Penhayle Bay

[winterbournecm]

Some lovely recent pictures mate - the weathering superb on 6330 & 804. The Glynn Valley ones are spot on too.

[Gwiwer]

The Kernow MRC / Bachmann Scenecraft China Clay Dries arrived yesterday. Both the chimney and shed units are superb and despite the roof panels being unstuck from my shed (which was still securely wrapped in its tissue) they had come cleanly adrift at some point after factory packing and were re-glued very easily.

 

The location for this large structure has been ear-marked for some time but has required a section of backscene to be moved and a short loop in the fiddle yard lifted to permit the backscene to be placed farther away from the running tracks. Trackwork has been completed, the backscene has been shifted but not refitted and the first units placed in position. A second drying shed will fit in the space available and is already on order to complete the job.

 

Site clear-up, detailing and finishing remain to be done in coming days but the first pictures are in.

 

The new buildings perched on the back scene in the position they are to be fitted in. The size of the dries can be appreciated.

 

 

With what used to be No.2 Down Short Loop lifted (and - as incidentals - a minor electrical problem solved plus two points removed, two motors and two yards of re-useable track all recovered) the backscene has to be shifted. This required a sharp blow with the rubber mallet to free it from a very good gluing when built but it came cleanly without so much as a chip off the paint.

 

 

The extent of the scenic alteration is clear with the backscene now in its new position albeit not yet re-glued, the trackbed of the lifted siding and the line of bare wood marking the former backscene position both apparent.

 

 

Beginning to look the part even at the test plonking!

 

 

And proof that the second drying shed will fit where intended - which I had to ensure before placing the order owing to the significant cost and the inability to use the item elsewhere if it were too big.

 

 

More pictures as the scene is reshaped, detailed and tidied up in coming weeks.

 

The new addition has been christened Carreglyp which is from the Cornish meaning "Wet Rock". So we have, slightly tongue-in-cheek, "Wet Rock Dries" but anyone who knows just how wet and messy the china-clay extraction process is will understand the humour! The whole purpose of the dries was to then completely remove all the moisture before the "white gold" was shipped.

Edited August 21, 2012 by Gwiwer

[Gwiwer]

A violent storm this afternoon left everything here covered in balls of ice.

 

This is the Hail 'n' Ride bus

 

 

The black bits are lifted grains (of fine ballast) from the road surface. The driver seems to have hit the wall and gone for help.

[P.C.M]

Bloody Hail,

I saw the storm go across we just got heavy rain here though Mornington copped it. Hope you didn't get any damage.

 

Clay Dries look good another one will really finish that area off.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Gwiwer]

No damage that we are aware of Peter, thanks. I drove home trying to keep ahead of the storm front. Evil winds tossing cars every which way on the feeway and I just got the car under cover when the hail started. Nothing too big here but a lot of it came down and it stayed around long enough to go out afterwards and grab that shot. Biggest hail I found was around 5mm. Quite modest by Aussie standards though luckily we seldom get the giant hail this far south.

[SRman]

Someone should point out to the bus driver that one is supposed to hail the bus, not bus the hail.

 

I think you got more of that storm than we did - the worst of it passed south of here so we only got very small hailstones. Glad there's no damage, though.

Edited August 23, 2012 by SRman

[Physicsman]

Makes our British weather seem very tame!

 

Rick, if one end of your layout is open to the weather, what happens when you get rain (or more hail) driven through in a strong wind? I know you recently had some water damage - does your scenery suffer a lot?

 

I feel very comfy in my "bunker". Admittedly, only 16' x 12', rather than your 50' x 7'.

 

Jeff

[Removed a/c]

Somehow this thread has escaped me. Just went over the whole thing, what a corker!!! I have enjoyed every post, and it has allowed me to daydream about my own layout and what to incorporate into it when I get started.

 

Thanks

 

Scott

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Good to have you on board Scott - there's no time limit but better late than never

 

Jeff - the weather can sometimes blow in through the open end. With the wind in just the wrong direction it also blows out of the other end which retains a mesh vent above the fence to prevent the enclosed area locking in too much heat. That can create a wind tunnel. When I was at the planning stage I looked carefully at the whole area and marked up where rain fell naturally, where it blew or splashed into and where remained dry no matter what. The railway was then built to the maximum dimensions permitted within the "dry" area. Occasionally there are storms which blow rain (and yesterday hail) in almost horizontally but they are few and far between. On the whole the layout stays dry. The bigger problems by far are full-size leaves on the line and sun-bleaching of some of the scenics. After six years or so outdoors nothing has yet proven to be beyond my patience or ability to adapt to and overcome.

