Anthony Ashley

Lezz, Cameron and Howard thanks for the posts. Cameron after looking at the two pictures you submitted I did a close somparison and realised I needed to reduce the height of my lower mound and increase the height of the top mound for the area closer to the bridge. I made the approriate cuts and repainted the yellow bits. I think the two mounds are closer to the real thing now. Hopefully the seven odd years it has taken to create this building will pay off!!! A photo of the actual mounds are below. I have experimented with different grass and earth colours and lengths. Shown below in a single photo are the results. The left most sample is with drk green 1 ml staic grass over dark earth scatter. The second sample is drk green 1 ml static grass over light earth scatter. The third sample is 2ml light green static grass over dark earth scatter. The fourth is 2ml light green static grass over light earth scatter. I think the best effect is the fourth sample. What do others think? All comments are welcome as the mounds are a comparatively large area which will take soem work to complete. I want to get it right the first time. I have added further walls in fron of the mounds as well. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Path has had gravel added. Just a couple of photos with the glue stil damp in a couple of areas. I shall try the static grass tomorrow. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Simon, Thankyou for your support. I agree that the layout should remind those that see it of Jenny's skill. I have spent the day sculpting the foam with good effect. It took most of the day. I have the photos below. Over view of the area. The ply piece is the wrong shape and I will need to cut the correct one. The gap in the right side of the foam is for the entrance building. The walkway is rising from behind the gap for the entrance building. I also need to create a stair way on the left side just behind what will be the front garden lawn area. The walk way is clearer in this photo. . The ply wall has been replaced with the right shape. Just need to add stone on both faces Next is to paint the foam brown prior to adding gravel top the walkway and static grass to the rest of the area with other vegetation for bushes as required. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear John and Lez, Thanks for the input. The last 2 months have been very stressful for my family with my mother in law, Jenny, dying about a month ago. This sitution ahs obShe has left a lasting legacy as a really great contributor to my viously been very difficult for my wifr Sarah anf her two sisters who all nursed her Mum at home for the last 4 months of her life. Jenny has left a lasting legacy in many ways. One of those is her fantastic art work. I am lucky that she was in good health when I commenced the layout, as she painted all of the walls around the layout with some assistance from Sarah. Everyone who sees the layout in person comments on the great wall painting around the layout. Jenny was very interested in modelling as well and was a very enthusiastic supporter of the model layout. Her loss is a great gap in our lives. Modelling has therefore been very sporadic over the last 3 months or so but I have now recommenced serious modelling. I have been focussing on the mounds on hte south sid eof the castle next to Conwy Rd. I had to cut a numbe rof foam sections and then glue them individually. Results are below. I need to add a wall section in hte gap area between the foam from the castle to the road. Some of the foam sections need to be lowered in height against the castle and all need to be shaped. The right section had a walkway extending from an entrance building cut into the mound and runnnning up the hill to the second turret on the right and then cutting back to past the first right hand turret. Yiu can make out the lower level on the right of the inside of the castle. I just need to shape the foam, using google street view as my guid to some extent. The new castle entrance has substantially altered the right side of the mound, but the pictues I have of the area with the old walkways up the hill should be accurate enough. Regards, Anthony Ashley

John, The yellow foam is by Knauf and is called XPS. I have been unable to find it even on the Knauf web site. Looks like they have discontinued production, although I have found some on gum tree. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, Foam has been cut. Photos are below. Next is to cut the mound around the castle and add stone work to the wall walkway floors. Regards, Anthony ashley

John, Yes to your question. I prefer the yellow higher density foam but it is no longer available from the local hardware supplier. The yellow foam is much denser than the green and hence preferable but you take what you can get. Regards, Anthony Ashley

