Pontrilas Station: A counterfactual in 4mm

[ed1234]

Pontrilas Station: a true story

 

Pontrilas Station doesn't exist any more, at least not as it used to.

 

It was a station between Hereford and Abergavenny which at one point also served as the mainline-connected terminus for what must have been one of the most beautiful railway journeys: the Golden Valley Railway between Pontrilas and Hay-on-Wye. The GVR was described before even being built in the mid-19th Century as a line that "leads from a place of no importance to a place of no importance… practically useless and to involve a wasteful expenditure of money...". So it was: after never making a profit the shares of the operating company (face value £100,000) were sold to the GWR for £11,000 in 1899. The GWR considered closing the railway in the early 20th Century, and it was only the arrival of the war in 1937 that gave the line a purpose: a sizeable military depot (still there) and various agricultural machinery saw goods traffic return. It was not to last: the line closed and was lifted in stages between 1949 and 1954. Pontrilas Station itself closed to passengers in June 1958, and while the marshalling yard remained in support of the military base until that link also closed in 1969.

 

Today, the station house is a well-rated B&B and the single remaining siding of the original four serves as a holding bay for broken wagons or locos pending collection, and very occasionally has been used to deliver logs to the nearby Pontrilas sawmill. There is some enthusiasm locally for having it reopen as a parkway station, but it hasn't gone anywhere yet.

 

(For more history of the GVR, see this wonderful write up and this archive of images.)

 

Enter the modeller

 

For a long time I have wanted to build a layout based on the Welsh Marches line. It's a line and a part of the world that takes me back to my childhood in the early 1990s. Watching the variety of damp, grimy diesels coming through stations, or a Class 37 ticking over as it sat 'under the wall' at Hereford, or a summer holiday trip down to Cardiff or Barry Island. The line combines the rainy, weatherbeaten beauty of the Welsh borders, a broad mixture of traffic to keep anyone happy, and even today it seems 'lost in time' in a way the other lines I'm familiar with (mostly the London commuter lines) never were. This picture (Jamerail on Flickr) sums the place up to me, and while it was taken before I was born, the scene was basically the same in the mid-1990s when I was there. 

 

One day I'd love to build a layout based around Hereford station and other Welsh Marches landmarks, and have built a full 3D model of the station for when that day comes. I lack the modelling skill or time for a project of that scope just now, but having lurked for long enough on this following some great layouts and getting my thoughts in order about what I'd like to create, it's time to have a go. I think it's important to set out in 'Post 1' where my modelling preferences are: my interest is mostly in the process of modelling / building things over operator interest or getting the details exactly right. I'm not looking for exciting shunting, don't know anywhere near enough about what locomotives ran where and when, or the intricacies of signalling to care too much about getting those details spot on, at least initially. I want to learn as I go, ask where I can, take my time and have a bit of fun along the way (hopefully working with my children - 4 and 5 - where that's possible, to teach them a few things). 

 

Pontrilas Station: the fiction

 

In the alternative world that is my garage, it's the 1990s and Pontrilas never closed, and nor did the GVR. Maybe it was due to the emergence of Hay-on-Wye as a literary and general Guardianista paradise, or maybe like the Heart of Wales Line, some connection at the other end means it has a value to the network beyond ticket sales. Either way, there's a minimal DMU service that still terminates at Pontrilas, and maybe we'll see the occasional diverted freight service (while we're keeping unprofitable lines open, let's assume the HH&BR never closed either).

 

The goods yard was rationalised, of course, from its 1920s five-track extravagance and now just comprises a single bay platform where the Hay service terminates, and an outer siding where occasional Pontrilas log services or broken down trains might seek refuge. The space where the old goods shed once stood will probably be the station car park.

 

While the Newport end of Pontrilas is helpfully adjacent to a tunnel mouth (every modeller's dream!), the Hereford end is actually raised over the surrounding landscape in an impressive embankment. To accommodate the reality that my garage is limited in size, we'll do some terraforming and probably end up in a cutting.

