Pwllheli next stop

[cambriancoaster]

Pwllheli station, the terminus of the iconic Cambrian Coast Railway, has always held a great fascination for me ever since I saw my first GWR locomotive (a small Prairie 2-6-2T) there as a small boy in 1947. During later visits I came to realise that it would provide an ideal design and location on which to base a model railway.

 

The existing Pwllheli station, a grade 2 listed building, opened in 1909 and is located very conveniently for the town. It is built on land reclaimed from the sea and replaced the initial station which was situated about half a mile away to the east. The extensive goods yard and the locomotive shed continued to be situated at the same location as the old station.

 

A new loco shed and extensions to the goods yard were completed in 1959. This new loco shed was one of the last, if not the last, to be built to service steam locomotives and resembles the style of the new diesel sheds being constructed at the time.

The goods yard is now an industrial estate and a supermarket stands where Platform 1 of the station used to be. Happily both the station building and the engine shed still survive. The shed is currently used as an industrial and office building.

 

 

 

My model of Pwllheli will be based on the area as it existed during the period 1958 to 1965 – i.e. during the last years of steam operation on the Cambrian Coast. A goodly number of appropriate ready to run locomotive models are (or will be) available to enable prototypical operation. (Dukedogs, Manors , BR Class 4 4-6-0s , GWR and BR 2-6-0s, 2251 class 0-6-0s, Stanier, Fairburn & BR standard 2-6-4Ts, small GWR and standard Class 3 2-6-2Ts).

 

Because I had absolutely no experience of DCC operation I first decided to build a small 8ft by 1ft DCC test layout – which I have called Testby – to test the technology. Details are given under

http://www.rmweb.co....by-to-pwllheli/

 

Testby has been a real eye opener for me and I now operate this layout with a laptop using the Hornby Elite/Railmaster combination and Traintronics TT300 DCC point motors. Track is a mix of 00 gauge Peco and SMP code 75 rail and Peco code 75 electrofrog points. The layout has proved to be so enjoyable to operate that I have decided to include it the Pwllheli layout which will then become a 29ft end to end layout with Testby at one end and Pwllheli station at the other and a shared loco yard situated between the two. I am in the process of widening Testby so that it will increase in size to a nominal 8ft by 2ft thereby allowing better scenic details to be incorporated.

The three layout plans below show the intended full extent of the layout:

 

 

This shows Testby in its widened form.

 

 

This is the shared loco yard area. It is based loosely on the Pwllheli loco yard area but for space reasons the extensive goods yard is omitted.

 

 

 

This is the Pwllheli station area. The track plan is a reasonably accurate representation of the station layout as it existed in the 1950s, 1960s and up until 1978. The platform is slightly shortened and is a scale 500 feet compared to an actual length of 550 feet. However it should allow me to accommodate six coach trains plus locomotive (being a typical maximum train length except for a few trains during the peak summer holiday season).

The current status of the layout is that I am in the process of assembling the baseboards from components provided by Model Railway Solutions. Baseboards F & G have been assembled and I hope to post a few photos shortly which will give some indication of how the station area will ultimately go together.

[Jaakko]

Wonderful! Cambrian Coast Rules!

 

Now we have several Cambrian based layouts in the RMweb: Aberdovey, Afon Wen, Llanfyllin, Pwllheli, fictional Fiddlers End (Chrythorion Darfod), Dukedog’s “Steam on the Cambrian" layout. What else?

[beast66606]

I have some photos of Pwllheli, taken in 1978, I don't think they are scanned though, as one of my school friends and I started to make an N gauge model of it - I'll see what I can find.

[Dukedog]

Nice to see yet another Cambrian-o-phile on RMweb!

Will watch with interest.

 

Cheers

Frank

[cambriancoaster]

Many thanks Jaako, beast 66606 and Dukedog for your kind comments which are very much appreciated. Perhaps we ought to consider setting up a Cambrian Coast Special Interest Group. I might have even suggested that ultimately we somehow connect Jaako's model of Afon Wen, Dukedog's new Cambrian Coast layout and my Pwllheli offering were it not for the fact that Finland is rather far away from Staffordshire!

 

It is very kind of you (beast 66606) to offer to scan your photos of Pwllheli. Believe it or not I have been planning a model of Pwllheli for over 50 years and have been taking photographs of it since 1964. I aim to post some of these as I develop the layout. If you find you have photos that illustrate areas that I have missed please let me know as I would appreciate copies.

 

It is worth remembering that major changes were made to the track layout of the station and the station canopy in 1978 so photographs of the station after then are likely to be incorrect for the period I am modelling. However it is a different situation for the station square area which I will also be modelling. At the moment I am trying to locate photographs of the old Tocia garage which was to the left of the station and at the start of the road to the west beach. This building originally had a Dutch style frontage but was replaced by a Co-op store sometime in the 1970s.

