At Monday’s club session we received this mock-up for the station building on Cwmcarno. The terrace behind is only temporary being some built for another layout.
The Zoom meeting on Tuesday was lightly attended. Preparations for the NEWGOG show continued while we were on-line, holding over any presentations until next month.
Friday was preparation for the NEWGOG show followed by the exhibition itself on Saturday. Of course club traditions were observed and the layout performed well with perhaps too much (!) stock available.
Starting on Monday and Andrew N delivered the turnout and track for the colliery built away from the clubrooms. It has suitably dirty sleepers and prototypical variations in the quality of the trackwork. This should be manageable as only 4 wheeled wagons and small shunting locos will operate here.
The two views are down from the screens to the exchange sidings, and in the reverse direction.
Also present on Monday was the Peak class diesel, just completed by the Welsh Wizard, Fred Lewis from a kit of ancient lineage.
Moving to Tuesday and Luke’s railcar re-appears, now with a tarpaulin fitted over the open goods compartment.
In the layout room the mock-up of the colliery has moved on with the level ground created and walling arranged. We are approaching the atmosphere of a narrow valley with river and railway crammed in the bottom.
Finally some adjustments to Ty’n-y-Coedcae have created the space for a crane in the goods yard, with a fence being moved and a plinth built for the crane.
At the end of Friday the turnout for Cwm Carno has progressed with the crossing in place and the curved stock rail too.
On Ty’n’Coedcae the plinth for the crane has a surface and first coat of paint and is seen roughly in the right position. Also the front of the layout has a fresh coat of paint ready for the NEWGOG show next Saturday.
With ABB featuring at Alexandra Palace over the coming weekend we are busy preparing.
A few of the locos on the layout are lacking a crew, which is most noticeable on the tender engines, but easy to fit as there is good access. However, for tank engines it is difficult to get small bodies inside without undoing lots of screws and then finding its still impossible. So why bother . . . . you can see where I did get someone inside 82030, can’t you? Other engines are more helpful, the space where the backhead should be proved useful on the 94xx.
By later Tuesday we had ABB packed and stacked ready for Friday’s trip up the M4.
After that was complete we had a chance to admire Luke’s Model T combination which has featured before. It just needs nameplates and crew, and maybe even passenger(s)?
Having bought some very cheap 7mm point work Mike E launched into a short line project titled the Hogwash and Balony Railroad. The station building is in progress and three very nice boxvan kits have arrived. They’ve probably cancelled out any savings made on the pointwork.
Away from the clubroom Andrew N has started to produce some track work for Cwm Carno – to be precise the colliery sidings and in flat-bottom to boot.
After we fixed the trackbed on Cwm Carno it was apparent that it needed further support to prevent excessive flexing and ensure the it was in one plane throughout the areas supporting turnouts to give us the best chance of reliable running. Paul S added several braces to this end.
Sticking to Cwm Carno, Andrew N has produced what may prove to be the first items of stock specifically for the layout. They are all based on the Masokits whitemetal kits from the 1980s (when, coincidentally, LBH was involved in the enterprise).
And Wagonman looks like he has pretty well reached the finishing line with his ex-CMDPLR pannier.
Away from the clubrooms our members are busy:
Stephen B has created Locomotive no.7, aka “the brick”. It is being built for the mysteriously-titled Project Kevin and will be the test bed for battery powered radio control. He reckons that he should be able to get a small power station in there.
Monday and our well-glued baseboard is set for ‘the test’. Will it fit into the intended vehicle? As long as it goes in low down for side clearance, it can be lifted up afterwards to allow items to be stored underneath. It is very light and we did notice that it will move in the wind.
Also Rhobat brought along the final prototypes for his Bryngaer Models Cambrian wagons. Looking very good.
And Rhobat completed the lineside hut for Cwm Carno.