 

What I hope you can expect from this thread

 

• Slow progress! I have a busy job, lots of travel, two small children, and I live in on a small island where we have no modelling shops and everything has to either be ordered airmail, shipped or collected when visiting the US or the UK. This will slow progress down significantly, but I expect to use the time between deliveries to try things out in 3D models, experiment and generally take my time. Amazon takes several weeks to arrive here, so I will need to compromise with materials, paints, etc. and plan carefully what specialty products I need in one go. On periodic trips to the UK I'll need to load up on RailMatch and other such things that are hard to ship.
• Lots of history about the line, pictures (mostly from other people's Flickrs, hopefully always with credit!) 
• Probably more questions for others than advice from me!
• Misuse and misunderstanding of railway terminology, correct signals, electronics, etc. that will doubtless drive those to whom those things are a key part of their modelling experience mad. No offence will be taken, I look forward to learning from you.
• Trains that might not be technically correct. I know HSTs generally went north out of Hereford and not south to Newport, but I can't promise one won't pass through for no reason other than I like the shape of them and they scratch a nostalgia itch. 
• Long posts, apparently.

 

Looking forward to it.

Edited March 21, 2020 by ed1234

[Phil Bullock]

Always a fascinating line! Looking forwards to further posts....

[Gopher]

Sounds fascinating, and best of luck.  I know the area well, and it is a beautiful part of our country  (although it has suffered recently with the very wet winter we have experienced) .   The line between Hereford and Newport was closed for a time because of flood damage at Pontrilas/Ewyas Harold.   The Pontrilas saw mills have expanded but move all their timber by lorry,  which is a shame given the proximity of the railway.   There is still mechanical signalling on the line at Tram Inn Crossing (complete with manned signal box).   

 

I can also heartily recommend The Golden Valley Railway - author WH Smith published by Wild Swan Publications.  I'm not sure if it is still in print, but no doubt copies can be obtained from various second hand book shops.  It does contain a history of the line and numerous pictures (many of which are available on the links posted above).

 

I recall seeing a model based on Pontrilas station in one of the modelling magazines a few years ago.  It was called something else, but seemed to replicate the buildings and track plan fairly accurately.  I think it was set in the GWR period.  

  

I have always found Hereford Barrs Court station fascinating especially in the 1950s/60s,  and would love to model it (if only I had the skill and the space).   

 

I look forward to further updates on progress. 

[Mallard60022]

Stayed in the Self Catering part (the main Station building) several times a few years back when the siding was still being used for timber. Haven't checked if the SC part is still offered as the owners must be getting well into old age by now. As they are life long railway enthusiasts there is a lot of railway bumph to hand in the place. I really enjoyed my days there, even in winter. 

Never used the B & B part but yes, it had/has a very good reputation. There used to be a lot of freight on that line in the early 2000s but I think that has almost all gone now?  

Nice idea for a project.

[Philou]

@ed1234 Pssssst! You might want to have a look here to see another Pontrilas:

 

Good luck with your proposal as I'm stuck at the moment - locked down, tons of time and no materials!! Reminds that I shall need to update the thread.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[ed1234]

Thanks Philip, I don't know how in all my years of lurking here I hadn't seen that thread (even when searching 'Pontrilas'). I will enjoy making my way through your thread.

 

Your master plan on the first page reminds me of the layout I had planned - a square layout that combined Pontrilas as the most southerly 'scene', round the corner to the Hereford DMU depot for some minor shunting interest, round the corner into Hereford station, and then the final side of the square being the Dinmore dual tunnels at the 'northern' end for a rural run... I have neither the time nor the skill to realise that project for now, outside of RailModeller software that is. Still, one can dream.

 

Thanks for the kind words so far. Another planning post to follow. (In case you're wondering I have got little further than planning so far, all to be revealed!).

[ed1234]

Track planning

 

As part of the planning of the model I have scoured the internet for publicly available pictures of Pontrilas and its surroundings. The aforementioned Ewyas Lacy history site has been invaluable, but for more recent pictures Flickr and Google have been useful and I now have a significant collection of images.

 

When it came to track planning, I started in Google Earth, overlaying the 1920s track plan using Google Earth's Overlay feature. This helped place everything into context and enabled me to draw a to-scale line drawing that I could then import into RailModeller Pro.

 

Once in RM Pro, I drew the real track plan, to the correct scale as fitted to the map. This was the result:

 

 

This map requires some mental gymnastics. The left of this diagram is the south end in my Google Earth picture - the station / goods bays are above the main lines, and the goods platforms are at the top. The Golden Valley Line (GVL) loops off on the top-right of the picture.

