The Original Beechingless Barnstaple (1976-8)
The Handrawn Scale Diagram - on A1 Paper - predates Home Computers!
Recently rediscovered Original Drawings for Beechingless Barnstaple.
Baseboards were 2ft x 5ft 12mm chipboard surfaced with Insulation Board - very dusty! Total 15ft x 9ft on 2 levels.
Boards were connected by M12 Coach Bolts, and mounted on lots of Woolworths 18inch table legs.
Initial alignment was made on my parent's Landing - 1 board across x 3 boards along before taking it up into the roof space.
I had to vacuum the entire house
afterwards to remove the dust from the insulation board!
Top of Diagram: Barnstaple Junction and double track incline (chipboard on risers) to higher levels,
with a narrow gauge incline for the Lynton and Banstaple Railway squeezed inbetween in the reverse direction
- this incline being on the edge of expanded polystyrene.
The main incline changed to the other side in later houses, but left an inherited gap between the junction and the edge of the board, which has only disappeared in the 2007 rebuild
In this version there is a 'Mortehoe' Station but no Barnstaple Town.
'Fremington and Braunton' being platforms of the through tracks to Torrington and Ilfracombe located at the rear of Exeter/Taunton - the main Storage Area (built as a 'Station' with platforms and lights, not as a plain 'Fiddle yard'). Torrington, Ilfracombe and Lynton are located on the Upper Levels.
Tippexed portions on the right show where the L & B alignment changed. The narrow gauge was planned to extend into the Junction's Yard.
The Second Drawing reflects actual construction and modification. Evident in the markings of the Platform Tracks are the positions of 'Isolation Shift's devised to allow the Atlantic Coast Express to be split and rejoined, using the DC technology of the day.
The layout was originally designed before
the announcement of Zero-1 Command Control, but was built once it was announced: As a result, I do not recall ever building its DC control panel, BUT I do recollect the Analogue 'Digitol' Controllers used before changing to Zero-1 at its launch. I had bought all the interlinked switches for Power Allocation between 4 controllers.
Barnstaple Junction
Torrington Station
The Mk2 Version existed for 2 years in our Enfield House - it was enlarged slightly - but no drawings have yet been found.
The Railway had its own Removal Lorry when we left...
'Moving Adaptions' describes the Changes which occured after we moved to our present home in 1982.
The Original Beechingless Barnstaple (1976)
Moving Adaptions - adjusting to the new (1979)
Beechingless Barnstaple (1976-2005)
Beechingless Barnstaple 2007 - The Total Rebuild
1 - Aluminium Framing and Polycarbonate bases
2 - Ilfracombe Construction - Fireproof Expanded Polystyrene Top Layer
3 - Track Laying in the Storage Area
4 - Blue Sky and Lower Level Lighting/ Scenic Level Early Days
5 - More Early Scenic Level Basics - including the change to a Viaduct
6 - Rocoline reaches Barnstaple Junction
The Simplicity of DCC Power Distribution
720 LED Lighting of Storage Level
7- Scenic Level Solid Foam Construction (May 2007)
8a - Video Monitoring of Storage Area
8b - Rocoline: Revised Ilfracombe Approach and Test Loops
8c - Rocoline: Revised Viaduct Branchline and Barnstaple East / Yard
8d - Rocoline: Revised Barnstaple Bridge, Pilton
9 - Rocomotion - the beginning
LGB
Scandinavian
Shunting Puxzzle - Bruksbanen - G Scale
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Christmas 1997
Christmas 1998
Created in HTMLEdit Studio by Phil Spiegelhalter on 21st September 2006/ revised August 2007