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Cwmhir - The camera never lies


Darwinian
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What with holidays and outdoor maintenance to do I have got relatively little done over the last month. Whilst on holiday I took along materials and plans to build the goods shed. Construction is in Wills stone sheet and I've attempted to use the jointing techniques described in MRJ 247 by Karl Krowther. However the black milliput I had with me didn't seem to stick to the sheets very well so I'll have to go over it.

 

Construction uses 0.5mm plain plasticard as the inner wall with strips of the same spacing this out from the Wills sheet to form an open sandwich construction. To prevent any build up of solvent vapour inside the sandwich gaps were left around the edges. Corners are arranged so that each layer overlaps forming a strong bond when assembled.

 

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The shed is a based on Ashburton, plans of which are in the GWR Branch Line Termini Vol2. book but with square door openings with steel girder lintels above, My admittedley slightly limited research suggests that there were no standard designs of shed on the Rhymney so I've adapted Ashburton as it's a nice size, Here is the front wall showing the allowance for setting into the goods yard surface. The shed sits across a baseboard joint hopefully hiding the join across the station platform behind it.

 

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When checked against the layout when I got home it fits perfectly into the back of the platforms BUT I forgot that the Ashburton branch was broad gauge so the rail track door openings are too wide and look ridiculous :banghead: . The Rhymney was standard gauge from the outset. I'll have to do the end walls again,) Or bodge repair the openings and hide it behind the open doors / end office. Don't really want to build new ends as I'd carefully matched the stonework going around the corners.

 

A trip to my local Model Railway shop in Norwich to get more plasticard also yielded some stone and timber sheets by Auhagen. The stone sheet will be used for the supporting walls for the internal platform and the timber for the doors.

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  • 5 months later...

So a lighting rig is now attached to the layout and the other half of the backdrop hillside given some basic scenic work. I am pleased with the way the LED lights look. The lightweight construction with timber and foam board seems to work although I do wonder if the horizontal battens won't sag over time. The lighting pelmet will have a central raised area carrying the layout name which will be held by velcro across the join so hiding it and keeping the two halves in alignment. The velcro is just about strong enough to hold the pelemts up although they do hang at a slight angle. I had to superglue the self adhesive velcro to the wooden battens as the glue on it would not hold firmly enough on its own.

 

Front view of layout:

post-9629-0-07970800-1485984277_thumb.jpg

 

From behind showing the lighting supports:

post-9629-0-07767700-1485984291_thumb.jpg

 

The station area lit by the lighting unit alone:

post-9629-0-33898100-1485984318_thumb.jpg

 

As you can see I decided to bodge the error on the goods shed doors. The main carcass is now assembled but there is still a lot to do.

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  • 1 month later...

Tree time.

 

I have finally bitten the bullet and had a go at making some trees. My plan is that the fiddle yard entrance for the colliery line will be disguised by a copse over-hanging the cutting so I need semi - mature Sessile Oak trees (other species available) that might have been in place before the cutting was put through the copse, and/or have grown up since.

 

As I am a plant scientist by training I really felt I should try to at least get the overall appearance as close as possible BUT with limited time to build quite a lot of trees I needed a fairly quick method. Most of teh ready made trees I have seen have two issues. They are too open in form, more akin to specimin trees in a garden, or childrens picture book trees and they are quite expensive.

 

These are my second attempt. Construction is using Woodland scenics plastic tree armatures, bent to shape and painted a green grey with some scatter on the branches and trunks to represent lichens/moss. One side was given an overspray with a dark green to represent the wetter North facing side that would have more such growth.

 

The fine branch material is horsehair mat teased out quite thin (various suppliers). Chunks are applied to produce an outer "shell" representing the fine branches/twigs. It is attached to the armatures with Woodland Scenics "Hob-e-tack".

 

Foliage is again woodland scenics "Underbrush" held on with cheap spary adhesive from a local discount store (the type recommended to fix down carpets) I tried some pound shop spray adhesive but the spray was more of a jet and it was far too wet.

 

The foliage didn't attach very strongly so the whole tree was then sprayed with mat acrylic varnish (Windsor and Newton) using one of the inexpensive outside mix Badger airbrushes.

 

The wagon is a 7 plank open to give an impression of the size, I cannot go any higher than these as, being on top of the hills, they would be taller than the backscene.

 

post-9629-0-25210200-1488836330_thumb.jpg

 

They still need the wispy bits of horse hair trimming off and shaping to fit with others and to model the lower branch level to be consistent with grazing by wild animals (Were there many Deer around the upper reaches of the Valleys in 1930?). Oh, and the round plastic bases will not be used on the layout.