r Have cut the upper floor area and the castle support foam. Photos of the sections are below. Main castle area The wall to the right will require about 60 ml of foam to be trimmed off it the length of the wall. Castle keep area. Similar to above the keep has a lower area against the top wall incorporating the royal apartments. Foam board marked with the external walls to provide the 30 ml lift for the whole of the castle. Need to cut the foam support board and then add resin stone work to some of the walkways which are missing it. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, Worked on the foam bases for the two entrances to the castle. They were a very irregular shape and I needed to use the lower outer walls that I had glued together in order to format the right shape. I placed the foam under the whole castle and marked the interior walls. It worked well by using a drops saw for many of the cuts ensuring accurate and exactly 90 degree cuts along the way. First the western entrance section. I had to try two positions for the west garden area against the castle wall, meaning that I ended up with 2 sets of marking on the foam. I moved the section a little north as you can see from the extra lines left on the section. The castle wraps around the foam and is in turn encased by the lower wall sections. It fitted together really well. The glued wall sections came apart during this process, but will be much easier to glue onto the foam itself with a lot more support. The foam section in situ. The eastern entrance using a similar technique, although the foam section is quite narrow. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, Second installment of Conwy castle photos. Shows the old entrance area for the castle. Interior of the castle. The line of holes on the far wall were I believe the holes to support the wooden beams which held up the roof of the lower area. The lower level is about 50 mls wide. I am going to make it 30 mls high, so will add a 30ml high floor in the rest of the castle area made out of foam board. There is a wooden walkway spanning the lower level gap which I shall make out of split ice cream sticks. Similarly the keep has a lower level on the same side of the castle. There are interior walls spanning across the lower level which will be made in the future. I am going to elevate the whole structure on 30 ml foam board and then need to add additional foam board to create the mound encompassing the castle. The interior area of the keep. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, The castle exterior walls are completed and glued together, including the walkways around the towers. Photos are below. View to the east end and south side of the castle. View to the south side of the castle. Aerial view of the south east corner of the castle. Aerial view from the south west corner of the castle. More to follow. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Mr Gibbons thanks for the post on Western Thunderer. Some very interesting photos. I was unaware that the locos were in the area until 1969. I think however that the scale of the operation would put then out of the scene I am modelling, although I am not certain. The mountain is so high in real life I think I would need at least a second story to go close to replicating it. Perhaps I should have built one of those US double story barns instead of an Aussie shed!!! Thanks again for the info, as such material form persons adding to the posts is really appreciated. Progress on the castle has been slow and steady with only 2 more fully stoned walls to glue. Regards, Anthony Ashley

John, Thankyou for picking up on my "deliberate" error. Of course I clearly was checking to see how many people were actually reading the sign. Well done. The corrected sign will be posted in due course. It was obviously difficult to get educated sign writers in 1960!!!!! I have finished adding stone to the exterior walls on their interior sides. Have also done the mortar colour. Only need to add the stone colours., cut door ways and windows and put the castle together. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, I completed the signs for the tea house. Photo below. I have been working on the castle stone work. Only one small corner section to finish with stone resin and I am finished apart from the interior walls structures. All of the exterior wall interiors have had stone added as well. After that I will work on the tennis courts behind the tea house. Regards, Anthony Ashley

John, Thanks for the reply. I agree with your assessment of the roof writing. I should have picked it up myself, although the last word is quite hard to read. I will add a roof sign in due course. Thanks again. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Cameron, Thanks for your latest post. The apparent random nature of the street lighting would seem to almost give my free form to stick lights as I think fit. The link you have provided is another great photo. Thanks again. I received the first 3D printed building from my son, who printed it for me. I have decorated most of it, and only have a roof sign to add. Finding the right era photo of the tennis court tea shop/house is difficult. I think I have one matching 1960 showing the following: "ÍCE CREAM PARLOUR TEA OARDING" The last word is hard to make our but I think it is Boarding with the B missing! If anyone has any more idea on the sign in the photo below I would appreciate any comments. Photo is below. Bowling Green in the foreground and tennis court tea house in the background. Back to the castle interior!!! Regards, Anthony Ashley

