Author name: David Hagger

B**lasting away

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Another quiet week which has mainly seen work on various track items.

On Cwm Carno ballasting has now moved on to the main line with a different product used to show the well cared-for sections of track. It will be toned down later on.

On ABB the track into the Provender road and Coal road has been uneven for some time with wagons running away down the slope away from the baseboard joint. This has also led to uncoupling of trains as the Dingham couplings move up and down. So Mr.C decided relaying was the answer. The layers of blue card are raising the base level with 3mm thickness needed in places.

The last turnout is to Scale 7 standards and produced by 3D printing the base with the timbers, joining webs and chairs all in one print. The rail is then slid into the chairs making the end product more accurate. However, it is still possible to produce unsatisfactory ballasting and LBH has returned to it for a second attempt.

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Let there be light

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Monday and TAFKATYS and Andrew N connected up the lights for Cwmcarno station. The lights will need to be toned/turned down.

Tuesday was a little destructive as Mr. C removed the troublesome track from the colliery sidings and will attempt to lay it for the third time.

On Friday a select three of us were present. The curve seems to have gone in well. Both sets of rail ends need to be soldered into alignment before testing. Wagonman started some ballasting. The mix was one found among our resources and suits the unloved end of a siding well.

Let there be light Read More »

05 October

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Monday was more stock checking and coupling adjustment whilst Andrew N installed the lamps on Cwmcarno.

Tuesday was a Zoom meeting featuring Col. Stephens and his railcars from Albyn, a selection of photos including the Monmouthshire Railway Society at Blaenavon and Glascoed from Mr C and LBH completed showing his haul of pictures.

On Saturday 10th LBH took Crindau Pill (still a work in progress) to the Scale Seven show at Mark near Bridgewater. We were able to get some movement, answer questions and chat to people.

05 October Read More »

Cwm Carno at Sforum ’26

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Cwmcarno made it to Scaleforum 2026 to compete in the Jubilee Layout Challenge, despite some worries earlier in September.

And it all fitted into a normal family car – one of the criteria of the Challenge

We of course started things in the traditional manner (pity the tea always seems to get cold!)

Whilst the scenery was representative rather than detailed it still looked like South Wales as some visitors said. The running of the stock was less than perfect but nevertheless trains moved through the landscape.

Thanks to RedKiteRail for these three photos.

For the last hour on Sunday pre-grouping stock was to the fore.

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Pressing on

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Only a week to go until Scaleforum so minds are concentrated on getting groundwork showing some vestige of colour.

The halo is off-scene having its lighting tidied up.

With more ground work done its beginning to look more like a bit of the valleys.

Pressing on Read More »

September Starts

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OK, the first report from Monday actually happened at the end of August, but lets not let it spoil an alliterative headline.

Mr C has finally assembled enough bits and pieces to stick outside the workshop on ABB.

On Tuesday the Zoom session featured Steve B from the middle of France with a mix of 6 wheel carriages as breakdown vans, Welshpool and Wrexham. Mike E visited northern Spain for the eclipse and also the railway museum at Gijon. There he took lots of pictures of industrials of various gauges and some weird valve gear arrangements. Also there was a proper transporter bridge nearby and we considered a club pilgrimage there in the future. LBH showed a varied mix of photos, mostly undocumented so we had fun trying to work out what and where.

September Starts Read More »

Wye Valley Greenway 21st Aug

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On Friday 21st August seven members of the club set off to walk a lower section of the Wye Valley Greenway. We took the train to Chepstow (a through Cardiff to Edinburgh service!) Then walked over the Wye and into the English part of Chepstow. Crossing over the main line we were able to pick up the Wye Valley branch trackbed and head north. Climbing through cuttings we came to a support structure and sculpture, then the 2 kilometre long tunnel.

Having dodged cyclists but no bats in the tunnel we had a break at the north portal. Here there was a dragon sculpture that would make a good P4 soldering challenge.

Our leader and organiser Rob F had photos of the line in use and historical information. (Many thanks to Rob for this great day out) Apparently there was a structure on the line called BlackMorgan’s viaduct (very piratical) which we were finally able to find by detouring a bit and peering through bushes. At the Tintern end we walked across the wireworks branch bridge with a Newport connection.

We ended up at Tintern Station where we were too tired to take any pictures.

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18 August

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More decisions on terra-forming are being made with more foam base stuck in place. The white foam and dark ground make decent photos difficult. We have to sort out the wall supporting the colliery next.

18 August Read More »

05 August

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Apologies to our readers for the gap in posting but the main contributors have been busy elsewhere.

ABB is set up ready for testing the timetable and refreshing the operators. We even found some more of the red buttons for the control panel. These operate the uncoupling magnets. But if you turn the panel upside-down they tend to fall off!

On Cwm Carno below work is progressing on the scenery and around the river bed. The long stone wall needs more colour variation to be added. The terraces, Grenfell Terrace (remember Gren in the South Wales Echo?), are now on their supports which are being glued in place. The clingfilm is to keep the adhesive off the buildings.

Terraforming has started at the north end using mod-roc

05 August Read More »

Too much like the real thing!

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The layout room at the club is covered by a flat roof. In the sun it can get very hot and this year it is often unbearable. Just like the real thing the track expands and you can see the result in the first picture. The strip of MDF is the intended curvature. We’ll have to wait for cooler weather before ballasting. Also present are the new coping stones on the platform edge.

Meanwhile Luke has cracked on with buildings for Cwm Carno. The terrace is painted, the chapel renovated and both are close to their final positions. And ABB is erected ready for preparation for the Swansea show. A test loco has run over all track, after cleaning and vacuuming, though no uncoupling tried. Luckily there is space for both CC and ABB in the layout room.

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