BenLikesTrains

First thing done, is MHR Number 1 Perseus. Since last time, its got some more lining (fox gold lining) which I really like the look of once it was done. Then cab crew and wreathing were added followed by a spray off matt varnish it was done which I am quite pleased with unfortunately the running isn't to good but I'm trying to improve it. Number 1- Perseus A 0-4-4 tank engine built by Sharp Stewart in 1898 and named after the 1897 built HMS Perseus. It was bought new directly from Sharp Stewart but was modified a little when it came to the railway and was later fitted with a more enclosed cab as when it first came to the railway it had a much more open cab. It is used on the main passenger trains but is occasionally used on the workman’s or paddy trains when Number 4 Brilliant is under overhaul or fails. The main passenger trains are in two different types one is the “express” or fastest train on the line with a morning, afternoon and an evening train that only stop at Mereton, Swadlington and Hambleton and runs faster, while the other one, it stops at every station. It is in the lined blue with red and gold lining as Next, was several wagons have been finished after assembling (for the peco wagon kits) and then painted, lettered, numbered and weathered, there's quite a lot of these done as well as a 4-wheel workers coach made from a Dapol wagon- I took some black and white photos with these- As well as some other images- One last thing that I have been working on is a 4-wheel coach using a shillotte (?) cutter. It was made using a drawing of I think a London chatam and Dover railway coach. This one is made from 2 layers of 10thou plasticard but in the furfure I might try 15thou to make it more stronger. In the forte, I want to make more different deigns- 3rd/2nd class 5 compartment coach Full brake 3rd class 2 compartment half brake 2nd/1st class 4 compartment composite lavatory 1st class 4 compartment 3 compartment family coach Inspection saloon coach Obviously the coach isn't done and this is just a test. Proper ones will be made when I get some chassis. Ben

Not much has actually been done on the layout, however I wanted to expand the layout beyond the simple loop and one siding but didn't want to rip up the layout. A terminus was something that I considered doing and would fit in the available space but would leave about 10cm of run from fiddle yard to the start of the run around loop. However if I put a track plan together and get another board I could put a run-around loop an siding and use the existing layout as a fiddle yard it would give me a terminus and a extension. So I got some points, a length of fliex track, some trees and a station shelter. Next a board from the same cupboard which was cut to size and them laid it all on the board this is what I made from that- The corner is cut off so I still have all the track but it doesn't take up as much space in the room. Next step is to get the flexi track to fit together better then secure it down but I know it work as it was very roughly done to test it works. Ben

I went to the Doncaster show yesterday and got some things for the MHR. This is what I got- Not to bad, I got a P and D marsh Sentinel kit, a pair of peco bolster wagons, a peco salt van, a peco 9ft wagon chassis, a graham fairish 5 plank wagon (which I now realise isn't going to be useful as it it a limestone wagon and why would someone get limestone from Derbyshire when they can get it from 10 miles away), a Graham fairish van and a Graham Fairish 61xx prairie tank. I have a few options with this, a 2-6-2, 0-6-2 (might be weird with outside cylinders) a 0-6-0, which would look odd (but I think there was a loco like this) but the body will be hard to do as I can't easily cut it up as it is metal and no body shell I have will fit. Obviously I can't jut repaint a prairie into blue as it would look bad. 2 options I have is to get a Langley L3 or N2 and modify these. I think the L3 would be the best as instead of a 4-wheel bogie I would modify the bunker to fit under a 2-wheel bogie and make a few other modifications instead. Any other ideas would be helpful The van, salt van and bolsters have already been repainted into the MHR wagon livery of brown and black metal work. The bolsters just need weathering to complete them as I have the smaller black lettering that I have used on these. The 2 vans need some transfers, probably the Fox MR wagon transfers. I haven't built the 9ft chassis yet and I don't know to what is going on top but I will find a photo of something to build. The sentinel was... fun to build, I built most of it then it fell apart, built it again which also fell apart and then, as they say third times the charm and it when together! It has been sanded a bit and needs some primer before most of the sanding probably needs doing. I have found some old pizza cutter wheels that fit so for now it is just a push along. I have found a chassis that should fit but I will investigate more. That's all for now Ben