 

Again my thanks

 

Best wishes, CC

[Jaakko]

Many thanks Jaako, beast 66606 and Dukedog for your kind comments which are very much appreciated. Perhaps we ought to consider setting up a Cambrian Coast Special Interest Group. I might have even suggested that ultimately we somehow connect Jaako's model of Afon Wen, Dukedog's new Cambrian Coast layout and my Pwllheli offering were it not for the fact that Finland is rather far away from Staffordshire!

 

Best wishes, CC

 

Definitely one vote for the Cambrian Coast SIG here!

 

This is one of the very exiting features of Internet; you will always find like-minded fellows, perhaps not in the next door neighborhood, but somewhere anyway. In this case it is about 1200 miles as the crow flies.

 

Cheers

 

Jaakko

[cambriancoaster]

I am posting a few images of baseboards F & G with a mock-up of Pwllheli station area prior to the start of track laying. I built a much less ambitious layout of Pwllheli in the mid 1970s and have re-used the original Plasticard station model I built then. This model now needs refurbishment and added detail (like guttering and chimney pots) but should save me a lot of time compared with building a totally new one for this layout.

 

The backscene you see is a first test print of work in progress and is a composite of several images of Pwllheli Inner Harbour taken over the years. It incorporates photos and slides I have taken from 1973 to 2012 and has been produced with the aid of Photoshop Elements.

 

Although I am very pleased with the test print I realise that the viewing angle is incorrect so I will need to rectify it for future prints.

 

Altogether I will need a 21 foot backscene for the Pwllheli station and loco yard areas. I have recently visited Pwllheli to take photos of the local sand dunes (which I need for the backscene behind the loco yard).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost certainly the biggest challenge I will face will be building a model of the splendid station canopy installed by the GWR at Pwllheli station. I never got round to modelling this on my original Pwllheli layout (it was too daunting for me at the time).

 

 

In the photo above you can just about see the then new locomotive shed (under the V).

 

In anticipation of modelling the canopy I have been collecting appropriates sizes of Plastruct open trusses but still have to work out the best way of modelling the support columns and structures. If anyone has any bright ideas for this do please let me know.

 

Finally I include the last photo taken of Testby (baseboards A and B) before widening commenced....another current work in progress!

 

[Jaakko]

Until the 1920s Pwllheli was the home of two 3ft 6in gauge horse tramways. The stop of the Corporation tramway was outside of the station. Would you like to consider taking a modeler’s license and modeling the length of the tramway in your layout?

 

Anyway, one of the tramway cars remained in use as a taxi drivers’ cabin outside the station all way to 1970s, I think.

[cambriancoaster]

Until the 1920s Pwllheli was the home of two 3ft 6in gauge horse tramways. The stop of the Corporation tramway was outside of the station. Would you like to consider taking a modeler’s license and modeling the length of the tramway in your layout?

 

Anyway, one of the tramway cars remained in use as a taxi drivers’ cabin outside the station all way to 1970s, I think.

 

Many thanks Jaakko and much appreciated. Yes there were two 3 foot horse tramways from Pwllheli; one to Llanbedrog and the other to Pwllheli west beach. A short summary is given on the llanbedrog website at:

 

www.llanbedrog.info/llanbedrogtram.htm

 

According to the Vintage Carriages Trust (who have undertaken its restoration) the body of horse tram no.1 was used as a chicken coop for many years before it was restored and placed outside the station where it functioned as an information and waiting room (and presumably taxi drivers' cabin). You can see a photo of the fully restored tram complete with underframe and wheels at:

 

www.tram.vintagecarriagestrust.org/tms/tramInfo.asp?Ref=282

 

I don't know the date when the tram body was placed outside the station - certainly I have no recollection of it being there when I took the photo of the station front in 1973. However it was there when I took the photo below in the spring of 1978. In between times the station had been repaired and repainted into a blue gray colour scheme. Since during the period I am modelling the station was painted in chocolate and cream (which I much prefer) it is unlikely that I will include a model of the tram body.

 

[MartinWales]

Until the 1920s Pwllheli was the home of two 3ft 6in gauge horse tramways. The stop of the Corporation tramway was outside of the station. Would you like to consider taking a modeler’s license and modeling the length of the tramway in your layout?

 

Anyway, one of the tramway cars remained in use as a taxi drivers’ cabin outside the station all way to 1970s, I think.

Quite right Jaako

 

More info is contain in North Wales Tramways by Keith Turner-David & Charles 1979

[cambriancoaster]

I have been busy lately assembling the baseboard frames and baseboards and these are now largely complete except for the minor job of screwing the baseboard tops to the frames and inserting positioning dowels on a couple of the basebords to ensure correct alignment. The Testby station area (baseboards A and B ) has been widened to 24 inches (from 12 previously) and baseboard B now tapers from 24 inches wide on the left hand side to 18 inches on the right.

