North Welsh Coast Railway - Welsh Dragon Rail

[Anthony Ashley]

m unaware of the "Dinky"hair grips bu they sound intriguing. 

 

The peg method of securing road edging while sticking the resin stone surface will not work where there is an obstruction on the otherside of the wall. Weighted strips of ply pressed against the wall are an alternative.

 

 

 

A few more road edges to go and then on woth the 3d  modelling of buildings in Penmaenmawr.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony Ashley  

[Anthony Ashley]

Dear All,

 

Mnay road sides have been "stoned". My methods of holding sections in plac ewhile gluing are many and varied depending on the circumstances. Photos are below.

 

Excavating the car park in preparation for securing the stone wall sections in fornt of the station. At this stage I was cutting the wall sections contouring the road above 

 

To secure this section of wall I needed to use pegs to provide support under the jar and then additional jar to provide enough weight behind the actual jar on the glued section. Only two more section of wall to stick tomorrow!

s

 

Regards,

 

Anthony Ashley  

Edited July 6, 2022 by Anthony Ashley

[Anthony Ashley]

Dear All,

A long time between posting updates, but I have been steadily working on Penmaenmawr walls and Conwy castle. A lot of the walls are completed. I  started the castle construction about 6 years ago, but only the front walls were completed. I have now cut all of the walls, the major towers, the smaller towers, the front garden area and the towers and walls completing the entrance area. In 1960 I think the entrance was from the car park next to Castle square. I think the sperate entrance on the other side of Llanrwst Rd was built well after 1960. I am interested in any comments on this. I have tried to see any plaques on the entrance building but not found any to date. The entrance path rose up the hill next to the castle doing one switch back. The photo below is well prior to 1960  but I believe shows the layout in 60, with the car park in front of the building entrance. 

 

 

 

I only have 3 of the 4 small towers and some of the smaller entrance towers and walls to add a stone finish for the exterior.

 

Regards,

Anthony Ashley

 

 

I can add some photos tomorrow of developments. I am looking forward to finishing the castle exterior over the next week or so. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Anthony Ashley]

Dear All,

 

Work in progress,

 

Bowling green with just a 2 side walls required for completion.

 

Junction and wall next to the station at Penmaenmawr.

 

 

A really odd wall section with door and window leading no where but it is rrality.

 

 

On with the castle!!

 

Regards,

 

Anthony Ashley

 

[lezz01]

Oh good I do love a good castle Anthony.

Regards Lez.

[Anthony Ashley]

Lez,

I hope the following photos will not disappoint , as I have finished all of the main castle exterior walls and towers and only have the entrance exterior to complete this aspect of the castle. Photos of progress are below. It has taken about 7 years to finish the castle exterior, although I still have to add hills and vegetation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I shall cover the interior external walls. and add the ground level inside the castle. The interior walls creating the rooms inside the castle can wait for later. Then mounds against the castle down to the roads, the car park and entrance area.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony Ashley

 

 

 

[lezz01]

It sure looks like Conwy castle to me Anthony. Very nice work mate.

Regards Lez.

[Leekhockey]

Spotted these pictures in a group that I am in- sorry if you have seen them before, but I haven't gone through all your pages

[Anthony Ashley]

Leekhockey,

 

Thanks very much for the photos. I have seen many of the area but not the ones you have posted. The aerial view is particularly valuable, giving the layout of the area to the east of the castle. The positioning of the mini castle is very interesting, and will facilitate a more accurate model. I do not have this view on the photos at hand so thanks again for your contribution. It is fantastic when I get such contributions adding to the context of the model.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony Ashley 

 

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by Anthony Ashley

[CameronL]

On 26/09/2022 at 09:01, Leekhockey said:

Spotted these pictures in a group that I am in- sorry if you have seen them before, but I haven't gone through all your pages

These are great "before and after" pictures, as the first ones shows the road traffic going over the Telford suspension bridge (therefore pre 1958) and the second one shows road traffic going over the steel-arch road bridge (opened in 1958). 

Mind you, is the engine in the second pic a Class 47? That would make it after 1962.

 

(I just noticed there's a "G" reg Ford in the second pic. That makes it 1968 or later. Do I need to get out more?)

Edited September 28, 2022 by CameronL
Added a bit

[lezz01]

Well given that the 47 is in blue with double arrows I would say it's quite a bit after 62. Not to mention  that the 7th car along is either a MK2 Escort or an Avenger and the 3rd one up is a MK2 Cortina 1600E make it later than 64 in fact if that car is an MK2 Escort then it's after 74.

Regards Lez.

[acg5324]

Headcodes were disbanded Jan 1976 most were wound to 0000. dominos in the headcode panel would not have been put in straight away.

[DavidMcKenzie]

I've just stumbled upon this. Brilliant stuff. You've found a very interesting spot to model there. 

 

All the best,

Dave 

[Anthony Ashley]

Cameron, Lez, ACG and David, Thanks for the discussion. You clearly have a much deeper knowledge of the area and history of it than me. All of these comments are useful in modelling the layout. It is quite difficult to exactly replicate road and rail features for 1960. One example is the street lighting. In the later photo the lights are relatively modern and maybe too modern for 1960 northern wales, but I am not sure. I have seen a UK 1957 video showing similar lights being erected as those shown on the major road in the photo.  What do you think?

 

I have finished the outer walls with stone apart from a very small section. The entrance has been finished apart from the large ruined wall jutting out into the car park. A photos of the actual entrance in 1926 is below.

 

 

Entrance in 1960 was behind the small tower on the left following the winding path up the hill from the entrance building in the now non existent car park. The road has been widened to include that car park. 