So I finally finished the first locomotive for the Mereton and Hambleton railway- Number 5 Eagle. This locomotive started off as a Kato/Gaugemaster electric locomotive that looks to me vaguely like the LNER ES1 locomotives. Originally it had a pantograph. Which was removed to make it a battery locomotive. It was then painted in my choice of blue paint which is just a cheap car spray paint, then the running plate is painted red with Humbrol 19 paint. A Westinghouse pump and some lead where added which increase the weight. The silver and gold that you can see is done with sharpie pens. After that, came the fun job of lining which is done in the simpler goods livery of just a red line which is done with fox transfers lining. You can also see that on the other side, you can also a gold wire/pipe was added as well. The MHR and Eagle lettering was added as well as the Number 5.Once it was weathered and sprayed with matt varnish it was done, quite pleased with the weathering I am. Not bad for the £44 that I think I bought it for. It is surprising how small this is as you can see when it is next to a terrier. In the future I would like to try and add a crew member and some glazing but I am happy with it now as it runs very well. Now for some fake history for this locomotive- Number- 5 Eagle A 0-4-0 battery electric shunter built by The British Thompson-Huston company in 1903, it is named after HMS Eagle. This locomotive built to shunt at the wharf on the wharf branch after the director decided to experiment with electric traction on this section as the steam engines were struggling and there had also been close calls with fires in the wharf as well. It was proved to be successful but did have some problems. It would have to be charged during the night with power generated from the river SternFlint with a water wheel. It is used to shunt wagons on the wharf sidings and into the factories the as well due to the short wheel base of the locomotive. It is also used for moving goods between the wharf and Mereton goods yard to be taken further afield by the NER. It is painted in the goods livery of just red lining. I also thought I would share photos of another locomotive looks that I am working on- It's nearly done now just requiring some more lining, weathering and some crew, I hope to finish it soon. Thanks for looking, Ben

Something that I have been working on for a while is the History of my fictional light railway- The Mereton and Hambleton Light railway. I am working on a few locomotives, coaches and wagons that at some point in the near future when they are finished. So for now I will show some of the history that I have written but eventually there will be models on here too. In 1857 a business man from London found out about the large coal, chalk, and limestone deposits that had been mined in small amounts in this area for about the last 30 years, this business man decided to build a railway to transport these products away and to increase the production of the colliery and mines (which he also latter bought) which would make it worthwhile to build the railway. The railway would connect to the North Eastern Railway which later became the London and North Eastern Railway, which would then be able to take the minerals much further away from the railway. Construction of the railway started in 1858 at Mereton, after some problems during the construction, the railway reached Hambleton and finished the upper level in September 1861 and freight services beginning in October that year and passenger services in November that same year. The railway continued being virtually the same, gradually changing and modernising the rolling stock and locomotives until WW1 when the business’s that the railway severed increased production due to the war effort so there was a need for more locomotives. However, in 1906 a local rich family bought the railway from the business man who originally created it. The family already had a large share of the railway, so they thought it was a good idea for them to own it all. The family owned the railway but employed someone else as the director with them making the decisions on the railway but with major decisions, it has to be passed though someone from the family to say buy or sell a locomotive. The purchase of the railway kept the railway private for a long time with the railway owned by the family until the coal in the colliery, gave out in 1974 and had to close, as apart from the summer steam services that had been running for the last 8 years, this was the only thing that kept the railway open. Increased production of coal and chalk continued after the war first world war and the railway owned its success to war as the wharf was built during the war and provided even more traffic for the railway and there was a major increase in coal and limestone and bricks which required more powerful locomotives to haul these trains. The railway continued to be independent until closure in 1974 when the line became too unprofitable to operate. The railway was closed in 1974 after over a hundred years of operation with the railway only slightly changing in that period. The railway wasn’t preserved although there was efforts to save it but some of the engines were preserved. Lots of locomotives ran on the railway, some for only a year or two before they were scrapped or sold on to other railways, more so on the early days and on higher level of the railway, with larger locomotive being used on the lower level as the track condition was better here and there is more traffic on this section and there is a more intensive passenger service and the mixed goods trains. Thanks for looking, Ben

