coachmann Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 As a change from modelling northern grot, this layout is based on the Welsh Borders along the River Dee....... Wrexham-Ellesmere North... The terminus will be called Ellesmere North. The direction of the hidden sidings will be Croes Newydd on a fictional GWR/LNWR Joint line :- As the railway mania spread, the good people of Ellesmere approached the GWR to build a branch from their mainline at Croes Newydd just south of Wrexham station, to no avail. The coalmine owners then approached the LNWR and after some wrangling an agreement was arrived at with the GWR for a joint line, which brought the first railway to Ellesmere in the 1840s. The LNWR, being the lesser partner, would distribute coal from Ellesmere Pit along the North Wales coast and nowhere else, but it's main goal was to build a link to Whitchurch. (However, the upstart Cambrian Railway stole a lead on both companies when it was favoured by Parliament to build a line from Oswestry to Whitchurch, with its own station in Ellesmere). The original GWR station remained a terminus renamed Ellesmere North and the branches fortuned were henceforth bound up with the lucrative coal traffic, removed mostly by the GWR. All buildings were built by the GWR in stone but later construction was in traditional orange-red brick with blue brick trim. The station I had built for my Delph layout was a temporary structure. The siding on the right will be the a loading and cattle dock, but I also will take a push pull train while laying over. Edited by coachmann, 15 March 2015 - 22:31 . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 16, 2015 Nice one Coach. Weather looks good too. Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sp1 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Some strange goings on here, all these posts converging.... Nevertheless, you have seen the light and are modelling a proper railway.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 Some strange goings on here, all these posts converging.... Nevertheless, you have seen the light and are modelling a proper railway.... Apologies to everyone. I should have started a new thread when 'Delph' was demolished instead of tagging 'Ellesmere North' onto it. Using cut 'n paste, I have transferred over the GWR Ellesmere part to tidy things up and hopefully provide a more useful layout thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I was very confused when the trackplan images showed the original shorter loop and no steelworks entrance but was dated today but I understand now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sp1 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Apologies to everyone. I should have started a new thread when 'Delph' was demolished instead of tagging 'Ellesmere North' onto it. Using cut 'n paste, I have transferred over the GWR Ellesmere part to tidy things up and hopefully provide a more useful layout thread. What I said was very much 'tongue in cheek' - have been watching your exploits for ages, just wish I could work as quickly... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AireValley1962 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Looking forward to following this new thread. It has been interesting seeing the morph from Delph to Ellesmere. Cheers, William Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinklein Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 is babychange a sort of swap meet for disappointed parents? oops... hat and coat time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Great changes Larry, it really looks the Biz, and yet again some superb Trackwork. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerron Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Looking at these delightful photos I can see why you have made the change. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I really like your ash ballasting around the goods shed - can you share what materials you used? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Blobrick Posted April 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2015 Please note : This thread is a new rebuild of the old 'Delph, Ellesmere North etc' thread to eliminate Delph completely.... Wrexham-Ellesmere North... The terminus will be called Ellesmere North and the intermediate station will be called Bangor-on-Dee. The direction of the hidden sidings will be Wrexham. It is basically the Wrexham-Ellesmere line but from hereon it is pure fiction :- 'The Ellesmere branch' was a GWR venture with running rights over the GCR line from Wrexham General to Wrexham Central to tap into the the iron manufacturing near Ellesmere. However, plans to join the Cambrian Railway Oswestry-Ellesmere-Whitchurch line were thwarted and it remained a branch with its terminus at Ellesmere North. Built to route restriction red because of Ellesmere Ironworks, the branch passed to the GWR in 1923 and the Western Region in BR in1948. Ellesmere North was better situated for the specialist hospital there and in 1950 BR extended some ex-GC Chester-Wrexham trains and put in a new push-pull service from the L.M.Region at Mold (via Penyffordd chord) to Ellesmere North in a bid to stem losses on passenger services. This meant that from 1950 LM Region locos were no strangers to this GWR byeway. It was a Beeching victim in 1962. Initially I simply used the station I had built for my Delph layout. The siding on the right will be the a loading and cattle dock, but I also will take a push pull train while laying over..... Edited by coachmann, 15 March 2015 - 22:31 . Hello Mr Coachman Just read through the thread and found it most interesting, l ll be watching your progress with great interest!. My l ask what manufacture is the plain track you ve used is please? