Location, location , location .

Lynton station was quite dramatically set on a hillside. I've never seen any model of the station convey this sense of location except in the case of a model by Brian Taylor. This almost micro model of the station captures it's location as viewed from the hillside above. The hand painted backscene really works well I feel .

The location was indeed very dramatic I'm sure for the passengers alighting form the train . To capture this feel I'm having a re - think ( yes it happens doesn't it) on how my layout should exit from the station. As viewed from this photograph and capturing the station on the hillside with the line dissappearing behind  as per the the actual rather than coming around the front - stage left as it were - is now how I think I should re-model the last board.

A photograph from the same hillside again shows what a view passengers had. Trouble was they also then realised just how far away the station was from their actual lodgings - yes they had to walk ! 

Exe - The Directors Cut

Here is Exe having a run through the newly installed  Peco mainline points in the station. The signs of fresh work on the Station model are apparent. Nice to see some progress and that the locomotive runs smoothly and at a realistic speed through the new points . 

The Model of Exe is a Backwoods Miniatures .

That Goods shed again

Here is the goods shed  in progress. A repaint to match the station and with some posters quickly printed off to assess how it might look. The posters will be reapplied when I print them off properly on photographic quality paper . But for now here is progress of late. Still guttering to add - more details such as the warehouse doors at the station end and details to the barge boards but I think it's beginning to take shape !

Station building progress

As reported in an earlier blog I wished to repaint the station building in more appropriate colours. Being a member of the Lynton and Barnstaple trust we receive a high quality magazine produced 3 times a year as a benefit of membership - issue no 103 had a very interesting article by Bob Barnard ( who actually has an excellent model of the L&B ) on liveries and the paint scheme possibilities adopted by the railway post 1923.

Of course as we don't have any colour photographs of the period this is subject to conjecture but I've given the station building a repaint in what I feel is a more appropriate colour scheme for the period . Here is the latest progress - this time a picture from my iPad.

Enamel signs

Lynton station buildings in old black and white photographs had some distinctive enamel advertising signs. Try as I might I have not been able to find these commercially . However some quick searches on the internet have provided images of most of what I can see on these old photographs. Using my iPad and pages has enabled me to resize these images to what I believe is the right scale. I've also used a very useful book on the Lynton and Barnstaple railway " Measured and Drawn" (by  Stephen D Phillips in conjunction with Michael J Bishop)  to check this -

More on the Goods Shed

Work is progressing on finishing the painting of the goods shed. I've decided -after some deliberation - as to the possible colour scheme in the first 2 or 3 years after the Souhern ownership began -to adopt said company's paint scheme to my buildings . The exception to this will be the engine shed . I am taking the view ( with no factual proof) that the engine shed was not repainted immediately as a necessity. So instead only the goods shed and station building will be in the Southern style on my layout. The model of the goods shed, as last painted , was still in need of finishing .
            Recent new work has been to add mortar courses and add the first coat of Southern green and cream. I used Humbrol paints for this , the green is code 131 and the cream is code 103 . Clearly a second coat is required.
         After all the mortar is painted in I will attempt to mute all the colours with thin grey washes to tone it down. Here is the goods shed so far in a semi -finished state. This can be compared to how the shed was in just grey primer from an earlier post.  The pictures were taken using my phone and has given the roof and the brickwork a very lurid red look. It doesn't look like this under normal lighting . I think I will revert to the trusty SLR in future posts.

Track plan

I am very pleased that through the approval and courtesy of The Railway Modeller I can share a rather nice track plan of Lynton station as shown in their June 2013 magazine . This is the layout of the station as modified from its original configuration pre Southern ownership days and is how my layout is modelled.
The difference is that, although the track plan was altered pre -Southern  days, most of the buildings on my model will be in their unaltered state. After Southern ownership, the station building was enlarged (circa 1927 ) and eventually a Station Masters bungalow was built (circa 1931 ) on the slight rise of the hillside opposite the station as shown in the plan . The signal box was a later addition early in 1925 in a typical Southern ground frame style. The goods shed and coal shed remained unaltered during the life of the railway aside from repainting of course.
The engine shed was enlarged circa 1909 by a 10' extension. Unfortunately my model of the engine shed  is modelled as pre- 1909 , before this  extension was built and could date my layout. It's unfortunate  as now I wish to model post  Southern ownership and pre -1927. This time period enables me to run Southern livery as well as independent livery stock as it was a while before all rolling stock was repainted into the Southern style. Oh well ..I'll just have to ignore such historical details as the engine shed is now made and I don't wish to make another ! - however  an Australian company " Outback models " might have the solution in their forthcoming kits. Let's see in time.

 

Coach detailing

The lamps have been pained in black and the iron work on the coach ends -  a first coat of precision paints Midland Venetian red added to the roof lining. This seems to have been the way of the L&B to paint the roof lining - on the model this also helps reduce the thickness of the coach roof. Another coat of paint is required but the effect of the paint seems to work and I believe a good match .

I'm pleased to see Monty's model people can be seated on the Peco coach seats very nicely. Here they are positioned just as a test prior to painting the coach seats .

Lynton goods shed reality check

Modelling the actual goods  yard itself with the numerous coal bins will be enjoyable.

I will share progress on this module soon. 

Finally a picture of the goods shed as converted to living accommodation . This helps with the colour of the stone work.