Thanks, that is very helpfull. Ben

I am thinking of getting the Langley L3 white-metal kit which looks good. I am just wondering if anyone would knows if a Farish j94 chassis would fit in the body as I have one of them but I don't have the prairie chassis which they say is need in the description of the kit and don't know if I could get one of them of eBay easily. Obviously it needs the bogie wheels as well. Thanks Ben

As it is the end of the year I thought that I would show you what the layout looks like now, so this is what it looks now- The coal office/ yard office was a freebie kit from a free Railway modeller that you could get from the peco stand that was there when I visited Britain's Biggest model railway. Coal sacks has been moved because of a new thing which I will get on to. The gate on the other side of the track has to be moved because of the same thing. A point lever which I got for Christmas has been cut down because I think it looked to big. There has also been some extra bushes and weeds added and some trees moved around and a wall behind the coal staithes. The only things left to add to the layout is some fencing, people and maybe some more sheep and a back scene. The thing that I was talking about was this which is a Dundas models Sierra Leone 2-6-2 white metal kit that I got for Christmas which I have been building that then was sanded (a lot) and then painted and now looks like this. All the sanding and priming was definitely worth it as it is now super smooth on the tanks. I am please with how it turning out and I am think on what to build next. I have been looking at a Bachman Double farlie, hopefully my fingers don't slip and I accidentally buy one... That's all for now Ben

Trees! I finally added some trees which seems to completely change the look of the layout. Most of the trees are Gaugemaster ones but the fir trees are Hornby. There has also been some bushes and grass tufts added as well which I think nearly finishes the layout in terms of scenery. Slate, ballast and grey paint has been added to the cuttings which makes it look very atmospheric in my opinion, it just needs a slight improvement with some more grey paint to hide any Polyfilla or plaster. Coal staithes where made by using the peco coal staithes, filled with stones from a welsh beach painted black and the wood was painted brown. It was then weathered and a name was added. It was my birthday not to long ago and I got some 009 wagon kits (which I need to build) and a L&B brake van which is a very nice model with the opening the doors but it does have some down sides- Squeaking when going round corners (which is partially solved by oil on the ends of the axles) and the brake lever which is just a disk which t look good to me (I might be supposed to be like this I don't know). That's all for now Ben

So it's been a while so there's lots been done. When I am writing this the layout looks like this- Going back a few weeks ago, once the ballasting was done, the grass was added and this massively improved the look of the layout. The grass is a Gaugemaster grass mat which is very easy to put on the layout as I cut it to shape and then glued it down with PVA glue. The platform was raised up just a little bit by using some spare Metcalf platform kits and a top was made using Metcalf N gauge card so the cobbles are probably a bit small but it doesn't bother me. A barrow crossing (I think that's what it would be called) was made out of coffee stirrers they just need painting now. Here's some more photos of the layout.- That's all for now Ben

