Week ending 26th January

/ , ,

Another week the club and a fair turnout on Monday

With the Scalefour Jubilee Challenge criteria specify that entrant layouts must fit in a car, so we checked that the Cwm Carno baseboard fitted in one. Here it is in LBH’s Peggie, and it just scraped in. We might need to trim some of the beams to make sure it’ll fit in satisfactorily and recheck regularly.

Elsewhere Rhobat was working on a hut, also for Cwm Carno.

Andrew N just finished ten (yes 10) of the 3dPrintolutions wagons to scalefour standards. Suspension methods include compensation and springing – both internal and external, unfortunately as they stand they are a bit too light (typically 22g) to run reliably so will need further weighting.

Week ending 26th January Read More »

Week ending 19th January

/ , ,

On Monday a little reorganising was done. With the components for the Jubilee Challenge / Cwm Carno baseboards due to arrive this week, possibly, a work-surface was created to enable construction at a reasonable height rather than grovelling on the floor. Care was take to get it nice and flat.

It apparently didn’t occur to Poppy’s Woodtech that anyone would be daft enough to build a 7’6″ wheelbase wagon, but, yes, LBH is quite daft enough so the jig is being modified with an extra slot at 6′ to provide 7’6″ in combination with the +1’6″ slot.

In the background you can see the Gilvach (sic) wagon patiently awaiting its axleguards.

By the time Tuesday arrived plans had changed slightly and ABB needed to be erected, which with 8 weeks until its appearance at Ally Pally was a good move too. It was levelled (with some effort) and successfully tested for trackwork. Next will come uncoupling checks and cleaning.

Further vegetation for ABB appeared too.

Friday the laser-cut parts for the Jubilee Challenge/Cwm Carno were delivered chez LBH. And with the aid of Fred and his van transported to the club.

Within a few minutes the packing was opened revealing the fifty-odd components of the baseboard framework.
And just a further few minutes later the components fell together with surprising speed and ease, much to everyone’s (especially LBH’s) relief.

There a few errors that will need to be sorted out before the pieces are glued together. Mr Chairman and LBH can be seen plotting remedial action.

Week ending 19th January Read More »

Week ending 12th January

/ ,

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.

Week ending 12th January Read More »

Welcome 2025

/ , , ,

Friday 3 January saw a good turnout of nine people, Paul S fitted end protectors onto Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae, Wagonman prepared a Agenoria kit for an ex- CM&DPLR pannier tank, LBH worked on some weird wagons, Fred on a wagon kit, Andrew on his signal box and

Don brought his railcar along for a bit of attention, the original assemblers had been a tad too parsimonious with the solder allowing the bogie pivot to come adrift.

Ed worked on a kit for a pair of semis

Luke made good progress on his S7 0-4-0T

And TAFKATYS spent some valuable time planning the arrangement of his 0-16.5 layout, Bwthyn y Rhosod II with building mock-ups.

Welcome 2025 Read More »

2024’s last hurrah

/ ,

Our last meeting of 2024 fell on a Monday. not many of us wishing to forfeit New Year’s Eve at home. LBH was very proud of himself for successfully changing a failed encoder in his NCE PowerCab,

Luke made a start on his first kit-built standard gauge loco, an 0-4-0T from a Connoisseur kit, which will be built to Scaleseven standards. Before long the footplate was assembled.

Paul S made a frame to allow Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae to be transported more safely.

2024’s last hurrah Read More »

Christmas Party and Test Track Evening

/ , , , ,

Friday 20 December was the date chosen for our annual Christmas Party and Test Track Evening, this year 0 gauge being supplemented by 16.5 mm gauge for OO and 0-16.5.

The newly-released Lionhearted 3MT performed well straight from the box and garnered a lot of interest.
American short lines have engaged several members interest.
Luke’s quickly-progressing ModelT Railcar had a good run out.
Paul S almost answered the call for a Christmas Jumper, sporting an apt T-shirt.

Not captured in the photos but we and a couple of guests had a very enjoyable evening aided by some fine, often home made, foods and drink.

Christmas Party and Test Track Evening Read More »

Week commencing 16th December

/ , , , ,

Monday and Tuesday saw a fair bit of activity at the club with a particularly goos turnout on Monday.

Luke has finished assembling and painting his Loriot and is obviously becoming a dab hand at soldering (despite his protestations).

Wagonman (does he need a new moniker?) is still taking great strides with his mogul.

This is fast becoming the Gozzy Show with Luke making good progress with his Railcars, and, below some Tal-y-llyn coaches from 3d prints

And TAFKATYS has completed the baseboard and legs on his narrow gauge layout.

Week commencing 16th December Read More »

Week ending 15th December

/ , , , ,

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.

Week ending 15th December Read More »

Week ending 8th December

/ , , , , ,

Monday saw us welcome a prospective new member, Dennis, who enlivened the afternoon with a sick 00 engine and memories of Mountain Ash NCB. Amongst other activities Rhobat was working on his etched brass Hunslet; Mr Chairman the short wheelbase wagons and LBH fettling Llanastr track work. No pics to show though, sorry.

Tuesday was a Zoom session and time for the Christmas Quiz. Steve Bell entertained us first with a short video of a preserved line in Japan, complete with shunters wearing white gloves. The quiz tested us on railways of all sorts in Wales, e.g. name five current stations in Wales that contain the letter J? Steve finished off the session with history and pics of the Knoxville to Sevierville short line in Tennessee.

Two of us snuck in on Friday evening before Storm Darragh could do its worst.

LBH tested the fettled trackwork on Llanastr with his three B&MR locos with (ahem) acceptable results.

Luke added motor and pick ups to the chassis for the Model T based railbus.

And LBH tested out his newly-converted-to-S7 Peckett E class and fitted it with a DCC decoder. It will be named Alma and operate at the works shunter on the Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae Tar Works. Its DCC code is naturally 1854. Conversion to S7 was undertaken by Colin Dowling.

Later its dome-safety valve was fitted and now it needs weathering.

Week ending 8th December Read More »

Scroll to Top