Sarn (Montgomeryshire) and Nantcwmdu (South Wales) plus Montgomery Town in 7mm

[corneliuslundie]

Answer from Maplin:

"Maplin Electronics Ltd went into administration, resulting in the closure of all branches in June 2018. Digital-First Retail Ltd purchased the brand name only - No previous sales transactions, customer records, product ranges, gift cards, warranties or liabilities were carried over with us."

So no help.

But they even use the same logo and colours. Naughty really.

Jonathan

[corneliuslundie]

An overdue update, but no photos I am afraid as our camera has died and we have not decided yet on a new one.

After only about 20 years the set of seven Rhymney 6-wheeled carriages based on Trevor Charlton etched zinc sides is complete and just needs painting.

The two big jobs over the last year have been redoing the underframes as the original Clemison type chassis didn't work properly and didn't allow for J hangers supporting the springs (2 designs); and soldering up the double footboards from brass angle, bought at considerable expense from Eileen's. Unfortunately, the strip comes in 250 mm lengths and six of the carriages have one 250 mm and one 254 mm footboard each side while the seventh has one of 254 mm and one of 258 mm each side - even more wasteful.

I tried making up some decals, using the best guess I could make of the correct style and size for lettering and numbers (only angled photos available). But they simply didn't show up, as already explained in this thread. So lining and lettering is still to be done.

When I was feeling completely fed up I assembled a Slaters 3 plank Midland wagon kit - always good therapy and one can never have too many Midland 3-plankers. A bit disappointing to find that the transfers are no longer the "Pressfix" type, but I have some spares in my transfer box.

I am currently working on a 7 mm ex Mid Wales Railway brake van for the club layout - great fun as much is guesswork from two photos in the Oakwood Elan Valley Railway book. Currently it awaits brake gear, a stove, brake standards, a roof and (you guessed) footboards - fortunately they are short enough to use some of the left over bits from the Rhymney carriages.

Next I need to sort out the compensation on 1196 which had for some reason stuck after working perfectly for a while.

And find a mysterious failed joint on the wiring for Sarn.

Also in the workbench to fill in odd moment is a scratch built 3-plank Rhymney open wagon.

Next on the rolling stock list is the ex LSWR 6-wheeled carriage for the club BCR layout. Trevor Charlton etched zinc sides again. I think I now have all the bits I need, even the brass for the footboards!

I have a feeling that somewhere in the next few weeks I shall also succumb and build the kit for a Rhymney box van given me by my son for Christmas. When I get fed up with a project the answer is always another wagon.

But I really must make some decisions about the buildings at the back of Nantcwmdu. I know that I want a couple of shops, two pubs, a chapel (probably a kit for a "tin tab") and a couple of terraces of houses. Should I have a working men's club and should I have a school? Decisions, decisions. I have a run of up to 2 metres to fill so quite a bit of room. (Thoughts, and have I missed anything which should be there in a small mining town?)

Anyway, you MAY hear from me again before the end of June but don't hold your breath.

Jonathan

 

[Northroader]

A lot of my coaches get footboards from Marcway sleeper strip, the copper clad fibre glass stuff, although I fancy the dimensions might not be exact.

[Simond]

JLTRT Toplight coaches (7mm) came with GF PCB strip as footboards.  It’s quite handy, as, of course, you can solder it onto wire brackets.  
 

I was discussing footboards with a pal last week, and we concluded that they are probably around an inch thick, some PCB will be too thick for this, but conversely, sheet brass is likely too thin.

[Northroader]

The other thing about it is I put the copper side underneath and solder a strip of brass along overlapping in the axlebox areas for half the width of the footboard, and the rest of the width can be filed away in a notch around the axlebox.

[ChrisN]

16 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

But I really must make some decisions about the buildings at the back of Nantcwmdu. I know that I want a couple of shops, two pubs, a chapel (probably a kit for a "tin tab") and a couple of terraces of houses. Should I have a working men's club and should I have a school? Decisions, decisions. I have a run of up to 2 metres to fill so quite a bit of room. (Thoughts, and have I missed anything which should be there in a small mining town?)

Anyway, you MAY hear from me again before the end of June but don't hold your breath.

Jonathan

 

 

Jonathan,

Good to hear your update.  As for buildings it depends on what interests you, how difficult to build is, (would you prefer a difficult build?).  If you had a school would it need a playground at the front, and would you have enough space?  Would it have a library?

