam returned to Millbay Roger Winnen
www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk
The first is dated 1970 but I doubt that the condition of the gates was any different to the early 60s. There's a bracket to cater for limiting travel when the gate is closed to road traffic.
1970 again and sad to see the LSWR cottage in such a sad and vandalised condition. The glass is broken and it all looks a bit sad. Obviously missing from the scene is the signal box.
Moving on a year to 1971, the glass has all gone, as has the chimney on the cottage. An interesting detail of the wicket gate too. Interesting that the X brace on the gate nearest the hinge has gone. It has to be an optical illusion but the gates look longer than the road width!
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simond
Western Thunderer
Well, that put paid to my assertion that the hinge posts would have been the opposite diagonal.
I wonder why. This arrangement requires more walking, and thus more time.
Every time he changes the gates, he walks twice the length of the gate more than the opposite arrangement, though he can check the lamp, I guess.
Though I doubt the Bobby was rushed off his feet…
I wonder why. This arrangement requires more walking, and thus more time.
Every time he changes the gates, he walks twice the length of the gate more than the opposite arrangement, though he can check the lamp, I guess.
Though I doubt the Bobby was rushed off his feet…
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
Linked via the CRS website was this film credited to AC May and taken in 1965 and published on Cornish Memory:
Bodmin Rd to Padstow Train, 1965s
Some delightful footage around Padstow and then from the front window of a bubble car. The train passes through Nanstallon and there's a few slightly blurry grabs of the approach and passage through the halt.
The gate to the former wharf siding. Will need two like that for the layout. One for the Provender store siding and the other for the clay works.
LSWR cottage and box. Amazing how neat the lineside is.
There's obviously a problem with the colour here as the green on the signal box appears brown.... (It's my parallel universe).
Bodmin Rd to Padstow Train, 1965s
Some delightful footage around Padstow and then from the front window of a bubble car. The train passes through Nanstallon and there's a few slightly blurry grabs of the approach and passage through the halt.
The gate to the former wharf siding. Will need two like that for the layout. One for the Provender store siding and the other for the clay works.
LSWR cottage and box. Amazing how neat the lineside is.
There's obviously a problem with the colour here as the green on the signal box appears brown.... (It's my parallel universe).
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
Hence the reason for this photo trawl Simon. I've lost count the number of times the obvious and sensible solution wasn't used in practice on the real railway.
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
One credited to Ian Bartlett which may have been taken in 1966.
7th December 2021
Fatal accident sixty years ago today Bodmin General Collision Michael L. Roach
www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
Another from CRS, this time in colour.
The caption reads:
1369 and its train of brakevans approaches Nanstallon. A most interesting picture by Sid Sponheimer Copyright. Note the level crossing with its keepers cottage and signal cabin. Beyond is Nanstallon Halt with its GW pagoda shelter. In the foreground the gate lead to Nanstallon Wharf. This was closed in 1960 and lifted in 1961.
The caption reads:
1369 and its train of brakevans approaches Nanstallon. A most interesting picture by Sid Sponheimer Copyright. Note the level crossing with its keepers cottage and signal cabin. Beyond is Nanstallon Halt with its GW pagoda shelter. In the foreground the gate lead to Nanstallon Wharf. This was closed in 1960 and lifted in 1961.
NHY 581
Western Thunderer
Morning Pencarrot,
Lovely photos there. Nice diseasals. I agree regarding the green on the signal box. The older films were somewhat unreliable.........
With regard to the transportation of the layout, am I right in thinking the backscene will offer quite significant protection ?
SB.
Lovely photos there. Nice diseasals. I agree regarding the green on the signal box. The older films were somewhat unreliable.........
With regard to the transportation of the layout, am I right in thinking the backscene will offer quite significant protection ?
SB.
jonte
Western Thunderer
Chris
Reading your post about the crossing gates jogged my memory.
Several years ago, I was contemplating building an LSWR/SR branch line which I was going to base in East Devon. Sadly, it didn’t get very far, but I did however go as far as making a set of crossing gates based on those of Ottery St Mary (which are themselves, I think, LSWR in design):
They’re simply cut down Peco ones - they were double gated - with detail added from bits from the scrap box.
They still require further weathering that I didn’t get round to, especially some roadfilm to the base of the posts (wooden not concrete) and the placing of LSWR lamps which I’m sure I purchased from somewhere or other. The Maskol on the tops of the gates mark where they were to be placed, to ensure a better bond between (metal?) lamp and styrene gate.
Bottom line is, they’re lying around somewhere or other do nothing and probably never will; bearing in mind your impending deadline, if you’d like them (and the lamps, provided they weren’t a figment of my imagination), just until you make something better, then just let me know and their yours to do whatever with.
Jonte
Reading your post about the crossing gates jogged my memory.
Several years ago, I was contemplating building an LSWR/SR branch line which I was going to base in East Devon. Sadly, it didn’t get very far, but I did however go as far as making a set of crossing gates based on those of Ottery St Mary (which are themselves, I think, LSWR in design):
They’re simply cut down Peco ones - they were double gated - with detail added from bits from the scrap box.They still require further weathering that I didn’t get round to, especially some roadfilm to the base of the posts (wooden not concrete) and the placing of LSWR lamps which I’m sure I purchased from somewhere or other. The Maskol on the tops of the gates mark where they were to be placed, to ensure a better bond between (metal?) lamp and styrene gate.
Bottom line is, they’re lying around somewhere or other do nothing and probably never will; bearing in mind your impending deadline, if you’d like them (and the lamps, provided they weren’t a figment of my imagination), just until you make something better, then just let me know and their yours to do whatever with.
Jonte
