Llanbourne North Wales in the 80s.

[P.C.M]

Peter, I fully intend infringing Llanbourne's copyright and I'm not even going to tell you!!!!

 

 

Hi Jeff,

If you make a donation to the forum ( I am sure you were going to anyway) I will call the boys off.

 

So have you made a start on the new layout? any track plans you want to share.

 

Cheers Peter,

[DougN]

Oi Pete don't remind him I have to build the framing for him and it is going to be quite complex! I have the track plan here It is going to take a fair bit of time just working out the gradients!

[P.C.M]

Oi Pete don't remind him I have to build the framing for him and it is going to be quite complex! I have the track plan here It is going to take a fair bit of time just working out the gradients!

 

 

Hi Doug,

Sounds like you have a bit of a job there, good luck with the gradients.

 

Cheers Peter,

[P.C.M]

I am not having much luck with painting 47418, so though I would take a few pics instead. What do you think of the BR van, I gave it a coat of matt varnish! Does anyone do numberplate sheets for 4mm cars?

 

25109 shunts Ferryvans.

 

47535 leaves with a short van train to Bangor.

 

33202 sits on the shed headshunt.

 

Cheers Peter,

[0O00]

Well Peter, a bit of gloomy North Wales in sunny Melbourne. You don't miss this country do you? Mind you, it's not bad here apart from that chilly (and gritty) northerly! I would quite like a 4mm model of a sunny Aussie layout just to make me feel warm and cheer me up!

 

Reg no for the yellow van - BAS 113R - Put a black screw head between the two 1's and you get an H! All at 4mm scale!

 

Sorry if I missed the plan but what's the deal with 47418? BR blue repaint?

 

Thanks for the photos!

 

Alex

[DougN]

Well Alex just to drive you nuts it is 27degrees today... lovely and sunny..... B) This is Autumn. Though the old joke about Melbourne "don't like Melbourne weather.... wait 5 minutes it will change!"

[SRman]

Hi Peter. I print up my own number plates on the computer using Word and text boxes. Set the font to about 3 or 4 points. For reflective plates, print in black on white and bright yellow paper. For older plates, set the font to white and the text box background to black.

 

Poor old Doug. I'm sure he didn't know what he was letting himself in for when he volunteered to do the carpentry for me - woodwork being my weakest area! He may yet chuck it all back at me and say "Redesign it".

 

I'll be juggling gradients a bit but I have worked out that the steepest will be between 1 in 70 and 1 in 80, while the shallower bits will be around 1 in 100 - the same as Brian's Exeter Central running up to St James Halt. I won't be running more than six or seven coach expresses anyway, so most modern locos should cope. Minimum radius will be approximately 20".

[P.C.M]

Well Peter, a bit of gloomy North Wales in sunny Melbourne. You don't miss this country do you? Mind you, it's not bad here apart from that chilly (and gritty) northerly! I would quite like a 4mm model of a sunny Aussie layout just to make me feel warm and cheer me up!

 

Reg no for the yellow van - BAS 113R - Put a black screw head between the two 1's and you get an H! All at 4mm scale!

 

Sorry if I missed the plan but what's the deal with 47418? BR blue repaint?

 

Thanks for the photos!

 

Alex

 

 

Hi Alex,

Great to hear from you, The weather here is still quite warm but we did get a few thunderstorms come through the other day. I took a few pics when I walked the dog and luckly didn't get wet.

I love the numberplate I might just have to do that. The 47 is an early Bachmann blue job and when I varnished it last night it lifted some of the yellow and attacked the Gateshead transfers. I have rubbed down the yellow ready to repaint it but the transfers will have to stay they look ok from about 12 inches away which I will live with for now, even close up its not to bad but I know I can do better.

 

Here is the pic I took the other day, just to prove its not always sunny. The other pic is for the plan spotters a P40 at the local Tyabb airshow.

 

Cheers Peter,

[P.C.M]

Hi Peter. I print up my own number plates on the computer using Word and text boxes. Set the font to about 3 or 4 points. For reflective plates, print in black on white and bright yellow paper. For older plates, set the font to white and the text box background to black.