 

But I was never going to model the full map - too time consuming and not realistic. Even Hereford's goods yard was largely unused by the mid-1990s, so a four bay goods yard in a minor station seemed unlikely. So I kept the bay platform for the GVL service, and the outer-most goods siding.

 

I wanted the layout's primary viewing angle to be across the station to the mainlines, and beyond to the field behind the station (i.e. from the top of the diagram below). So the GVL's curve had to be reversed, to fit with the rest of the layout. Here's what I ended up with, which felt a much more realistic amount of track for the 1990s. The colours represent what I plan to have visible - the rest of the line will be a loop (fundamentally this model is about watching trains go by rather operating to a strict timetable).

 

 

One thing I have tried to preserve as much as possible here is the sense of scale. Real railways are huge and while I do not have the length in the garage to model the whole length of Pontrilas, I want to try and avoid shortening the whole thing so it starts to look like a model made to fit the available space rather than a real world railway.

 

Into 3D

 

Having settled on the track plan it was time to turn it into a 3D model. This was partly because I got to the above stage in the middle of last year and knew it would be several months before I could start building, and partly because my inexperience with models means I wanted to build it digitally first so I could check dimensions and get my bearings when I came to put saw to plywood. 

 

As Pontrilas is essentially on a large embankment over a field to the east and the village to the west (with the railway running north/south), I wanted to capture that vertical difference by having the rails elevated in the model. So the baseboard design I settled on used plywood 'spines' joined at the ends and (not pictured in the model below) a spine running length-wise between the perpendicular spines to keep the spacing correct and ensure the plywood top wouldn't sag between the rails. To the right, a crude approximation of the hill over the tunnel was added to get a sense of scale, and a rough drawing of the station house was created and shrunk to the appropriate scale. The total length of the model below is 490cm, but that doesn't include the fact that (per the diagram above) the tracks will curve quite sharply once the are 'off scene' to complete the loop.

 

 

Those with keen eyes will note that the GVL at the left end of the model is raised slightly above the main lines, which continue into a tunnel. The current plan is that the GVL will pass through the scenic break and emerge on the other side in a new 'scene' (a 90s rural idyll) and the main lines will continue behind the scenes until they re-emerge at Pontrilas again. At this stage I'm so far from that stage of the model that I may well change my mind.

 

So there's the plan...

Edited March 24, 2020 by ed1234
Minor typos / clarification

[Captain Kernow]

On 22/03/2020 at 09:03, Gopher said:

I recall seeing a model based on Pontrilas station in one of the modelling magazines a few years ago.  It was called something else, but seemed to replicate the buildings and track plan fairly accurately.  I think it was set in the GWR period.  

Do you mean this? - https://www.buckshillmodelrailwayin7mm.com/

 

[Captain Kernow]

Very much looking forward to seeing this develop. This area is one of my all time favourites, both generally and in railway terms.

 

In my universe, the Herefordshire Railway Society had a base at Lower Vowchurch Halt for a few years, before it eventually folded and the assets dispersed to other sites.

 

[Brinkly]

Does look like a very interesting project: I shall watch with interest!

 

Kind regards,

 

Nick

[mpeffers]

I would be tempted to include a direct route from the branch to the main lines. The plan you have would require reversing in either the bay platform line or the siding - workable for DMUs but would be awkward for (or possibly exclude) any services using the branch as a diversionary route.

 

Looking at the track plan, it seems there was a crossover between the branch and main line to achieve this, but you could replace two of your points with a double slip and and a single slip to achieve the same operational effect without significantly increasing the footprint of the S&C on your plan. 

[Philou]

@ed1234 Thank you for the kind words - I can see you're further ahead than me - had circumstances been a little different I would have felt a race coming on!

 

Can I ask, what drawing package did you use to create your 3D diagram of your proposed base? I've been using slightly older software - pencil and paper !

