Traeth Mawr -Building Mr Price's house , (mostly)

[ChrisN]

2 hours ago, Northroader said:

What’s the glue/s you’re using, please?

 

Yes, sorry, I should have said.  To glue the random stone sheet to the foam board I have used both Limonine and polystyrene cement.  I used both to see which was best, or if there was a difference,  So two sides were done with each.  The Limonene obviously dries more quickly and you have yto get the sheet on it quickly and it has to be accurate first time as it sticks immediately and you cannot move it around, which you can with the polystyrene cement.  Both seems to stick easily well.

 

As to plastic on the foam, I tried a sample using a cutout, and used both PVA, and a Tacky Glue, (Aleene's Original, Quick Dry Tacky Glue), and both seemed to do just as well.  You need lots of PVA though.

[ChrisN]

I thought things would be slow on the house, and they have been, but they are going quicker than I expected.  Still, what I have not done is show you the progress on the Saloon Third.  Remember that?  It was ages ago I cut it out, and actually was a while ago when I did most of the work, but the pictures were even slower, but here they are.

 

It was August last year that I showed you this.

 

 

August 23rd to be precise.  The laminates had been laminated and 10 thou x 10 thou rodding put on mimicking panels.  It stayed like this for quite a while then I filed the ends to make a bevel and then fitted them together.  It was not very precise.  I then held them together in my magnetic clamps and applied Limonene.  I waited and it worked.

 

 

From the end.

 

 

I tried filling the gaps at the ends between the sides with Humbrol filler, but when I opened it, all that came out was liquid, which stank.  As my wife has insisted that I move my modelling desk into the warmth of the lounge, (here be carpet monsters), I put the top on rather quickly.  It must have separated out, and I am not sure if I can shake the tube to mix it again.  I will need some sort of filler to strengthen the joints.

 

 

I then cut out a floor , and filed it to fit, then glued it in.  Yes, I took the precaution of making sure I knew which way round it was.  (What me?  Glue it in upside down?  As if?)  The markings on the bottom are the centre line, the middle, where I got the middle wrong, and the position of the wheels.  I had thought it would go on a Ratio chassis, but of course it is far too short for that, so it will be MJT W irons and homemade footboards etc.

 

 

This is Z shaped plasticard, with one side nearly cut off except for steps below the doors.  I have no pictures of this saloon in running condition, but other coaches of the 1860s on the Cambrian had this arrangement.

 

 

I glued them in place, much easier as it is Z shaped.    Of course it is better to remember that the buffers go all the way across before you do that but, as you see, it is not irreversible.  The buffers are 4 x 2mm plastrut.

 

 

Hope that is not too dark.  The buffer positions were marked before they were cut off the length, drilled out with a 1mm drill, opened out with a 1.6mm drill and finally a six sided, or so broach used to open them still further until I could get the buffers to push fit.  They will be glued in later.  I am thinking about seats next, but there are some other challenges which I shall maybe mention the next time this coach is reviewed.  When that will be I am unsure as it is done when the main project is drying, but as there are lots of bits, and you can do one while another is drying it may be a while.

 

If you have been, thanks for looking.

 

 

 

 

[corneliuslundie]

I notice that you mention 10 thou square strip. I bought some from Slaters many years ago but it is both rather brittle now and nearly finished. I have not been able to find a current source. Any suggestions?

Nice panelling using it though.

Jonathan

[ChrisN]

1 hour ago, corneliuslundie said:

I notice that you mention 10 thou square strip. I bought some from Slaters many years ago but it is both rather brittle now and nearly finished. I have not been able to find a current source. Any suggestions?

Nice panelling using it though.

Jonathan

 

Jonathan,

Mine is Evergreen.  I bought lots of different sizes years ago but I am fairly certain they are still available.

[Mikkel]

Good to see this progressing Chris, the panneling looks really good.

 

Recently I have become a little less enthusiastic about my magnetic clamps. On thin/soft materials I find that they can press together corners so tight that the areas above and beneath them "bulge" out.

 

 

On 05/03/2024 at 22:53, ChrisN said:

What me?  Glue it in upside down?

 

We are but human. A few days ago I had carefully marked some almost square pieces of plain styrene with arrows showing their correct orientation. Then I dropped them on the floor.

 

Edited March 7 by Mikkel
Couldn't even explain that right :-)

[ChrisN]

1 hour ago, Mikkel said:

Good to see this progressing Chris, the panneling looks really good.

 

Recently I have become a little less enthusiastic about my magnetic clamps. On thin/soft materials I find that they can press together corners so tight that the areas above and beneath them "bulge" out.