 

 

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  • 4 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...
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I am really impressed not just with the quality of the layout but the lighting too.

 

Is that just the rope leds you showed in an earlier post or something else

 

Thanks Dan

 

Yes, more details please :) If that was the Led rope, that's worked very well! Something I've not got right is the lighting on my layout.

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I've been away for a couple of weeks hence the delay in replying.

 

Yes it's just the "Daylight" LED rope lights as shown earlier. Photography is with my iPod. The rope light strip was split so that each half of the scenic part of the layout has a separate section. Just a single strip of lights now moved to be immediately abover the front of the layout and angled back at approximately 20 degrees. Power is now provided by the recommended power adapter.

 

The lighting produced is quite diffused and not overly bright but better than just the room. light (which is a flourescent tube but was turned off for the photos).

 

I've not done anything more on the layout for several weeks as the garden calls.

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  • 1 month later...

Not had as much time to build models as I might like but I have made some progress on the station platforms.

 

Built of 2mm grey card they are surfaced front and back with slaters coursed stone plasticard (Liberal coating of liquid poly before clamping onto the card carcass with hair grips). Edging added from 10 thou plasitcard, individual pieces for the platform edge then a strip along the verticle edges, joints scribed in afterwards.

 

The area in front of the building has been given a hand scribed coating of stone flags (plasticard again) and drilled to take the canopy supports.

 

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I am assuming that in the late 20s - early 30s of Cwmhir most of the platform surface would be gravel/ash so this has been replicated by applying a layer of 120 grade sandpaper (from a Lidl multi-grade pack). This needs painting and I will attempt to work in some wear, puddles and moss, weed growth. To get the sandpaper to fit I made paper patterns then transferred these to the back of the sandpaper before cutting out and applying with Pritt stick glue.

 

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There will be railings or some form of wire fence along the back of the platforms to keep the punters off the adjacent goods shed siding.

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Darn it. I just put the platforms back on the layout with a passenger train in the station and realise that the platforms are level with the footboards, they should be below them :banghead: . I guess I'll have to start again, can't see any way to trim about 4mm off the bottom of the card work. :cry:

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  • 2 months later...

I bit the bullet and scrapped the platforms. New ones were made from artists mount board (from The Range) which was much easier to work with than the heavy grey board. This time I made the top surface flush with the vertical walls. The edging slabs were 15 thou plasticard and the overhanging thickness of these made with a 1mm square strip cut from 1mm thick plasticard sheet. The top surface was again sandpaper, It's all been painted with Vallejo Air paints but needs some more detailing. Pictures might follow when I get some stuff down from the loft.

Overall I'm glad I had to scrap the first attempt as the replacements are much better.

 

I've also been painting the platform canopy but one of the supporting columns came off so I'll post a picture or two when I've mended it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

The reworked platforms are much better. I have also managed to complete the canopy, just needs the holes in the platform for the canopy supports drifting a little to get them upright.

 

Here is a view from the non-viewing side. Must work out how to get a decent depth of field on my DSLR this is only in focus in a small area, sorry about that.

post-9629-0-07396500-1514917829_thumb.jpg

 

Happy new year to all RMwebbers.

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Time constraints mean I've made little obvious progress with Cwmhir. Much of my model building time has been spent battling with the Collet non-corridor bow end build.

 

However I decided to try out photgraphing the coal wagon collection and station area that are slowly progressing.

 

First of all here is a general view of the station as it stands at present. The rectangle of MDF shows the location of the goods shed (yet to be built, a stone version of Abbotsbury with a more Rhymney esque canopy arrangement).

attachicon.gifCwmhir station 2 1-6-16 2000.jpg

 

This is what it's all about, coal, coal and more coal.

attachicon.gifCoal sidings 1 1-6-16 2000.jpg

 

End of the coal yard sidings.

attachicon.gifBrake vans on stops 1-6-16 2000.jpg

 

 

The "snow" on the end of the coal sorting sidings is where I am in the process of burriying the sleepers in clay to represent the gunge that stands in for ballast in such locations.

 

I am undecided as to what to do with the area to the right of the water tank, between the coal sidings and the run round loop. Add a raised area linking n to the hill at the end  or leave it flat. It's in the wrong place for a colliers platform being next to the loco release turnouts. 

 

Any suggestions?

 

Looks great.

