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St. Davids


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I've chosen this goods shed from a collection of scratch-built buildings which Dad and I were given about 35 years ago:

 

I think it is Foxfield goods shed, a Furness Railway prototype - confirmation would be welcome.  A Cumbrian prototype in Pembrokeshire?  Well the geology of the two areas are similar so it looks like local stone.

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The model was built in the 1970s by a chap called Donald Robinson; he and his wife lived in the next village.  I haven't the time to go through all our old copies of the Modeller, Constructor or Model Railways, to see if he ever had an article published about his creations.  Does anyone remember the name?

Edited by Northmoor
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A couple of successful weekends recently.  I started with the Polyfilla and created something close to the final contours on the embankment leading up to the bridge and a level surface on the platform.  I had forgotten how much dust is created by sanding the stuff!  Last weekend I finally did the wiring, just two wires to two positions is enough to make the whole station and fiddle yard live. Note from the photograph, the controller I chose to test this with; does anyone else use anything this older than this antique?  It hums....  Last job started, because I just wanted to play with the stuff, was the DAS clay to fill between sleepers to replicate ash ballast (real ballast would never have been wasted in sidings like this). 

 

 

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This Tri-ang DMU was the first thing I found in the loft to test run - a "bargain" bought about 30 years ago(!), already with a half-decent repaint into BR blue but no logos or anything.  I couldn't resist this quick project so this weekend I've spent a couple of hours making it look more like a late 70s Class 101 (instead of the Met-Camm Lightweight it's intended to be), starting by carefully removing the extra headlights and filing the paint guidelines off the ends.  Oddly they're on one cab end but not the other and the buffers are different on the trailer car.  Tomorrow I'll hopefully finish the yellow ends, weathering below the body and fit some proper big buffers. Photos to be added when "finished", although this is somewhat outside the scope of St.Davids - a unit built perhaps five years after the line would have closed, in a livery not seen for a decade after closure, plus it will probably be numbered as an Eastern Region unit anyway!

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Not a huge amount of progress to report lately, but I have finished "ash ballasting" the sidings and headshunt with DAS clay.  Just needs painting with track colour, or oily black ash, or coal dust, depending on location.

 

After sanding down the Polyfilla, I've painted the base colours of general areas using a couple of Wickes match pots (the most suitable colours just happened to be discounted to 75p!), so it should now be a bit more obvious from the photos which areas will be grass/weeds and which just bare earth.

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I’m going to follow this with interest. I’ve been regularly visiting this area since I was about four and for a while I seriously considered modelling part of the branch to St Davids. Unfortunately my love of BR (M) in the 50s won out...

You mention a spur line to Porthgain/Abberidy - I understand that a St Davids Branch was considered twice, both routes being slightly different, and that on the basis of one of them (the later scheme I believe), the Porthgain Granite Company laid dual gauge track along the quay at Porthgain. This incorporated the existing narrow gauge tramway with standard gauge trackwork, the intention being to link up with the St Davids Branch - I think the standard gauge track reached the end of the cottages furthest from the quayside. I’m also fairly certain a steam crane was employed on the quay for loading the steamers.

Porthgain is one of my favourite little corners of this coast and all the above I’ve gleaned from a book about its changing fortunes - I’ll post up the books details when I dig it out of wherever it’s hidden!

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Thanks for reading.  The book you refer to is probably "The Railways of Porthgain and Abereiddi" by RC Jermy for the Oakwood Press.  There is also a good summary of the history in "The Railways of Pembrokeshire" by John Morris (and its newer update).

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Found it! It’s called ‘Porthgain and Abereiddi A Century of Industry’ by Peter B S Davies. The author used to visit Porthgain with his father as a young boy in the 1930s after the quarries had closed. It’s a fascinating account of the local industrial past, though probably not really relevant to your model!

It turns out the link to the St Davids Branch was the line proposed in 1898, which would have run from a junction with the North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway at Jordanston (which became the GWR line that still runs to Fishguard) to St Davids via Trefin and Llanrhian.

The second branch to St Davids (which I think is the one represented by your model?) was proposed in 1923 and was to run from the then new station at Mathry Road (making this a Junction) to St Davids via Croesgoch. The book mentions “the possibility of a siding being built from Croesgoch to Porthgain” and suggests that the lack of a rail link was a key factor in the decline of the Porthgain Granite quarries.

I’m mentioning all this since it provides a possible source of traffic for your layout - would it be outside the realms of possibility for stone trains to Porthgain to have to reverse at St Davids Station?

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Found it! It’s called ‘Porthgain and Abereiddi A Century of Industry’ by Peter B S Davies. The author used to visit Porthgain with his father as a young boy in the 1930s after the quarries had closed. It’s a fascinating account of the local industrial past, though probably not really relevant to your model!

