St Eval & St Merryn

[bsa77]

It's been a long time coming this, been working on it of and on for about a year now and finally getting to a point that I think I'm happy with progress, the plan and that it will get somewhere near completion one day!

So what am I doing?

St Eval was an RAF strategic coastal command base on the North Cornwall coast during WW2 and my imagination has gone a bit mad. Simply put, a feed was taken from the Wadebridge to Padstow line, to St Merryn and then on to St Eval air field - based in 1944, the line was built so trains had to go from the Wadebridge feed, to St Merryn and then on to St Eval, (the reason for this is it allows "the rest of the world" to vanish in the middle of the layout and gives me 3 x 1 metre long sidings for trains going to/from Wadebridge.

I've used a lot of poetic licence as I wanted a river to be included and so i've taken a stream to the north of the base, made it into the river that flows to Porthcothan beach (the best beach in the world). This river is now on the limit of the base, where the RAF sidings and halt station are. St Merryn, a tiny village more well known for the Cornishman's arms would never have been big enough for a station but it is now! Small station, small shed (maintained the loco that ran to St Eval and the pilot for the very steep hills that are between St Merryn and Wadebridge), couple of sidings for goods and sheep.

Hills and open country side to allow me to model a mobile air defence point (trailered guns) and if I get it right, a hole in the ground where a German fighter crashed after being shot down (complete with "clean bit of rail/ballast at the same point to show that the track had to be repaired.

I'm a big fan of DCC and although my stock is limited at the moment (Q1, dcc sound / M7, dcc sound / Wells tank, dcc sound / gwr sentinel, dcc only at the mo / GWR 14xx dcc only) I have quite a lot on back order with Kernow and Hattons. I'm looking to change from digitrax dcs 50 to Hornby railmaster on a pc soon. Track is code 75, electrofrog points and a combination of point motors all normal switched but for dcc.

The layout is in my shed which is also my home office (I work from home 2 days a week) and my workshop and takes up nearly 3 complete walls.

Over today I hope to put the trackplan and some photos up. This is a slow process, I tinker when I can but am hoping that by Christmas, all of the track will be sorted (St Merryn is done, St Eval isn't.

[bsa77]

This is looking towards St Merryn station, where the engine shed will be. Also shows in the foreground, the area the crashed fighter will be.



This is where the goods/cattle siding will be and off to the right is the bridge that hides the rest of the world.

[bsa77]

From the platform, looking down the line and toward the hills hiding the rest of the world.



The St Eval extension...



And some of the RAF/Army stuff built/bought.

[bsa77]

Trackplan, hit my limit of 50 bits but hopefully this and the photos give an idea:

[Desmond84]

Hey mate, looks good, I really like the railways at war scenarios. Be good to see it progress.

Des

[David68]

WOW, that is very impressive.

[bsa77]

Thanks chaps, believe me I've gone on many journeys to get this far - OO, sold it all, N gauge, sold it all and now back to OO - I think the code 75 track has helped me stick to this one, I much prefer the look. Plus as I've got older I'm less inclined to start again!

[Emettman]

"Porthcothan beach (the best beach in the world)"
Close. Very close.
I'd have to go for the very next one south of it, the beach at Bedruthan Steps. When it's there.

I really like the layout idea and execution.

Me, I live a little bit further east: not far from Davidstow WW2 aerodrome.

Chris

[bsa77]

When a kid my Grandma lived near St austel and we used to travel to porthcothan at every opportunity. Now a Dad myself we do the same, my mother knows the owners at Carnevas so we will probably stay there. Ah, the fun of trying to spend a day at Bedruthan steps.

Yesterday I built the rest of the extension, just got the river bed and back scene to build before I can start on the track, would be nice to get the fiddle yard extension layed today.

Plus an aifix RAF bomber loading kit and typhoon/me109 kit arrived, the me109 will be the crashed plane.

[Dad-1]

Shame you don't have the room for a Coastal Command Liberator parked up near the perimeter
fencing.

I'm going to like this on many different levels.

A crashed aircraft taking out a railway track has happened. The one I know of was in Germany post WWII
when a pair of RAF F-86 became disoriented in cloud. Broke cloud base heading for the ground 'Fast', leader
ploughed in, No.2 lived to tell of looking UP at a farmhouse & in pulling out he bent the airframe beyond repair.
I always think how lucky he was being pre fly-by-wire, a modern aircraft wouldn't have allowed the manouver.
You know - "The Computer Says" ................

Geoff T.

[skyblue]

Looks good. Where are the Nissen huts from? I guess the one on the left is Hornby Skaledale but what about the other two?

[bsa77]

I bought it from the REC model show in Woking, have cut it in half as you can see but can't remember the trader, I'll have a look through the trader listing and see if I my memory kicks in.

There is another foot or so to the right of the base before the pillar drill, could be just enough room for a liberator (of which I have a kit). The idea is the the back drop to the railway part of the air base are the raised bunkers that a) protect planes from bombs and b) have shelters within.

The research side of this has been great and the fantasy vs fact underpinning really has grabbed me.

Cheers for the comments chaps!

[whynot]

What an excellent "completeness" - sparse track plan looks so right within the scenery. It all LOOKS remote and wild, yet the railway is not out of place. A layout with feeling I think. I like it very much. Thanks for the photos.

[Emettman]

the raised bunkers that a) protect planes from bombs and b) have shelters within.

Berms but not burrmmmbs.

And yes, Bedruthan Steps beach is very much "bring everything you need".
A chair lift and, just above the high tide line, a cafe with loos would be marvellous / ruin it completely.

[Black-Marlin]

What an excellent "completeness" - sparse track plan looks so right within the scenery. It all LOOKS remote and wild, yet the railway is not out of place. A layout with feeling I think. I like it very much. Thanks for the photos.

Enthusiastically seconded.

As for the aeronautical side of things, St. Eval was home to 217 Sqdn, which flew one of Coastal Command's nicest-looking twin-engined aircraft: the Bristol Beaufort. Lovely-looking aeroplanes, and a nice size for a layout - a bit bigger and more unusual than the usual round of Hurricanes and Spitfires, without being as overpowering as a B-24, B-17, or big-winged Catalina...