 

Did the 40T loco coal wagon run in South Wales?

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Looks great.

 

Did the 40T loco coal wagon run in South Wales?

 

To be honest I don't know. I think they were limited to a few routes so not really likely to turn up mixed in with 20T and 12T wagons but I like them so rule 1 applies.

 

 

 

Did the 40T loco coal wagon run in South Wales?

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I don't know either, but if they ever did it would almost certainly have been in a circuit working, not as pool wagons.  Few collieries would have accepted them, as apart from anything else they were too long for the weighbridges!

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To be honest I don't know. I think they were limited to a few routes so not really likely to turn up mixed in with 20T and 12T wagons but I like them so rule 1 applies.

 

 

 

Did the 40T loco coal wagon run in South Wales?

Sorry did not mean to offend.

 

I'm happy that there's another South Walesian layout :)

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  • 4 months later...

Apologies that it has been so long since the last post on Cwmhir. I have had some significant changes in my life but things are settling down a bit now. One consequence has been that I have re-evaluated the location of Cwmhir in our loft. It's too cold on winter, too hot in summer and the access ladder gets in the rest of the family's way. 

 

So this year Cwmhir will be moving to a new home in the garden.

 

This is a basic, reasonably priced shed that has been put up on a base of an old shed that was falling apart.  To make it habitable, hopefully all year I am lining it with Ecohome triple foil insulation (the framing is too shallow to take Kingspan or similar). It has proved fairly easy to install, mostly done today with my wife's help.

 

post-9629-0-13185600-1526847077_thumb.jpg

 

Here is the inside with just the roof sections and ends gables left to do.

 

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The plan is to batten and board out the walls at least (might do the ceiling too). Fit LED lighting strips on a board in the ceiling apex. 

 

Not decided on flooring yet but thinking of laminate flooring seconds over a cheap underlay.

 

At the moment going inside it feels like visiting the international space station (except for the presence of normal gravitational effects).

 

 

.

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Sorry did not mean to offend.

 

I'm happy that there's another South Walesian layout :)

 

No offence taken, just wondered if anyone knew if any of the S.Wales pits took them.

 

I am assuming the pit(s) above /near Cwmhir did supply loco coal for the GWR hence the loco cola wagons passing through the sorting sidings.

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  • 6 months later...
  • 3 months later...

So moving on to other rolling stock now the Non-corridor set is mostly done. I have been building a Dragon models Taff Vale brake van. I have made some deviations from the kit as illustrated below.

 

Firstly I messed up the rocking w-iron supports (got them on the wrong way around) so had to bodge them. I incorporated springing using guitar string. I also disliked the simple outline shape etch for the brake gear so substituted some Bill Bedford etched components instead.

 

160984618_Taffvalevanunderframe.jpg.cea0ae14ebf7988ee2da91c0911949e9.jpg

 

The body has been made removable so I can permanently fit the roof, so protecting the vulnerable end roof supports. The holes in the floor are where a pair of bolts will hold a cross piece attached to the body.

 

1293157990_Taffvalevanfloor.jpg.f24c17117af1167f39086d462b4e1bd5.jpg

 

The next issue was how to represent the safety bars across the openings between the veranda sides and cabin. I solved this by making them part of the handrail next to the opening and threading this through. It means they are rather heavier than they should be but at least they are robust enough for handling and cannot be knocked off. The one yet to be fitted is shown below the side. I have decided to use Archer rivet transfers on the strapping as it seems too narrow to punch the half etched rivets through without distorting it badly. Handrails in the picture are just test fitted, they have been soldered in now.

684011905_Taffvalevandoorbars.jpg.0cab3b3743faea7338c6ae9266aff852.jpg

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  • 4 months later...

The GWR grey was applied to the TVR van and a “breathed on” Oxford Toad so will have them done soon.

The 4coach compartment set has been tested on Cwmhir but there is still a bind somewhere. I shouldn’t have gone for such an extreme gradient.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Bit of scenic work this week. The first sheep have arrived and a railway company post and wire fence installed to keep them in the field/hillside.

7DF4220D-4684-4247-92E6-E23487C5BD62.jpeg.56c94c7b6993875d7751e8f0f9b09305.jpeg

 

Sheep are Prieser so 3.5mm:1ft. A hint of perspective modelling.

 

I’ve also weathered the water tower. Not sure I like this but behind it.BDD801D1-F552-4D2A-AEFF-7F8F29AA54C7.jpeg.102c463d47d68a456c0a72c1a7b20d92.jpeg

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