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  • RMweb Gold

One of the pleasures of this project is the fact that I can run all manner of motive power on my outrageously improbable light railway. Like the South Polden Light Railway, that links with BR at Bleakhouse Road, the Vale of Radnor Light Railway will feature both it's own resident locos, together with visiting engines, that would from time to time have been begged or borrowed from other railways, to help with a temporary motive power shortage.

 

'Jennifer' is one such loco, and is one of a pair of Mainline J72s that I have had for many years. Unlike her sister loco 'Charlotte', this one retains the original Mainline split chassis, which is why it doesn't work any longer.

 

'Charlotte' was finished in weathered 'NCB black' and was used on my first exhibition layout 'Engine Wood' to haul trains from the off-scene colliery to the BR Exchange Siding on the layout. There was an acute shortage of suitable motive power at the time, so the idea of using an ex-LNER J72 in a North Somerset colliery didn't seem too strange. After a couple of years or so, the old Mainline chassis on 'Charlotte' gave out, so I built a Perseverence chassis instead, and she runs very sweetly now.

 

I did obtain a built-up Perseverence chassis to go under 'Jennifer', but it didn't work properly, so one of my next projects is to partially dismantle the chassis and rebuild it. I plan for 'Jennifer' to be a resident loco on the VoRLR.

 

post-57-0-61560200-1493153706.jpg

 

The story goes that 'Jennifer' remained on the VoRLR until it closed, although hadn't been steamed regularly during the final years of operation. After the light railway closed and it's stock dispersed or scrapped, 'Jennifer' was rescued for preservation by the Herefordshire Railway Society and was moved in the early 1980s to their embryonic base at Lower Vowchurch, on the old Longtown branch. After the eventual failure of that scheme in the late 1990s, the locos and stock were dispersed across the country, and 'Jennifer' was purchased by Mid-Wales Railway Preservation Society, who had designs on reopening a short section of the VoRLR as a heritage railway. In the meantime, 'Jennifer' was stored at their temporary base on an industrial estate outside of Newtown.

 

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  • RMweb Gold

One of the pleasures of this project is the fact that I can run all manner of motive power on my outrageously improbable light railway. Like the South Polden Light Railway, that links with BR at Bleakhouse Road,...........

 

....and ultimately on to the soon to be re-instated Athelney line. :O

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  • RMweb Gold

I'm debating whether to use 'Dictu Prince' (scratchbuilt by Brian Clarke many years ago) as a 'visiting engine' on the Vale of Radnor Light Railway, but it's perhaps a bit too 'off the wall', even for an Outrageously Improbable Light Railway?

 

post-57-0-21481600-1493203493.jpg

 

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  • RMweb Premium

I'm debating whether to use 'Dictu Prince' (scratchbuilt by Brian Clarke many years ago) as a 'visiting engine' on the Vale of Radnor Light Railway, but it's perhaps a bit too 'off the wall', even for an Outrageously Improbable Light Railway?

 

attachicon.gifIMG_0555.JPG

Why not? It's just as credible as Gazelle on the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire or Shannon/Jane on the Wantage Tramway, to name but two.

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  • RMweb Gold

I'm debating whether to use 'Dictu Prince' (scratchbuilt by Brian Clarke many years ago) as a 'visiting engine' on the Vale of Radnor Light Railway, but it's perhaps a bit too 'off the wall', even for an Outrageously Improbable Light Railway?

 

attachicon.gifIMG_0555.JPG

Go on......you know that you want to...! :sungum:

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  • RMweb Gold

Progress of the layout or any of its component parts has been hampered by my fracturing a finger and bruising lots of other bits just over four weeks ago, and whilst the fracture itself is apparently knitting back together, the finger is still swollen and difficult to use, but I do want to get on with things as soon as possible.


 


Anyway, I did manage to produce a track plan, of sorts, on the laptop last night, whilst at DRAG. Forgive the crudeness of it, I could have done a hand-drawn plan, but I can't scan anything in at home at the moment, so I had to resort to using 'Paint' instead (Stubby has put me onto a more sophisticated package, also called Paint, but I haven't been able to have a look at that yet).