 

I agree regarding the Ewas Lacy site, a good source with a large number of photos showing changes to the track layout (albeit minor over the years), but more importantly for me, lots of photos of the stock in use - even a USTC loco (not sure of its wheel arrangement but definitely not a 0-6-0 tank!) serving the nearby ammunition dump.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

On 22/03/2020 at 09:03, Gopher said:

 

  

I have always found Hereford Barrs Court station fascinating especially in the 1950s/60s,  and would love to model it (if only I had the skill and the space).   

 

 

 

Barrs Court could be modelled in a reasonable space by using the GW goods shed as a view blocker at the left hand end of the visible part of the layout and the very large station building as a view blocker at the right hand end. There is a thread somewhere here of Torre station being modelled in a similar fashion.

[5BarVT]

On 21/03/2020 at 21:09, ed1234 said:

Trains that might not be technically correct. I know HSTs generally went north out of Hereford and not south to Newport, but I can't promise one won't pass through for no reason other than I like the shape of them and they scratch a nostalgia itch. 

Reasonably certain that empties came South back to St Phillips Marsh in some periods.

Rule 1 can always say that anyway.

Paul.

[ed1234]

1 hour ago, mpeffers said:

I would be tempted to include a direct route from the branch to the main lines. The plan you have would require reversing in either the bay platform line or the siding - workable for DMUs but would be awkward for (or possibly exclude) any services using the branch as a diversionary route.

 

Thank you, I was thinking the same as I wrote this up, and you are right that there was a crossover from the GVL to the mainlines in the 1920s. Luckily track laying hasn't begun in earnest yet!

 

1 hour ago, Philou said:

Can I ask, what drawing package did you use to create your 3D diagram of your proposed base? I've been using slightly older software - pencil and paper !

 

 

Hi Philip - the 3D model was done in SketchUp Make - whatever the last version was before it went to a browser-only model. It's simple enough to learn and lots of resources out there. While my modelling skills are pretty rudimentary, with patience I have been able to get some decent results. Here are a couple of shots from my 3D model of Hereford Station, probably the most complex model I have made. These are all built up from basic shapes using best guesses from photos (e.g. an average brick plus mortar layer is X cm, this photo shows the ground floor is Y layers of bricks, therefore let's start there for the height and adjust as we go). They're not perfect but they are perfect for the task of taking measurements and planning.

 

If there's interest and if I have time, I'd be happy to put together a 'building a building SketchUp from 5,000 miles away' thread one day. 

 

[Philou]

My - that is impressive! I have Google SketchUp 2017 but not Make. I've only used GSU for basic room modelling and nowhere near that level of detail (doffs hat)!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[ed1234]

3 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

Do you mean this? - https://www.buckshillmodelrailwayin7mm.com/

 

 

Thanks Captain, that's a very useful source of inspiration. While my model won't get anything close to that quality or scale, it will provide plenty of useful pictures as I try and bring that scene forward fifty years.

[Philou]

@ed1234 Seemingly SketchUp and Make is one and the same so I have it already. I just need to ask then, how did you get to that level of detail?

 

I don't know if you made a 2D floor plan or not, but in case you didn't know, the Layout 2017 is now only available in the Pro version, that Harlequin of this parish tells me it's now $299 to upload - eek!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[scottystitch]

50 minutes ago, ed1234 said:

 

Thank you, I was thinking the same as I wrote this up, and you are right that there was a crossover from the GVL to the mainlines in the 1920s. Luckily track laying hasn't begun in earnest yet!

 

 

Hi Philip - the 3D model was done in SketchUp Make - whatever the last version was before it went to a browser-only model. It's simple enough to learn and lots of resources out there. While my modelling skills are pretty rudimentary, with patience I have been able to get some decent results. Here are a couple of shots from my 3D model of Hereford Station, probably the most complex model I have made. These are all built up from basic shapes using best guesses from photos (e.g. an average brick plus mortar layer is X cm, this photo shows the ground floor is Y layers of bricks, therefore let's start there for the height and adjust as we go). They're not perfect but they are perfect for the task of taking measurements and planning.

 

If there's interest and if I have time, I'd be happy to put together a 'building a building SketchUp from 5,000 miles away' thread one day. 

 

 

Outstanding !

 

My hand is raised for a tutorial thread...

 

Best

Scott.