More progress has been made both on and off the layout, News-paper was added to change the look of the scenery ( I forget to take a photo of that) then mod-rock was added over the top of most of this ( I ran out with a little bit still to cover but this shouldn't matter) this should give it a hard shell, that's all the progress on the layout for now as the mod-rock is taking a while to dry. Thought the next stage is ballasting which I don't particularly like but then there is the grass to do which should really improve the look of the layout from what it is at the moment. I have ordered some wagons from Dundas Models as they seem to have a nice, wide range of wagons and they should be coming at some point so I will show how the building of them go. I have also done more fake history, this time on the route of the line- The Line Starting at the town of Tref fawr and the station there, which is called Gorsaf tref fawr which is the main station on the line because it has a standard gauge railway connection with the GWR before grouping (and after grouping as well) and BR for a short time as well. This station has run around loop for the passenger and freight trains to run around when coming down the line and to help with shunting the wagons into the sidings. The station yard has sidings for coal, slate (empty and loaded) and the general traffic of vans, flat beds, and open wagons also there is a siding for sheep with a cattle dock as well. The goods yard has coal staithes like all stations, but it also has proper goods shed for the general traffic and the only other station to have this is Gwelwynes as it is the only other one to have enough traffic to warrant a goods shed, some of the halts like Pentref canolig ei faint have an old standard gauge van body to make a cheap goods shed instead. There are five wagon turntables in the goods yard which allows the narrow-gauge wagons to have their loads transferred to the standard gauge wagons. The goods are then taken further afield to places like ports or other towns and villages. Also here in the station building is the lines head office which is in the station building along with the station café, ticket office and waiting room. Also near the end of the station yard is the locomotive and carriage shed which is where the locomotives and coaches are stored when not in use and repairs are conducted here to the rolling stock and to the locomotives if they are needed. Sometimes the locomotive crews will add or change things on the locomotives like different toolboxes, pipe work, bunkers, and cabs to improve their engines so they run better and suited better to the railways needs. The shed has an inspection pit and a small loco lift to lift things like boilers, fire boxes, or coach bodies and wagon bodies if need be. Number 5 works here, shunting things around in the yard and is also used on the engineering trains occasionally though this is only done when the track work has been destroyed or any locomotive that runs over it de-rails or the track work is particularly bad. Tref fawr is a market town of around 1000 inhabitants as of 1930. The town has a small mill producing clothing which gives the railway a small very amount of traffic as well as a Rugby club that dates back to 1891 and a church that was built in 1721. There is also a wharf where Steamers moor up and drop off and pick up goods and passengers. It is also only 9.1km from the coast and the much larger port town of Aber tref porthladd fawr which has a castle and also a standard gauge railway station to. There is also the Tuesday market in the town square, because of this the railway runs extra passenger and freight trains to get goods and passengers to the market. The market also forms one of the railways “special” trains- A train nicknamed The Horse and Cart which a goods train that stops anywhere to pick up goods and people as it is formed of 3 wagons, one open wagon, one flat wagon, one van, one 4-wheel coach and the bogie guard’s van. The town has the Aber tref porthladd Mawr estuary running through it and is in view of the trains as they head out of the town and the railway eventually passes over it on a bridge. Most days at least one steamer will moor up and unload passengers and goods, wagons are dropped off and picked up here to be loaded from the Steamer ferries that moor up here load and unload goods and passengers. The town has 2 stations- one standard gauge GWR station which is in view of the narrow-gauge station and the narrow-gauge station. The standard gauge goods yard is incorporated into the narrow-gauge one so the goods can be loaded and unloaded into the different gauge wagons. The GWR is the one who runs the standard gauge trains and did consider buying the line like they did the Vale of Rheidol and Welshpool and Llanfair railways, but they deemed it to under-profitable to it be worth them spending money buying the railway, so they didn’t buy it. Going along for 2.7km, the line heads uphill at a average 1 in 130 gradient as it passes through the town of Tref fawr, the line runs alongside the road for a time, once the line comes out of the town, it passes over the Aber tref porthladd Mawr and there are 2 sidings for traffic for the Steamers, one for goods and one for passengers, The wagons are picked up and dropped off on the general freight trains that go up and down the line. After going over the estuary, it passes through open farmland and it gets to the small halt of Atal fferm which is the smallest on the line and it is made to serve the nearby farms for their goods traffic with a couple of sheep wagons being loaded with sheep on a Tuesday for