With the weeks slipping away before Cwmcarno is due to go to Scaleforum and the space now being available to erect it fully following the clear-outs most of this evening’s efforts.
Mr C was laying in the track from the colliery sidings into the fiddle yard.
Luke’s work resulted in the fist running from the layout onto a cassette and back out.
All hands to the pumps Read More »
Monday was another mucking out day with more stuff taken to the tip. This week was more small stuff with lots of drawers being sorted and re-labelled.
Tuesday involved a lot of shifting layouts around to allow ABB and Cwmcarno to both be erected.
So Cc now has all fiddle yards in place and the latest constructions tried in situ. Note the obligatory mug of tea.
Opening the ‘signal box’ reveals the signal options created by Andrew N. The starter signal is either very early with only one colour light, or early with two colours, or later somersault type or finally GWR standard. The ground signals are rotating (out of focus) or GW.
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.
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.
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.
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 »
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.
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.
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.
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).
