A popular layout back on YMRC

The Western Hydraulic Running Day pictures have been delayed owing to other events through this week.

*  Friends who have visited Penhayle Bay over the years will have met its resident cat, Gwyn, who greeted visitors to his door and demanded feeding and patting either in a playful or aggressive manner according to who you were.

We are sorry to record that Gwyn fell asleep on Thursday after a short illness and at the age of 12½.  He was therefore around 73 in human terms and had been with us since before Penhayle Bay was even thought about.  

After visiting the vet twice a week over the past three weeks he finally succumbed to multiple organ failures though had been suffering from arthritis for some time also.  His presence will be sorely missed and the energy and life seems to have temporarily left the home.  He has been laid to rest within earshot of the trains at Penhayle Bay and with the words "Travel well".

*  With over 200 pictures to review and eventually 84 chosen and edited I can only sensibly show a selection here.  The full gallery is available at my Smug Mug site.  Attendance was modest but comfortable.  Having smaller numbers made it possible to enjoy a decent conversation with everyone which hasn't always been possible when I have been host, operator and caterer all in one.  

I had hoped to also offer some video clips of trains moving.  I am using a camera which is fairly new to me and for which I am unfamiliar with the video controls.  The results were unsuitable so these will be re-shot at some future time.

The full set of pictures can be enjoyed here: Penhayle Bay Hydraulic Running Day 2015 - gwiwer

Very early in the morning the clays ease off the St. Agnes branch behind a class 22



And cross the entire layout to access the Ponsangwyn branch for onward shipping of the white gold cargo



The first up London train of the day calls at Treheligan for early morning traffic led by a class 52 Western



Looking back along the train we see a recently-repainted coach in the future standard blue-grey livery



The first down train was the Travelling Post Office, always a Western duty, which drew up alongside the branch DMU which has arrived from the west and reversed in the up platform to gain the branch for its first trip of the day.



There was already a Warship-class loco waiting in the down platform loop



Next to arrive was the overnight sleeping-car train from London behind a newly-repainted class 43 Warship



It transpired that "Royal Oak" was not in good health and had struggled to even get this far.  The failure was duly removed and shunted off for attention back at Laira depot.   This move delayed the arrival of the morning vans from St. Agnes which is waiting at the branch signal behind a class 03 shunter.



And the waiting loco in the loop - well two actually - which had been brought up from Ponsandane were shunted on and continued the service.  The branch vans has the road into the platform.



After that drama things settled down to a more routine day.  The next up London service produced a "Chromatic Blue" Western



And was followed by The Cornishman for destinations across the Midlands and Yorkshire and which arrived alongside its branch connection



As is often the case this train included a Thompson coach



The clays finally arrived at Ponsangwyn where the yard was busy and a maroon Warship awaited line clearance with a freight for the west.



The freight having gained the road it climbed to the main lines at Carreglyb where the milk tanks were looped on the up side



Along the line at Penhayle Bay a London train storms the bank up to Nansglaw as the morning down local DMU coasts through the sand dunes to stop at the station ahead.



The overnight catch came home on the morning tide



It took two Warships to lift a parcels train of gargantuan proportions and with vehicles of very varied origin to the summit of the line



A rare bird for Cornwall - a Hymek - took the empty milk tanks onward for their next filling and an overnight run up to London's Kensington Olympia



Two class 22s were assigned to the return clay working as it crossed back from the Ponsagwyn branch through Treheligan's up platform



And stormed the fierce gradient of the St. Agnes branch



Green lichen seems to have taken over a redundant milk tank and some other scrap in Steptoe's yard



For the first time in many months there was a farmer's market in the station yard



Passengers came, waited and went through the day



As did trains of all shapes and sizes - here a lengthy freight requires the combined power of a Warship and a 22 while the branch DMU performs another trip



The goods had earlier passed another brace of 22s which had arrived from up-country and run round a clay train at Carreglyb



St. Gunzela's Church saw a wedding take place



Moving forward in time a little into the BR blue era another Warship coasts downhill from the woods with a van train alongside a 22 plus 35 combination coming up from Ponsangwyn



In open country a blue Western speeds across Darras Viaduct bound for London



More passengers waited hopefully for their trains



Which included 1023 Western Fusilier on a rake of Mk2 coaches heading the final up Paddington train of the day



"Fusilier" also called at Penhayle Bay



Yet more 22 interest at the clay dries as one blue loco with a down van train passes another idling in the clay sidings



The down branch vans late in the day was worked by another Hymek and included a Hawksworth van behind the loco; the branch DMU is already resting for the evening in the former loco run-round loop.



