Cwm Prysor - 'The Bala Branch'

[Tom F]

36 minutes ago, wiggoforgold said:

Thanks Tom

10', hinged in the middle. Sounds like a plan  what thickness of material was used for the front panel of the proscenium? (I'm assuming it was ply.)

 

Alex

I couldn't tell you off hand Alex, It's definitely ply. 1 by 1 or 2 by 2 sort of thickness. Next time I'm in the shed, I'll check for you.

[wiggoforgold]

Thanks Tom

Alex

[Tom F]

A little update of a difference tonight.

 

Since Dad passed away, I've been gradually making the house feel more like 'my home'. There is a built in in display cabinet/cupboard that has looked bare.

 

I knew I wanted to display something and it had to be meaningful, and personal to me. So, I've gone with something that symbolises a large part of who I am and what has shaped me since childhood.....and my hobby.

 

I present 'Awdry Corner’

 

There is stuff here that I bought over 10 years ago and has been hidden away. Everything other than the Pewter models represents the Rev Wilbert Awdry’s original books and material spanning from 1945-1972.

 

 

 

The Rev’s work has had such an impact and influence on my life. When I was around 7 I was put into a special reading class. ‘The Railway Series’ turned that around and taught me how to read. No childhood holiday was complete without taking several of his wonderful small rectangular books with me to keep me entertained. In 1983 the Rev’ son Christopher took over the series and I can remember vividly collecting the new titles. I’ll never forget the excitement of finding a new book in some shop or heritage railway. 

 

I was fortunate to have been invited to the Rev's memorial service and for time built up a good friendship with Christopher (sadly we lost touch around 15 years ago). I have a photo excerpt from the local newspaper featuring me, I'll upload it when I can find it.

 

So, it seems very fitting there is now a part of my home, where I am able to cherish the legacy of the Rev W Awdry and the inhabitants of the ‘Island Of Sodor’....which have shaped the modeller I am today.

Edited May 4, 2019 by 9793

[Martin S-C]

Aww, that is lovely. Thank you for sharing that Tom.

[calvin Streeting]

Nice  i used to read and read and read my thomas books  

[Tom F]

3 hours ago, calvin Streeting said:

Nice  i used to read and read and read my thomas books  

 

I’m not ashamed to say it Calvin, I still do!

 

Number 23 is a firm favourite with me, ‘Enterprising Engines’.

 

 

[Banger Blue]

What an excellent collection of ‘proper’ Thomas and a well presented display too!

[1722]

6 hours ago, 9793 said:

 

I’m not ashamed to say it Calvin, I still do!

 

Number 23 is a firm favourite with me, ‘Enterprising Engines’.

 

 

Likewise... 

 

But how do you pick a favourite?!? 

[Tom F]

Just now, ModellerChris said:

Likewise... 

 

But how do you pick a favourite?!? 

 

I would say my 'favourites' are once the second artist was introduced, John T Kenney with book 12 'The Eight Famous Engines'. They felt and looked more like real locomotives.

Of course....it seems a appropriate that these two engines have had a rather profound impact on my modelling!

 

Another two favourite characters has to be the Scottish twins, and I do plan (just for fun) to buy two of the 812's from Rails, and number them with their original BR numbers 57646 and 57647 (granted their numbers were fictional).

 

[Tom F]

6 hours ago, Banger Blue said:

What an excellent collection of ‘proper’ Thomas and a well presented display too!

 

Thank's Dougie, it's just a bit of escapism we all need sometimes.

[1722]

2 hours ago, 9793 said:

 

I would say my 'favourites' are once the second artist was introduced, John T Kenney with book 12 'The Eight Famous Engines'. They felt and looked more like real locomotives.

Of course....it seems a appropriate that these two engines have had a rather profound impact on my modelling!

 

Another two favourite characters has to be the Scottish twins, and I do plan (just for fun) to buy two of the 812's from Rails, and number them with their original BR numbers 57646 and 57647 (granted their numbers were fictional).

 

Edward was my ultimate favourite personally, however I was a big Oliver fan too. Then throw in Rheneas and Skarloey... 

 

Oh and Rex from the small railway.... 

 

Look forward to seeing your 812s.

[31A]

22 hours ago, 9793 said:

 

I would say my 'favourites' are once the second artist was introduced, John T Kenney with book 12 'The Eight Famous Engines'. They felt and looked more like real locomotives.

