Chalton Progress - up and running

This week saw some substantial progress on the layout detailing front.  I lugged the layout around last week and kept knocking the very tall backscene, and working it loose.  So the first job after setting the layout up was to cut down the height of the backscene and reglue it securely with superglue.  This was actually really easy to do with a scalpel and was a quick job.  Yes the backscene is now a bit lower, but it doesn't half make it easier to carry the boards about.

The original backscene.

The overhang from the back.

During cutting down, with the height difference evident.

And the new height of the back scene.

The second job was to fit some static grass to the rest of the platform edge. I had completed half of the job here, with the second half not taking long.  I put down some blobs of PVA glue and then using tweezers put small clumps of static grass on these.  I then collect up the loose static grass, give it hoover and a blast of hairspray once the glue is dry.  I think it is very effective.

A somewhat bald looking platform edge.

Blobs of PVA glue with lumps of static grass added.

The platform edge with the weeds added.

I also managed to finish off the area by the tunnel, adding in more hedging and bushes to break it up a little.  I am pleased with how this area turned out, but I must paint the edge of the cobbles on the baseboard join.  Other than that, this area and board are all ready to go!

The tunnel end, although the baseboard join now needs painting - with the terracotta DAS clay showing.

The view back towards the tunnel.

And the other way to the station.

So with that all done, the layout had a few items of rolling stock added and I had a good old fashioned session of playing trains - it was great!  To my relief the electrics all worked first time too.

Class 22 on the morning parcels train.

Running out the station.

Class 22 on the evening passenger turn.

Class 31 brings in a short freight.

So items to finish are the trees behind the station, gluing in the station signs and adding the lights to the station.  I think that is probably a weekends worth of modelling and then it is all complete.  Close, but not quite there.  I must resist the temptation to start another layout before adding these final touches in!!

Class 22 running the evening passenger service from Exeter into Charlton.

July 1973 - the end of the line?

It is July 1973 and there has been a proposal to cut all services to on the Charlton branch, one of the last twigs on the Withered Arm, despite the station being revamped with new BR signage only 2 years earlier.  A class 22 enters the slightly overgrown station with an engineers train, with locals worried that this might be part of the salvaging before closure. 

Class 22 with a short engineers train - the beginning of the end??...