Cwm Prysor - 'The Bala Branch'

[KeithHC]

Hi Dave

Ah that photo is of Capel Celyn platform edge. Cwm Prysor's were stone slabs. The dark wash should take care of the toning down that's required, this just gives the base colour.

 

platform 2.jpeg

 

Are they stone or could they be slate?

 

Keith

[tomparryharry]

Best not get lost in Lydney then, Simon.

 

"Ere! Duzn't you comin' round 'ere, wot wiv yer fancy accents, and tales of far away places!"

 

"I've been to Chepstow, y'know!" 

 

 

 

Actually, there is a very good chippie in Lydney, and the trip on the Dean Forest Railway is well worth it. I've spent many a happy time around the Forest.

[Tim V]

Are they stone or could they be slate?

 

Keith

Slate can be slippery when wet.

 

Look like standard concrete to me.

[The Johnster]

6,000 generations is too far back to rely much on claims of hereditary: far too much genetic variation even by great-great grandparents.

Well, not unless there is a substantial amount of inbreeding, and I am not sure that you want to be claiming that?

 

Absolutely right, of course; we are mostly mongrel.  I am actually about half South Welsh, Silurian with whatever mix occurred prior to the industrial revolution, with some Irish, English Saxon/Germanic (both London and West Country), and apparently some Iberian blood animating my mortal remains, and there may well be more that I don't know about of course.  I doubt any third or more generation Cardiffian can claim to have no Irish DNA.

[Captain Kernow]

Ah. Tardis required to return, eh?

Wot, and pick you up?

My "St.Davids" needs to represent a GWR-absorbed light railway, built perhaps just before WW1.  What would the platform construction have been like?  Something like Rosebush springs to mind, but the photos I have seen are all from track level and don't show the platform surface.  Would it have edging slabs and an ash surface like you have here (I'm certain it wouldn't have been paved)?

If it's a light railway, what about a completely wooden platform?

[tomparryharry]

Absolutely right, of course; we are mostly mongrel.  I am actually about half South Welsh, Silurian with whatever mix occurred prior to the industrial revolution, with some Irish, English Saxon/Germanic (both London and West Country), and apparently some Iberian blood animating my mortal remains, and there may well be more that I don't know about of course.  I doubt any third or more generation Cardiffian can claim to have no Irish DNA.

East Moors had a very strong Irish contingent, as well as Scot, German, Italian, North Country English, as well as a good smattering of wherever people gather where 'brass' talks. We had all of the Olde English trade names, such as Dyer or Smith.

 

Mongrel? yes, and very proud of each and every one.

 

Ian

[Northmoor]

If it's a light railway, what about a completely wooden platform?

Erm, because I've already built up the base, it just needs edging and surfacing now..... 

 

The platforms on the North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard, which is perhaps the closest in "style and history" to how I see St.Davids, were generally solid platforms, only the halts had wooden platforms (if they had platforms at all). It would be the terminus so a slightly "grander" platform is probably justified.

 

Anyway, this is 9793's thread.

[Tom F]

This evening I've given the platform edges slabs a dirty wash. It's certainly helped achieve the effect I'm after, but I think it will probably need another wash tomorrow.

 

So I intend to start the grass work in the next week or so, so as a test piece. I'm going to grass the surface of the bridge. It's nothing more than a way the sheep could cross from one side of the line to the other. So I'll cover the plasticard road with earth powder from 'Treemendous'. Once Dry, I'll start with the first layer of static grass and work from there.

 

I'll probably used the land rover model to run some slight grooves into the moorland grass to depict activity of farm vehicles.

[The Johnster]

East Moors had a very strong Irish contingent, as well as Scot, German, Italian, North Country English, as well as a good smattering of wherever people gather where 'brass' talks. We had all of the Olde English trade names, such as Dyer or Smith.

 

Mongrel? yes, and very proud of each and every one.

 

Ian

 

The 4th Marquis of Bute, who was responsible for digging out the West Dock, imported Irish navvies to do the work; a story that he'd sent to Cork for a shipment of shoes, a thousand Irish brogues, which was misspelled and he got a thousand Irish rogues instead is part of the city's mythology.  There was no catholic church in Cardiff in the 1840s, and the navvies brought their own priests with them; masses were performed in the open air at the work site, and many of the men would give their weekly wages, or a portion of them, to the priests for safe keeping to prevent them being consumed in one Friday night debauch.