[Robert Shrives]

Hi 

A good looking project , to throw a hat in if I may re accessing the branch depending on role intended  having to shunt trains offers more varied ops.  It might be that the rear siding was part of a loop  added in the 1980s when much was ripped out  allowing a train to shunt from main line and shuffle off down branch but allow a second run round on its return  before continuing North, id heading back south then it could happily propel it self on the north bound main and use the trailing crossover .  

 

The loop might be seen as a bit of second hand flatbottom recycled among the oasis of BH off the main line, it could have fresher large stone ballast and sidings otherwise on ash/ best BR mud... One main could be FB on concrete and the other on wood to add visual changes. I suspect by 1990 bull head banished off the route - or here could be a point of change to add more track value?

 

It  is your railway so feel free to ignore above but enjoy all that you do.

Robert        

[ed1234]

2 hours ago, Philou said:

@ed1234 Seemingly SketchUp and Make is one and the same so I have it already. I just need to ask then, how did you get to that level of detail?

 

I don't know if you made a 2D floor plan or not, but in case you didn't know, the Layout 2017 is now only available in the Pro version, that Harlequin of this parish tells me it's now $299 to upload - eek!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

No floorplan - although it looks quite complicated (it is quite complicated!) it is fundamentally built up from simple shapes and a lot of copy/paste! Even the most complex structures tend to be lots of repeated shapes. 

[ed1234]

10 hours ago, mpeffers said:

I would be tempted to include a direct route from the branch to the main lines. The plan you have would require reversing in either the bay platform line or the siding - workable for DMUs but would be awkward for (or possibly exclude) any services using the branch as a diversionary route.

 

Looking at the track plan, it seems there was a crossover between the branch and main line to achieve this, but you could replace two of your points with a double slip and and a single slip to achieve the same operational effect without significantly increasing the footprint of the S&C on your plan. 

 

I have tweaked the track plan a little to move the cross-over towards the station a little and now provide a route for diverted trains to come off the GVR, cross the Hereford mainline and continue to Newport (or come up from Newport and get diverted onto the GVR. Let's hope I have enough turnouts! (The curves on the below aren't millimetre perfect.)

 

[Philou]

@ed1234 Hi,

 

From the photos that I have been able to glean, the crossover (in green on your plan) was always a single slip and was replaced by a double slip during the war (I haven't a precise date) to enable additional movements without setting back - I have assumed to facilitate movements to the ammunition dump. Additionally, at some time there was a single loop on the down line from Hereford, from which the chemical works took access, with a siding on the up line that was converted to a loop, making in effect a short section of 4 tracks on the Hereford side of the station. I have a simplified signal box plan showing a fifth line, a siding, adjoining the down Hereford loop. The plan is dated 1950 (but might be 1960 - too small to read legibly). I have a few photos showing the changes.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Joseph_Pestell]

12 minutes ago, Philou said:

@ed1234 Hi,

 

From the photos that I have been able to glean, the crossover (in green on your plan) was always a single slip and was replaced by a double slip during the war (I haven't a precise date) to enable additional movements without setting back - I have assumed to facilitate movements to the ammunition dump. Additionally, at some time there was a single loop on the down line from Hereford, from which the chemical works took access, with a siding on the up line that was converted to a loop, making in effect a short section of 4 tracks on the Hereford side of the station. I have a simplified signal box plan showing a fifth line, a siding, adjoining the down Hereford loop. The plan is dated 1950 (but might be 1960 - too small to read legibly). I have a few photos showing the changes.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

Signalling Record Society has a diagram for the period with the double-slip giving a facing lead to a loop (and a loop on the other side too). You have to go right to the end of the list of GWR diagrams to find it.

 

For the current era that the OP is seeking to replicate, I think it reasonable to assume that the double slip would be removed to give the sort of layout that he has drawn.

[Joseph_Pestell]

12 hours ago, ed1234 said:

 

I have tweaked the track plan a little to move the cross-over towards the station a little and now provide a route for diverted trains to come off the GVR, cross the Hereford mainline and continue to Newport (or come up from Newport and get diverted onto the GVR. Let's hope I have enough turnouts! (The curves on the below aren't millimetre perfect.)

 

 

I realise that space may be an issue but you should try to avoid having the two crossovers end-to-end. And likewise the branch connection too close to the second crossover. Ideally, you would have at least a full loco length (or wagon if longer) between them.