[Northroader]

Up the valleys, usually guided by Aberflyarff.

[Simond]

Sorry, one more thought about footboards

 

milled brass angle is an expensive, but effective alternative

[mike morley]

Building wagon kits can be a slippery slope.

I've only ever modelled very minor branches or ultra-light railways, none of which were ever likely to have been supported by more than one or two coal merchants and unlikely to have had more than two or three wagon-loads of coal a week between them.

So how come I'm well on the way to having enough PO wagons to run a Jellicoe Special?

[ChrisN]

36 minutes ago, mike morley said:

Building wagon kits can be a slippery slope.

I've only ever modelled very minor branches or ultra-light railways, none of which were ever likely to have been supported by more than one or two coal merchants and unlikely to have had more than two or three wagon-loads of coal a week between them.

So how come I'm well on the way to having enough PO wagons to run a Jellicoe Special?

 

Mike,

I think Jonathan could run several Jellicoe Specials.  🙂

[corneliuslundie]

41 Ocean Colliery wagons for a start. But then there is supposed to be an Ocean colliery up the colliery branch off-scene.

A dozen different cattle wagons for Sarn (Kerry branch)

etc etc etc.

Well over 150 in all, though not all for the same period.

The good news is that I had another play with the camera yesterday. It turns out that one of the brand new batteries I had put in was completely dead. When I checked the pack (12) there was another one in the same state.

So the cameras is working again, meaning you may get some photos to bore you.

Re footboards, I went for the brass angle from Eileen's because I have had experience of damaging footboards in the past ands I wanted something strong. Sleeper strip would be cheaper but is rather thick in 4 mm. Anyway, I now have plenty to provide footboards for a rake of 4-wheelers if I ever want to.

And a blatant advert. Next week we should be making some final decisions on the first of the two WRRC volumes of Cambrian Railways loco and rolling stock drawings, covering up to 1892. That means that it should be published during the summer, though not in time for the WRRC AGM - perhaps the Cardiff show. You will have to wait a couple more years for Part 2 bringing the story up to the Grouping.

Jonathan

[corneliuslundie]

So, some progress:

 

The Midland wagon is from a Slaters kit, a Christmas present from my son.

The Rhymney 3-planker is scratch built with bits from by various bits drawers. The body is plastic sheet plus plastic strip and some etched strips with bolt heads at intervals, plus of course the tiny bits of plastic to represent other bolt heads. The axleboxes are white metal, whose i don't know after so long. The buffer beams are surplus from a Cambrian Models kit, and the brake gear is sur[plus from another wagon kit at some time. Transfers as usual by the HMRS.

What you cannot see is that the sides of the Rhymney wagon are bowed in, despite by scribing the planking on both sides. So I am creating a pit-prop load which will fill it thoroughly and force the sides out. Lots of pieces of toothpick painted with weather wood coloured paints of various hues, then cut up and currently being stuck together.

And something completely different for the Club 7 mm layout: a fictitious coal wagon:

 

It is a repaint and reletter of a commercial kit which had been purchased cheaply by another club member, HMRS transfers again. Bunners is a very well known "traditional" hardware (and most other things) shop in Montgomery, and has been around since early in the 20th century. I don't know whether it traded in coal, though these days it sells petrol from some really ancient pumps outside the shop. There were several local coal merchants which operated from Montgomery station on the Cambrian line, but none seem to have owned any wagons.

As soon as I have finished the pit prop load (and a wagon holds rather a lot of them) I am going to get the Nantcwmdu boards out and produce some buildings for the backscene: a terrace or two of houses, a couple of shops, a couple of pubs, perhaps a working men's club, perhaps a school, and of course two chapels. For one I intend using the commercially available "tin tab" kit. There is about six feet of street scene so room for quite a few buildings. Actually, the other chapel will be on the road which runs from the back of the layout across the line and has the station building on one side.

But for now back to those hundreds of pit props.

Jonathan

[steveNCB7754]

On 01/06/2022 at 21:04, corneliuslundie said:

Bunners is a very well known "traditional" hardware (and most other things) shop in Montgomery, and has been around since early in the 20th century.

