A stinking hot day for the crew of Ivatt Tank No. 41248 as they pick up a 16 ton wagon from Catcott on a return pick up goods to Highbridge in August 1964.

A start on the level crossing.

Dug out the my first ever (and last) brass loco kit I put together in 1982, a Craftsmen Midland 1P...........

'What may have happened' if the line was still open and Clark's shoes were still made in Zummerzet and there was a special Glastonbury Festival station.

A root about in the bits and bobs box this afternoon allowed the creation of 3 knackered looking structures consisting of two tanks (using spares from Walthers kits and a few bits of Slaters and some other make for the girders) and a shed (from some spare timber from an American Model Builders laser cut kit bought for Arne Wharf). The pipework is from the very useful Knightwing pipe set. The 009 track is just for effect, I hope to use code 40 here and have the rails just proud of the surface.

This evening, finally plucked up courage to peel off the backing and add the stcky backed photographic backscene (my own making, of the real Zummerzet Levels). It's glossy at the moment, so shows every reflection possible (4 second exposure under the single ceiling light with shade removed). In due course, the backscene will be lightened a little with an airbrush (slight misty effect) and finished off with Testors Dullcote.

This evening, finally plucked up courage to peel off the backing and add the stcky backed photographic backscene (my own making, of the real Zummerzet Levels). It's glossy at the moment, so shows every reflection possible (4 second exposure under the single ceiling light with shade removed). In due course, the backscene will be lightened a little with an airbrush (slight misty effect) and finished off with Testors Dullcote.

Today, soldered on droppers and primed the track with a blend of red primer, matt black and grey primer. This will be the bases of more subtle hues in due course.

Today, soldered on droppers and primed the track with a blend of red primer, matt black and grey primer. This will be the bases of more subtle hues in due course.

The complete dried peat transfer shed, 8 March 2008.

The complete dried peat transfer shed, 8 March 2008.

Catcott looking towards Shapwick, 8 March 2008.

Catcott looking towards Edington Junction, 8 March 2008.

A closer up view of the incomplete shed. The over thick corrugated plasticard will be less apparent once painted. I'll use the same techniques as on Cement Quay and Arne Wharf. Bull: the 'locotractor' was bought second hand from one of the Purbeck narrow gauge lines. It was built around an Austin 7 engine and the body work came from an old charabanc . True: in reality, it is scratchbuilt from plasticard based on some pics in a French narrow gauge mag and mounted onto a Kato Shortie chassis.

The Eclipse Peat Company gets a bagged peat transfer shed at Catcott Halt! The main reason for this was to justifiy a siding so close to Edington Junction and to disguise the entrance to the fiddle yard on the left. A bank of trees will sit between the shed and the backscene. The narrow gauge will feed in from the fiddle yard through the shed and kick back onto a slightly raised platform. The rails will be embedded deep into the ground and the whole area will be dusty and weed ridden (what else!). The 009 point is a copperclad one made in 1980, salvaged from Arne Wharf's predecessor.

Location on the layout, a crossing and groundframe (wooden hut like at Bason Bridge or Ashcott) will be between the platform & crossing keepers cottage. A road bridge will continue from the crossing over the rhyne on the far right (Bridge 270A 'Ferro-concrete beams and decking on concrete pier and abutment, North side; and masonry abutment South side. Rebuilt 1924/5'). The exit off set is quite visible here, I imagine a tree or such like will help to block the rest of the world from the normal viewing angle.

A couple of shots with a superimposed background (from one of the the same files that the printed backdrop was created from - which is yet to be stuck into place).

A couple of shots with a superimposed background (from one of the the same files that the printed backdrop was created from - which is yet to be stuck into place).

As promised, the finish project, well nearly, just windows and name to be added 'Catcott Burtle Halt' - the 'Halt' will be in smaller raised letters below 'Catcott Burtle'

As promised, the finish project, well nearly, just windows and name to be added 'Catcott Burtle Halt' - the 'Halt' will be in smaller raised letters below 'Catcott Burtle'

Ready for painting!