The final down train of the day was a two-car DMU with a DPU parcel van on the rear seen calling at an illuminated Penhayle Bay where it seems as though the beach is as popular by night as by day.



Over the course of a simulated day's operation all of my WR hydraulic types got a run - some running much more than others - and an attempt was made to represent a typical summer's day traffic-wise and across the various years and liveries of the hydraulic era.  I enjoyed it.  I'll do something similar again one day.

Most enjoyable viewing your pics you have shared with us, for which I am most grateful. Liked the story line to go with the photo's too, made even more interesting to read. Well done Rick,  loved it or as they down home "proper job my ansome"

Cracking storyline and photo's Rick, many thanks! :):)

Cheers
Ron

Very enjoyable pictures and storyline Rick, well done :thumbs


Ed

(PS: Sorry to hear about Gwyn)

Rick, Excellent story line and believably illustrated. Most enjoyable.

This beast has featured before but has reappeared after the hydraulics were put away.  

The Western Region class 47 "namers" were never common in the far south west being largely confined to the London and Bristol areas with regular workings into South Wales also.

Seen in good sunlight on the narrow side of the layout which despite appearances really is only 9" wide at this point.



Broadside on the viaduct



Now does this belong in the layout thread or under the weathering one?  The loco has had a few details added since last outing including bogie frame weathering and a touch of Grimy Black - a colour I didn't have available until recently - on the roof in addition to the previous Soot Black



And paused at Penhayle Bay where the tunnel does a reasonable job of taking the eye off the 90-degree bend around the corner of the layout here.

Rick, I like that. I'm not a great diesel fan but I do think those 47's are very majestic and imposing looking locos. Tasteful and no doubt about it, all business.

Hi Rick,
Very sorry to hear about Gwyn, a great loss.
On the railways, what great picture stories you show, I love 'em, as indeed I love your DH's.

Thank you to both Johns.

In conversation with a work colleague today the subject arose of a small memorial.  I have been persuaded to get the clay out at some future time and attempt a respectful representation of Gwyn in OO.  

It won't be very big at 1:76 or thereabouts despite his size - always a big cat though never overweight but weighing in at over 10kgs in his prime - however it would be something.  

The layout has many tiny scenes around it which go to make up the varied whole which it is.  The farm already has three cats from proprietary packs of animals.  A hand-crafted white cat somewhere suitable wouldn't go amiss at all.

Twin Peaks!

A reasonably clean 45 waits in the loop while a filthy and faded 46 storms through with the up mails.



Meanwhile a class 25 growls through Penhayle Bay in the evening with a rake of vans



And down at the shed 37207 waited its next job and the duty 08 chuntered away at the head of the cement tanks

The original concept behind Penhayle Bay always assumed that there would be some Southern input. Partly because the fictitious location is very close to Newquay and assumes the 15-mile "missing link" between that town (on the GWR) and Padstow (on the SR) was actually built and not simply planned and shelved. And partly because I have strong family connections to the SR at Wadebridge and I quite like their motive power.

With the recent arrival of the O2 tanks and the S15 I thought it was about time to get the "green box" out of the cupboard and play kettles!

So the S15 is more or less weathered to my satisfaction now despite a generous (excessive?) application of oil at the factory. That has at least found its way over all the motion and driving wheels making them look nice and greasy in the sun.



That could easily be somewhere on the SR main line west of Salisbury. I've added a dummy screw coupler to the front but in common with other S15 owners have found it necessary to remove the front steps and ejector pipework in order for the pony truck to negotiate curves. I'm hoping to get at least one step back in place eventually; a small amount of adjustment to one spot on the track should be enough. The discs (head signal in SR parlance) are set for Waterloo - Salisbury - Exeter.



