TONFANAU CAMP - IT AIN'T HALF WET MUM

[aac]

I agree Don. It makes a change from the cramped locations of the South Wales valleys or usual industrial type layouts. The backscene will be critical, mainly pale blue or grey paint and almost all of the buildings will be small single storey affairs apart from the low relief army warehouses masking the north end traverser. My mental picture is quite clear so it's just a matter of transferring it to the layout.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

I visited Tonfanau Camp in May 86. Having passed it the day before on a train en route to the Talyllyn, we could see one of the wooden huts had a roof length board running along the ridge announcing Lady somebody's tea rooms (Angela Forbes?). Revisiting by car the next day, it was the remnants of the BBC's filming of "The Monocled Mutineer" earlier in the year. The sign had been put up as part of the set representing a soldiers' restroom. We met the owner of the camp at the time who told us he allowed one phase of filming, but he was intending to knock the buildings down and use the hard-standing under each wooden hut as caravan pitch. The BBC then asked to come back and film the riot scenes and paid a handsome sum to burn a building down, not realising they were simply helping the owner to carry out his plan! I have photos taken as we wandered around - the owner gave me free rein. The guardroom still had all the keys in the key press, with old card tabs on each rusty key, labelled by the Army, e.g. NAAFI Main Door etc. The most amazing thing in that room was a cardboard box on an old table. It had the full filming script and directions for The Monocled Mutineer, simply left behind. As to photos, I'll need time but will get back on here when successful. Hope this might help.

 

aac

[81A Oldoak]

I visited Tonfanau Camp in May 86. Having passed it the day before on a train en route to the Talyllyn, we could see one of the wooden huts had a roof length board running along the ridge announcing Lady somebody's tea rooms (Angela Forbes?). Revisiting by car the next day, it was the remnants of the BBC's filming of "The Monocled Mutineer" earlier in the year. The sign had been put up as part of the set representing a soldiers' restroom. We met the owner of the camp at the time who told us he allowed one phase of filming, but he was intending to knock the buildings down and use the hard-standing under each wooden hut as caravan pitch. The BBC then asked to come back and film the riot scenes and paid a handsome sum to burn a building down, not realising they were simply helping the owner to carry out his plan! I have photos taken as we wandered around - the owner gave me free rein. The guardroom still had all the keys in the key press, with old card tabs on each rusty key, labelled by the Army, e.g. NAAFI Main Door etc. The most amazing thing in that room was a cardboard box on an old table. It had the full filming script and directions for The Monocled Mutineer, simply left behind. As to photos, I'll need time but will get back on here when successful. Hope this might help.

 

aac

Chris,

I eagerly await to see your goodies. Today I was at Railex and stocked up on C&L paraphernalia in preparation for construction of the PW.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[81A Oldoak]

The three baseboards for Tonfanau Camp that will be permanently erected have been completed. They are dismountable so the layout could be exhibited, as could Cwm Bach.  The first photo shows the sub-frame on which the new boards will rest. The structure is 6mm ply and was originally covered by 9mm Sundeala board onto which the erstwhile Abersoch 4mm station was built. This frame is 23 years old and while the carpentry is embarrassing, it has stood the test of time and works. A fourth board to allow through running will be built to join the end of the layout at the open end of the garage. This will mount the southern sector-plate and a couple of fiddle sidings to represent Tonfanau quarry (I may build a loading hopper or something similar in due course.) In the background can be see Cwm Bach still awaiting its backscene.

 

The next job on Tonfanau Camp is to build the points, but I may also start on some of the buildings to provide some variety. 

 

Regards,

 

Chris

 

 

[Barnaby]

Just found this sit-rep on the camp Tonfanau build and tagged it as one to follow.

 

Interesting project Chris and as fate does decree we're off to meet up with the grandkids who are holidaying just up the coast from Barmouth this Thursday for a long w/e.

 

Best

[81A Oldoak]

Do walk Barmouth bridge if you have the opportunity.

[big jim]

Do walk Barmouth bridge if you have the opportunity.

