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Blaendulais Colliery


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I am building a small shunting layout set in a South Wales Valley before 1947

So far i have the board built & playing around with the track plain

 

 

i am thinking the trains come in at the front & the siding at the back will climb up to a coal mine off stage the run round will be used to exchange the wagons 2 or 3 at a time as the climb up will be steep 

 

41359641800_927bfe6f24_c.jpgIMG_20180703_101401 by brian mosby, on Flickr

 

43169952471_32b38b442f_c.jpgIMG_20180703_101414 by brian mosby, on Flickr

 

43169952641_4a5a40bc5d_c.jpgIMG_20180703_101408 by brian mosby, on Flickr

Edited by mozzer models
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Welcome to the happy band of modellers of the South Wales Valleys.

 

That track layout looks as if it will be very difficult to do anything more than move a loco into or out of the sidings at the front and back. What kind of operation do you intend to do?

 

Tim T

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Welcome to the happy band of modellers of the South Wales Valleys.

 

That track layout looks as if it will be very difficult to do anything more than move a loco into or out of the sidings at the front and back. What kind of operation do you intend to do?

 

Tim T

looking at

goods train comes in front right runs round & swoops wagons from the the front siding & departs

then a train fro the coal mine brings 2 or 3 wagons at a time down the bank on the back right track loco at the bottom 

leaves its wagons in the loop picks up some from the siding & takes them up the bank repeating till all swooped over them putting the wagons from the loop into the siding

 

giving me lots of shunting to do

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If it's an especially steep incline then it would be entirely reasonable to have the loco at the downhill end. This would also simplify track requirements at the top, as no run round would be needed.

 

No idea if any such arrangement ever existed in South Wales, but I think the Holywell branch from the North Wales coast line operated on that principle.

Edited by Zomboid
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  • RMweb Gold

Look no further for an example in South Wales than the Bleanserchan Colliery line at Abersychan near Pontypool, Zomboid; trains were propelled up some very steep gradients here including a paddy made up of ex GWR vans; it had no vacuum brakes and the loco was always at the downhill end.  At the bottom end there was a 1 in 14 incline from the exchange sidings to a lower level engine shed and workshop, adhesion worked.  A 4mm model of the shed /workshop area exists somewhere, with the precipitous incline on the backscene.  All Glory To The Hypnotoad.

 

As to the plan, my instinctive response is that the left hand headshunt is very short even with a Peckett or similar (Pecketts were popular in South Wales, as were Andrew Barclays), and the very steep incline sounds like an ideal candidate for rope or chain haulage.  The loco positions the empty wagons one or perhaps 2 at a time for attachment to the rope, and single loaded ones come down to balance thrm, to be picked up by the loco and made up into an outgoing train.  You might be able to shoehorn a weighbridge in there somewhere as well, and some wagons could be NCB internal user.

Edited by The Johnster
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 the loco and made up into an outgoing train.  You might be able to shoehorn a weighbridge in there somewhere as well, and some wagons could be NCB internal user.

as i will be setting the layout before 1947 there can be No NCB wagon's

 

I have one the of the Pontnewyndd Funny brake van kits to build for the layout as the line to this end of the branch is steep as well as the link to the coal mine

 

I have most of the stock needed in rtr or kits but i am looking for a coach for the non paddy train 

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  • RMweb Gold

Triang 'shorty' clerestory or Ratio 4 wheelers will be ok for your workman's. and almost anything will past muster for a proper paddy, so long as it's old and scruffy enough.  The Ratio Midland suburbans have the right 'look'.  

 

No NCB internal user wagons, but any old 7 planker, so dirty as to be unidentifiable, will do the job.  You need to decide what the Sectional Appendix (to the Rules and Regulations) says about how far GW locos are allowed to work on to the colliery system, and define where the GW starts, as the colliery's loco will not be allowed to venture on to it.  GW running roads will be protected by a ground signal and trap point, but may be beyond the scenic break on your layout.

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  • 1 month later...

slowly getting wagons for the layout here's what i have picked up so far all local apart from the armstrong W

 43106634585_e0af30b332_c.jpgLocal wagons for Blandalis by brian mosby, on Flickr

43294190824_30a4bb7aa3_c.jpgLocal wagons for Blandalis by brian mosby, on Flickr

43294190774_0dc95d2c28_c.jpgLocal wagons for Blandalis by brian mosby, on Flickr

43294188034_4da5cba97f_c.jpgLocal wagons for Blandalis by brian mosby, on Flickr

43294188094_71cc36f339_c.jpgLocal wagons for Blandalis by brian mosby, on Flickr

30144274148_c815c9b916_c.jpgLocal wagons for Blandalis by brian mosby, on Flickr

 

 

I also have POW Sides wagon kits on order for local wagons

Edited by mozzer models
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Brian,

Bear in mind that, prior to WW2 'Pooling', you'd only only see colliery wagons from that colliery at a given pit, though you would see wagons from the big coal factors, such as S&C and Cory, and from merchants or industrial customers. Depending on the pit, you might get 'Loco Coal' wagons from the GWR; they tended to have a few favourite ones.

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Brian,

Bear in mind that, prior to WW2 'Pooling', you'd only only see colliery wagons from that colliery at a given pit, though you would see wagons from the big coal factors, such as S&C and Cory, and from merchants or industrial customers. Depending on the pit, you might get 'Loco Coal' wagons from the GWR; they tended to have a few favourite ones.

the layout is set in ww2 as one of the locos i will be using is a USA TANK on running in duties out of Swansea Docks 

 

which is why i am getting local wagons

Edited by mozzer models
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the layout is set in ww2 as one of the locos i will be using is a USA TANK on running in duties out of Swansea Docks 

 

which is why i am getting local wagons

The draglines at Blaenavon had an USA tank. Worked from there, down the incline to the MTA.

 

Edit: Sorry! It was Brynmawr. My mistake!

 

Ian.

Edited by tomparryharry
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Hello Brian, I forgot to add that the 'paddy train' was made up of vans, with the doors taken off, and seat placed inside, and along the ends. Having such a fearsome incline, the vans normally had vacuum brakes as standard.Lots of photographs of Abersychan and area.

 

Cheers,

 

Ian.

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This is shaping up into a really good little layout, and the back story is credible and well thought out.  Don't forget that there can be incoming traffic to a coal mine as well, pit props in general merchandise opens and even the odd equipment delivery in a van.

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This is shaping up into a really good little layout, and the back story is credible and well thought out.  Don't forget that there can be incoming traffic to a coal mine as well, pit props in general merchandise opens and even the odd equipment delivery in a van.

I got these 2 Armstrog Whitworth wagons for equipment arriving at the pit

 43294190774_0dc95d2c28_c.jpgLocal wagons for Blandalis by brian mosby, on Flickr

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  • 1 month later...

Peckett have sent a loco for test around the Blanduais mine

44139686265_fe031e1cc1_c.jpgPeckett have sent a loco for test around the Blanduais mine by brian mosby, on Flickr

45050391721_6c54a55dd1_c.jpgPeckett have sent a loco for test around the Blanduais mine by brian mosby, on Flickr

 

 

The Mine owner like it & is looking to buy it & then Naming it GWILYM

Edited by mozzer models
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