It turns out the link to the St Davids Branch was the line proposed in 1898, which would have run from a junction with the North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway at Jordanston (which became the GWR line that still runs to Fishguard) to St Davids via Trefin and Llanrhian.

The second branch to St Davids (which I think is the one represented by your model?) was proposed in 1923 and was to run from the then new station at Mathry Road (making this a Junction) to St Davids via Croesgoch. The book mentions “the possibility of a siding being built from Croesgoch to Porthgain” and suggests that the lack of a rail link was a key factor in the decline of the Porthgain Granite quarries.

I’m mentioning all this since it provides a possible source of traffic for your layout - would it be outside the realms of possibility for stone trains to Porthgain to have to reverse at St Davids Station?

Correct, mine is based on the second scheme (although it could probably apply to either).  Had Abermawr been the port, the route from just South of Mathry Road to Mathry would have actually been the broad gauge main line, with the junction for the St.Davids at Mathry itself.  I suspect the Porthgain branch-off-a-branch would have faced Mathry, but yes, Rule 1 can apply....  This is being built as a working diorama really, I won't be attempting to run a realistic timetable.  Five train movements daily wouldn't be thrilling.

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Correct, mine is based on the second scheme (although it could probably apply to either). Had Abermawr been the port, the route from just South of Mathry Road to Mathry would have actually been the broad gauge main line, with the junction for the St.Davids at Mathry itself. I suspect the Porthgain branch-off-a-branch would have faced Mathry, but yes, Rule 1 can apply.... This is being built as a working diorama really, I won't be attempting to run a realistic timetable. Five train movements daily wouldn't be thrilling.

Good old rule one!

Like I said in my earlier post, I considered modelling this branch. Being more attracted to freight workings, my idea was to model the junction between the Porthgain Brach and the Branch to St Davids until I realised this would probably consist of at most a single exchange siding with little operating potential other than watching trains go by...

I’m really glad to see someone modelling this particular “line-that-never-was” and I’m eager to see how you get on - looks like a solid start!

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WHAT!!! Has it really been over 6 months since I updated this thread?

 

I haven't done too much on the layout for quite a while, except rebuild the frame when the slightly warped recovered wood used for the frame became very warped recovered wood; sat on a flat floor, one corner sat 2" higher than the opposite one..... It's currently stood in the garage awaiting the time to get on with more scenic modelling.

 

I've never recorded the work on the signal box here.  This is a Tyco US-based kit and came from some eBay job lot many years ago.  I always liked the style, it looked vaguely like a Highland Railway box (imagine it in white with blue frames) but this is clearly inappropriate for St. Davids.  Cutting it down to a platform box has worked out quite well and I've got a Springside interior kit to adapt for it.  Using the nearest colours in my collection of paints has given it the sort of faded Western Region colours I was looking for (in fact the photo makes it look even more faded).

 

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Still need to get on with the Wills overbridge for the scenic break, with stone wing walls and abutments, then the Wills Station Building (which looks remarkably like Rosebush, which was on a similar sort of Light Railway and in the same area).

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Not too much happening on St. Davids lately - too many other domestic pressures, but recently I've done the platform edge wall using the cheapskate modeller's go-to item, the coffee stirrer.  I still need to do the platform edge which is going to need some care, as it looks like the platform edge is going to be very close to some coach footboards....

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The second shot compares with my shot from July 14th last year and shows I haven't been completely idle.  Much of the track has been weathered (Humbrol track colour) and with black spray over the coal siding, nearest the camera.

 

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More updates when I've learned how to get better depth of field on this camera!

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Doesn't matter how far apart, it's always good to see an update Northmoor, I like the use of coffee stirrers for the platform, all looks good so far.

Steve.

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Modelling activity lately has been around (almost) finishing off my Tri-ang Metro-Cammell DMU and Hornby TTA tankers.  However, while dragging a few things out of the garage today I retrieved "St. Davids" to check it over.  One step forward and two back unfortunately.

 

I have given the front edge of the baseboard a coat of the same green as the base coat for the greenery, which disguises it really well so that's a positive step.  The step back is that this week I found my Airfix Autocoach - one of the most likely coaches to be used - and have given it a run through the layout.  It's shown that my concerns about the platform edge alignment were well-placed as it fouls the platform in about four places and even scrapes one of the bridge walls.....

 

I'm not pleased with the polystyrene "scenery" anyway so have been considering ripping it out and starting again, but the platform is a bit more annoying to have to re-do.  With care I may be able to remove the coffee-stirrer edge strip complete and re-locate it at the correct position from the rail.

