TONFANAU CAMP - IT AIN'T HALF WET MUM

[81A Oldoak]

Tonfanau (pronouned ton-van-eye)is the inspiration for my next 0 gauge layout. It is a small station on the Cambrian Coast line between Towyn and Llwngwril. The line bisected Tonfanau Camp, an army base opened in the late 1930s for training anti-aircraft gunners of The Royal Artillery during the Second World War and afterwards. The guns were mounted on emplacements just behind the beach and fired at targets towed by aircraft bravely flown from RAF Llannbedr a few miles up the coast to the north of Barmouth. Anti-aircraft gunnery training ended in 1957 and from 1959 the camp was used by the All Arms Junior Leaders' Regiment (AAJLR) until closure in 1966. In 1972 it was briefly reopened to house Uganda-Asian refugees fleeing Idi Amin's regime. Today barely a handful of buildings survive and the site is used for motorcycle racing.

 

Tonfanau station is a single platform station with no passing loop and despite closure of the army camp remains open today. The station acquired a motley collection of small buildings over the years as can be seen in one of the photos. A prefabricated concrete waiting shelter and lavatory was built for military passengers (no customers in those days) located at the north end of the platform well away from the civvies' facilities, especially the "Ladies' Room".

 

My outline plan is for a through station with traversers at each end. The layout will be 20' long split across five boards of 5' length and 22" width. The space in my garage is only 15' long so the southern board will only be mounted and operated during clement weather. At other times it will be packed away and the layout operated as a terminus fed by the northern traveser. I intend to add a passing loop and make Tonfanau Camp a block post. The army's goods sidings and line to Tonfanau quarry will run off the loop rather than directly off the main-line to the south station on the prototype. The plan can be seen in the accompanying and very rough sketch, which is expected to change a lot. Straight lines parallel to the baseboard are better avoided in the interests of appearance, but the real line is dead straight through Tonfanau. I am undecided whether to place a small service station or cafe by the level crossing. I want to try to include some stunted, but wind-sculpted trees to try to convey the atmosphere of the exposed coastal location.

 

Military structures will feature prominently. The warehouses will be based closely on the surviving pair at Tonfanau Camp. Other military buildings will be inspired by those found on training camps such as Westdown, Tilshead, Sennybridge, Penally, Otterburn, Warcop and other remote locations that I frequented during my 15 years of service in the British Army. The period will be the mid-1950s to 1960s.

 

Control will initially be DC as none of the intended locomotives are fitted with DCC decoders. Progress is unlikely to be fast as I have to build new baseboards and track, both very boring tasks. I also need to build three new signals, repaint my Cambrian 0-6-0 in BR black and convert my Ivatt 2Mt from a Scottish to Western region version.

 

And the title? It reflects the National Service time period of the layout and the climatic character of the area.

 

Stand by.

 

Major (Retired) Chris Klein

[John R Smith]

Sounds like fun, Chris.

 

And you have got to include that Morris 1000 . . .

 

John

[The Nth Degree]

Nice plan Chris. I think a militarised Ruston 48DS with flameproof exhaust conditioner would look good trundling along those lines.

[81A Oldoak]

Nice plan Chris. I think a militarised Ruston 48DS with flameproof exhaust conditioner would look good trundling along those lines.

My converted Ixion Fowler has been requisitioned by the War Department to work Tonfanau Camp. She is to be named "MONTY" and has since had bigger buffers fitted.

[Tove]

This brings back memories of my secondary school days in Towyn.

I used to play, (run riot!) with my friends in the old camp during the early to late eighties.Of course then most of the buildings were still standing,and the only signs of life were the numerous sheep that called the camp home!.

It was a fantastic play ground,but as i remember it became quite an eerie place to be in as the light faded.

 

And of course, contray to Chris`s description,it was always sunny in those day`s.........!! 

 

I`ll be looking forward to seeing this one develop.

 

Brian.

 

 

Edit;

It should be Tywyn,(the Welsh spelling,as correctly spelt by Jinty) and not Towyn,that ones up on the north Wales coast....!!

Back to school for me i think......