 

 

 

We are but human. A few days ago I had carefully marked some almost square pieces of plain styrene with arrows pointing right, to make sure I got their orientation right. Then I dropped them on the floor.

 

 

Mikkel,

Mine came from York Models and I have not noticed them doing that.  I shall watch out for it, but the alternative is, a bit more tricky.

 

Yes, more mistakes seem to happen as you get older, or perhaps you are more aware it it.  Just have to be methodical, mark things, watch what you are doing, put knives down when not using them.............🙂

[MikeOxon]

2 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

Yes, more mistakes seem to happen as you get older, or perhaps you are more aware it it.  Just have to be methodical, mark things, watch what you are doing, put knives down when not using them.............

All that ....... and they still go wrong 🙃  The joys of age!

[corneliuslundie]

And one gets fussier. At least I have,

And of course as soon as one turns one's back things move.

Jonathan

[ChrisN]

Well, as no one else is posting, (not much anyway).

 

You may have wondered what has happened to the progress on the platform, well it has stalled.  First some pictures.

 

 

 

The idea of making my own paving slabs seemed a good one before I started, well cheap anyway.  The slabs have not laid very flat, but worse they are all slightly different sizes.  That is cope-able with, but I have compounded it by starting at the ends and not the middle.  Real people, that is 1:1 people in the real world start in the middle.  That also may be mean that I can make it work.  More worryingly, is that I assumed that the slabs would be full length and half length so that you got interlacing.  Having got almost this far I had another look at paved platforms and found that they are laid with full length and two thirds length slabs.  What I have done so far is not redeemable.  I could continue with different size slabs but the most obvious bit is wrong.  I could live with all of this except that sticking down an infinite number of paving slabs is not the most riveting of pastimes.  That coupled with the above has meant I have come to a halt.  I may continue when the warmer weather comes and I can model on the dining table and get the whole lot on there together, and sort the front where the porch and the steps are.

 

I normally only post on one topic, but not today.  Mr Price's house.

 

Did I say that the random stone I have used seems to make the stones too small?  I will need to look at '0' gauge stone for other builds.

 

Looking at the pictures I realised that every lintel was different.  They had not used a standard size, so I had to do each one separately.

 

 

I have tried to make them visible but I am not sure I have succeeded.  The top and the sides were lined with 10 thou plasticard stuck on with tacky glue.  Both PVA and tacky glue worked on the trial piece but PVA has not done well here.  Tacky glue not much better.

 

Window sills next.

 

 

 

Lintels are quite clear now.

 

The large window will have a bow window in it so no sill.  The doors may have a step at the bottom, but that is more of a modern thing so I will have to think how I cover the foam.  The doors may look large but they have a transom over the door.

 

Talking of size, it looks a little big.

 

 

 

Sorry for the lighting in the picture.  If I could set the layout up permanently in the extension the lighting would be perfect, but as it is our main room for living in I think I would get a certain amount of resistance.

 

These pictures of course do not show it up that well I have just noticed, but it does look big against everything else.  My defence is that I have measured it, and it is two houses, and the prototype looks big.

 

 

That is a three storey house next to it.

 

My grandson says it looks large because the station building behind is single story.  The buildings behind are a Metcalfe cottage and an Airfix Inn, both of which might be under scale.  The half finished cottage, although the prototype is a large cottage is still smaller than it, height wise that is.  (This is a semi-detached, so two houses really.)

 

Magic you will say, nearly finished.  No, stuck together with Blu Tak for when we had the invasion of grand children on Easter Saturday, which never happened as we all went to my eldest son's house.  It is in the right position though.

 

So, a long post about not much at all.  Modelling may commence again soon.

 

If you have been, thanks for looking.

Edited April 2 by ChrisN

[Donw]

It is nicely modelled but the doorways look big enough for those horses to get through which is a little odd. Could it be HO horses with a 00 building? The Transoms of course make the difference. We looked at buying an ex Stationmasters house that had high ceilings making it taller than usual.

 

Don

[MikeOxon]

14 hours ago, ChrisN said:

The idea of making my own paving slabs seemed a good one before I started, well cheap anyway.

As I discovered when I started designing brickwork for my coke kilns, these traditional crafts have many pitfalls for the unwary.  I watched a few YouTube videos to learn the rudiments of bricklaying

[Mikkel]

19 hours ago, ChrisN said:

My grandson says it looks large because the station building behind is single story.

 

I think he has a point. Some station buildings appear large on their own, but are actually fairly low and  narrow in comparison with other structures. Newbury is an example. Anyway, only you know the relative dimensions of the two structures Chris.