 

Poor old Doug. I'm sure he didn't know what he was letting himself in for when he volunteered to do the carpentry for me - woodwork being my weakest area! He may yet chuck it all back at me and say "Redesign it".

 

I'll be juggling gradients a bit but I have worked out that the steepest will be between 1 in 70 and 1 in 80, while the shallower bits will be around 1 in 100 - the same as Brian's Exeter Central running up to St James Halt. I won't be running more than six or seven coach expresses anyway, so most modern locos should cope. Minimum radius will be approximately 20".

 

Thanks Jeff,

I will have to see if my printer will do that size and have a go.

Good luck with the layout it sounds like you have got it sorted, have you managed to keep the branch?

 

Cheers Peter,

[Merfyn Jones]

Thanks Jeff,

I will have to see if my printer will do that size and have a go.

Good luck with the layout it sounds like you have got it sorted, have you managed to keep the branch?

 

Cheers Peter,

 

Hi Peter, the Bedford HA looks better weathered, if it's any help with number plates, a few HAs in North Wales were, YCH622Y, YCH625Y, YCH626Y some of the last HAs bought in 1983, lasted till 1987 ish. The late ones had black radiator grills. Glad to see the back of them.

Merfyn.

[Merfyn Jones]

Hi Peter, the Bedford HA looks better weathered, if it's any help with number plates, a few HAs in North Wales were, YCH622Y, YCH625Y, YCH626Y some of the last HAs bought in 1983, lasted till 1987 ish. The late ones had black radiator grills. Glad to see the back of them.

Merfyn.

 

Woops, forgot this bit.

[158722]

Great to see all the progress Pete. Looks ABFAB. To do all that at such a distance when you cannot just pop out and pick odds and sods from local model shop is even more commendable. As a fresh faced youth I spent a lot of time on the line (behind 40s in the main) and also summer holidays at Rhosneigr on Anglesey where you could watch trains and planes at the same time (heaven) Brings it all flooding back in a much more real way than another North Wales layout that seems to get a lot of (self)publicity. Keep it up.

[P.C.M]

Woops, forgot this bit.

 

 

Thanks Merfyn,

Thats unreal actual numberplates for HAs in North Wales and a piccy, I am suprised they lasted as long as they did. I thought I was pushing it a bit having one on Llanbourne in 1986. It looks like my weathering is a bit over the top, but my railway Transit used to get pretty dirty. I have another HA so will do the black grille and bumpers. It looks like a Sherpa in the pic it would be nice if someone did a model of those.

I also have an old Transit and a MK1 Escort railway van did you have any of those?

 

Thanks again cheers Peter,

[DIRTY DIESEL]

Woops, forgot this bit.

 

Ah, Talacre yard remember the mud well, either like a dust storm in summer and mud bath in winter, it was only ok when frozen.

 

Do you know Clem has finished?

 

Stu

[Merfyn Jones]

Thanks Merfyn,

Thats unreal actual numberplates for HAs in North Wales and a piccy, I am suprised they lasted as long as they did. I thought I was pushing it a bit having one on Llanbourne in 1986. It looks like my weathering is a bit over the top, but my railway Transit used to get pretty dirty. I have another HA so will do the black grille and bumpers. It looks like a Sherpa in the pic it would be nice if someone did a model of those.

I also have an old Transit and a MK1 Escort railway van did you have any of those?

 

Thanks again cheers Peter,

 

Well Peter, if you mean the yellow Corgi models, far too old for 1986, both early 70s. By 1986 the Transits were the streamlined style and Escorts the Mark 3s. As a generalisation the railway kept small vans for about 4 years only. Just trying to help if I can, the buses on your layout both in Crosville Wales livery (formed August 1986) so you could also have the previous NBC Crosville livery around at that time.

Cheers Merfyn (North Wales born and bred, and wouldn't swap it, even for all your sunshine !)

[bmg]

I see that you have some VGA sliding wall vans in the Speedlink livery. May I ask if they were RTR and if so where you got them?

 

[P.C.M]

Great to see all the progress Pete. Looks ABFAB. To do all that at such a distance when you cannot just pop out and pick odds and sods from local model shop is even more commendable. As a fresh faced youth I spent a lot of time on the line (behind 40s in the main) and also summer holidays at Rhosneigr on Anglesey where you could watch trains and planes at the same time (heaven) Brings it all flooding back in a much more real way than another North Wales layout that seems to get a lot of (self)publicity. Keep it up.

