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A forum area specifically and only for recording ideas and progress of individual's challenge entries in accordance with the challenge.

Bethesda Sidings


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'Bethesda Sidings' is my entry for this competition. A layout thread has been started in the Layouts section - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/122190-bethesda-sidings/?p=2699303

 

Here is a flavour of what I am aiming at:

post-57-0-61042600-1493191627.jpg

 

The theme of the layout will be 'The Presteign goods with added Pecketts'.

 

Edited by Captain Kernow
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There's always one who has to be different...

You want 'different', Herr Stubbenhausen? Even 'Dictu Prince' might just be a bit too 'off the wall' for the Vale of Radnor Light Railway:

 

post-57-0-34407600-1493203330.jpg

 

 

Edit - just to say that the loco was scratchbuilt many years ago by Brian Clarke.

Edited by Captain Kernow
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You want 'different', Herr Stubbenhausen? Even 'Dictu Prince' might just be a bit too 'off the wall' for the Vale of Radnor Light Railway:

 

attachicon.gifIMG_0555.JPG

 

 

Edit - just to say that the loco was scratchbuilt many years ago by Brian Clarke.

Oh Captain I love Dictu Prince, a Brian Clarke build eh? Haven't seen him for years

 

John.

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Some of the point configurations are A5s, which is quite sharp, especially in OO-SF, in my view, so it was necessary to test each point with all the potential motive power that was likely to use them. In this photo, a 57XX pannier is being used (this one has an old Mainline body with a Perseverence chassis). It was also necessary to test each point again, once the cosmetic (Exactoscale) chairs had been added, as I didn't want any flanges fouling the inner chairs, especially RTR flanges such as Bachmann. It was necessary to cut the inner chairs down in order to clear the flanges.

 

post-57-0-77907800-1493387303.jpg

Edited by Captain Kernow
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  • 2 weeks later...
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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-57-0-85601500-1494345944_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.

Edited by Captain Kernow
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So far, I have built the crossover at the end of the goods yard and the point for the short spur near the road over bridge. These are all 'A5' configuration. I also have the tandem turnout completed now, this was built 'speculatively' for me by my good friend John (Re6/6) a few years ago, and was intended for a rebuilt of 'Engine Wood' that never happened. I have done a little fettling now and added cosmetic chairs:

 

post-57-0-23590200-1494347755.jpg

 

This just leaves one more turnout to complete.

 

Edited by Captain Kernow
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Here are a some better views of the goods shed, weighbridge office and also the 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-57-0-15990100-1494597804.jpg

 

post-57-0-79823700-1494597817.jpg

 

post-57-0-63602700-1494597827.jpg

 

post-57-0-77833000-1494597837.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-57-0-24930500-1494597861.jpg

 

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Lovely subdued look to those buildings CK.

 

The stonework is superb.

 

Rob.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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More point testing going on, this time using some of the industrials (all Pecketts in these images, as it happens) that will see use on the Vale of Radnor Light Railway, that has running powers into the B.R. yard at Bethesda Sidings:

 

post-57-0-90308400-1496603546.jpg

 

post-57-0-49260200-1496603628.jpg

 

post-57-0-61778200-1496603673.jpg

 

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Work continues somewhat slowly on 'Bethesda Sidings', given that there are no baseboards yet, but there are still things that need to be done in advance of that time. It's just that it's not always clear exactly what that work is:

 

post-57-0-14011900-1499787611.jpg

 

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Whoops, should have added the following photos:

 

post-57-0-34604600-1499797060.jpg

 

post-57-0-90417300-1499797483.jpg

 

I think I described earlier that John F (Re6/6) kindly made me a tandem turnout some years ago, in a vain attempt to encourage me to rebuild 'Engine Wood', and that I eventually decided to use the point on 'Bethesda Sidings'.

 

More recently, with one further point to construct, John offered me this point, which was one he made many years ago and had been lying derelict in his track depot. I thought it would be rather nice to be able to recycle this point, so I decided to see what could be done.

 

The point had been sprayed with red primer at some point, so I removed most of that and have set about repairing the point. Bearing in mind that it was built 40 - 50 years ago, if I've understood him correctly, at a time when many folk used solder to represent bullhead chairs. These days we have nice plastic moulded ones from the likes of C&L and Exactoscale (OK, same thing now), so this afternoon I set about removing all the solder from the outside of the rails, until I ran out of solder braid.

 

I also needed to replace the point blades, so I filed up a pair of 'A' switches this afternoon and fitted them as well. I also fitted a tie bar and replaced a couple of the copper clad sleepers.

 

There was quite a lot of 'gunk' and detritus on the point when I'd finished, so I usually give the point a good wash in hot, soapy water at that stage and dry out on a bit of kitchen roll.

 

More needs to be done, but I'll have to get some more solder braid first. I can then remove the remaining excess solder, do the gapping and test the point with some stock. I can then add the cosmetic bullhead chairs and it should be ready for installing.

 

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Get a solder- sucker

 

I'll take that as an 'item of advice', rather than a disparaging name!  ;)

 

Yes, been thinking about getting myself a sucker and you're not the first person to suggest that I need one, but some of us are conservative types, and like to stick with what we know, don't we. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'll see what Eileens has at Wells next month.

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Work on the 'modern image' motive power for the Vale of Radnor Light Railway continues:

 

attachicon.gif20170604_163224.jpg

The 'Planet' diesel for the Vale of Radnor Light Railway is now completed, and awaits the construction of it's outrageously improbably light railway:

post-57-0-73577300-1501085330.jpg

 

post-57-0-60603800-1501085340.jpg

 

More information on the build on my blog - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/21/entry-19699-building-the-roxey-planet-part-4-completing-the-loco/

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That is tremendous, CK......splendid job.

 

I must say the overall build is fab but the weathering is sublime.

 

 

Bloody good show!!!!

 

Rob.

post-14122-0-02390700-1501086153.jpg

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I'm now making progress on the chassis kit for the sold-out-of-service J72, which will form one of the Vale of Radnor Light Railway's locos:

post-57-0-82745200-1501961067.jpg

 

More details on my blog here:  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/21/entry-19732-a-j72-for-bethesda-sidings-part-1/ and here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/21/entry-19734-a-j72-for-bethesda-sidings-part-2/

 

 

 

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Quite a number of folk seem to have decided to do two entries already (apart from Stubby, who's latest count I'm not sure of).

 

I've been wondering for a while if a 'micro-cameo' layout of Brynllefrith Siding, about half-way along the Vale of Radnor Light Railway, might be achievable. Very small, of course. Ideally something that would slip into my coat pocket and which I could inflate to the correct size with a bicycle pump.

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Very small, of course. Ideally something that would slip into my coat pocket and which I could inflate to the correct size with a bicycle pump Maurice?

Is your middle name Maurice perchance ?

B.I. Cycleclips

Edited by bgman
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Nah then Captain.

 

Inflatable model railways. Now there an idea! Inflate with helium and adjust for variable viewing level.

 

Thinking further, a box file could be fixed to a Drone and it would suit everyone's eye level.

 

To quote a certain Monty Python, Army Officer, "Stop it now. This is Silly!"

 

Can't you tell it's a soggy Tuesday in my part of the world. I'll get my coat

 

Paul 4475

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