Cwm Carno

Call to arms

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Friday night and one’s thoughts run to the local. In this case the Glan Carno Arms, which is starting to take shape before it finds its way to Cwmcarno.

Elsewhere TAFKATYS was breathing life into some of Robert H’s locos, Luke and MrC were fettling a couple of locos and our Wizard was bringing Usk to a conclusion.

Trackwork continues on Cwmcarno colliery with point blades fitted and replacement track down to the exchange sidings.

Also a signal box has been started and tried in place. The rather delicate stairs will have to wait for the ground to be made up before appearing.

Call to arms Read More »

26 May

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Further progress has been made on the colliery track with the new crossing laid in.

Elsewhere we have been planning, yet again I have to say, to have a clear-out and create space. We’ll see how well it goes.

On Tuesday Andrew N delivered some very nice signals for Cwmcarno. I’ll get some pictures later, but there are two varieties of ground signal and four varieties for the starting signal.

26 May Read More »

Mid-May missing

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Posts have been a bit rare recently so here’s an update to cover mid-May.

The track in the colliery on Cwm Carno is extremely difficult to reach when in its usual horizontal position. So a chunk of polystyrene was carved to shape to support the layout vertically, leaning against the wall, making access much easier. The track work is being replaced with stronger components to hopefully make maintenance infrequent. It’s back to copper clad timbers and long lengths of nickel silver rail. Sticking the sleepers down when near vertical needed clamps. Then the layout went back horizontal to check and adjust the alignment and flow of the stock rail.

Frecclesham showed signs of age later on at the Thornbury show, with wiring and servos causing minor problems. With a number of invitations being received we decided to upgrade some components to ensure future reliability. Here is TAFKATYS at work, and currently not swearing.

Mid-May missing Read More »

Do you remember cassettes?

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But it was not the tape kind, but the modelling kind that created a lot of activity Tuesday. The materials had arrived for Cwmcarno’s fiddle yard cassettes and was sorted and stacked ready for construction.By the end of the evening one had been glued together and weighted down to set.

Also for Cwm Carno Mike E arrived with the splendid near complete screens for the colliery.

Not to be left out Ty’n y Coedcae was receiving materials to upgrade its fiddle yard cassettes. The original ones were very close to the sides of the stock and damage was occurring, especially to the foot boards fitted to its early coaches.

From Monday we see work in progress on Rob F’s workbench for his 7mm Slaters kit of a diagram 04 four plank wagon.

Also on Monday we took advantage of it being both dry and light to check that Cwmcarno would still fit inside Peggy.

Luckily it does.

Do you remember cassettes? Read More »

Deadline !!

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For the Scalefour Jubliee Challenge we have to show that all the track works, by the end of March. Here are two of the videos showing most of the running. All routes were videoed but these are just a selection as they are sizeable files.

Deadline !! Read More »

Friday 13

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Further work on Cwmcarno fiddle yards included darkening the run-in sections as they could be visible from certain angles, as well as glueing and weighing down the transition to the cassettes.

The remaining retaining bolts for the fiddle yards were araldited in place, some harder to get at than others, and one near impossible.

Two years ago Luke bought this model of Talyllyn’s Dolgoch at the AllyPally show. It has since been re-chassised, detailed and repainted, and is ready for the Sodbury Vale’s show at British Aerospace Filton.

Also prepared for a show is Pavilion End, ready for the 20th-22nd weekend.

Friday 13 Read More »

Noisy !!

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Arriving at the centre on Friday 6th we found we had the company of a pack of Cubs who I guess were going to have a ‘sleepover’. There was a lot more energy in the building than usual !!

In the clubrooms Luke sorted through some 4mm coaches that might have got to run on LMJ and put together to form the Newport – Brecon service on Cwm Carno. A pannier tank or Collett Goods would be a more typical locomotive.

Noisy !! Read More »

Tuesday 17

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Mike E is a bit of a fan of wiggly tin (corrugated iron if you have to ask) and has been using it extensively on his own 7mm scale Hogwash and Baloney short line.

Here he is in 4mm working on the screens for Cwmcarno. This lot of tin is for the screens’ roof. For information on the corrugated form tool see the 31 Aug 25 post (or click Wiggly Tin above).

Tuesday 17 Read More »

Week 7 – later

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Then on Friday the electrical connection to the exchange sidings was made allowing test running and a check on the sector plate operation. Some stock was tested too along with the colliery trackwork. Some track needed reglueing which is under the weight in the second picture. Also Wagonman gave his Cl 25 an outing.

Week 7 – later Read More »

Week 7 – early

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With the electricals on Cwmcarno progressing well its time to test more running on the layout. Here we manage to get two trains running at the same time.

The workman’s train seen above needs some passengers. From the internet we have this bargain collection of vivid figures – how many Michael Portillos can you count?

After a bit of attention from Luke they now are more subdued.

The train itself is a nice model from Dapol of Mainline and City stock. It really should be closer coupled. The magnetic couplers purchased to help were nice but really intended for coaches with corridor connections. So using the same idea some mini-magnets were put into the Dapol-supplied couplings to do the job.

Week 7 – early Read More »

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