the Tuesday market in Gorsaf fawr while and for market, the rest of the week, boxes and milk churns are loaded into either the guards van or a van depending on how much traffic there is. The wagons for the farm are stored in the small siding there which is 3 wagons in length and these wagons are also picked up and dropped off on the mixed goods trains, the siding has a cattle dock for the sheep. Very few passengers use this halt aside from the farmers although a few walkers do get off here and on here during the summer to walk on the nearby walking routes which go high up to the top of the hills of the valley which the narrow-gauge railway runs at the bottom of, slowly making its way up the valley, climbing as it goes to the head of the valley and to Gwelwynes. After Atal fferm, the line heads up hill at steeper angle, this time at an average gradient of 1 in 100 for 3.1km, and it passes through a more wooded section as the line passes through the Coedwig forest, with the trees making it a little darker. As the line heads up to the small halt of Pentref canolig ei faint, the line climbs up to a height of 197m above sea level but before Pentref canolig ei faint, the road crosses over the railway again. After the forest, the line heads up hill for 0.9 km at an average gradient of 1 in 65 Pentref canolig ei faint is a small halt which has a siding for general goods to serve the village of Pentref canolig ei faint this halt has some small coal staithes and a grounded standard gauge GWR van body to form a goods shed while the halt in used for villagers from the village while during the summer, it is a popular site for walkers and visitors going to see the things in and nearby the village. It has a layout of it made of it in 00 gauge (1 to 76) with 009 locomotives rolling stock running on the railway (and is the subject of this thread). The village of Pentref canolig ei faint has around 500 inhabitants and has an old chapel which dates back to the 14th century. St Ernoch was the one who was constructed this chapel and preached at there to. There is also a pub which is called the Tafarn y pentref derw and is quite popular with visitors who visit it and stay there in its rooms. Another thing popular with visitors is the nearby springs which is said to cure/help illnesses of the people who drink its waters. Visitors also come to walk down to Coedwig forest and the Ffrwd Coedwig stream and to see the water falls there on the water fall walk which are especially good after a large amount of heavy rain which happens quite often in Wales. Another walking route from here is to walk up to the top of the hills like at Atal fferm, walking up to the top here gives a good view up and down the valley. While on clear days, you can just see the coast, the Sea and Benr beach and Tref porthladd fawr as well. The line goes downhill slightly for 850m at a average gradient of 1 in 750 as the line passes through the Coedwig forest and the line goes over the 25m high Frwd Coedwig bridge as the line goes over the Ffrwd y Goedwig yn disgyn with several water falls on this stream as it heads down to Cerddwyr yn haneru from the hills higher above in the valley. Very close to the waters falls is the small halt of Atal Coedwig goedwigoedd. This is another popular spot for Holiday makers which walk down from Cerddwyr yn haneru to see the water falls on the water fall walk and the stream as well but during the winter very little passenger traffic and often trains don’t stop here because there is nobody waiting for the train apart from during the summer as it doesn’t serve any town or village. The line then goes up hill again for 2.9 km at an average gradient of this time 1 in 115. After this, there is a very short and hard section for the engines of 1 in 25 for 0.1 kilometres until it reaches the large village of Gwelwynes which is the second largest village on the line and is also one highest stations on the line at 527m above sea level. The short section of 1 in 20 is also the steepest section of the line. This station has a run around loop, a siding for coal and a siding for general traffic vans it also has a goods shed like at Tref fawr as well as a siding for empty slate trucks waiting for Edward the quarry locomotive to come and collect the wagons and take them back down to Pentref llechi quarry and Mwynglawdd llechi. This station also has a small refueling point with coal and a water tower for trains going back down the line as most of them would not have enough fuel to get back down again without running out of fuel on the way back down and having to stop. The water comes down on a stream from the hills above the station. Gwelwynes is a large Village of about 750 inhabitants. The most popular thing in the village is the Pub- The Yr hen dafarn which visitors come to eat and drink at as well as stay in its few rooms. Aside from the pub, visitors also come for the views down the valley which on clear days you can see Tref fawr in the