Of course....it seems a appropriate that these two engines have had a rather profound impact on my modelling!

 

Another two favourite characters has to be the Scottish twins, and I do plan (just for fun) to buy two of the 812's from Rails, and number them with their original BR numbers 57646 and 57647 (granted their numbers were fictional).

 

 

Thanks Tom, that's an afternoon of my life I won't see again .....

 

 

Edited May 3, 2019 by 31A
Edited to correct typo!

[Tom F]

48 minutes ago, 31A said:

 

Thanks Tom, that's an afternoon of my life I won't see again .....

 

 

 

Ooooh Steve, you have the original Middleton illustrated 'The Three Railway Engines'! Very nice!

That's the 1958 Original Map I see. I do have one of those, plus the 1972 map, and as of this morning....the 1983 one too!

 

 

[31A]

Cheers Tom!  I've got all the books up to an including no. 26 (published 1972).  It hadn't occurred to me that they'd been re-printed with different illustrations, although on reflection I suppose they would be.  It's interesting to see how the styles changed over the years.

[Tom F]

Just now, 31A said:

Cheers Tom!  I've got all the books up to an including no. 26 (published 1972).  It hadn't occurred to me that they'd been re-printed with different illustrations, although on reflection I suppose they would be.  It's interesting to see how the styles changed over the years.

 

Just book one was re illustrated. The rest are as they were originally published.

 

[Regularity]

1 hour ago, 31A said:

 

Thanks Tom, that's an afternoon of my life I won't see again .....

Usually, that phrase refers to something that was a waste of time. 

You’re not really suggesting that, are you?

[31A]

11 minutes ago, Regularity said:

Usually, that phrase refers to something that was a waste of time. 

You’re not really suggesting that, are you?

 

No, not at all - it was meant tongue in cheek.  Forgot to put any emoticons in!  Although it wasn't what I intended to do today, but on a cold wet afternoon ....  

[mikemeg]

Tom,

 

I've followed this thread, now, for a long while watching the layout develop into the wonderful representaion which it now is. But I never really knew where this place was!

 

Last weekend my lady and myself visited North Wales, staying in Penrynduedraeth, near Portmadoc. Whilst there, we took the Ffestiniog railway from Portmadoc up to Blaenau Ffestiniog. During the short stay in Blaenau Ffestiniog I was able to ask one of the volunteers about this place - Cym Prysor - to be told it lay on the line from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Bala, as you know. I couldn't elicit whether the line's closure was due to Beeching in 1962/63 or due to the building of the reservoir between the two towns or exactly when the line did close.

 

Strangely, the remaining portion of the line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog is also closed, temporarily, due to land slips along the line following very heavy rain.

 

So now, as I watch this layout develop, I can picture the terrain through which it travelled and can imagine an ex GWR pannier arriving in Blaenau Ffestiniog station on a grey overcast day, with the clouds hanging on the mountain tops and the great heaps of slate spoil, which surround the town, glistening with the moisture in the air.

 

Many towns, which have a strong industrial heritage, have now lost all but a few carefully managed remnants of that heritage. The factories, mllls, chimneys and shipyards have largely been replaced by shopping malls, football stadiums, green spaces, houses, etc. The sheer scale of the industrial heritage of Blaenau Ffestiniog is still plain to see; there are millions of tons of it.

 

But then once upon a time this place was one of the largest suppliers of slate, in the world.

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by mikemeg

[Martin S-C]

Mike - nicely put. While it isn't "dark satanic mills" country, there is something about the desolation created by slate workings and the dour landscapes of N Wales that seem to especially suit steam trains. You also get epic natural landscapes along those cross country lines too, which, when the suns does come out could almost be near the Cornish Riviera.

[mikemeg]

2 hours ago, Martin S-C said:

Mike - nicely put. While it isn't "dark satanic mills" country, there is something about the desolation created by slate workings and the dour landscapes of N Wales that seem to especially suit steam trains. You also get epic natural landscapes along those cross country lines too, which, when the suns does come out could almost be near the Cornish Riviera.

 

Martin,

 

Absolutely, the same was true of the valleys of South Wales, when the coal mines were in operation. Though with Cwm Prysor, I was admonished by said voluteer as I pronounced the place ' Priceor' and not ' Prizeor' as it should be. Spellings only changed for emphasis; this before further admonishments!!