 

It isn't practical to completely enclose the railway area and I need to allow for good air circulation on hot summer days so the current arrangement - while not perfect - is as good as I'll get.

 

Speaking of weather and its potential to cause damage the pine forest copped a soaking a few months back when the "waterproof" plastic layer between the backscene and garden fence failed. The area is quite small and has been rebuilt with all the trees salvaged and re-used. Thicker plastic has replaced the original and the scene once again offers a representation of the Glynn Valley near Bodmin seen here in 1960s mode with a Bristol MW coach in Royal Blue livery passing a Western in my own weathered BR maroon. The pine forest also merges into the hand-painted backscene.

 

 

 

[Xerces Fobe2]

Great to see your layout developing further - the Kernow Clay Dries look very good - tempts to go back and revive my old Pentreath layout!

 

XF

[SRman]

It is looking very good, Rick.

[Etched Pixels]

A violent storm this afternoon left everything here covered in balls of ice.

 

This is the Hail 'n' Ride bus

 

 

The black bits are lifted grains (of fine ballast) from the road surface. The driver seems to have hit the wall and gone for help.

 

Put heads and legs on the white balls and you'd have a perfectly normal Cornish scene 8)

[Physicsman]

Cheers Rick. I can understand the need for a good flow of air over your layout. Living in the UK it's easy to forget that you get temperatures approaching 40 celsius, which would be stifling in an enclosed space!

 

Nice batch of photos with the Western. What's the incline, as it seems to have no bother pulling its rake of coaches.

 

Much enjoyment to be had from Penhayle Bay!

 

Jeff

[Gwiwer]

I have never actually calculated the gradients but at that point it would be around 1:20. Most trains have no difficulty with that though some do noticeably slow a little as they tackle the hills of which there are several. I think that adds to the realism. I can run trains up to 16 vehicles behind one or two locos and again most will tackle the hills admirably.

 

The temperature is something many of us in Australia have issues with. Those who have visited my layout on a warm summer day might tell you it can be rather more than 40C. The hottest summer days here see "official" temperatures up to 43C but being partially open to full sun I have recorded 48C in the layout area. That is asking a lot of everything from track to scenics as it all has to cope with expansion and contraction down to a winter minimum of perhaps 5C. Trains are not stored outside and I don't have them stopped in one place for more than a few minutes if it's really hot. That prevents any damage to the rolling stock. I also have a self-imposed rule of not taking anything from the (air-conditioned) house where the trains are stored and plonking it on tracks which might be very much warmer than the metal wheels. Cold metal touching hot can be a recipe for disaster when all that's holding the rails in place is tiny moulded plastic chairs. If I am going to run trains on a very hot day the storage boxes come outside to acclimatise for a while before anything runs.

[Physicsman]

That is a considerable temperature variation. I ought to get out my tables and do some calculations on the expansion/contraction of the nickel-silver! You seem to have matters under control, though.

 

The temperature varied between - 2 and 28 celsius in my garage, before I converted it. Since conversion it's had a range of 10 to 20 C, though I now have electrics sorted so I can warm it in the winter. I anticipate few problems with the heat/cold, and I certainly take heart from your ability to keep a large layout running, no matter the conditions.

 

As for the gradients - it certainly does add to the interest, though steamers might struggle up your Lickey Incline, if fully loaded!

 

Great to discuss this with you Rick.

 

Best wishes,

 

Jeff

[Etched Pixels]

I doubt the nickel silver expansion matters much compared to the contraction and shifting of any wood its nailed to !

[Physicsman]

I doubt the nickel silver expansion matters much compared to the contraction and shifting of any wood its nailed to !

 

You are probably right! Especially if parts of Rick's woodwork get wet...

 

Jeff

[SRman]

A friend (also in Melbourne) has his layout outside in an uninsulated tin shed and there can be as much as 2 - 3 mm expansion/contraction on a 1 yard length of nickel-silver flexible track between Summer and Winter. Gwiwer's layout probably doesn't get quite those extremes because the tin shed probably exaggerates the temperature extremes a little.