 

 

Edited April 3 by Mikkel

[ChrisN]

 

"Hello, I am not sure that you know me.  I am Mr Parry, the Traeth Mawr Coal Merchant.  Now you see my wagon at the end there.  That has proper buffers, not like these two.  Now you see these are nicely painted, not like mine, I am still waiting for the contractor to finish it off!  Now where is he, you may ask?  That is a good question.  He is around somewhere, but not here which is why I am speaking to you.  Last time I saw him he was making windows, and not doing a very good job of it.  'Working it out as I go along,' he said, 'once I know what I am doing I will be quicker.'  It makes you want to cry.  These are windows for Mr Price's house, poor man.  I feel really sorry for him.  He is a nice man, a bit pompous at times but really nice.  The contractor has had him locked up somewhere, just to stop him complaining.  His poor wife has had to go and live with her mother in Dolgelly, took four of her children as well.  Young Owen mind, I think he is enjoying it, says he is Acting Station Master, or some such thing, even when there are more senior staff members around.  He sleeps in the Station Masters office, except on Saturday night when he catches the last train out, stays with his Granny and his family, and then comes back on the first train on a Monday morning.  He sits in the guards van, jumps off as soon as it stops, runs across the tracks, no footbridge yet, opens everything up, and sells tickets for the first train in from Pwllheli.  The Foreman Porter Mr Richards is not happy about this as the station is supposed to be open from 6am, so he comes in a six and open the goods shed.  Me, I am glad I live further out in Traeth Mawr, as I have my house, and very comfortable it is too."

 

"Now why am I here?  It is these two wagons.  What are they doing here?  In my siding?  I only hope they do not make me pay 'demurrage' on them."

 

 

"Why are they here?  I heard someone somewhere say they came 'quickly', or something like that.  They are a bit far away, I mean we usually get our coals from the North Wales coal fields, or maybe Cheshire, so maybe they could not get the right contracts.  They seem a bit clean to me, but still.  As one has no coal in, well not much anyway, lets turn it over and have a look."

 

 

"See, brakes on one side, and stuff for the buffers I think.  Let's take a look from the other side."

 

 

"Well, not sure why they are here but I need to get the coal out of the other one before it disappears.

 

As he says, 'If you have been thanks for looking'"

[corneliuslundie]

Perhaps Mr Moxon has a contract with one of the local businesses to supply coal. As he is a factor the coal could have come from anywhere, even Nantcwmdu, though I haven't seen one of his wagons there. Or maybe it is anthracite from South Wales for the local brewery?

But I am glad to see that Mr Parry has a wagon with proper buffers. It'll be Ok for another 17 years.

Jonathan

[Mikkel]

It strikes me that life in and around Traeth Mawr would make excellent reality TV, and the first of its kind that I'd actually want to watch.

 

Though I am not sure the contractor would approve 🙂

[Nick Gough]

1 hour ago, Mikkel said:

It strikes me that life in and around Traeth Mawr would make excellent reality TV, and the first of its kind that I'd actually want to watch.

 

Though I am not sure the contractor would approve 🙂

Or an adult version of Camberwick Green/Trumpton/Chigley? 

(No, I don't mean an X-rated one!)

[Donw]

Trying to work out the wagons one would see is difficult.  The colliery end is easier although amongst the colliery and coal factor wagons would be some merchants wagons. I lodged once with someone whose Grandfather had been a coal merchant they had a single wagon but he had no memory of which colliery it would be sent to.

There seems to be a lack of pregroup photos showing the wagons.

 

Don

[Edwardian]

21 minutes ago, Nick Gough said:

Or an adult version of Camberwick Green/Trumpton/Chigley? 

 

 

 

[ChrisN]

3 hours ago, Mikkel said:

It strikes me that life in and around Traeth Mawr would make excellent reality TV, and the first of its kind that I'd actually want to watch.

 

Though I am not sure the contractor would approve 🙂

 

1 hour ago, Nick Gough said:

Or an adult version of Camberwick Green/Trumpton/Chigley? 

(No, I don't mean an X-rated one!)

 

Thank you.

 

I think most people would find it very boring.  Just normal everyday life.  People working hard and trying to get on with each other. Not much industry, plenty of hotels on the sea front, lovely beach, (of course), a boy's boarding school, and a girl's boarding school, whose pupils are rigorously kept apart, half a dozen churches, (not counted them up really), a happy little community with two or three gossips so that everyone knows everyone else's business, and no TV cameras trying to rake up things to keep people from switching off as it is ordinary boring life.