distance and on very good clear days which doesn’t happen very often, you might be able to see the coast and Benr beach. Another thing Holiday makers to visit is the nearby Llyn sy'n gollwng lake which has a campsite nearby which is called Maes gwersylla llyn sy'n gollwng visitors come to camp at and walk in the hills and valleys nearby as well as swimming, fishing, and sailing/canoeing in the lake. Camping equipment like tents is mostly transported in the guard’s van however on busy summer days where there is a lot of stuff, a whole van is used to transport the tents and other camping equipment if there is not enough space in the guard’s van for it all to fit in. The guard’s van is also used on busy days to transport more people as there is a bench in there. The line continues past Gwelwynes, going downhill slightly for 700m at a average gradient of 1 in 650, then there is another very seep section of 1 in 45 for about 150m, then it flattest out a bit as it goes up hill at an average gradient of 1 in 110 for 1.6km until it reaches the slate mine of Y min llechi and the village for it as well, the slate main traffic on the railway and the reason for building the railway in the first place after slate was found in the hills nearby. Only Edward the locomotive the quarry owned and Number 4 rundown here, all though Number 3 used to go down here as well when it pulled the slate trains before Number 4 came to the railway in late 1919. The mine has its own small village which is called Pentref llechi and most of the residents here are workers who work at the Slate quarry. The small halt is for the workers, but general passenger trains do arrive here on weekends to serve the people who live there and people who want to go there for the walking routes nearby which go over the top and to the other valleys nearby the one that the railway runs in. The station here has one long siding for both vans/coal and other materials like gunpowder for the slate quarry. There are also two sidings for the slate wagons-one for empty wagons and one loaded wagons, ready for going back to Tref fawr. In the view of the station is the incline for the Mwynglawdd llechi slate mine which the slate quarry is the top of with the quarry owing about 100m of track after the end of the run around loop at the station to the bottom of the incline which the wagons are then pulled up and down. Which no other locomotives apart from Edward allowed to run on the track to here as the quarry owns it and Edward is the quarries locomotive. Pentref llechi has very little for visitors to see that they could do or access easily from Pentre Canolig as they are very close together or the other villages down the line as well. However, the village has houses for workmen, 2 shops and a chapel for the workers as well. The Llyn sy'n gollwng lake is in view of a lot of the houses in the village. People from the campsite often walk up to Pentref llechi has it isn’t a very far walk from the campsite and after that, they often walk up to the top of hills as well which gives a good view of both the valley and the slate mine. In 1919 more slate was discovered in the hills nearby Pentref Chwarel Galchfaen and it was decided to build a quarry to mine it and an extension to the DR to transport it and in 1919 construction began on the 1.2kms of track and the slate quarry which included a 25m long tunnel which is the only tunnel on the line. This work was completed in the December of 1921 and trains began running on January first with a small opening ceremony because of this with Number 2 hauling this special train. The junction station for the 2 different mines/quarry’s is Pentref Canolig with the branches to the slate quarries being about 400m at the end of the run round with a y point for the 2 different lines to the different mines. This line goes up hill at an average gradient of 1 in 95, this branch is quite hard for the locomotives to run on. The railway runs along the edge of a lake called llyn calchfaen and there is a lot of swans on this, and you can often see them on the lake as the trains run by. The slate mine has a village for the works like Pentref llechi and the slate mine is called Pentref Chwarel galchfaen the slate quarry didn’t last as long as the slate quarry as in the winter of 1946 it rained really a lot and because of this, the quarry flooded and had to close but the line to the village remained open until December 1950 when there was a landslide which covered the line, so it was a reason to close it as it was very under profitable after the slate quarry closed. Lucky the railway still had the other slate mine and it's traffic to keep it going. The mine also had its own locomotive like the slate mine did which was also a quarry Hunslet. Sorry if there is any mistakes with the welsh. That's all for now Ben