 

Thanks 158722,

There are a few model shops locally so I can get paint and a few senic bits, there is also a model railway shop about an hour away which is quite good, plus I pick up things at Exhibitions. Most of my stock I buy from the UK which isn't to bad as the VAT gets knocked off which helps cover the postage.

I wish I had found the North Wales coast earlier in my spotting days it wasn't until the late 80s early 90s that I spent any time there. Oh what I would give for a time machine.

 

Cheers Peter,

[P.C.M]

Well Peter, if you mean the yellow Corgi models, far too old for 1986, both early 70s. By 1986 the Transits were the streamlined style and Escorts the Mark 3s. As a generalisation the railway kept small vans for about 4 years only. Just trying to help if I can, the buses on your layout both in Crosville Wales livery (formed August 1986) so you could also have the previous NBC Crosville livery around at that time.

Cheers Merfyn (North Wales born and bred, and wouldn't swap it, even for all your sunshine !)

 

 

Thanks again Merfyn,

I though the Transit and Escort would be pushing it though they will do for now. I do have a bus in plain green I will take a pic for you, I have seen a pic somewhere of a bus with the front part painted red but I haven't seen a model of one, not sure if it was a Crosville but it was at Llandudno.

 

Cheers Peter,

[P.C.M]

I see that you have some VGA sliding wall vans in the Speedlink livery. May I ask if they were RTR and if so where you got them?

 

 

Hi BMG,

They are Bachmann ones, I am not sure if they are still available in that livery I bought mine when they first came out.

 

Cheers Peter,

[47541]

Peter, the bus you are refering to with a red front is probably a Crosville in Bws Gywnedd livery, which was basically fleet colours and a red front and Bws Gywnedd fleetnames also ! Many were painted like that at Llandudno junction depot, mid 80's if i remember rightly ! Hope this helps !

 

Cheers,

 

Graham.

 

 

[Merfyn Jones]

Peter, the bus you are refering to with a red front is probably a Crosville in Bws Gywnedd livery, which was basically fleet colours and a red front and Bws Gywnedd fleetnames also ! Many were painted like that at Llandudno junction depot, mid 80's if i remember rightly ! Hope this helps !

 

Cheers,

 

Graham.

 

In adition to Graham's notes. The red front was a requirment of all tendered routes in Gwynedd, Crosville being the biggest operator then, but all operators had to conform from April 1986 when the council took the cheapest price, and Crosville began to loose out on work in North Wales.

Is Llanbourne in Gwynedd ?. Well it doesn't matter realy as the red front was seen all over N Wales and not evrything in Gwynedd ever wore it. It faded out gradualy during the 90s.

Merfyn.

[47541]

Thanks for the extra info Merfyn, i always preferred my beloved Crosville fleet in NBC green ! I never ever knew the story behind the red front till now !

 

Peter has caught the atmosphere of North Wales perfectly in my eyes !

 

Many thans !

 

Graham.

[Neil_S_Wood]

Hi Dave,

Your layout and Jeffs are what has got me thinking about DCC, but cash is the main issue at the moment plus I have a few more locos to get, though the end is in site, honest. Biggest problem is I have taken an interest in 7mm which would have to be DCC with sound.

 

Cheers Peter,

 

 

Hi Pete,

so you didn't notice any DCC features on my layout then. I have an old roco lokmaus DCC system you can borrow if you like till you get some dosh together. If you want to let me know before next week and I can drop it off when I come down to see your layout.

 

Sound in 7mm would be great as you can use the Loksound XL decoders. Dearer but more powerful and more space inside the locos for bigger speakers.

 

cheers

 

Neil

[P.C.M]

Hi Neil,

Only a deaf person wouldn't notice your DCC.

Thanks for the offer, but I will leave it for know though I will keep it in mind.

 

Any time after 1.30 next Saturday, not sure if I mentioned that.

 

Cheers Peter,

[SRman]

God! Is it that soon? Still hoping to get there for Saturday.