 


Some of the criteria behind this project, which was conceived some time before the Cameo Layout competition was announced, were:


 


- a desire to have a small layout that I could put up easily at home, even just for a couple of hours, and put away again quickly


- a desire to have something small and easy to use, that I could run my existing OO locos and stock on (ie. those which would normally be used on 'Engine Wood' and 'Bleakhouse Road')


- the wish to be able to justify more Western locos that wouldn't otherwise appear on the S&D, such as a 'Dukedog', an Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0, some of the smaller panniers and, of course, a 14XX or two


- the wish to be able to display the lovely structures scratchbuilt by Paul Iliff a few years ago for a different GWR project, and which I bought from him when he decided to sell a load of 4mm stuff a while back, when changing up to 7mm scale (I understand that he's since returned to 4mm). These buildings include a goods shed, weighbridge hut and stone road-over-rail bridge, with a single arch.


 


I already have a marked preference for shunting goods wagons, so making the layout 'goods only' wasn't a difficult decision. It would be fairly easy to fit a stone goods shed and weighbridge hut in the setting of an ex-GWR country goods yard. The stone overbridge will act as the scenic break. What I didn't really want to do, however, was to feature the 'main line', which this goods yard is connected to, as that could imply a need to show movements and possibly a fiddle yard at the other end as well.


 


Given the geographical setting of Bethesda Sidings and it's supposed historical context, I could have made the connection westwards to Gunstone Junction and Rhayader completely disused, or even used the former running line as a siding, but I decided to keep the connection with the Central Wales line 'in situ', to enable me to justify the occasional Midland loco visiting Bethesda Sidings.


 


As such, I decided to locate the goods yard on a short spur off the 'main line', which just happened to be crossed by a local road on a stone overbridge.


 


post-57-0-51326700-1494346409_thumb.jpg


 


 


I decided in the end to feature a short run-round loop on the layout. One might expect such a feature to be a bit longer, implying perhaps two tracks going out into the fiddle yard under the scenic break, but that would have precluded using Paul's lovely stone bridge, and I did like the idea of keeping most of the shunting action to the scenic area on display. The single line under the bridge can, of course, be used as a 'shunting spur' if necessary.


 


I will say that I was very positively influenced by the track plan on 'Sheep Lane', having met the layout and it's owner Rob (nhy581) at the Cardiff show in January this year. Rob's small run round works very well in the context of his overall scene, and as Bethesda Sidings is slightly longer (but not by much, at 4' or 4' 6" - yet to make my mind up but probably 4' 6"), I think it will be OK.


 

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  • RMweb Gold

This looks smashing, CK. There does appear to be plenty of scope for operation but not at the expense of looking congested, most important.

 

Bethesda has a nice spacious feel to it already.

 

 

I must say though, those pesky panniers do look rather decent........

 

Rob

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  • RMweb Gold

I'm debating whether to use 'Dictu Prince' (scratchbuilt by Brian Clarke many years ago) as a 'visiting engine' on the Vale of Radnor Light Railway, but it's perhaps a bit too 'off the wall', even for an Outrageously Improbable Light Railway?

 

IMG_0555.JPG

I dunno, reminds me a bit of "Gazelle" so not too unlikely for a light railway

 

http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/locomotivesandrollingstock/CollectionItem?objid=1975-7010&pageNo=20

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  • RMweb Gold

I dunno, reminds me a bit of "Gazelle" so not too unlikely for a light railway

 

http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/locomotivesandrollingstock/CollectionItem?objid=1975-7010&pageNo=20

Thanks Rich (and others), who advocate the use of 'Dictu Prince' after all, so perhaps it will make an appearance. There are other items of light railway motive power, from the same and other stables, as well.

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  • RMweb Gold

Here are a some photos of the goods shed, weighbridge office and road overbridge, which were scratchbuilt in card by Paul Iliff some 10 years or so ago, and purchased by me when Paul decided not to proceed with that particular project. I consider myself very fortunate and privileged to have had the opportunity to acquire these lovely structures: 

 

post-57-0-39732100-1494597484.jpg

 

post-57-0-23137200-1494597499.jpg

 

post-57-0-87411500-1494597517.jpg

 

post-57-0-14065900-1494597530.jpg

 

The road overbridge is at a bit of a skewed angle. It may be just a bit too much of a skew for the space I have available, so I've been considering carefully dismantling the bridge and re-configuring it at less of an angle to the track. Having said that, I am loathe to do this and will try to fit it in 'as is':

post-57-0-36786300-1494597618.jpg

 

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  • RMweb Gold

A decent structure or two makes a layout........and these are decent structures.