 

 

Coincidentally, I finally got to visit Bunners about a month ago.  Came away with some useful things I cannot get in-store locally and (for future reference) I see they do the replacement insulation linings for my make of wood-fired stove in the lounge.  Will you be going to the WRRC AGM?

 

 

[corneliuslundie]

Unless there is a train strike, yes. Bus would be rather drawn out, about 5 hours each way.

See you there then?

Jonathan

[corneliuslundie]

A bit fed up. I put Sarn up for the first time for about a year. Two wires had come adrift - how when the layout was just sitting in the corner? I didn't know my soldering was that bad. And I discovered that the dead section at the end of the fiddle yard was wrongly wired. So out with the soldering iron and all fixed.

Then I tried running. The track was dirty and there had been a small landslip of plaster and scenic scatter onto the line at one point - I obviously didn't notice when I "improved" the bank by the trees. So I sorted that with a chisel.

The train ran but there was a dead spot on one turnout. Odd! I tried changing the turnout but found that the rodding for two turnouts has seized up - again I am not sure how as they worked fine last time I had the layout up. Since much of the rodding is under the scenery it is going to be a challenge to fix. In fact I think I may take out the lever frame and go over to solenoid operation of all three turnouts. An advantage would be that I can have a little hand held unit which can be on a wander lead and I can operate from either the back or the front of the layout. 

And all three locos I tried need cleaning and lubricating.

I believe this is meant to be fun.

Jonathan

[corneliuslundie]

Update. It was not the rodding which was jamming. The turnout at the entrance to the yard was clogged up with scenic material. The C&L tiebar is now a right-off though at least the turnout blades will move freely. It will be interesting trying to get a replacement tiebar in and soldered to the rails as the area is very congested. Not sure whether to try to use another SMP type or to admit defeat and use a PCB one. Please don't sit over your screen awaiting an update.

Jonathan

PS tiebar removed and now to try to get a new one in and adjusted so that it works. 

Edited June 7, 2022 by corneliuslundie
Corredcted the manufacturer of the tiebar and added a comment

[corneliuslundie]

Still struggling to repair the tiebar on Sarn, though two weeks with no modelling as I have been in Albania - and never saw a train once I got off at Birmingham International.

Anyway, the long process of adding a pitprop load to the RR 3-plank open is finished. Toothpicks cut to length and painted with various shades of weathered wood paint.

This was not the original intention but the sides and ands all bowed in. Hopefully the pitprops will keep them straight.

 

The small lettering is not quite right as no-one does transfers in the RR style, so they are GWR style.

Not sure why the ground under the wagon looks blue as it was photographed in good daylight.

Anyway other than a couple for the club layout the next wagon will probably be a kit for a Rhymey van given to me by my son for Christmas.

But I really must get Sarn and 1196 sorted out.

Anyone going to be at the Cardiff show in August?

I shall be helping on the WRRC stand at least on the Saturday and we hope to have an exciting announcement to make. But you'll have to wait a while to find out what it is.

Jonathan

[steveNCB7754]

On 02/07/2022 at 18:57, corneliuslundie said:

Anyone going to be at the Cardiff show in August?

I shall be helping on the WRRC stand at least on the Saturday and we hope to have an exciting announcement to make. But you'll have to wait a while to find out what it is.

Jonathan

 

Currently my intention to go (went to the last one in 2019 at Llandaff North). Had toyed with the idea of going to the Barry & Penarth one this last weekend, but a 'dodgy tummy' a day or so before, made me think otherwise!  Will probably split the day (Cardiff show) between it and a visit to St Fagan's in the afternoon on the way back home -  haven't been there for quite a long time.

 

Steve N

 

 

[Donw]

Jonathan

 

It is a known fact that layouts are best used. Dust seems to invade the layout causing working bits to stick and bind.

 

I made a wander lead for the turnouts on Sparrows Wharf   I was using Tortoise motors 

. I might be tempted to use servos today.

 

Don

[corneliuslundie]

Time for an update.

Sarn point sorted. I ended up using one half of the C&L tiebar plus two strips of round plastic rod acting as tierods between the switch rails, fixed with Araldite as superglue was not up to the job. I shall be more careful where I put scenic material in future.