Progress has been made on the layout, the layout has been started with most of the track having been laid in this picture As you can also see, the Baldwin has arrived, I chose the Glyn Valley tramway lined black as I like how it has the back cab with the windows, I am really please with the Baldwin its a lot bigger than my N gauge stock but it looks really good running round the layout, the valve gear looks very impressive. Also arrived is one of the Peco L&B bogie coaches in the unlettered observation coach. Also next you can see a Tallylyn railway brake vans and a green diesel which was the inspiration for building this layout (which is something I forgot to mention in my first post) You can also see a building on the layout which is actually a Metcalf N gauge tractor shed which seems way out of scale but seems to be in scale in 00 gauge. This is how the layout looks now at the end of the day, the layout is wired up, all the track is laid and screwed down (as I don't think me, a hammer and a small pin is going to go well), the screws are going to be painted black when I weather the track to hide them. The scenery is at an early stage and is made from polystyrene cut to shape with a craft knife. The scenery is made so any trains that go run the layout are hidden for a small amount of time, I am pleased with the progress that has been made so far with this. Now on to some fake history for my fictional line as I spent Thursday evening writing the history bellow. There is going to be more history but that is all the history for now. In short- The Gwelwynes Valley Railway or Rheilffordd Dyffryn Gwelwynes in Welsh is a fictional 2ft or 610mm narrow gauge railway in mid Wales, and it has a length of 14.3km or 8.89 miles and runs in the Gwelwynes Valley. The railway runs from the town of Tref fawr to the villages and quarries of Pentref llechi and Chwarel galchfaen while its last main station is Gwelwynes, this station severs the small town of Gwelwynes which the valley that the railway runs in, is named after. The railway was made originally to transport slate from the slate quarry at Pentref llechi but also had general freight traffic, passengers, and later more slate was discovered, and a quarry created for this. The railway officially stated running trains in 1884 and closed down in 1953. In 1987 a preservation society was formed to run heritage trains along the old route. The railway has 4 halts and 3 stations. In long- In early 1879 slate was discovered in the hills nearby Mwynglawdd llechi because of this it was decided to make a narrow-gauge railway to transport the slate down to the standard gauge GWR line at Pentref gorsaf fawr and later BR. The construction of the railway was funded by 2 business men from London who owned serval different business including treacle factories, brick factories, coal mines, sand mines, a tin mines, and a copper mine as well as several other business like some light railways across England. They decided to construct a small narrow-gauge railway to mine slate as they had heard the success of other narrow-gauge railways and wanted to have their own. Parliamentary permission was given in 1881 and construction on the railway started in the spring of 1882 and was finished by the Autumn of 1883 with the opening ceremony and the start of passenger trains beginning on the 1st of January 1884, but freight traffic had begun in the October of 1883. The railway lasted until November 1953 when it ran out of money due to the slate quarry shunting in February 1951 and the other slate quarry had flooded and had to close in the winter in 1947. The railway also shut because the locomotives and track work had had a lack of maintenance due to World War 2 and the increase of freight traffic to help with the war effort. The permanent way was ripped up in December 1953 with the help of Number 4 and 5 which ripped up the sleepers and took the old rails and sleepers away. However, in 1987 a preservation society was formed to re-lay the old track-bed and run trains as well on this line, this preservation society is called The Cymdeithas cadwraeth rheilffordd Dyffryn Gwelwynes or the Gwelwynes Valley railway preservation society. They decided to stay to the same gauge of 2ft although 15inch gauge was considered instead of the original 2ft gauge, and the preservation society wanted to run some of the original locomotives and rolling stock if they could, or replicas of the railways original rolling stock that ran on the railway originally. By 2011 the society had reached the bridge at Pont Ffrwd y Goedwig with a small halt constructed there as the old one had been knocked down in the late 1940s, they had plans to eventually extend the line to Pentref Canolig and the town there and perhaps even further afield to the mines too. Several other locomotives came to the railway during preservation days for galas or as permanent residents. In 1942 Number 2 was already struggling but it was pulling a passenger train during a storm when almost worked itself to pieces as it struggled to make it up to Gwelwynes which it manged to do and make it back down again to. After