Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[woodenhead]

16 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

 

 

14 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

Never knew Churchill moonlighted as a train driver. Probably got bored with brick laying so thought I'll have a go at driving a train.

In this pose and dress, I think it's Chairman Churchill. 🤣

[Limpley Stoker]

2 hours ago, MAP66 said:

Funny enough, magnets were my first go to option but I couldn't get them to fit right due to the curvature of the roof, I did try to cut one down at an angle but without success. I think magnets could work but I just can't figure it out. I think you would need quite strong magnets and that makes it bigger and harder to fit and disguise 🤔

How about using a hunt elite coupling : the business end magnet , glued centrally to the interior of each end with the poles pointing up and almost  flush with the top. Inside the roof a small strip of ferrous material curved to fit and engage the magnet - glued in place. Perhaps this would spoil the internal detailing of the drivers compartment in which case the magnet could be located on a partition, assuming that it is secured to the underframe.

 

[MAP66]

Thanks Mike, that sounds like it has potential. I'll look into it and let you know how I get on. I'll post progress back on Tyteford Halt in due course. As I think there might be several more related contributions of Stuka's bombing buses on bridges imminently.

[Nick C]

1 hour ago, Limpley Stoker said:

How about using a hunt elite coupling : the business end magnet , glued centrally to the interior of each end with the poles pointing up and almost  flush with the top. Inside the roof a small strip of ferrous material curved to fit and engage the magnet - glued in place. Perhaps this would spoil the internal detailing of the drivers compartment in which case the magnet could be located on a partition, assuming that it is secured to the underframe.

 

Much cheaper to buy the magnets separately though, they can be had from ebay for a few pence each (a quick search shows packs of 10 for a couple of quid including postage. - e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144131600158)

 

I seem to remember that @Nile has used them in his thread for exactly this purpose - a pair of 2x2x1mm neodynium magnets each end will be more than strong enough, I'm sure one magnet and a small bit of steel plate will do the job just fine.

[ChrisN]

18 hours ago, MrWolf said:

18 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

I've made a few more interior panels for the autocoach and the driver figure that was on back order from Modelu has arrived along with some other goodies for both locos and the layout, so I've begun painting those.

 

 

There may be some danger of catching up with @MAP66 on this project at last.

 

Or maybe not!!

 

 

 

Would not any self respecting engine driver at this time be wearing a shirt and tie?

[Schooner]

5 hours ago, MAP66 said:

I couldn't get them to fit right due to the curvature of the roof

Making my internal monologue public rather than sharing useful info, but I'd been thinking that as long as the magnets were within 'range' then they'd work well enough (for similar purposes) even if they didn't mate flush...?

[MrWolf]

4 hours ago, ChrisN said:

 

Would not any self respecting engine driver at this time be wearing a shirt and tie?

 

He would indeed, at the moment he has base colour for flesh and uniform. 

He does look a bit Chairman Mao. 

 

Can't have that, he never did get his railway built....

[MAP66]

Has he been to the chop shop yet to fit in the cab?

[shropshirelad]

Have very nearly finished a small BLT based on Clun. Lived in Shropshire all my life (78 years) so know the county well. Layout is 10 foot long and 18 inches wide plus fiddle yard and is based in the early / mid fifties. It is assumed that the line runs from Craven Arms, initially sharing running powers with the LNWR on the Heart of Wales line, turning off at Broom junction and carrying on up the Clun valley to the terminus in Clun. My big interest is in the Wellington to Craven Arms branch and the intention was to model Easthope halt but decided a BLT would be more interesting to run. Have assumed that trains ran from Wellington to Craven Arms and then twice a day ran to Clun. This meant I could use my 84H (Wellington), Salop) locos, which were mostly panniers, prairies , ivatt tanks or standard 3 tanks. Branch servcices were run by 14xx plus trailer or variety of GWR tanks. Largest loco's on the branch are 22xx or Dean goods. A variety of freight vehicles are run in the daily goods train. Goods traffic consists of coal, animal feed, fertiliser etc in and stone from nearby quarry, livestock, timber and pit props etc out. An operating session will last about an hour.