So one board of Nantcwmdu has been on the trestles so I can sort out the point controls on that. Another lesson learned is to plan the baseboard construction and the track layout at the same time. There are two turnouts on this board and both are under the lengthways ply girders. Anyway, I have now cut away the girder under one and soldered dropper wires which will go in pieces of brass tube set in a square plastic rod under the board, which will then be linked to the point motor (clear as mud I am sure. I'll take a photo of the setup some time.

And as threatened I have built a wagon to keep me sane. This time from a Taff Vale Models kit - a Rhymney van.

 

Transfers are a mix of GW (not quite correct but the nearest I can find for the "To carry 10 Tons") and one of the northern companies for the numbers, both HMRS Pressfix, as no Rhymney transfers are available. 

So alongside sorting out the two turnouts, the next job is to repair the compensation on 1196.

And those buildings for the town scene. One idea I have had is to make a model of the front of Tylerstown working mens' club which was burnt down a while ago. I today grabbed some screenshots from Google Street View as it has not been updated since the fire. Not a beautiful building but I hope of the right period for Nantcwmdu.

Jonathan

[corneliuslundie]

After 20 years, nearly complete.

Seven 4 mm/ft Rhymney Railway carriages in the later all-lake livery.

The basis is Trevor Charlton etched zinc sides and ends. The solebars, headstocks and footboards are brass angle from Eileen’s Emporium. The wheels are Alan Gibson and the roofs are from coffee tins. Although you probably can’t see, they all have a few suitable Edwardian passengers. Originally they were assembled with commercial Clemison chassis, but I realised that sliding W irons and axleboxes were not compatible with the J hangers (two types, made up from bits of wire, plastic and tube) as these needed to be fixed to the undersides of the solebars. They therefore now have floating centre axles on inside bearings.

Now comes the biggest problem: lettering and lining. No transfers are available for either, and I know of no authoritative source for the lettering and carriage numbers (large on the doors) as the only images I have are oblique views. Mike Lloyd drew several of these vehicles but it is obvious that his lettering is freehand rather than an exact copy.

I tried making my own decals but the yellow was not opaque enough to show up over the lake (Precision Paints Rhymney Lake). I have tried fine pens but again the yellow is not strong enough. I have a red pen which does take on the paint and show, but at 0.7 mm it is too wide. The HMRS has yellow lining transfers, so I shall try that approach if I can’t find another. Using a Rotring pen and Rotring ink has been suggested and I think that may be the next thing to try for the red, though I do not have such a pen.

And the couplings need blackening.

The eagle eyed among you will notice that one of the vehicles has roof mounted ventilators but does not have oil lamps. That is correct as it was built a bit later than the others when the Rhymney had switched to electric lighting.

All they need otherwise is a finished layout to run on – as you can see the track is laid but not much dense has been done so far.

Thanks for following this very slow story.

Jonathan

[Mikkel]

Rare birds in model form, they look good. Even in unlined condition I'd say any well-built model of an RR coach is of significant interest. Seven is a feast!

 

It's also nice to see that some of Trevor Charlton's sides still appear now and then.

[Penrhos1920]

16 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Rare birds in model form, they look good. Even in unlined condition I'd say any well-built model of an RR coach is of significant interest. Seven is a feast!

 

It's also nice to see that some of Trevor Charlton's sides still appear now and then.

 

 

I wish more TC sides would appear more often as I’d like to make a rake of Rhymney coaches just like @corneliuslundie

Edited August 28, 2022 by Penrhos1920

[corneliuslundie]

Possibly an even rarer bird. I have in a box waiting attention for the club layout a set of 7 mm Trevor Charlton sides and ends for the Bishops Castle Railway ex-LSWR 6-wheel

Making up these things is not cheap though. The Rhymney ones needed footboards just over 250 mm long - guess what length the EE brass sections come in! I did end up with the one which is longer than the other six splicing the upper footboards, fairly invisibly. But my bits box now has plenty of 240ish mm lengths of angle just waiting for shorter vehicles which need footboards. And that longer vehicle also needed some proper brass sheet for the roof as the coffee tins are just too small.

But if I regard the cost as spread over 20 years I suppose it is not really significant - or if I compare it with the new Dapol GWR Toplights at £60 a time.

Jonathan

[bbishop]

Hi,  I'm thinking of building some Trevor Charlton kits from my stash.  I seem to remember that one  could only use some solders and fluxes, but can't remember what restrictions there are.  Bill