 

I think in 1960 the entrance was the same, although I am happy to be advised otherwise. I have been unable to find any photos closer to 1960 of the entrance. My model is below. I will raise the whole castle by putting it on 30 ml foam board, which will add more dramatic height to the castle. 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the only section of wall without stone work below, where the ply wood section is visible. I need to wait to add the stone work unit after I have added the hill and the path to the right of the tower. This way I can accurately cut the archway on that wall at the right height before adding stone work. It is easier to drill and make the arch and then cut the stone resin from the back once applied to the wall. There is a lot less vegetation on the small towers in the more recent photos than in 1926. The covers and wood planks at the top of the small towers are visible in more recent photos as in the model below. 

  

Next is to add stone resin to the interior walls before putting the structure together with glue and then cutting the 30ml base of foam. Looking through the towers is a wooden platform which I shall model using match sticks as my construction material. The beauty of N gauge!!

 

Regards,

Anthony Ashley

 

  

Edited October 9, 2022 by Anthony Ashley

[Anthony Ashley]

Dear All,

 

Internal tower walkways have all been cut. An example of one of the more complex is below. It took nearly a day to build!!I need to add stone facings to all of the interior walls including at least some of the tower walkway.

 

 

 

 

The entrance arch is completed apart form some extensions to be added to the front requiring 3D printing.

 

 

 

 

 

Next is more stone coverage for the interior walls and walkways.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony Ashley

 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Anthony Ashley

[CameronL]

On 09/10/2022 at 14:16, Anthony Ashley said:

One example is the street lighting. In the later photo the lights are relatively modern and maybe too modern for 1960 northern wales, but I am not sure. I have seen a UK 1957 video showing similar lights being erected as those shown on the major road in the photo.  What do you think?

Hi Anthony.

 

Check out this website. It includes a picture of the first commercial vehicle across the newly-opened road bridge in 1958 with a perfect view of a street light in the background (complete with perching seagull). They are different from the ones in the picture of the 47 with double arrows.

 

There's a couple of other nice rail-related ones as well. Hope this is of some help.

 

Best wishes

 

Cam

[Anthony Ashley]

Cameron,

 

Thanks very much for the link to alternate Conwy photos. I do not know how many times I have looked on line for photos of Conwy but never seen this sight. The photo of the honey festival was interesting as it was in a major street, was set in  1960, but I could only see one street light high up on a building. Perhaps there were no major street lights in Conwy in 1960, but I find this hard to believe The photo you referred to was great in showing lighting on the bridge in 1958. I think finding those lights in N Gauge may be difficult. I may need to look at constructing them myself. I had a look on line and found nothing that was similar in terms of N gauge. Thanks again for the link.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony Ashley  

[CameronL]

Hi again Anthony.

 

I'm afraid my memories of Conwy don't go back to 1960, but even today most of the streetlights in the town are mounted on the buildings, because the streets and pavements are so narrow (13th century town planning). The view of the Honey Fair is Castle Street with the Blue Bell pub on the left. This modern-day view of the same street at night shows the streetlights on the buildings, and I presume it wouldn't have been a lot different in the 60s.

 

Best wishes 

 

Cam

[Anthony Ashley]

Cameron,

Thanks for your latest post. The apparent random nature of the street lighting would seem to almost give my free form to stick lights as I think fit. The link you have provided is another great photo. Thanks again.

 

I received the first 3D printed building from my son, who printed it for me.  I have decorated most of it, and only have a roof sign to add. Finding the right era photo of the tennis court tea shop/house is difficult. I think I have one matching 1960 showing the following:

 

    "ÍCE  CREAM

      PARLOUR

 

      TEA

       OARDING"

 

The last word is hard to make our but I think it is Boarding with the B missing! If anyone has any more idea on the sign in the photo below I would appreciate any comments.

Photo is below.

 

Bowling Green in the foreground and tennis court tea  house in the background.

 

 

 

 

Back to the castle interior!!!

 

Regards,

Anthony Ashley

 

[St Enodoc]

26 minutes ago, Anthony Ashley said:

I received the first 3D printed building from my son, who printed it for me.  I have decorated most of it, and only have a roof sign to add. Finding the right era photo of the tennis court tea shop/house is difficult. I think I have one matching 1960 showing the following:

 

    "ÍCE  CREAM

      PARLOUR

 

      TEA

       OARDING"

 

The last word is hard to make our but I think it is Boarding with the B missing! If anyone has any more idea on the sign in the photo below I would appreciate any comments.

Photo is below.

 

I don't think there's a missing B. I think it's Gardens (as in Tea Gardens).

[Anthony Ashley]

John,

Thanks for the reply. I agree with your assessment of the roof writing. I should have picked it up myself, although the last word is quite hard to read. I will add a roof sign in due course. Thanks again.

 

Regards,

Anthony Ashley

 

 

[Anthony Ashley]

Dear All,

 

I completed the signs for the tea house. Photo below. 

 

 

I have been working on the castle stone work. Only one small corner section to finish with stone resin and I am finished apart from the interior walls structures. All of the exterior wall interiors have had stone added as well. After that I will work on the tennis courts behind the tea house.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony Ashley 

[john dew]

Hi Anthony

 

It seems churlish to nitpick such splendid modelling - but I think there is an “ r” missing from parlour?

 

Best wishes

[Anthony Ashley]

John,

 

Thankyou for picking up on my "deliberate" error. Of course I clearly was checking to see how many people were actually reading the sign. Well done. The corrected sign will be posted in due course. It was obviously difficult to get educated sign writers in 1960!!!!!

 

I have finished adding stone to the exterior walls on their interior sides. Have also done the mortar colour. Only need to add the stone colours., cut door ways and windows and put the castle together.

 

Regards,

Anthony Ashley

[dpgibbons]

Anthony - you might be interested in this article on the quarry railway at Penmaenmawr here