And if your anywhere near the railway look out for me passing through Barmouth at 21:30ish this Friday night with a pair of class 97s on a test train heading towards Pwllheli (and back a few hours later)

 

My memory of that particular corner of the Cambrian was back in 1981 (when I was 6 years old) when my dad was the local Bobby and we had very heavy snow, a DMU got stranded in a snow drift on the headland between tonfanau and llwyngwril and a pair of 25s came to rescue it only for them both to fail as well, I think one actually derailed, if I remember right the passengers were airlifted off the train

 

we lived in llwyngwril at the time and the village was cut off from the rest of the world for about 5 days because of the drifts on both the railway and the roads, in the end my dad and elder brothers walked the railway line towards fairbourne to bring in supplies

[two tone green]

Go either way after the bridge along the old line to Penmaenpool or the other way to the very nice Fairbourne Railway. Did both over the bank holiday weekend on my bicycle.

 

Sorry, off topic.

[81A Oldoak]

Go either way after the bridge along the old line to Penmaenpool or the other way to the very nice Fairbourne Railway. Did both over the bank holiday weekend on my bicycle.

 

Sorry, off topic.

Off track I would say, but only by a few miles. I hope to have some more modelling activity to report soon.

[81A Oldoak]

The primary baseboards are completed for Tonfanau Camp and the next principal task is to construct half a dozen points from C&L parts. However, I have decided to treat myself to a little scenic interlude before getting down to the grind of track construction, ballasting and wiring. The original Tonfanau station used to be adorned, if that is the right word, with a motley collection of small buildings erected piecemeal as the station grew.

 

I selected the wooden planked building housing the Ladies' Waiting Room for the first project and I have applied some selective compression to keep the building more in proportion with the model's shortened platform. The walls are 0.8mm 3-ply birch wood scribed to simulate vertical planking. They will be mounted on inner walls of plasticard for strength and to prevent warping. The sloped roof will be plasticard finished to represent tarred felt and battens. The windows are plastiglaze and I have tried Gordon Gravett's technique of self-adhesive address labels for the frames. I drew the frames on the computer and printed them onto the label. The areas between the bars and frames are cut and peeled away and quite a fine effect can be achieved provided a razor sharp blade with a good point is used. What you see in the photos represents about 90 minutes of effort.

 

More to follow. Stayed tuned to this frequency for sitreps. Out.

 

Chris

[81A Oldoak]

Assembly of Tonfanau Camp station's Ladies Waiting Room, shown here temporarily on Cwm Bach, is almost complete with only minor details such as door knobs, signs, poster boards and fire buckets to be added after painting. A storage hut was built and appended today per the real thing. This was the original Tonfanau signal box, but was later replaced with a ground frame next to the level crossing and converted to a store. The building will go to the paint shop tomorrow after which the windows will be installed. Note how the real building does not appear to be properly bedded down.

 

Chris

[Donw]

Shocking bit of modelling in the last photo! No excuse at 1:1. The model is comming on nicely Chris doesn't look too out of place on Cwm Bach either.

Don

[big jim]

some pics from earlier today which may be of interest

 

 

 

[81A Oldoak]

some pics from earlier today which may be of interest

 

 

 

Thank you posting the photos. The photo of the crossing-keeper's cottage is very helpful. The unrealistic colour and texture of the grass between the rails resembles those little self-adhesive tufts available from various modelling sources: nota bene write to Network Rail asking to improve their scenic techniques. The lovely blue sky will not be replicated on the backscene; I will be aiming for a grey sky with a murky horizon and equally grey sea.

 

CK

[big jim]

glad you like them, as was down that way i didnt want to miss an opportunity to grab some pics for you, to he honest id have not gone down there had it not been for this thread!

[steve fay]

I think this layout is going to need a large photo back scene to give it a good depth of field.

It will be nice to see the Cambrian Coast express drifting in.