 

These men effectively built Cardiff as we know it now, and we are not grateful enough to them.

[Tom F]

Messing around doing further work on the platform surface, I've now added fine ballast to give that gravel effect, which I will incorporate further with weathering.

 

I just took this quick snap looking down the layout on the iPhone, just to show the general track geometry.

 

Edited October 11, 2018 by 9793

[Tortuga]

I have to ask: how did you get the “bare earth” effect on the land either side of the track? When I first saw this thread, I mistakenly thought the layout was more or less complete! The colours look bang on for close cropped moorland grass in winter. Only after I got to the prototype photos did I realise there was more to do!

[CazRail]

I have to ask: how did you get the “bare earth” effect on the land either side of the track? When I first saw this thread, I mistakenly thought the layout was more or less complete! The colours look bang on for close cropped moorland grass in winter. Only after I got to the prototype photos did I realise there was more to do!

I was the same thinking it was almost complete before I took a closer look!

[Tom F]

I have to ask: how did you get the “bare earth” effect on the land either side of the track? When I first saw this thread, I mistakenly thought the layout was more or less complete! The colours look bang on for close cropped moorland grass in winter. Only after I got to the prototype photos did I realise there was more to do!

 

 

I was the same thinking it was almost complete before I took a closer look!

 

This post has timed well, as I've just had some more of the stuff arrive in the post this morning!

 

I'd originally tried various options regarding painting the scenic ground work an earth colour before the grassing stage. It was Geoff Taylor that put me onto this stuff. It's 'Earth Powder' by Treemendous. Not cheap, but looks the part! You could probably try dried soil for a similar effect.

 

 

Regarding Geoff, and his stunning layout 'Penmaenpool and Barmouth Junction', it's worth checking out Geoff's website.

https://www.geofftaylormodels.com

 

Here is another one of Alan's photos of my 4645 on Shed at Penmaenpool, with one of my 16 tonners.

 

[Tom F]

Just checking everything is running ok on the layout, as a friend is coming around tomorrow to operate the layout. 

So with up and running, a few snaps showing the platform surface.

 

 

 

We may do some filming too!

[Dave Holt]

Just been re-watching the 1962 Railway Roundabout disc which includes footage of the SLS special train from Bala to Blaenau. From Areneg to Traws it was shot from the footplate of the leading pannier tank including passing through Cwm Prysor halt. The station nameboard had gone, just leaving the posts. I've seen photos and film of that train before but had forgotten about the on-board footage on this disc.

Lovely new shots of your layout. I'm keenly following developments.

Dave.

[Tom F]

Good operating session today. Some interesting timetable issues which will be resolved.

 

Please be aware the background steam sound is nothing to do with the loco (although it is DCC). It was just a recording we had going in the background to add some ambience!

 

Edited October 13, 2018 by 9793

[AdeMoore]

Had the notification from YouTube so popped straight over to take a look. Very nice I must say.

Cheers

Ade

[Tim V]

Compelling!

 

However, you need to have the coach less free-running - it was bouncing around behind its engine. Tighter couplings/friction brake on coach - the passenger train should move as one.

 

Goods train was particularly effective.

[runs as required]

Delighted to watch Cwm Prysor in motion !

1

After heeding your warning about the audio track being played - I suggest that the layout is small enough to have a really evocative 'surround sound'  that starts with moorland sounds - wind in the wires, distant grouse, curlews, crows, lapwings sheep w.h.y. then distant Swindon whistles crows on the wind and an approachiing train (am I falsely remembering wheel screech and groans on the curves?).  Finally we hear a whole lot of close up sound....Just a suggestion.

2

I thought the above eye level camera angles really effective for the video sequences. Curving around under that beautiful bridge, the arrival on stage from Trawsfynydd works dramatically. : .

Can I ask what you have in mind for the 'hole in the sky' arrival from Bala? Could entry be from behind a foreground granite knoll?

Best wishes

dh

[Pteremy]

Looking great in motion!

