Whitland & Cardigan Railway, 1930s (OO Gauge)

[petejones]

I've been adapting Peco's HOm turntable to OO Gauge for this layout:

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/147006-adapting-peco-hom-turntable-to-oo-gauge/

 

[petejones]

I finished making the cattle dock this evening, which to be honest, was a long and tedious job. This is two Ratio kits fitted together, but just using a single ramp. The only other thing I would like to do is fill in all the tiny holes on the posts that are visible at the ends.

 

[Adrian Stevenson]

I think all your efforts were worth it. Looks great.

 

Cheers, Ade.

Edited August 31, 2019 by Adrian Stevenson

[Anotheran]

I think that cattle dock looks excellent. I know it's a lot of repetitive work on those kits, but you've ended up with something that is different from others and will look quite special with some cows and dung.

 

Kind regards, Neil

[petejones]

Slow progress this past few days as I had to wait for some stuff to arrive in the post (longer drill bit and longer M8 bolts), but I just fitted the two baseboards together using pattern makers dowels and M6 bolts with wing nuts. I won't over-excite you with a picture

 

I did make a couple of purchases this evening on ebay: two more Prairie locos, which I hope to renumber one day, so I now have three, plus a 64xx (unauthorised for the line, but I have one anyway) and there is a 16xx on order (when Kernow finally get to release it). Here's one of the Prairies - nice and weathered:

 

[petejones]

Found out that the 16xx wasn't used on the Cardigan branch until the 1950s, so I cancelled the order. My shed now has the following locos:

1. Class 4500 2-6-2T Small Prairie 4573 BR Black (Weathered) - Will possibly repaint in GWR green and renumber as 4556
2. Class 4575 2-6-2T Small Prairie 4592 BR Black (Weathered) - Will possibly repaint in GWR green and renumber as 4579
3. Class 4575 2-6-2T Small Prairie 5532 BR Lined Green Late Crest - Will weather and renumber as 5568
4. Class 6400 0-6-0PT 6419 BR Lined Green Late (Weathered) - This wasn't used at Whitland/Cardigan, so I will look to replace it with a GWR 850 Class 0-6-0PT.

[petejones]

Been busy with other projects for the past couple of months, but am going to start the track laying this week all being well. The long dark evenings certainly help.

 

However, I don't think I'm going ahead with the circuit part of the layout as I really need the space for something else. So, the part of the layout that was going to be the scenic fiddle yard will now be the layout, with a view to extending from the right-hand side to a round-the-room layout (much) later on. I did modify the track plan a little and it will now be known as Whitland Shed:

 

Edited November 3, 2019 by petejones

[The Johnster]

16xx were not introduced until 1949, so unsuitable for your period.  I'm a little worried about your 4575 prairies, which are too heavy for the Cardigan branch; 45xx are ok, though.  Not sure what to advise about the 850 as AFAIK no kit is available for this loco.  The Cardigan branch also had 74xx class panniers which can be converted from you 64xx.  Check out BRDatabase website for allocations to Whitland shed; period covered starts during WW2 so it is a little late for your purposes but will give a good indication of what was there shortly before the war.  1901 class panniers are also mentioned, but not 850.

 

Edited November 3, 2019 by The Johnster

[petejones]

14 hours ago, The Johnster said:

I'm a little worried about your 4575 prairies, which are too heavy for the Cardigan branch

 

Quite a few were used according to my sources. Will check again.

[Harlequin]

4575s were very commonly used on the Cardi Bach - at least in later years. There are lots of photos of them at all locations on the line and they appear in a Railway Roundabout film about the line.

 

Moreover they sometimes double-headed goods trains because the line was so windy and undulating.

 

And even better I’m sure I read somewhere that small prairies triple-headed occasionally, presumably to save a light engine movement! But I can’t remember where I read that, so it could be my imagination...

 

 

Edited November 3, 2019 by Harlequin

[petejones]

According to the photos I've accumulated, these are the loco numbers that correspond to the 4575 and where they were photographed. I assumed the following locos were 4575s based on the number ranges 4575-4599 and 5500-5574:

• 4575, Cardigan
• 4576, Cardigan
• 4558, Cardigan & Glogue
• 4559, Stationed at Whitland
• 5520, Cardigan, Llanglydwen & Crymych
• 5546, Llanglydwen
• 5549, Cardigan, Llanglydwen & Kilgerran
• 5550, Cardigan & Login
• 5571 (Price, p.54)

[petejones]

Regarding the above track plan, do you think I have too many tracks for the depth of the board (44cm)? I don't mind it being compressed, but don't want it to appear unrealistic.