To keep the S15 company the branch service was worked by the large Standard tank and a BR Mk1 BCK - the "instant train" in a single carriage having first and second classes, smoking and non-smoking in both and a guard's brake compartment and luggage area. The head signal is set for Exeter - Ilfracombe.  The dummy coupler is newly fitted and requires weathering in.





A Hornby loco which hasn't had a run here in a very long time is the T9. This carries commercially-applied weathering which is starting to fade to an odd ochre shade on the wheels which will be over brushed with powders at some time. The coal added to the bunker was also exhibiting shiny white adhesive and has already been dealt with as the black weathering powder was handy!

When these locos were released there was consternation that they featured traction tyres. They are very light - almost as light as the O2s which are half their size - and without some assistance wouldn't pull skin off a custard. I had mine marked down as a poor performer but today, with clean wheels, she managed five coaches easily over my severe gradients.

Here the head signal is set for Exeter - Padstow upon which route the last examples worked out their final days.

Lovely work Rick. Nice to see the Southern locos. What a difference that new clear roofing has made to the photos!

Marty

Thank you Marty.

Today it was the turn of an A1X Terrier on the branch.  Even the minuscule and fly-weight Hornby model can manage a single Mk1 on the branch gradient.  These locos were famous for their late survival on the Hayling Island branch upon which nothing heavier was permitted to cross Langston bridge.  The head signal disc is thus set for Havant - Hayling Island and in SR fashion, but contrary to the rule book, there's one at each end to minimise the number of disc changes required on a short-distance service.



The main line saw one of Mr. Bulleid's air-smoothed light Pacifics in action with one of his design of coaches first in the train as well. Like 'em or loathe 'em these distinctive locos brought a touch of individuality to the routes they served and could be found widely over Southern metals.  34041 carries the name Wilton and is therefore a West Country class.  The discs are set, as with the S15 yesterday, for Waterloo - Exeter; the engines often worked through though crews were normally changed at Salisbury.

Sunday 29th November - Buses Replacing Trains

Buses will replace trains all day on the Penhayle Bay Railway while our engineers carry out planned maintenance works.  You are advised to allow an extra 30 minutes for your journey.  We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

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At first light a ballast train was spotted emerging from Nansglaw Tunnel



First stop was atop Darras Viaduct where selective ballast maintenance was carried out.



The main work site was at Treheligan station where reballasting of the "six-foot" is in progress.  Note the engineer's trolley and track tamper also present.



The ballast train was powered "top-and-tail" fashion with a loco at each end.  This allows safe movement in both directions within the area under engineer's possession rather than having to reverse a train with the driver at the far end.  Heavy trains such as this also require two locos to provide adequate power.



A sea of orange vests - not all actively engaged in working! - as the final layer of ballast is spread from the wagons.



Another angle on the work - or lack of it is some cases.



A fleet of buses replaced trains to take passengers wherever they needed to go.  The ballast train has drawn up alongside the tamper.



Buses of all shapes and sizes were in use.  Here a Leyland National turns into Station Hill.  Trains will resume from first service in the morning.



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In other news Penhayle Lifeboat has returned to take up position for the summer season.  The train above has terminated here due to the engineering work farther along the line.



"All Stop" is the hand-signal from the bow-man as the fishing boat approaches the quay and has to negotiate the Severn Class lifeboat occupying the spare berth.  Summer is just around the corner when the lifeboat appears; her duty lasts until the end of the main holiday period.

Nice to see the 'orange army' out and about Rick.

Those passengers still on the platform bench are going to have a long wait


Ed

Thanks Ed.

I reckon one of those friendly bus drivers might come over and collect them eventually, eh?

They ought to, it's Sunday ………….. double time

Ed

Following on from the appearance of Southern steam above I made use of some natural lighting effects today to play with the "Wenford Goods", a short rake of china clay and 16ton mineral wagons and vans behind one of my trio of Beattie well-tanks.

The train is captured by the photographer rounding the curve below Wheal Julia





Having run a few laps of the layout the train then arrived at the clay dries





And for authenticity - since most photos taken when these little engines were in active service were in monochrome.

Some stunning photos there rick, you really have some depth on this layout.

Seasonal Regards

Nice looking loco. In black and white the china clay dust looks like snow. Could be the Christmas header photo!!

Bob