Match Truck

After a bit of a struggle with the blueprints, I have my first piece of rolling stock in the game. It is really annoying when the blueprints use the same word (geometry) to mean three different things.

Anyway, problem solved and here is the match truck that will be needed to go with the travelling crane.



Still needs alot of work. Rivetting detail to be added, and a LOD to take them away again when viewed at a distance. Tweak the textures which are too bright, as they always seem to be in RW when you use bump mapping!

Also, the wagon won't couple up yet which is disappointing, as I wanted to see how the wagon would work with the coupling on the bogie, rather than the body, as is the norm. Additionally the truck has a tendency to roll along the track for no apparent reason what-so-ever, but I've seen that in other people's wagons, so hopefully someone has resolved the problem?

Apart from that, I'm happy. :)

Pechot Bogie

Prior to WW1 the French army developed a 60cm gauge light railway system for logistics support for the front line troops, in particular the artillery. Under the supervision of General Pechot (in conjunction with Decauville) an entire light railway system for the French forces was developed. This system employed a standard range of locomotives and wagons, many of which carry the General's name in recognition of his effort. Both UK & USA created similar rolling stock but the Pechot name became the standard for the type of bogie used.

After the war there was a surplus of equipment which was disposed of as ex-WD stock. Two Chambers & Scott travelling cranes were purchased by Southern Region, from George Cohen & Sons, for use on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway.



Fitted with outriggers, they were designed to lift 3ton at 15ft radius. There was little need for a breakdown crane on the L&B as most problems could be fixed with a jack, so one crane spent its life languishing in a head shunt at Pilton Yard, the other was stood on its own length of track at Lynton goods yard and used to handle heavy loads.

I have begun modelling these two, starting with the Pechot bogies. I still have to do the couplings and stencilshadows, before commencing the daunting task of texturing, but here's the progress so far.



As always, my thanks to Keith Vingoe for his support and the many L&B photos he has supplied for reference.

Bessie Gould

Have just finished a new vessel to go alongside the quay at Barnstaple.This is my version of the Bessie Gould.



The Bessie Gould was a ketch built in 1872 by William Westacott,in Barnstaple for Mr George Chugg. For several decades the Chugg family owned many of the vessels built and/or operating out of Barnstaple. He worked the boat for Mr William Gould, a local builder and timber merchant. I believe the boat was named after Mr Goulds chilean born wife, Elizabeth.

She would sail out to the Crow, Middle Ridges, Klondike and Zula sand/gravel banks where they would beach her at low tide and fill her hold with the sand/gravel. The crew would only have 2 or 3 hours between tides to load the gravel, which was loaded using a shovel carrying about 25lbs, which was thrown over the loader's shoulder into the hold.

The photograph shows her loading gravel on Crow Gravel Ridge in 1920 with l-r: George John Irwin, George Coates, Herbie Hartnoll, Shada Mullen, Tom Phillips, Geoprge Parkin and Harry Riddal. Seated: Frank Bowhill and Bertie Irwin. The dog was called Shep.



Floating off at high tide, she would return to Brunswick Wharf, which belonged to Mr Gould, and discharge the sand and gravel dredged from the nearby Taw Estuary.



Brunswick quay and Goulds warehouse on the River Yeo, are still preserved in Barnstaple. Mr Gould's residence, "Northgate House", stood between the warehouse in the picture and North Walk/Rolle St.

Until it closed in 1935, the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway track ran between the warehouse and Northgate House and crossed Rolle St by a gate controlled crossing.



This model was made with help from others and I would like to thank them for their contribution, in particular Captain Bazza.

Rolle Quay revisited

I'm pleased to say that I have finished the final warehouse for Rolle Quay and the quayside now awaits Gary's magic touch to finish off roads, yards and track etc.

More clutter

Added a few more clutter items to my UKTS uploads.


These are all items I made from tutorials on the web when I was starting to learn 3ds Max. I particularly recommend the tutorials by Chris Tate. His website is here

Railworks Clutter

Everyone uses the default oil drums on their route and it is becoming repetative...



..so I decided to try out my new photoshop elements 8 and add a little variety.

These have just been uploaded to UKTS. They are higher poly count than the default drums in order to give a smoother appearance, but still not too high as I have used normal maps and shading to create the ribbed effect.