Lots to do yet, with loads of tidying up to get everything matched in - the camera is so cruel, but a vital tool in this aspect - it's all covered in plastic filings here as well as the odd dodgy seam! Window frames (ideally open, with mainly missing glass) and wooden canopy facias to be added, though it is likely I'll add these after the concrete effect is applied. If I'm going to make this a dead ringer for Stourpaine and Durweston Halt, another window aperture is needed on the front too (the joys of unearthing another picture after starting - the first pic I found had the missing front window covered up.)

About 90 mins in front of the TV last night has produced the beginnings of the concrete shelter.....

SR pre fab concrete platform.

SR pre fab concrete platform.

SR pre fab concrete platform.

Concrete SR pre-fab platform using MJT white metal supports, the rest is scratchbuilt.

PLatform supports from Dart Castings (under the MJT lable)

Culvert (Bridge 271? 'Renewed April 1929 to ferro-concrete tubes, surrounded with concrete, on concrete raft. 2spans of 4ft. Diam.') with experimental concrete effect technique.

A Peco buffer stop, hacked about a bit. The protruding knobs on the cross beam need to be chopped off. Note the removed webbing on the closest track and athe addition of fishplates.

Pretty well 1/1 mag of some insulated cosmetic fishplates, I cannot remember the make, bought them ages ago, colouring suggests C&L?. These plates are around 5 mm long (ish) - almost look like 0 gauge this close. Until I looked at the picture, and hence looking at the bolts close up, never did realize that there was an 'inside' and and 'outside'!

Ex GWR 3206 hauls its peat train through. The photographic backscene is just resting rather haphardly on the ply backdrop for effect. About an inch will be removed from its bottom before fixing. Various bushes, hedgerows and trees will seperate the backdrop for the foreground.

Ex GWR 3206 hauls its peat train through. The photographic backscene is just resting rather haphardly on the ply backdrop for effect. About an inch will be removed from its bottom before fixing. Various bushes, hedgerows and trees will seperate the backdrop for the foreground.

Cottage and humped crossing.

Looking towards Edington Junction, the crossing in the forground will go over the rhyne via bridge. The provender store is just temporary for effect, chances are that there will be a small tin goodshed, Most traffic here would have been peat. I'm toying with the idea of bringing a narrow gauge line (peat railway) in possibly.... maybe not....

An etched brass (Langley or Springside, can't remember) greenhouse built several years ago, yet has never had a home - until now! This is much bigger on your screen that it is in real life (joys of my new pukka Micro Nikkor).

An etched brass (Langley or Springside, can't remember) greenhouse built several years ago, yet has never had a home - until now! This is much bigger on your screen that it is in real life (joys of my new pukka Micro Nikkor).

Looking towards Shapwick! All the visible rails are now down, just wiring, a few missing chairs and the cosmetic fishplates to add........ exit point will be hidden by some suitable trees eventually.

An aerial view showing 85% of the track laid. The bit of track hanging over each end will be supported by some extra timber which will link to the 360deg 'whole train turntables' that will be built. I hope to share those with Cement Quay and junk the current cassettes which are an accident waiting to happen when turning an entire train.

Update 17 Nov 2007: The correct sash windows have now been made for the keeper's cottage using plastic glazing and self adhesive paper lables. The frames at this stage can be set in various open and closed positions!

Update 4 Nov 2007. Since the cottage was built, picturse of the front as it was in the 1950's have appeared. The windows are wrong and they'll be replaced with the correct sash variety in due course. The downpipe is a little course too, something else to be addressed too.

Update 4 Nov 2007. Since the cottage was built, picturse of the front as it was in the 1950's have appeared. The windows are wrong and they'll be replaced with the correct sash variety in due course. The downpipe is a little course too, something else to be addressed too.

The product of 3 images, rather cack-handedly put through some basic 'panorama' software. 'A pile of layouts', a bit like a Victorian burial catacombe (could this get into the ICA I wonder? Any comments on this thought via the 'comments' button below!). Left to right starting from the top; Catcott Burtle, Arne Wharf and to the right, Cement Quay! Three layouts in one room eh?!!