[Captain Kernow]

28 minutes ago, shropshirelad said:

Have very nearly finished a small BLT based on Clun. Lived in Shropshire all my life (78 years) so know the county well. Layout is 10 foot long and 18 inches wide plus fiddle yard and is based in the early / mid fifties. It is assumed that the line runs from Craven Arms, initially sharing running powers with the LNWR on the Heart of Wales line, turning off at Broom junction and carrying on up the Clun valley to the terminus in Clun. My big interest is in the Wellington to Craven Arms branch and the intention was to model Easthope halt but decided a BLT would be more interesting to run. Have assumed that trains ran from Wellington to Craven Arms and then twice a day ran to Clun. This meant I could use my 84H (Wellington), Salop) locos, which were mostly panniers, prairies , ivatt tanks or standard 3 tanks. Branch servcices were run by 14xx plus trailer or variety of GWR tanks. Largest loco's on the branch are 22xx or Dean goods. A variety of freight vehicles are run in the daily goods train. Goods traffic consists of coal, animal feed, fertiliser etc in and stone from nearby quarry, livestock, timber and pit props etc out. An operating session will last about an hour.

That sounds very nice. Would you be able to start a layout thread and share some photos, please?

 

[shropshirelad]

Have been reading this forum for many years and this was my first ever reply. Am reasonably computer literate but need to work out how to add photos etc. Biggest problem is that so far have no photographs of the layout so need to know which is best, photos with my phone or on a camera. 

Bit more about the layout. It is quite simple, 6 turnouts in all. Buildings are mostly Bachmann as is most of the goods stock although have added a few Rapido. All are weathered as are most of the locos. It is my 4th layout, but the only one I have ever finished.....well nearly. Have thought about a small layout 4 foot by 1 foot based on a Chris Nevard layout based in Suffolk but it was to be a summer project and it is now mid July and in October I shall be working my springer spaniels. Have acquired 2 Hornby J15's so better make use of them. Any help on downloading etc would be very much appreciated.

[Northroader]

Well, you got your pictures in the photo file, then at the bottom of your text box where you’re typing your reply, it says “drag files here to attach, or choose files” so you click on “choose files” and you get “photo library” and then you click on that, and you see the range of your pictures, so you click on the one you want, then top rh corner “get”, and the picture transfers to under your reply, and so you click on “done/insert”, and bobs your mothers brother. Best wishes from a Shropshire exile..

[Fishplate]

1 hour ago, Northroader said:

click on “done/insert”

 

Can I just add to @Northroader s excellent helpful into :

 

. . . . making sure the cursor is where you want the picture to go. Do a return / next line to put spaces between pictures as though you were starting a new line of text.

 

Good luck @shropshirelad !

[MrWolf]

12 hours ago, shropshirelad said:

Have very nearly finished a small BLT based on Clun. Lived in Shropshire all my life (78 years) so know the county well. Layout is 10 foot long and 18 inches wide plus fiddle yard and is based in the early / mid fifties. It is assumed that the line runs from Craven Arms, initially sharing running powers with the LNWR on the Heart of Wales line, turning off at Broom junction and carrying on up the Clun valley to the terminus in Clun. My big interest is in the Wellington to Craven Arms branch and the intention was to model Easthope halt but decided a BLT would be more interesting to run. Have assumed that trains ran from Wellington to Craven Arms and then twice a day ran to Clun. This meant I could use my 84H (Wellington), Salop) locos, which were mostly panniers, prairies , ivatt tanks or standard 3 tanks. Branch servcices were run by 14xx plus trailer or variety of GWR tanks. Largest loco's on the branch are 22xx or Dean goods. A variety of freight vehicles are run in the daily goods train. Goods traffic consists of coal, animal feed, fertiliser etc in and stone from nearby quarry, livestock, timber and pit props etc out. An operating session will last about an hour.

 

Hello @shropshirelad, it's nice to hear that someone else has built their take on this almost was branchline.

 

You're welcome to post some pictures of the layout on here, once you've done that, a dedicated thread about your model is easy if you wish to create one. We can all take some inspiration from other people's work.

 

I do have a long term plan to build the terminus at Clun myself, I just can't settle on how to do it yet!

 

Not to mention that I really should be finishing Aston first...

 

I'd pitched my Clun Valley Railway junction as being at Sibdon Carwood, which led to some diplomatic negotiations being necessary with the LNWR when the GWR bailed out the company in January 1901 in order to gain running rights along a short stretch of the Mid Wales Line.

 

I haven't sat down to create a working timetable yet, but the traffic will be the same.

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, Fishplate said:

 

Can I just add to @Northroader s excellent helpful into :

 

. . . . making sure the cursor is where you want the picture to go. Do a return / next line to put spaces between pictures as though you were starting a new line of text.

 

Good luck @shropshirelad !

If you have the picture folder open in a small window you can drag-and-drop the file directly from there to the “drag files here to attach, or choose files” area.