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share Posted April 17, 2015 I really like your ash ballasting around the goods shed - can you share what materials you used? It is real ash collected years ago by a fellow member of RMweb. It's appearance beats anything else I have seen. Hello Mr Coachman Just read through the thread and found it most interesting, l ll be watching your progress with great interest!. My l ask what manufacture is the plain track you ve used is please? The flexible plain track is by C+L. When I wanted more last week there was none in stock, so I have bought SMP (for the iron works sidings not yet laid). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Blobrick Posted April 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2015 It is real ash collected years ago by a fellow member of RMweb. It's appearance beats anything else I have seen. The flexible plain track is by C+L. When I wanted more last week there was none in stock, so I have bought SMP (for the iron works sidings not yet laid). Smashing, many thanks for the info! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Some nice modelling here wil follow now... cheers neil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Just a thought but can anyone recommend good colour albums (Jane's etc) covering the GWR please? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR(W) Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Just a thought but can anyone recommend good colour albums (Jane's etc) covering the GWR please? Coach, These are my favourites, all Ian Allan publications (Title, Author, ISBN-10): "On Cambrian Lines", Derek Huntriss. ISBN 0-7110-2185-6; "Western Steam in Colour", Hugh Ballantyne. ISBN 0-7110-1883-9; "Western Steam in Colour 2", Hugh Ballantyne. ISBN 0-7110-1906-1; "The Heyday of Swindon and its Locomotives", R. C. Riley. ISBN 0-7110-2482-0; "The Heyday of Steam: West Midlands", J. B. Bucknall. ISBN 0-7110-2450-2. The latter has some nice BR(M) content, by the way. Hope this helps. Cheers, BR(W). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted April 19, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 19, 2015 There is (was?) a whole series of Ian Allan published colour printed albums covering various parts of the Western Region in that period. The quality of the photography in some of them is very good and not really bad in any of them although one or two titles seem to have suffered from poor colour reproduction. 'Steam In Cornwall' and 'Steam Around Devon & Cornwall' are both excellent - put together by Peter Gray and good quality reproduction. Also Derek Penney's 'GWR 4-60s' is very good and I'm not just saying that because we worked together on various tasks (long after steam had gone), 'Western Steam In Colour' has Hugh Balantyne pics (and some by others as well) but the reproduction of some is poor - rather a patchy volume overall). 'The Heyday of Steam In South Wales was put together by Derek Huntriss and the colour quality and reproduction is excellent. I realise these don't cover the area you are looking at but they tie with my memory in representing the colours and feel of that age and are all potentially helpful in various ways - especially how 'chocolate & cream' structure painting looked in everyday weathered condition and for showing the weathering of engines and stock. A really good source is Lightmoor Press new series about Gloucestershire - Volume 1 is 'West Gloucester and Wye Valley Lines', I think Volume 2 will be out this year; pricey at £25 but well worth in my view. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted April 19, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 19, 2015 BR(W) and Stationmaster, thanks very much. I have two mentioned but I'll be searching out the others later today after a stint on the layout. In the meantime, this is one of the few photos I took of an actual train last Thursday.....Large BR black Prairie departing Berwyn. Is the Hornby model any good? WEB GWR Buildings T.jpg The Hornby (nee Airfix) 61XX isn't too bad - basically dimensionally sound and worthy of detail attention. Look on this thread to see how Killybegs tackled one - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82059-worseter-rule-britannia/page-8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ardmore Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Thanks for posting all those prototype photographs. Very helpful for other GWR modellers! Coopercraft still have the GWR signal box name plates listed in their on-line catalogue, but given their recent availability issues, you may want to buy these from another retailer rather than ordering directly. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR(W) Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 BR(W) and Stationmaster, thanks very much. I have two mentioned but I'll be searching out the others later today after a stint on the layout. In the meantime, this is one of the few photos I took of an actual train last Thursday.....Large BR black Prairie departing Berwyn. Is the Hornby model any good? Coach, I looked at one of these a few years ago in Modelzone (just before they went t*ts up). It was £80 or so, yet still had all the all the visual problems I associate with the Airfix/Palitoy/Dapol offering: smokebox door wrong size (and no numberplate on the BR version); curiously tapered chimney; vulnerable, plastic cab steps; and plastic slidebars and crossheads! And the wheels, and visible parts of the chassis, were still to the Airfix/Dapol pattern. Yes, I did say £80 or so - Hornby hadn't seen fit to demote it to the 'Railroad' range as they had done with the similarly pedigreed 4-6-0 'County'. My wallet moths remained undisturbed. No idea about the innards, though. Still Airfix's puissant, open-frame, five-pole motor, I wonder? But (and it's a Kardashian one), as Stationmaster says, it does convey the hefty, powerful beauty of the real thing, is dimensionally respectable, and is available at more reasonable prices second-hand. So, as you would at least be remodelling the smokebox door, cab steps (they may be missing), rear sandboxes (cast as part of the chassis block), and slidebar-crosshead assemblies (and, possibly, the cylinders), with your magical restorative powers, I would seek out the pre-owned (Airfix or Dapol). Cheers, BR(W). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TrevorP1 Posted April 19, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 19, 2015 The Hornby (nee Airfix) 61XX isn't too bad - basically dimensionally sound and worthy of detail attention. Look on this thread to see how Killybegs tackled one - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82059-worseter-rule-britannia/page-8 No way would I part with £80 for the Hornby version but as Stationmaster says, Killybegs has made a great job of bashing an Airfix GMR body. So much so that he inspired me to have a go as well http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/94357-somewhere-west-of-exeter/page-2 I'll source some wheels next month and pick up some final bits at Expo EM. Fine looking engines! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 What's this? Larry Coach modelling a sunny and cheerful WR station at last? Doing all that grimy Oop North stuff can take it's toll, plus another trip on the Llangollen line has probably swayed things. At least all the lovely Oop North coaching stock can make guest appearances on Summer Saturdays, how about calling it Delph General? BTW, just to stick my oar in concerning RTR Large Prairies, yes the Hornbys are a bit pricey, but they are superior to the Airfix, with quieter and smoother running, no blessed traction tyres, and improved brakegear and pick-ups. Whereas the hairyfix were a right old ragtag of different issues, for half the Hornby money you'll be getting, conical chimneys on some (where they damaged the mould), blind solid bogie wheels, many early ones have centre flangeless driving wheels, some have one traction tyre, some don't, all have dodgy connecting and coupling rods with spigots top and bottom. If you're lucky enough to find the best combo of good chimney, no tyres, all flanged wheels, then still beware of the broken off cab steps that are very prone, plus on top of all that, all the Hairyfix originals sound like rusty coffee-grinders, you'll be needing a Phd in sound insulation to solve it. Buy the Hornby or build the Wills kit, or better still ask Tony if he's still got any Kemilway 61xx chassis left, and shove the Airfix body on that! Cheers, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Nice work Larry, and also loved the Prototype pics as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVE1562 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 The little GWR signal box for Bangor-on-Dee was completed today using a lighter colour brick paint. For white mortar courses, I used a wash of matt enamel thinned with white spirit. Watered down acrylic paint used to discolour the bricks.... WEB Signal box two 6.jpgWEB Signal box two 7.jpg WEB Signal Box 8.jpg Plonked onto the layout. Does anyone produce Great Western signal box nameboards, etched or otherwise? WEB Signal box 9.jpg Hi coachman.. try osbornes models.. they do laser etch station and signal box boards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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