MattWallace Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 How many of these have I started now? Who knows, but I've never had a hackspace environment in which to build a layout before, so I know I'm going to get at least 4 hours a fortnight to dedicate to this, which is four hours more than I've ever had in the past! My new layout is a complete departure (no pun intended!) for me from my usual fayre - gone are the modern locos and long rakes of trucks that I've dreamt about for so long, and in come the pannier tanks and auto-coaches of the late GWR. Based on my current home town of Monmouth, South Wales, I'm going to attempt to model Monmouth Troy railway station in N-Gauge. Those of you who have followed my attempts in the past will know that updates will be few and far between, however from the track and maps at http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/monmouth_troy/index.shtml I've come up with the following trackplan that I hope meets approval! I'm not going to go quite as far as modelling the viaduct and the river, but I may well end up adding this as "additional" boards in the future. I've not even cut out the cork track base yet (that's a job for tonight!), but the layout will be DCC and operated using MERG CBUS, with servos for the points rather than my usual solenoid-based attempts of the past. Full block detection will also be in place (that's a lot of wires folks!), and the base is 5.5mm ply with a (yet to be built!) timber frame for the legs. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwinian Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Looking forward to seeing how you get on. I’ve often thought Monmouth Troy would be an interesting station to model. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 Thanks. I made some progress with the station and track last night at the makerspace, I'm waiting on some parts from Hattons and MERG before I can really get going though: First I fixed the 1:1 plan over the top of the cork using drawing pins and sellotape Next, I measured out 7mm from the rails to get a bit of a shoulder on the track side Finally, I cut around the 1:1 plan and removed the cork shape, before gluing a second 1:1 print-out to the base boards so I know where to affix the cork Unfortunately, at the moment the only traction I have is a GRBf 66, so most of the test running will be done using that, however I plan to purchase a Pannier Tank and an Autocoach in the near future to get it closer to the prototype! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted April 17, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2019 Another convert to South Wales modelling, one of us, one of us... If you are basing the stock on RTR, you will find it very restrictive in terms of auto trailers, as a good variety featured here. Even at the end of the passenger service, A38s and A44s were being used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 Heh, I was previously going to attempt something based in the present day on either Cardiff or Newport, but that requires a lot more space than I've got available! I live in Monmouth, so I'll take a wander down to what's left of the site in the coming days and try to get a few photos of whatever remains as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Gough Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 The main station building is now at Winchcombe on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire railway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 Yeah, I've yet to make it over there to see it, but I'm hopeful that I'll get to see it soon! In the mean-time, I've been inundated with links to old photos of the station when it was in operation! The only thing I'm struggling to work out is which of the GWR liveries would have been on the loco/autocoach - I *think* it was green without the stripes, but there appear to be so many around the 1950's that I can't be sure, so any help anyone can shed on that would be great! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted April 17, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2019 (edited) Depends on your exact period and it's best to work from photos if you can. Very roughly, locos; GW unlined green with G W R initials post war up to nationalisation 1948. 1948 Jan-May unlined green with 'BRITISH RAILWAYS' in GW 1920s style 'Egyptian Serif' lettering, May '48 unlined black with 'BRITISH RAILWAYS' in Gill Sans, and BR type smokebox number plates and shedcode plates from Jan 1948 until closure. 1949, unlined black with first BR totem, the 'unicycling lion', then 1958 introduction of the second totem, the 'ferret and dartboard'. From 1958, some locos especially 64xx and 14xx in fully lined out green livery. Coaches, equally roughly; GW chocolate and cream until 1948, then early 1948 ditto but with BR type numbers prefixed by W. May '48 crimson and cream for auto trailers, plain crimson for other non-gangwayed coaches such as B sets, then plain crimson for auto trailers as well from 1950. W suffixes to the numbers after 1951, then plain maroon livery from 1956 (darker than crimson). Lined maroon from 1958 until closure. But of course the liveries were ony introduced on those dates and all took years to find their way on to all the stock, and some liveries, especially the 'transition' 1948 liveries, were never carried by many locos or coaches. GW liveries could be seen commonly into the early '50s, and pre 1958 BR liveries lasted on some stock until