[Gwiwer]

If we are talking of a mutual friend also a member of this parish Jeff then I reckon his shed gets hotter inside than my layout area simply because it is fully enclosed until the shed is opened. On the other hand the shed may be impossible to work in during hot summer days where I can at least get out and do something even if I'm sweating profusely and testing models in just my board shorts!!! Ah the joys of Australia Said mutual friend also has a layout and rolling stock looking rather better than mine as well.

 

My track is laid to allow for extremes of temperature and can have gaps between rail-ends at the joiners of around 2mm on a cold winter's day. Those same "gaps" are filled due to expansion in summer and the "clickety-clack" of wheels on jointed track is replaced by a sound more akin to that from modern continuously-welded rail. I had a couple of buckles in the early days but found they were caused by a combination of inadequate pinning (pins now go in every fifth sleeper rather than every tenth) and butting the rail ends tight together failing to allow for any expansion - an elementary mistake not repeated.

 

When I lay track now I use as a rule of thumb a 2mm gap between ends in temperatures below 15C, 1mm from 15 - 25C and close but not quite touching above 25C. I try not to lay track above 35C air temperature.

[Physicsman]

 

When I lay track now I use as a rule of thumb a 2mm gap between ends in temperatures below 15C, 1mm from 15 - 25C and close but not quite touching above 25C. I try not to lay track above 35C air temperature.

 

A useful guide. Have to admit, I've never laid track above 25C. In the far distant wastelands of northern England 25C is unheard of (no wonder the Romans were keen to leave!)!

 

Jeff

[SRman]

If we are talking of a mutual friend also a member of this parish Jeff then I reckon his shed gets hotter inside than my layout area simply because it is fully enclosed until the shed is opened. On the other hand the shed may be impossible to work in during hot summer days where I can at least get out and do something even if I'm sweating profusely and testing models in just my board shorts!!! Ah the joys of Australia Said mutual friend also has a layout and rolling stock looking rather better than mine as well.

 

I think I know who you are thinking of, Rick, but I think his shed is a brick garage if I have the right one. The person I'm thinking of (yet another BRMA member) has his layout in a galvanised iron garage in Wantirna. Apologies to you if I have got it wrong. Whichever one it is, I believe you are right about the enclosed spaces being hotter in Summer and probably colder in Winter as well.

[Gwiwer]

The Kernow MRC / Bachmann Scenecraft china clay dries have arrived. Two of the dries units and one chimney section make a substantial structure which has been added to the lineside near Treheligan station at a point where there are two sidings and the signalling already permits all sorts of interesting moves.

 

Getting these large buildings in has meant the removal of a short loop from the fiddle yard and the re-siting of the low-level backscene behind the main lines. The layout was built from the start with this sort of later modification in mind as a possibility so nothing of significance has been lost and a new scene has been gained with plenty of shunting interest along with it.

 

Currently the three building sections are placed "out of the box" and with the backscene still unfixed from its "cut and paste" move. Detailing and final fitting will follow.

 

 

 

[Physicsman]

Those are fairly substantial buildings Rick. Are you going to join the two main parts together to create one continuous "dries unit"?

 

I've got a dozen or so china clay wagons (with hoods), but unlike you I don't have the space or justification for buying the dries buildings. Shame, as they are excellent structures. Particularly like your last photo - shows a real sense of space - this is looking good!

 

Jeff

[Gwiwer]

The two units will be joined more permanently than they are for now. How that is done will depend on my research. I had intended to take the end wall off one section and trim the roof back on the other such that they met and formed one continuous building but have had the suggestion made to me that some locations had intermediate walls to allow for different grades of clay to be kept apart. It may therefore be more appropriate to simply trim back the overhang on the roof panels.

 

Being fortunate to have plenty of space it seemed a shame to not take the fullest advantage I could of these buildings. I did however err on the side of caution and only ordered one dries along with the chimney until I had those positioned and could be certain that two would both fit and not look crowded. I think two is enough. Three would fit but create a few minor problems of clearance and I don't want to lose the effect of that space which you comment on.

[SRman]

They do look rather impressive as a pair - I think you are right, that three would be overkill. Overall that looks very nicely modelled. One would never know you had to remodel the area.