Cameron, Thanks very much for the link to alternate Conwy photos. I do not know how many times I have looked on line for photos of Conwy but never seen this sight. The photo of the honey festival was interesting as it was in a major street, was set in 1960, but I could only see one street light high up on a building. Perhaps there were no major street lights in Conwy in 1960, but I find this hard to believe The photo you referred to was great in showing lighting on the bridge in 1958. I think finding those lights in N Gauge may be difficult. I may need to look at constructing them myself. I had a look on line and found nothing that was similar in terms of N gauge. Thanks again for the link. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, Internal tower walkways have all been cut. An example of one of the more complex is below. It took nearly a day to build!!I need to add stone facings to all of the interior walls including at least some of the tower walkway. The entrance arch is completed apart form some extensions to be added to the front requiring 3D printing. Next is more stone coverage for the interior walls and walkways. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Cameron, Lez, ACG and David, Thanks for the discussion. You clearly have a much deeper knowledge of the area and history of it than me. All of these comments are useful in modelling the layout. It is quite difficult to exactly replicate road and rail features for 1960. One example is the street lighting. In the later photo the lights are relatively modern and maybe too modern for 1960 northern wales, but I am not sure. I have seen a UK 1957 video showing similar lights being erected as those shown on the major road in the photo. What do you think? I have finished the outer walls with stone apart from a very small section. The entrance has been finished apart from the large ruined wall jutting out into the car park. A photos of the actual entrance in 1926 is below. Entrance in 1960 was behind the small tower on the left following the winding path up the hill from the entrance building in the now non existent car park. The road has been widened to include that car park. I think in 1960 the entrance was the same, although I am happy to be advised otherwise. I have been unable to find any photos closer to 1960 of the entrance. My model is below. I will raise the whole castle by putting it on 30 ml foam board, which will add more dramatic height to the castle. You can see the only section of wall without stone work below, where the ply wood section is visible. I need to wait to add the stone work unit after I have added the hill and the path to the right of the tower. This way I can accurately cut the archway on that wall at the right height before adding stone work. It is easier to drill and make the arch and then cut the stone resin from the back once applied to the wall. There is a lot less vegetation on the small towers in the more recent photos than in 1926. The covers and wood planks at the top of the small towers are visible in more recent photos as in the model below. Next is to add stone resin to the interior walls before putting the structure together with glue and then cutting the 30ml base of foam. Looking through the towers is a wooden platform which I shall model using match sticks as my construction material. The beauty of N gauge!! Regards, Anthony Ashley

Leekhockey, Thanks very much for the photos. I have seen many of the area but not the ones you have posted. The aerial view is particularly valuable, giving the layout of the area to the east of the castle. The positioning of the mini castle is very interesting, and will facilitate a more accurate model. I do not have this view on the photos at hand so thanks again for your contribution. It is fantastic when I get such contributions adding to the context of the model. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Lez, I hope the following photos will not disappoint , as I have finished all of the main castle exterior walls and towers and only have the entrance exterior to complete this aspect of the castle. Photos of progress are below. It has taken about 7 years to finish the castle exterior, although I still have to add hills and vegetation. Next I shall cover the interior external walls. and add the ground level inside the castle. The interior walls creating the rooms inside the castle can wait for later. Then mounds against the castle down to the roads, the car park and entrance area. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, Work in progress, Bowling green with just a 2 side walls required for completion. Junction and wall next to the station at Penmaenmawr. A really odd wall section with door and window leading no where but it is rrality. On with the castle!! Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, A long time between posting updates, but I have been steadily working on Penmaenmawr walls and Conwy castle. A lot of the walls are completed. I started the castle construction about 6 years ago, but only the front walls were completed. I have now cut all of the walls, the major towers, the smaller towers, the front garden area and the towers and walls completing the entrance area. In 1960 I think the entrance was from the car park next to Castle square. I think the sperate entrance on the other side of Llanrwst Rd was built well after 1960. I am interested in any comments on this. I have tried to see any plaques on the entrance building but not found any to date. The entrance path rose up the hill next to the castle doing one switch back. The photo below is well prior to 1960 but I believe shows the layout in 60, with the car park in front of the building entrance. I only have 3 of the 4 small towers and some of the smaller entrance towers and walls to add a stone finish for the exterior. Regards, Anthony Ashley I can add some photos tomorrow of developments. I am looking forward to finishing the castle exterior over the next week or so.

Dear All, Mnay road sides have been "stoned". My methods of holding sections in plac ewhile gluing are many and varied depending on the circumstances. Photos are below. Excavating the car park in preparation for securing the stone wall sections in fornt of the station. At this stage I was cutting the wall sections contouring the road above To secure this section of wall I needed to use pegs to provide support under the jar and then additional jar to provide enough weight behind the actual jar on the glued section. Only two more section of wall to stick tomorrow! s Regards, Anthony Ashley

m unaware of the "Dinky"hair grips bu they sound intriguing. The peg method of securing road edging while sticking the resin stone surface will not work where there is an obstruction on the otherside of the wall. Weighted strips of ply pressed against the wall are an alternative. A few more road edges to go and then on woth the 3d modelling of buildings in Penmaenmawr. Regards, Anthony Ashley