Edited May 22, 2016 by Tove

[Jintyman]

Nice idea Chris, and set in a beautiful part of the country. 

I've been around there many times over the years but not known of the existence of that camp near Tywyn. Looks an excellent project for you, and I'm sure with your modelling skills it will be a cracker.

 

Jinty

[mervyn]

Lots of Bedford  RLs about the place then ...great project for a bit of military modelling as well ! as an aside my RL fitter truck could easily go off the clock (speedo) on the motorway very handy when on your way back from exercise!!!

[MarshLane]

Hi Chris,

Sounds a good proposal and layout idea. Looking forward to following along, I've loved watching Cwmbach.

 

Rich

[81A Oldoak]

Thank you all for the kind remarks. The Towyn to which I refer is the one that is the home of the Talyllyn Railway. Today, it is spelled in Welsh as Tywyn, but in the period I am modelling the English spelling was in use on the railways.

[Tove]

Today, it is spelled in Welsh as Tywyn, but in the period I am modelling the English spelling was in use on the railways.

Now that i did`nt know!.

 

Thanks Chris.

[Jintyman]

The Towyn to which I refer is the one that is the home of the Talyllyn Railway. Today, it is spelled in Welsh as Tywyn, but in the period I am modelling the English spelling was in use on the railways.

 

Caused quite some frothing by the locals I would imagine too!!!!

 

Conwy was another one, the English version is Conway, and it was spelt in the English way up to its closure, and then Welsh at its subsequent re-opening.

 

I do happen to live in the other Towyn as well!!!!

 

Jinty

[81A Oldoak]

Lots of Bedford  RLs about the place then ...great project for a bit of military modelling as well ! as an aside my RL fitter truck could easily go off the clock (speedo) on the motorway very handy when on your way back from exercise!!!

Yes indeed, but where to find one? I have seen a 1:50 scale model RL, but that is too small. This might be a project for 3D printing. I learned to drive the RL when I was with the Leeds University Officers Training Corps in the late 1970s when I was studying at the University of York. It was quite a challenge trying to double de-clutch wearing Boots DMS and putties, being the antiquated footwear we had to wear in those days. A Saladin and Saracen would also be useful.

[Andrew Young]

Greetings from sunny Tywyn, though only visiting,

 

Was Towyn until the early 1970s I believe.

 

I like the idea of this layout, great use of modellers licence.

 

Will be interested to see how this develops.

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[mike morley]

The roads that form the heart of the ariel picture still exist and are still in use a couple of times a year as a minor motorcycle racing circuit.  The right-angled corner in the centre of the picture is just before the start/finish line and the track then meanders up to the hairpin top-left before sweeping back to the aforementioned right-hander.

I was last there three or four years ago, looking at the race programme and wondering how difficult life must be for a club sidecar racer who has the same name as the reigning world champion.  Then the sidecars came out to practice and my jaw dropped when I realised that the Tim Reeves mentioned in the programme was the reigning world champion!

"What are you doing here?"  The bemused commentator asked him in the break twixt practice and racing.

"I've often wondered what it was like and I wasn't doing anything this weekend."  was the jist of the answer.

And if you want to know why world champions are world champions, while us lesser mortals are not, try watching one in full flight around a little Mickey Mouse circuit in the middle of nowhere!

Edited May 22, 2016 by mike morley

[81A Oldoak]

Stand by your beds and listen in. Work has started on the baseboards for Tonfanau Camp. The frames are being built from 100mm wide beams of 9mm ply. B&Q cut the beams to width offering 15 free cuts, more than enough for a nominal 8' x 4' sheet. Back home, I measured and cut the side and cross beams for all four boards using my chop saw, which is a brilliant tool that really speeds up the work with better accuracy. The frames are assembled with 18mm x 18mm stripwood cleats that are glued and screwed. I managed to finish two frames on Friday before rain stopped play for the weekend. The boards are rigid and square. I am undecided about the top surface, but I am considering 6mm ply topped with 3mm foam board instead of my usual and heavy 9mm ply. No doubt some readers will be appalled that I have not planned this in advance, but it reflects my rather extempore approach to modelling in which I usually make it up as I go along within the loose bounds of a general concept of operations.