 

Splendid show..........what?

 

Rob.

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  • RMweb Gold

Well done, Captain.  I like a good back story for a layout, and have one for Cwmdimbath, like this in the sense that it is a model of a real place that never existed (the place is real but it never had a railway, or in my case a village); yours is absolutely plausible and highly similar to some of the madder schemes that had the fastnesses of Mid Wales in their dodgy sights at one time or another, some of which actually got built!  

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  • RMweb Gold

Many thanks for your comments, Kevin.

 

I'm afraid that I have 'previous' when it comes to historical guff 'convincing historical accounts' to back up the layouts raison d'etre. In previous times, I have (apparently) caused retired gentlemen to take their dog out for a walk, looking for the site of Engine Wood station, or given the Clerk to a certain Parish Council on the Somerset Levels cause to delay the publication of an official history of their village, so that they could clarify the railway bits.

 

As regards the above back story, at least 75% of it is completely true!

 

I do find composing all of that stuff a lot of fun, though, and as far as I am concerned, it helps motivate me to actually get on with the layout.

 

However I really must correct some minor errors.

 

According to GWR official records the Leominster and Kington was opened on 2nd August 1857 and not the 4th while its Act of Incorporation was actually passed on 10 July 1854.  The Kington and Eardisley's New Radnor extension was authorised by the Kington and Eardisley Railway Act of 16 June 1873 and was opened on 25th September 1875.

 

The Kington and Eardisley was vested in the GWR  by the GWR (Additional Powers) Act of 6th August 1897 while the Leominster and Kington became vested in the GWR by the GWR (General Powers) Act of 2nd August 1898 (having been leased by the GWR by virtue of the Leominster and Kington Railway Act of 13th July 1863).

 

In so far as my access to GWR and WR records allows all the other dates you have quoted, particularly those in the BR period, would appear to be correct although I believe the line between Gunstone West and Capel Bethesda was probably converted to working in accordance with the provisions of Table C2 of the Sectional Appendix at some time prior to closure.

 

I trust this information will be useful

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However I really must correct some minor errors.

 

According to GWR official records the Leominster and Kington was opened on 2nd August 1857 and not the 4th while its Act of Incorporation was actually passed on 10 July 1854.  The Kington and Eardisley's New Radnor extension was authorised by the Kington and Eardisley Railway Act of 16 June 1873 and was opened on 25th September 1975.

 

the Kington and Eardisley was vested in the GWR  by the GWR (Additional Powers) Act of 6th August 1897 while the Leominster and Kington became vested in the GWR by the GWR (General Powers) Act of 2nd August 1898 (having been leased by the GWR by virtue of the Leominster and Kington Railway Act of 13th July 1863).

 

In so far as my access to GWR and WR records allows all the other dates you have quoted, particularly those in the BR period, would appear to be correct although I believe the line between Gunstone West and Capel Bethesda was probably converted to working in accordance with the provisions of Table C2 of the Sectional Appendix at some time prior to closure.

 

I trust this information will be useful

Thank you, Your Honour. I will re-check my sources for the historical stuff ('The Facility of Locomotion').

 

I suspect you have a point about the C2 working, but there is an account that some High Up at 222, Marylebone Road insisted on Working by Pilotman, on account of the 'sensitive and very occasional nature of the traffic'. In reality, it probably cost the Western Region far more to work that section in the manner described, because what hasn't been mentioned is the fact that the PW would have had to have inspected the line, cleared any debris and rectified any faults a week or so before each train ran. Such workings were probably no more frequent than every couple of months at best, whereas the section eastwards to Kington and Leominster saw several goods workings per week.

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  • RMweb Gold

However I really must correct some minor errors.

 

According to GWR official records the Leominster and Kington was opened on 2nd August 1857 and not the 4th while its Act of Incorporation was actually passed on 10 July 1854.  The Kington and Eardisley's New Radnor extension was authorised by the Kington and Eardisley Railway Act of 16 June 1873 and was opened on 25th September 1975.

 

 

 

Over 102 years between authorisation and opening ?

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  • RMweb Gold

Over 102 years between authorisation and opening ?

Red tape, Stubbers. Takes for ever.

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