this, it was almost a bomb due to the boiler being very thin, almost too thin to even be steamed, and when it was steamed, steam leaked everywhere, and it was very weak due to this, and the crews hated using it as they feared the boiler exploding. Number 3 took over Number 2’s job, but it was also showing its age in 1946 and it finally gave up 1947 which left Number 4 and Number 5 to run the line for 2 years until they managed to repair Number 3 enough to run feasibly again in 1949 but it was mostly used on the lighter trains and the railway relived mostly on the wheels of Number 4 Dreadnought for its last few years of its existence with Number 5 being to under powered to pull full length trains on the whole line. A diesel locomotive was bought to help restart running trains and help with the construction of the track bed. Edward from the slate quarry was found in it’s old engine shed in the slate quarry complex in 1988, it was the first steam locomotive they had for the preservation trains, so it was modified to have a tender for coal to give it extra range so it could run the whole length of the line without running out of coal and because of the tender cab had to be changed slightly to accommodate it, but it is easy to change it to be in its original form without a tender within a couple of days. Some of the vans and coaches were used as sheds, summer houses and other things like chicken coops when they were sold off when the railway closed. The preservation society went looking for them and found 2 of the vans and 1 bogie coach and 1 of the 4-wheel coaches, these were restored and now run on the railway once again. Another locomotive that was found was the Baldwin which was preserved in 1969 after the slate quarry that it worked at after it was moved from the GVR, closed down and was bought and moved to the Ffestiniog and Welsh highland railway but was later moved to the Cymdeithas cadwraeth rheilffordd Dyffryn Gwelwynes in 1995. Number 3 was also preserved and was at another narrow-gauge railway until 2009 when it sold to a different owner who moved it to the Heritage railway. Number 2 was scrapped along most of the wagons though some where sold on to other railways. A few of the wagons were also preserved, with most of these being slate wagons as there was more of these than any other wagon type on the railway but some of the open wagons were also preserved as well as some others like the bogie guards van. Sorry if there are any mistakes with the Welsh place names, I just used google translate for them. That's all for now, Ben

So I am planning to make a small, simple 009 layout on a old piece of wood out of the garage that an old layout was on, a few years ago. Its about 21 inches wide by 31 and a half inches long and the track plan would be just a loop of track with a single siding for goods and a small station as well with a hill behind it to hide the train. The track will be normal Peco N gauge track with every other sleeper removed to save me buying the peco 009 track as I have lots of N track around. I have been writing a history of a fictional history for my own 2ft gauge line that is called Gwelwynes Valley Railway or Rheilffordd Dyffryn Gwelwynes in Welsh and am just finishing that. I like the look of the Bachman Baldwins and might get one, same with the quarry Hunslets and the Peco/Kato FR George England. Also at some point, I might make a pug bash or 2 as they are a cheap way to make a locomotive. 009 rolling stock seems a little expensive but with some kit built rolling stock for the wagons it should be alright but the 009 coaches look good. Hopefully soon I can get on with the track laying and order a locomotive and coach at some point soon.

This project started out as this a peco N gauge brake van in the BR civil engineer livery and looked like this- A small piece of planking piece was added on the inside but I quickly realised that you can't see the interior so I didn't bother adding any more details on the inside. The foot-boards ( I think that's what they are called) were painted brown with Humbrol Matt 186 as a saw I think a Southern pill-box brake van in the same livery with brown foot-boards. A peco unpainted figure was then painted to be a guard but I don't think it is the correct uniform but it doesn't bother me, was glued in place on the veranda at one end. A P and D marsh white-metal lamp was then added to the back or the same end that the guard is standing on and the centre painted red with Humbrol Gloss 19 so it is correct red for the lamp that is placed on the end of the train. It was then weathering quite heavily with DCC concepts Black weathering powders and then sprayed with a matt varnish to finish it off and seal the weathered powders in. The weathering is definitely not the best but I am happy with the weathering and every thing else on the brake van that I have added. It now looks like this- Sorry if I have made any mistakes this is my first time posting on Rmweb