First Tuesday of the month and we met on Zoom as usual. We looked at advance planning for which layouts need to be erected before they go on show, using Luke’s spreadsheet. Guided by LBH we visited a great variety of pubs from the Valleys seeking features to be included in the pub on Cwm Carno. (The Cordell Arms?) Then Mr Chairman talked about his visit to Bradenton MRC when on holiday in Florida over Christmas. SteveB continued down memory lane with pictures centred around the Cambrian mainline. (The Manors on the Cambrian Coast Express looked magnificent) Finally back to Luke for some Corris Railway and other narrow gauge pictures.
Friday. To help with planning the buildings and other scenery we had a full size printout of the drawn plan made. The proposed positions of the buildings will need a bit of revision, and better provisions made for gardens and the occasinal Tŷ Bach. Apologies for not the clearest photo.
Mr Chairman spent most of the evening trying to get the uncoupling sorted out for one particular movement on ABB. The horsebox and van in the picture have to be detached from the incoming train then deposited in the bay platform. After much swearing it was discovered that the long wheelbase of the green 3MT causes the couplings to swing wide on the curve into the bay and not release freely. The solution was to swop the loco for the shorter 84xx pannier tank.
and Wagonman making good progress with his ex-CMDP pannier tank, providing a lot of detail for the backhead.
Etched brass tank engine are continuing to absorb members efforts. Luke treading new ground with his S7 side tank.
Monday, and BYR2 progresses further with holes cut in the ends for access to the fiddle yards. But the big challenge was . . . . . will it fit in the car?
Automatic tailgates will test whether it fits well. After the initial failure, moving the front seats forward a bit and straightening the baseboard, all was well.
Friday was the annual post-Christmas curry and drinks. As normal we went to Hatti for the meal, so with their usual bright blue lighting we didn’t take any photos.
Monday was a normal session, and we wished bon voyage to Mr Chairman who is escaping the next few storms in Florida.
Tuesday saw our Wizard fettling a Peak (I think), LBH messing about ineffectually in his corner,
Luke, having eased the over-tight meshing on his Railcar chassis, gave the gearset a good running in and then assembled the chassis for the non-powered car,
Wagonman made great leaps forward with his Mogul,
And TAFKATYS virtually completed a baseboard and enclosure from a standing start in the evening. Bwthyn y Rhosod II will be a 7mm scale, 16.5 mmm gauge layout, which we hope to see at NEWGOG next year.
A very good turn out on Friday, the final discussions on the baseboard for the Jubilee Challenge were followed by a decision to process with the laser-cut proposal, our Wizard evading the camera while working on a job that shall nor be named, LBH on some telegraph poles for Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae, while we saw …
More progress on the U1 from Wagonman, with some lovely work on the motion.
Ed is honing his card modelling skills and has pushed this preprinted kit almost to completion.
Having progressed Bwthyn i Rhosod II so far adding legs TAFKATYS steps back to contemplate the next step.
Another quiet Monday will only Andrew J and LBH in attendance.
Andrew progressed with his Signal Box for Lyne Road
In an attempt to model the August 1912 delivery of 12 axles of Mansell wheels from Pickering, Wishaw to the Brecon and Merthyr’s works at Machen in the Evans and Bevan coal wagons (numbers 1296, 1297 and 1298 if you must know), LBH has made a start by commissioning 3d prints of the wheels from Andrew Smith of 3D printolutions. Wagons to follow hopefully before too long.
Tuesday was quiet too, the cold snap not helping matter, but work continued on Signal box, goods shed. Southern mogul and antediluvian wagons, but all the efforts evaded the camera’s shutter (do they still have shutters?).
Friday was a tad busier with four members in attendance.
Luke is making good progress with his 7mm GWR Loroit
And at last LBH has an accurate boiler thanks to the efforts of all round good egg Richard Spoors.
Thanks to his efforts a replacement etch was made, which LBH rolled on Friday.
Elsewhere Mr Chairman continued with the short wheelbase wagons and Andrew J worked on the Signl Box.