 

I type a couple of square brackets [] where I want a picture to go. Highlight these with the cursor then just click on the small image in the “drag files here to attach, or choose files” area.

 

I've found this the simplest and quickest method, although others may disagree!

[MrWolf]

Well it's been a quiet few weeks on the modelling front, work and other commitments have got in the way, but finally I have something to post!

 

And it's even relevant to the thread..😳 

 

I know, I know...

 

Dust and how to mitigate against it has always been a problem. Thanks to @KNP answering my question about USB vacuum cleaners, I've ordered one and started making a lightweight, removable, two piece dust cover for the layout, using scraps of wood scrounged from here and there.

 

 

 

It hooks over the backscene and locates on the uprights for the lighting. The covering will be lightweight polythene dust sheet in the finest tradition of keep it simple, stupid.

 

The CC7 will have its transfers in the very near future, but I've been distracted by the latest @chuffinghell / @MrWolf collaboration which resulted from the research we were doing on the CC7 / CC2 and @Bluemonkey presents.... working on a whole rake of PW / S&T wagons.

I thought that there is a distinct lack of long wheelbase GWR wagons available so...

 

I give you the signal post wagon to Diagram T3.

These are the third prototype, as Chris has refined the underframe and truss details as well as making it suitable for DC and the original Thomas brakes which these wagons were first built with.

 

 

It consists of the body and chassis as one, which saves on alignment issues, with axleboxes that are ready for 2mm bearings and a slot in the buffer beam for a three link coupling or dummy hook.

The floor is separate, which is a big help for fitting couplings or creating space for weights.

The buffer stocks are separate and pre drilled to take steel buffers.

 

I've already made a start:

 

 

I've fitted .45mm rod into the pre drilled holes for the brake V hangers and removed a little of the frame (seen on the left) in order to fit a motorcycle wheel weight under the floor.

I'll fit the sprung couplings (Slater's) before fitting the floor, then add buffers before a coat of grey primer.

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Very nicely dine indeed Sir. Looking forward to the finished wagons.

[Limpley Stoker]

That’s a great view of the world of Clun.  I like the idea of a dust fly sheet - that and the  ‘do not trespass’ sign. A combination of the two might deter the constant woodlouse invasion suffered in Limpley Stoke. 

[Winslow Boy]

I have spotted a design flaw in your dust cover prototype Rob.

How do you see under the cover when the layout is in operation.

Perhaps you should leave a face sized hole with frilly edges- to form an airtight seal around the face, so that your able to have eyeball contact.

Or even better make the cover like one of those shrouds they used to have to use for plate cameras.

If you use either of these suggestions, I will of course require to be mentioned as the inventor of them every time either is used.

[chuffinghell]

38 minutes ago, Limpley Stoker said:

That’s a great view of the world of Clun.  I like the idea of a dust fly sheet - that and the  ‘do not trespass’ sign. A combination of the two might deter the constant woodlouse invasion suffered in Limpley Stoke. 

 

I find the dust and overspray that lands on my layout just adds to the weathering 🤪

[Captain Kernow]

10 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

 

 

It hooks over the backscene and locates on the uprights for the lighting. The covering will be lightweight polythene dust sheet

That's a very good idea. Presumably you'll have the dust sheet at the front (vertical) side as well?

 

[Captain Kernow]

This is the cover for Bethesda  BTW. It is secured with bolts for transport and storage, but just sits on top like this, when the layout is set up.

[Fishplate]

3 hours ago, Limpley Stoker said:

That’s a great view of the world of Clun.  I like the idea of a dust fly sheet - that and the  ‘do not trespass’ sign.

 

Yes, very nice to see the layout in its entirety. 

 

The £1000 fine in 1930's seems a bit harsh relative to annual pay 😂

 

Is the layout in its final position? May be the angle of the photo, but the wall looks very close to the left hand end fiddle yard exit. Having just gone through cassette / sector plate/traverser options myself, just curious what your cunning plan is for your f/yard 🤔. 

[Graham T]

The second photo reminds me again of how nicely modelled that river is Herr W - bravo!

 

[MrWolf]

10 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

This is the cover for Bethesda  BTW. It is secured with bolts for transport and storage, but just sits on top like this, when the layout is set up.

 

That's exactly what I'm going for. I can replace the polythene when it gets grubby.

 

As it's not an exhibition layout, mine will be hinged off the backscene and held up with a couple of stays made from old fashioned bicycle mudguard stay wire'.