[81A Oldoak]

Steve,

This is the sort of effect that I want to try to reproduce albeit with much less foreground dunes and grass, if any. I live very close to the south coast so I may be able to take a suitable panoramic photograph. Since various sources have forecast a bar-b-que summer, we are guaranteed to have lots of gloomy days so there should be plenty of opportunities.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[Donw]

I was going to offer you a view from Dyffryn just up the coast but it was too sunny and worse has the Lleyn peninsula on the Horrizon not quite right for Tonfanau.

Regards Don 

[Andrew Young]

Chris,

 

Seeing as I'm in Tywyn quite a lot over the summer. If there's a suitably grey day, will see if I can nip round to Tonfanau and take some photos for you if you'd like? The iPhone takes quite a decent panoramic photo.

 

Despite predictions of a hot summer, bet the wait won't be that long...

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[81A Oldoak]

Chris,

Seeing as I'm in Tywyn quite a lot over the summer. If there's a suitably grey day, will see if I can nip round to Tonfanau and take some photos for you if you'd like? The iPhone takes quite a decent panoramic photo.

Despite predictions of a hot summer, bet the wait won't be that long...

Cheers,

Andrew

Andrew,

How kind of you to offer. A photo of a genuine Cambrian Coast grey sky rather than one from the south coast masquarading would add authenticity and contribute to the Welsh atmosphere. My experiences of Wales during were inevitably wet and overcast, but I'm sure that's why the lamb is so sweet and tender.

 

I hope to get up there sometime.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[big jim]

I'm up there again for a week too so I'll see what I can try and get as well!

[Andrew Young]

Andrew,

How kind of you to offer. A photo of a genuine Cambrian Coast grey sky rather than one from the south coast masquarading would add authenticity and contribute to the Welsh atmosphere. My experiences of Wales during were inevitably wet and overcast, but I'm sure that's why the lamb is so sweet and tender.

I hope to get up there sometime.

Regards,

Chris

I agree about the lamb! I'm up there again in a few weeks for the big gala and I've got weeks of driving on the Talyllyn in July, August and September followed by weekends through to the end of the year so should be able to wait for suitable grey but clear conditions to get the effect you're after.

 

It's probably easier than making a special trip to be met by oppressive sunshine!

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[DLT]

Interesting project Chris.

Cheers, Dave.

[Osgood]

Chris - while we wait patiently for the glue to dry on your new baseboards, I hope that your military background and the origins of Tonfanau Camp might justify posting of a recent newspaper clipping sent to me by a friend:

 

 

Tony

[81A Oldoak]

Chris - while we wait patiently for the glue to dry on your new baseboards, I hope that your military background and the origins of Tonfanau Camp might justify posting of a recent newspaper clipping sent to me by a friend:

 

Harsh but fair.jpg

 

Tony

Tony,

Brilliant. During a parade when I was training at  Sandhurst in 1980 I somehow managed to upset, for a reason long forgotten, but probably the crime of being born, my platoon sergeant, Colour Sergeant "Red Robbo" Robinson, Coldstream Guards. He prodded me in the chest with his pace-stick and declared loudly that "the person at the end of this stick is an expletive deleted". I replied that the expletive deleted was not at my end. That cost me five punishment show parades at 2230 hours for the rest of the week. Happy days.

 

Chris

[81A Oldoak]

This week has been very busy with family, work and Minerva and Ixion commitments. Nevertheless, I have found a little time to paint the Ladies Waiting Room building for Tonfanau Camp. The paints are Humbrol enamels and the faded cream is a blend of M103 Cream and M34 White. The faded chocolate brown is unadulterated M173 Track Colour, which I think gives a good representation of faded BR Western Region chocolate brown. The tiny padlock is from the Victoricut range of laser-cut wood accessories, kindly given to me by a fellow RMWebber. I painted it with Humbrol Metalcote 27002 Polished Aluminium. The door knobs are short brass 7mm scale locomotive handrail knobs filled with solder. Signage, posters, fire-buckets and weathering should see the job completed and then I promise to start on those points.

 

Regards,

 

Chris