[petejones]

Just some minor tidying up:

 

[The Johnster]

 

I'm clearly wrong about 4575s on the Cardi.  I don't think your plan is too crowded, but slewing the inlet/outlet road towards the front by about a foot will still clear the carriage sidings and allow space for a bit of scenic work in the back right hand corner.  I can't call to mind what was there in the real Whitland, probably house backs.  This will mean that your track crosses the baseboard join at an angle, but I can't see that being a problem if the cut is done carefully.

 

I've been thinking about the Newport (Trefdraeth) terminus; presumably the branch would come in down the river valley and end up somewhere between the A487 bridge and the current yacht club at the Parrog.  I'd envisage a goods yard somewhere near the A487 road bridge over the river, possibly on the inland side of it cut into the hillside (the land starts it's rise to Carn Ingli here) and perhaps a level crossing to annoy the locals.  

 

[petejones]

I just found some loco, coach and wagon symbols in AnyRail, so to give an idea how this looks with a few on the layout:

 

Edited November 4, 2019 by petejones

[petejones]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

 I can't call to mind what was there in the real Whitland, probably house backs.

 

Open land apart from at the left-hand side where there were a couple of house ends:

 

[petejones]

If I was to rotate the layout 180°, the back scene could show the station area - not seen that done before.

[petejones]

This map shows the proposed route, dated 1881. Right over the hills!

 

[petejones]

Just purchased three brass loco number plates from Coastline Models. All the locos were stationed at Whitland shed in 1938 and two of them were definitely used on the Cardi-Bach as I have pictures of them (4506 & 4576); the other was probably used (5513).

• Class 4500 2-6-2T Small Prairie 4573 BR Black (Weathered) - Will possibly repaint in GWR green and renumber as 4506
• Class 4575 2-6-2T Small Prairie 4592 BR Black (Weathered) - Will possibly repaint in GWR green and renumber as 4576
• Class 4575 2-6-2T Small Prairie 5532 BR Lined Green Late Crest - Will weather and renumber as 5513

[The Johnster]

Liveries for 1938 are going to probably be a mixture of the 'shirtbutton' roundel introduced in 1934 and the previous livery surviving on locos that have had their last major overhaul before 1934, at a very rough ball part about 50/50 each.  If you have BR liveried models you will probably have to remove the smokebox door number plates.  All the locos will need a repaint in unlined green livery, as an attempt to simply paint over the lining and crest of the lined green loco will be very obvious; it is very difficult to match colours exactly, and even if you manage that the finish will be as difficult to match.

 

There's little doubt that any loco at Whitland permitted to run on the Cardi did, frequently, and you are on safe ground with 5513.  

[tomparryharry]

Having a quiet cuppa (as you do) and a cursory glance through some notes, and it would appear you are quite well off for prairie numbers. 4576, 4579, 4594, 5520, 5527, 5549, 5550, 5554, 5561, 5568, plus a few more besides, have all graced the area. I haven't looked at the 45xx numbers, but I'll warrant there are loads more. 

 

With that many locomotives, you'll need a depot the size of Ebbw Junction!

 

I've just noticed 4600 graced Pembroke Dock for a while....

 

Happy modelling,

Ian. 

[The Johnster]

My Tondu small prairie, 4557, was sent from there to Whitland for a short time in the mid 50s.  There was an 81xx as well.

[petejones]

Managed to make a start on track laying this evening: printed out the track plan, stuck it together, then laid out the turnouts and track:

 

The only issue I found was I had one turnout (the one that's missing on the right-hand side) over a baseboard strut (forgot about that when I was playing around with the plan this week). The easiest solution was to change the turnout from a medium radius to a small radius.

 

[petejones]

Starting to think about how the rest of the proposed layout fits in with this board. I have no idea what room size/shape I will end up with, so with that in mind, a modular approach seems like the best bet. If I keep the single track branch line entry/exit points the same on each board, I can swap and change the modules round as I see fit, with the obvious exceptions being the two ends - one is Whitland Shed, the other will be Newport Terminus. I have said before that I would like a round-the-room layout, but that doesn't mean continuous run - an end-to-end layout will be fine, even if the one end of the layout ends up being near the other!

 

So, with the modular baseboards being 240cm x 44cm, I can think of six potential boards:

1. Whitland Shed (work in progress)
2. Crymmych Junction (where the new branch line breaks from the line just after Crymmych Arms)
3. Penygroes Halt
4. Eglwyswrw Station & Goods Yard
5. Hilltop Farm (Rural scene with farm backing onto line)
6. Newport Terminus

They can be arranged end-to-end or in a rectangle if I build some smaller corner modules to curve the track round 90°.

Edited November 6, 2019 by petejones

[petejones]

I just created these two plans which were taken from the original circuit layout from a couple of months back - just straightened out, changed the track to streamline and that was about it. The third plan is my first take on the terminus at Newport.

 

Penygroes Halt

 

Eglwyswrw Station & Goods Yard

 

Newport Terminus

 

Edited November 6, 2019 by petejones