 

And on the day we visited Portmerrion, the sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky. As if this place needed the benefit of the sun, for it is just a magical place in a stunning setting, unless you're Number 6!!

 

It's always fascinating to visit the real locale of a model railway and it elevates it. No longer a model railway but a model of a railway which once existed in a real place!

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by mikemeg

[St Enodoc]

8 hours ago, Martin S-C said:

Mike - nicely put. While it isn't "dark satanic mills" country, there is something about the desolation created by slate workings and the dour landscapes of N Wales that seem to especially suit steam trains. You also get epic natural landscapes along those cross country lines too, which, when the suns does come out could almost be near the Cornish Riviera.

If it's desolation you want, try Queenstown in Tasmania, which is dominated by the waste from the former copper mining industry - and it has a great railway too, the West Coast Wilderness Railway.

[The Johnster]

Blaenau Festiniog is one of the wettest places in Wales, where nowhere can really claim to be dry.  On a 'typical' day, the precipitous mountainsides disappear into low cloud which makes the whole town look as if it is in a large, damp, grey, room.  The subtle colours of the slate are brought out by the wet surface, and the meagre light is diffused in all directions; it is quite magical, in a particularly gloomy and miserable way which suits the Welsh mindset.  As a Cardiffian, and hence not properly able to appreciate this sort of thing, I prefer to observe it though the pub window with a pint and a plate of chicken and chips to cheer me up.

[chuffinghell]

4 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Blaenau Festiniog is one of the wettest places in Wales.........

 

But it is still one of my (and my better half's) favorite places

[mikemeg]

2 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Blaenau Festiniog is one of the wettest places in Wales, where nowhere can really claim to be dry.  On a 'typical' day, the precipitous mountainsides disappear into low cloud which makes the whole town look as if it is in a large, damp, grey, room.  The subtle colours of the slate are brought out by the wet surface, and the meagre light is diffused in all directions; it is quite magical, in a particularly gloomy and miserable way which suits the Welsh mindset.  As a Cardiffian, and hence not properly able to appreciate this sort of thing, I prefer to observe it though the pub window with a pint and a plate of chicken and chips to cheer me up.

 

It was just such a day as described so very evocatively, above, last Friday. That said, the place made an indelible impression on myself and my lady partner. And the ride back to Portmadoc, on the Ffestiniog, very quickly passes into a verdant and much less bleak landscape.

 

The description, above, says it all. But it is still an amazing place which, notwithstanding the additions of twentieth and twenty first century life, must have looked much as it did in its industrial heyday, when some 4,000 men quarried slate.

 

I can remember, as a youngster of twelve or thirteen, seeing some photos of a place called Maerdy, which I believe is in the South Wales Valleys, showing the railway (ex GWR) around that area in 1956 or 1957. With respect to those who still live in that area, those photos were the absolute antithesis of the famous GWR posters where the sun shone constantly and where world famous trains 'sped to the West' to the sun drenched beaches of Devon and Cornwall.

 

Those photos of Maerdy were the first I ever saw which prompted me to consider a subject for a model; they had that same, somewhat desolate quality. I never did pursue a modelling interest in the GWR or Western Region but opted, instead, for part of the old North Eastern, later LNER and BR(NE).

 

What a fascinating place is this land of ours!!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by mikemeg

[The Johnster]

Maerdy is at the head of the Rhondda Fach Valley, and can be a bit on the bleak side...

 

My own layout, Cwmdimbath, owes some of it's inspiration to a wet afternoon in 1969, when some chums and I were hiding from the worst of it in the Buffet at Cwmmer Afan General, waiting for the bus connection to take us over the mountain to Treorchy as it was where the bubble car service from Bridgend terminated in those days.  We'd been exploring the Austerity infested Maesteg NCB system, which ran on part of the trackbed of the Port Talbot Railway and had plenty of steam action!  The atmosphere was dripping with rain, as well as, um. atmosphere; even the sheep looked fed up!  You could almost hear the male voice choir doing one of those hymns in minor chords...

 

The old Buffet at Cwmmer Afan, then as now known as 'The Refresh', survives, serving the mountain bikers amongst whom the area is popular.  It's worth a visit if you're in the area for the photos on the walls.

Edited May 8, 2019 by The Johnster