This one 'as is'.

This is 'paint daubs' - I quite like this one, this would be my first choice if I go down that route.

Backscene montage, combined from 6 x 10 megapixel files. This picture from the full res file has now been printed as a 12 inch by 7 foot roll onto sticky backed photo paper.

What I'm aiming to achieve.... we shall see....

You can almost hear the loco making the ancient rails and sleepers creak underneath. The coal on the loco, is the real thing found on the trackbed near Shillingstone on the S&DJR. I cannot think of any other reason for the coal being there, so I am pretty confident it fell off a locomotive when the line was open.

The new 2mm plywood curved backdrop and 3mm plywood facia panel. The woodwork still needs to be sanded and tidied up.

Update 21 July 2007: Close up showing the addition of the 2mm plywood curved backdrop.

Update 11 July 2007: A bit of rather badly rushed Photoshop trickery, the crossover being a virtual one using layers and the 'warp' function. In real life this will be a B8 crossover from C&L Components.

The brickwork was initially treated with Humbrol 'brick', then when dry a paler redder and a greyer colour mix were splashed on here and there ('brick' mixed with dark grey or orange). Rendering is good old DIY matt emulsion (Focus DIY 'Pebbles'), diluted with a bit of water and Fairy Liquid then washed over. Additional work with be to have one of the windows 'open' (they're not fixed yet). The frames were 'Pendon style' using self adhesive lable cut into thin strips. Further work will be a portch over the door on the end and some additional wooden 'lean to' buildings and shelters. I also need to make en enamel SR green 'Catcott' sign to go on the side of the building.

It's amazing what a bit of paint can do. The paintwork is still in Southern Region colours. I remember the Southern Region green paintwork quite well and it never looked like what we see on preserved railways for very long, but took on a dusty copper oxide colour (Humbrol 120). The cream or more correctly 'stone', again I always remember this as a pale shade which is nothing like the custard colour often seen, for this I used Humbrol 148.

Nothing beats the effect of invididual slates. Strips of card don't look as good as this!

Midland 1P 0-4-4 No. 58086 (Craftsman kit) is seen here in a mock-up of the site of the level crossing. The Glastonbury canal can be seen to the right, it will look a little like it did at Bason Bridge next to the dairy with addional supports in the earthy bank to stop the railway sliding into the River Brue (or Glastonbury Canal in this case). In the immediate foreground the road will cross over the canal via a bridge. Once the road passes over the railway it will fork sharp left and disappear round a bend behind some trees or bushes.

The advantage of a light contruction. the entie layout, albeit without backscene. Note all the junk from 'Im' and 'Er'!

The beginnings of Catcott crossing keeper's cottage. In recent years the building has been rendered with pebbledash and doors have been moved. When the line was open the roof was slated and the brick was visible with the stone lintels. I'll be adding slates individually from paper, nothing beats that, albeit time consuming. When adding the bargeboards I'll portray the typical S&D curley wirley ones, Whilst this building didn't have them, many did. This will ensure that the layout can be 'placed' even without stock. The corners are in fact mtrired at 45 degrees, not that it is obvious here.

A Templot printout of a B9 crossover.

A close up of the structure. Very very light, very tough too. I will edge the board with 2mm marine ply from Addlestone Models. Whilst foamboard is tough, the surface is easily marked, a veneer of ply will sort that out.

The topside, the lower front section will be for the Rhyne as seen in my sketch. There will be plywood ends and a curved 1 foot high backdrop like with previous prejects. I hope to use Cement Quay's cassette yard. I will need to make a mirror image one too for the other end.

A mornings work with three sheets of A1 sized foamboard pulled out of the skip at work. I used to make model aeroplanes - maybe it shows here? The diagonal crossmembers reduce the chance of any twisting. This is going to be a very light layout. The size you see here is 5' x 15".

The real thing in 1998 - pic courtesy of Tim Maddocks

5th February 2007: The latest version for a possible layout having investigated the actual location.

5th February 2007: The latest version for a possible layout having investigated the actual location.