 

The next frame to be assembled will be for the northern traverser behind the army sidings. I have found the drawer sliders that I purchased in the Bielefeld branch of Marktkauf in 1991 when I was posted to HQ 1(BR) Corps in Ripon Barracks as an SO2 G1. They are unopened and the price label shows they cost 14.49 deutschmarks; I knew they would come in useful one day. The trestles came from the same source and still carry their bright green DM7.79 price labels.

 

That's all for now. As you were.

 

Chris

[MarshLane]

Looks like you've made a good start with the carpentry Chris! Hope mine works out as well. I presume from the way that your talking your going for a flat solid top to the boards?

 

Rich

[Simond]

Chris

 

The Greater Windowledge was made from 3 or 4 mm ply, it was never really intended to last. The top was layered with 3mm foam, a la Norman Solomon ( MRJ article on his track laying technique). It was very light, and I never had an issue with drumming or noise.

 

HTH

Simon

[81A Oldoak]

Looks like you've made a good start with the carpentry Chris! Hope mine works out as well. I presume from the way that your talking your going for a flat solid top to the boards?

 

Rich

Rich,

It will certainly be flat like the real Tonfanau's surroundings and which I think is essential to trying to capture the windswept feel of the place.

Chris

[EKR]

Your story of double declutching in boots struck a chord.

I was once late for cadets and borrowed my brothers 150 beezer only to find the toe clutch nearly impossible with those bloody great boots......

[Donw]

Interesting project Chris. Open flat and windswept is not an easy task on a small 0 gauge layout!

Don

[81A Oldoak]

I agree Don. It makes a change from the cramped locations of the South Wales valleys or usual industrial type layouts. The backscene will be critical, mainly pale blue or grey paint and almost all of the buildings will be small single storey affairs apart from the low relief army warehouses masking the north end traverser. My mental picture is quite clear so it's just a matter of transferring it to the layout.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[Donw]

I agree Don. It makes a change from the cramped locations of the South Wales valleys or usual industrial type layouts. The backscene will be critical, mainly pale blue or grey paint and almost all of the buildings will be small single storey affairs apart from the low relief army warehouses masking the north end traverser. My mental picture is quite clear so it's just a matter of transferring it to the layout.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

 

Other than on the train the nearest I have been was the other side of the Dysynni the walk along to Bryn Crug is one of my favourites. You will either have to have the sea or some mountains on the backscene they dominate the view around there. This was looking at one of the ditches that drain into the Dysynni

 

The camp must be round the headland from this view

 

 

Don

[exet1095]

Lots of Bedford RLs about the place then ...great project for a bit of military modelling as well ! as an aside my RL fitter truck could easily go off the clock (speedo) on the motorway very handy when on your way back from exercise!!!

Whereas our MJs would do fifty only if falling down a cliff!

Edited May 24, 2016 by exet1095

[Andrew Young]

Don,

 

Tonfannau is about where the headland is, the headland, 'Beacon Hill, is where Tonfannau quarry was, the hill gradually reducing until the beacon disappeared!

 

One nice walk which we've done, is out from Tywyn down The Gwalia towards the Broadwater until reaching the Dysynni. Head alongside the river to Bryncrug, cross the river and walk down the lane to Tonfannau. You can now cross the Dysynni by the new(ish) footbridge in the site of the old Bailey Bridge and then walk back to Tywyn. Or, providing one's due, if the weather tens foul, hail the train.

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[81A Oldoak]

Progress on the baseboards for Tonfanau Camp. This is the north end board. I had planned to install a traverser, but a sudden and massive attack of idleness persuaded me to take the easy option of a sector plate. The bits of track are loosely laid to give an idea of what is happening. The sector plate swings very smoothly aid by lubricating the moving surfaces in contact with candle wax. The two sidings at the front will serve the army camp and a backscene with low relief warehouse will mask the sector plate.  This board  took at least twice as long as planned to complete. No work tomorrow as I will be at Railex on the Minerva/Dragon stand and stocking up on C&L parts for the points required for the layout.

 

That's all for now. Officer on parade; dis..wait for it, wait for it...missed.

 

Chris