 

I had thought of writing a blog of interviews with locals, but I have not done so, 1) because I want the layout to look more like the town before I do, and 2) I think it would probably be misunderstood, as the people would speak with the mindset of 1895, although written in a way to poke fun at some things, ( "What is the point of giving bursaries to local girls to go to Lady Gwyneth's school.  What is the point of educating girls anyway?)

[ChrisN]

1 hour ago, Donw said:

Trying to work out the wagons one would see is difficult.  The colliery end is easier although amongst the colliery and coal factor wagons would be some merchants wagons. I lodged once with someone whose Grandfather had been a coal merchant they had a single wagon but he had no memory of which colliery it would be sent to.

There seems to be a lack of pre-group photos showing the wagons.

 

Don

 

Yes no one really photographed much on the Cambrian, let alone wagons.  I have the Morton book, (?) and I have a a list of the POW sides wagons that correspond, some of which I have waiting to be built.  What we really want, is some wagons from around Wrexham, or Ruabon, or into Cheshire.  I do mention this on the Rapido thread in the hope that someone might take it up.

[Mikkel]

1 hour ago, ChrisN said:

Thank you.

 

I think most people would find it very boring.  Just normal everyday life.  People working hard and trying to get on with each other. Not much industry, plenty of hotels on the sea front, lovely beach, (of course), a boy's boarding school, and a girl's boarding school, whose pupils are rigorously kept apart, half a dozen churches, (not counted them up really), a happy little community with two or three gossips so that everyone knows everyone else's business, and no TV cameras trying to rake up things to keep people from switching off as it is ordinary boring life.

 

I had thought of writing a blog of interviews with locals, but I have not done so, 1) because I want the layout to look more like the town before I do, and 2) I think it would probably be misunderstood, as the people would speak with the mindset of 1895, although written in a way to poke fun at some things, ( "What is the point of giving bursaries to local girls to go to Lady Gwyneth's school.  What is the point of educating girls anyway?)

 

I was thinking of the station. This sort of thing:

 

19 hours ago, ChrisN said:

The contractor has had him locked up somewhere, just to stop him complaining.

 

19 hours ago, ChrisN said:

He sleeps in the Station Masters office, except on Saturday night

 

🙂

 

Anyway, the blog sounds good, I hope that will appear some day!

 

[Compound2632]

52 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

What we really want, is some wagons from around Wrexham, or Ruabon, or into Cheshire. 

 

Mike Lloyd's Private Owners on the Cambrian (WRRC, 1998) - perhaps the book you are thinking of? - gives examples of wagons from the North Staffs coalfield (Florence Coal & Iron Co.; Midland Coal Coke & Iron Co., etc.) and Cannock Chase (J. Hawkins & Sons, Old Coppice Colly; Cannock & Rugeley Colly; Cannock Chase Colly). From Rapido's point of view, several of these firms' wagons were widely distributed, with examples photographed in the popular south-of-the-Thames area.

[ChrisN]

22 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Mike Lloyd's Private Owners on the Cambrian (WRRC, 1998) - perhaps the book you are thinking of? - gives examples of wagons from the North Staffs coalfield (Florence Coal & Iron Co.; Midland Coal Coke & Iron Co., etc.) and Cannock Chase (J. Hawkins & Sons, Old Coppice Colly; Cannock & Rugeley Colly; Cannock Chase Colly). From Rapido's point of view, several of these firms' wagons were widely distributed, with examples photographed in the popular south-of-the-Thames area.

 

Yes that is the book.  I think sometimes, although it may be someone different he is referred to as Mike Morton-Lloyd.  I am working from a memory that is not as good as it was.

 

Yes, there is still hope.  Eventually I might build my own, but in the meantime.............

[ChrisN]

30 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

 

I was thinking of the station. This sort of thing:

 

 

 

🙂

 

Anyway, the blog sounds good, I hope that will appear some day!

 

 

Yes, and of course we have the refreshment rooms, which must be a rich source of material.

 

How about Owen?  How is he getting on with the doctor's daughter, or has he found someone else?  Who knows?  (I think the ladies in the refreshment rooms are too old for him.)

[tanatvalley]

There were three routes for coal onto the Cambrian Coast line, in the north via Afon Wen from the Wigan coalfield, the centre via Ruabon from the Wrexham coalfield and in the south via Welshpool from the North Staffs and Shrewsbury coalfields. The Shrewsbury coalfield seems to have only been for the Mid Wales line. Also anthracite from South Wales. There were several gasworks on the coast line but I do not know when they opened. The North Staffs wagons can be seen at Aberdovey on the sand sidings and quay.