[The Johnster]

Re bouncing coaches, I'd recommend Bill Bedford couplings for performance and appearance.  A passenger train should not quite move as a single solid object, unless the whole train is buckeyd together, as there is play in the drawhooks and buffers; the loco starts to move, and the coach(es) follow a perceptible microsecond later, smoothly but with an initial slight rush to catch up.  The loco's screw coupling between it and the first coach, and those between the other coaches, should be tightened to leave 2 threads (all right, it's the same helical thread but you know what I mean) showing between the shackles and the bottle screw, but this not always possible, especially if the vehicles are coupled on a curve and the distance between the vehicles is too great for the screw to be tightened like this.  This will lead to a bit of a jerk in the train, not a passenger that's a bit of a jerk, a jerky motion.

 

I once had a two coach auto fitted with Bedfords in between vehicles, and has some success re-creating this starting surge effect by drilling overlarge holes to accept the coupling pins, then lining them with sponge foam.  But it was trial and error hit and miss.  I now use tension locks, and live with the appearance and anomalies.

[Tom F]

Interesting comments regarding coaches.

 

Personally, I'm really pleased with the free running on both kit coaches (one built by me with help from Tony Wright) and the other by Jonathan Wealleans. I always wanted to have 3 link and screw link couplings on my stock. I also have it designed that my Panniers and there coach run onto separate cassettes so that the coach stays the same way round (as it really would have, it wouldn't have been turned), yet the Pannier/loco can be turned around (as it would have been at either Bala or Manod). So to have working screw links that allow for loco and coach to not be fixed, may mean there is a touch of bouncing.

 

Personally it's not something that had concerned me or I had noticed until recent comments.

[Regularity]

If you use lightly sprung buffers on your coaches, and closer to scale-length couplings (you seem to have Romfords, which are slightly large for S scale, so enormous for 4mm), you can push the coach close up in the fiddle yard and drop the loop over the hook, and then when running you can gave the buffers on the coach just touching the loco buffers so that the running is smoother.

 

You can fit the finer couplings on the coach of the loco - you could also use wire to twist up something rigid but reasonably passable for the coach, carefully adjusted to be just so when coupled up.

[Tom F]

If you use lightly sprung buffers on your coaches, and closer to scale-length couplings (you seem to have Romfords, which are slightly large for S scale, so enormous for 4mm), you can push the coach close up in the fiddle yard and drop the loop over the hook, and then when running you can gave the buffers on the coach just touching the loco buffers so that the running is smoother.

 

You can fit the finer couplings on the coach of the loco - you could also use wire to twist up something rigid but reasonably passable for the coach, carefully adjusted to be just so when coupled up.

 

 

Hmmm, both locos and coaches have masokit couplings, and have both coupled as close as they can be. I'd say masokits are fairly close to scale, certainly not the overscale Romfords.

 

One of those really, it doesn't really bother me and they run incredibly smoothly.....maybe the operators need to take more care!

Edited October 13, 2018 by 9793

[Tom F]

Delighted to watch Cwm Prysor in motion !

1

After heeding your warning about the audio track being played - I suggest that the layout is small enough to have a really evocative 'surround sound'  that starts with moorland sounds - wind in the wires, distant grouse, curlews, crows, lapwings sheep w.h.y. then distant Swindon whistles crows on the wind and an approachiing train (am I falsely remembering wheel screech and groans on the curves?).  Finally we hear a whole lot of close up sound....Just a suggestion.

2

I thought the above eye level camera angles really effective for the video sequences. Curving around under that beautiful bridge, the arrival on stage from Trawsfynydd works dramatically. : .

Can I ask what you have in mind for the 'hole in the sky' arrival from Bala? Could entry be from behind a foreground granite knoll?

Best wishes

dh

 

 

Thanks dn

 

Regarding the scenic break at the Bala end, I granite knoll would be out of place as the land opens up before swinging around towards Arenig, here is a good example of how things looked roughly where the Bala portal was positioned.

 

https://flic.kr/p/KtsBx9

 

So I will cover the portal with a scots pine tree, and a couple opposite.

 

I'm amazed tonight to have found two stunning photos of Cwm Prysor Halt just after the closure of the line. The shows the far wall that I've longed to find a photo of....and to my surprise, the whole wall is fully slated like the west end.

 

 

 

 

https://flic.kr/p/2avM5GF

https://flic.kr/p/2aNrWBY