 

The great advantage of applying my cheapskate modelling principles, mean that the cost of materials wasted by this re-work, amounts to about fifteen pence.

 

Rob

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Well over the last couple of days I've bitten the bullet and ripped off all the "scenery" and started again, after treating the baseboard front to a coat of light green which really stops the eye being drawn to the edge of the layout. 

 

Not only was the platform edge too close to the rail, it was also too high.  By the time I'd have added a wooden strip for the platform edge, it would have been almost at carriage floor level.  No British light railway, GWR-built branch line or even a mainline station would have had platforms anywhere near that high.  The replacement platform wall will just be card with the planking painted on, so will be a lot thinner than my coffee stirrer-based creation.  The base of the new platform has the same footprint but is cut from two sheets of thinner polystyrene (leftover packaging, natch), so will be at least a scale foot lower. 

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Building the slope of the road up to the overbridge, I am also taking a bit more time than the first effort, using multiple thin polystyrene layers and grading it much more gently.  A realistic approach road shouldn't be more than about 1 in 7, previously it was more like 1 in 5.

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It's like being back at primary school.  Why is cutting and gluing polystyrene with PVA so much fun?  More fun tomorrow hopefully.

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More progress out in the sun today.  The polystyrene scenery forms are now pretty much complete, profiling with Polyfilla will come next.  Hopefully the photgraphs start to give an indication of the intended shape of the road leading up to the bridge (on the back of the layout, it will disappear behind the hedge line).

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Previously the bridge was too low, it might actually be too high now, although I know my old Lima 45xx stands quite high so I do need some extra clearance than that over the Autocoach.

 

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I've probably got only one more week's furlough remaining so will actually have to get on with some real work soon.  Need to make the most of the next eight days.....

 

Rob

Edited by Northmoor
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On 21/07/2018 at 19:00, Tortuga said:

I’m going to follow this with interest. I’ve been regularly visiting this area since I was about four and for a while I seriously considered modelling part of the branch to St Davids. Unfortunately my love of BR (M) in the 50s won out...

You mention a spur line to Porthgain/Abberidy - I understand that a St Davids Branch was considered twice, both routes being slightly different, and that on the basis of one of them (the later scheme I believe), the Porthgain Granite Company laid dual gauge track along the quay at Porthgain. This incorporated the existing narrow gauge tramway with standard gauge trackwork, the intention being to link up with the St Davids Branch - I think the standard gauge track reached the end of the cottages furthest from the quayside. I’m also fairly certain a steam crane was employed on the quay for loading the steamers.

Porthgain is one of my favourite little corners of this coast and all the above I’ve gleaned from a book about its changing fortunes - I’ll post up the books details when I dig it out of wherever it’s hidden!

 

I was re-reading about the railways of Porthgain and Abereiddi over the last couple of days.  In terms of creating a plausible history, the quarries (particularly the dolerite quarry at Porthgain) could have justified the building of the St. Davids branch but I've concluded that ironically, the tourist industry would have indirectly caused it's closure in the late 1950s. 

 

Porthgain quarry wasn't big but for a brief period in the 1920s it produced about 1000 tons a week, most of which would have been shipped out using small coasters, limited in size by the tiny harbour.  Being able to send stone out by rail would have helped the economics of the otherwise quite isolated quarrying operation by providing a larger customer base and even at half the peak, it's still equates to about six loaded wagons per day.  It's reasonable to assume the operation could have continued to trade beyond the 1930s.

 

However, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park was created in 1952 and the quarry would have been within the Park boundary, so it's safe to assume that continued expansion of the quarry would have been resisted by the Park Authority.  Having worked out its remaining reserves, it would have closed within a few years.  The St.Davids branch would then have had to survive based on a limited passenger service - remember at this time there were very few tourists compared to now - and the limited amount of freight that would have been generated by the local population.  So another reasonable assumption is that British Railways would have cut their losses within perhaps two years and certainly no later than 1960.  

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With good weather for an outdoor workshop recently, plus a brief period of furlough and now working (ahem) from home, I've made some progress on the backscene.  From ground level, you'd barely be able to see any landscape from the real station site so with a little modeller's licence, the backscene to hide the fiddle yard is actually the view from the North end of Glasfryn Road - roughly where the planned route was intended to cross it before following what became the A487 - which gives an excuse to include Carn Llidi and Carn Ingli on the skyline.  I just went to the required location on Google Street view and copied a general impression of the image from the laptop.

I'm definitely no artist but reasonably pleased with the finished landscape; it could perhaps do with a few darker trees and shrubbery nearer the viewer.

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Still need to get the platform edge and top surface done, and the bridge, the signal box, station building, ballasting............

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