closure. There are other variations such as red backed number plates in the early BR period and black austerity wartime liveried GW locos or brown liveried coaches. As you've already been inundated with photo suggestions, I'll limit mine to a couple in John Lewis' GW Auto Trailers book showing diagram A31 trailer W 207 W at Troy, with good detail shown for the awning and valance, footbridge, and brick platform facing. Edited April 17, 2019 by The Johnster 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 12 hours ago, The Johnster said: Depends on your exact period and it's best to work from photos if you can. ... As you've already been inundated with photo suggestions, I'll limit mine to a couple in John Lewis' GW Auto Trailers book showing diagram A31 trailer W 207 W at Troy, with good detail shown for the awning and valance, footbridge, and brick platform facing. This is fantastic thanks. The only photos I've seen so far have been black and white, so if you know of a source of colour photos from around the time the line closed (late 50's) then I'd appreciate knowing about it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted April 18, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 18, 2019 Google Images has a few apparently showing a railtour with 6431 in the snow at the closure. Don’t get confused with colour images of the station as rebuilt on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 So it does! I'm assuming that this is therefore BR Black with the BR roundel on it, and a lined maroon autocoach? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted April 18, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 18, 2019 No. The exposure is probably affected by the snow, but 6431 is in fully lined out BR passenger green which looks very dark. The coach is not an auto trailer, but a BR mk1 BSK, and LMR allocated at that! The train is signalled for the Ross road, via Mayhill and Symonds Yat. You up can just make out the difference between the green on the tank and the black of the footplate and splashers. There is a noticeable prevalence of brown overcoats, and it looks like a chilly day despite the bright sunlight! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted April 18, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 18, 2019 If you “wander down to the site and have a look” mind you don’t get flattened by a string of artics doing seventy, as the whole area got built over with the new A40 dual carriageway went in. There ain’t really anything there for you. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted April 18, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 18, 2019 One of the A40 tunnels is the original railway tunnel; the road is built on a widened alignment of the railway between Usk and Monmouth. The Wye Valley and Ross trackbeds can be walked, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenway Park Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 Troy Gardens is a small development built on part of the old station site. One of the houses has the tunnel mouth of the abortive Savin scheme in its back garden. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 hmmm, those aren't autocoaches! Mk 1's in Maroon? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 4 hours ago, Northroader said: If you “wander down to the site and have a look” mind you don’t get flattened by a string of artics doing seventy, as the whole area got built over with the new A40 dual carriageway went in. There ain’t really anything there for you. Heh, we've gone down there and walked the dog a couple of times. There are still a few of the old buildings lying derelict and I've been told by locals that the pits for the weighbridges are still under the trees. Monmouth has been my home for the past 11 years, so doing something that's in the local area and being able to talk to people who remember it is going to be good fun! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted April 27, 2019 Author Share Posted April 27, 2019 Some photos from today of how the site now looks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted April 27, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 27, 2019 On 18/04/2019 at 16:37, The Johnster said: No. The exposure is probably affected by the snow, but 6431 is in fully lined out BR passenger green which looks very dark. The coach is not an auto trailer, but a BR mk1 BSK, and LMR allocated at that! The train is signalled for the Ross road, via Mayhill and Symonds Yat. You up can just make out the difference between the green on the tank and the black of the footplate and splashers. There is a noticeable prevalence of brown overcoats, and it looks like a chilly day despite the bright sunlight! 6412 sorry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted April 28, 2019 Author Share Posted April 28, 2019 Oh wow, a quick good search of that number reveals she's still running on the South Devon Railway after a stint on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway: https://www.southdevonrailwayassociation.org/Loco-Summary.html It turns out she's also quite the celebrity... https://www.chinnorrailway.co.uk/article.php/125/6412-was-at-chinnor-from-mar-2017-until-jan-2018 Quote it repeated its 'first loco' role, hauling the WSR's inaugural train later that year, before gaining stardom as the Flockton Flyer in the 1977 children's television programme produced by Southern Independent Television Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now