 

 

In this view of the revised Testby station area the original Testby station baseboards are painted grey and the unpainted areas show the extensions made to widen the original. To the right are the new baseboards with Pwllheli station area in the far distance. I couldn't wait to get trains running between the two stations so I have laid temporary trackwork between the two and am amusing myself for a short while with a bit of train operation (playing trains) before serious tracklaying commences.

 

 

A train of six Mk 1 coaches hauled by 2-6-2T 82030 approaches Testby with 0-6-2T 6671 by the cattle dock. To save time I plan to use Skaledale and Scenecraft buildings in the Testby station area supplemented by Wills and Ratio kits where relevant. I will save my scratchbuilding efforts for buildings around Pwllheli station.

 

 

Although the temporary track is single line only from Testby (with no points in the Pwllheli area) the Prairie tank hauled Suburban Passenger train in the foreground of this image has just been successfully run from Testby some 25+ feet to the left.

 

My next job once the baseboards have been fully completed is to paint the baseboard tops grey before starting tracklaying.

[GWR-Fanatic]

Hi there, it's nice to see an additional Cambrian Railway layout on RM-Web. I'm liking what I see, and shall be followings it's progress with great interest.

 

Keep up the good work, and I look forward to seeing more images as it progresses.

 

Cheers.

[southern42]

Wonderful! Cambrian Coast Rules!

 

Now we have several Cambrian based layouts in the RMweb: Aberdovey, Afon Wen, Llanfyllin, Pwllheli, fictional Fiddlers End (Chrythorion Darfod), Dukedog’s “Steam on the Cambrian" layout. What else?

 

Porthmadog? EDIT - good excuse for a level crossing

 

In 1973, I arrived here on the train to meet up with some friends. I remember I had umpteen changes starting out on the train out of Paddington via Shrewsbury and Machynlleth. The only bit I remember was the long slow run along the magnificent Cambrian coast but I still arrived in daylight. Looking forward to doing it by steam, sometime...

 

Wandered round Pwllheli Station not so long ago with modelling in mind - trackside stuff (not the station specifically). It was interesting to work out how it used to be before the lines were reduced.

 

Looking forward to seeing how your layout comes along so keep the posts coming.

[whrbert]

Wonderful! Cambrian Coast Rules!

 

Now we have several Cambrian based layouts in the RMweb: Aberdovey, Afon Wen, Llanfyllin, Pwllheli, fictional Fiddlers End (Chrythorion Darfod), Dukedog’s “Steam on the Cambrian" layout. What else?

 

And my layout: http://www.rmweb.co.....php?f=9&t=6973

 

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

Good to see another Cambrian Model being created. There is so much to model in Wales, and so little time!

 

I think it is about time a Cambrian or "Welsh Railways" Special Interest Group was started, not sure how it is done, contact Andy I would think

[cambriancoaster]

T

Porthmadog? EDIT - good excuse for a level crossing

 

In 1973, I arrived here on the train to meet up with some friends. I remember I had umpteen changes starting out on the train out of Paddington via Shrewsbury and Machynlleth. The only bit I remember was the long slow run along the magnificent Cambrian coast but I still arrived in daylight. Looking forward to doing it by steam, sometime...

 

Wandered round Pwllheli Station not so long ago with modelling in mind - trackside stuff (not the station specifically). It was interesting to work out how it used to be before the lines were reduced.

 

Looking forward to seeing how your layout comes along so keep the posts coming.

 

 

Many thanks for your interest. I have been away for a couple of weeks so I didn't see your post until yesterday. However I think you might like to see these photos of the track layout of Pwllheli before it was rationalised in the late 1970s.

 

 

This was how it was in 1964 when steam was still in everyday operation. If you look carefully you can just make out the loco shed in the distance behind the telegraph pole on the far right hand side. (The shed was about 800 yards from the station and was one of the last steam sheds to be completed [in 1959]).

 

 

Steam had disappeared by 1973 but the whole steam infrastructure still remained in place at Pwllheli station as can be seen in this shot taken one Sunday in the spring of 1973.

 

 

This is a panoramic view of the station taken the same day and created by stitching two photos together.

 

 

And turning through 180 degrees I obtained this shot of the platform end.

 

The web site www.old-maps.co.uk gives a very interesting picture of the track layout on the 1970 Post WWII Caernarvonshire 1:2500 map. To view this go to the website and enter the coordinates 237690 and 335038 for the appropriate map set . The new loco shed and extensive goods yard and carriage sidings are shown in coordinates 238874 and 335322. If you are sufficiently interested in the maps you can purchase and download them from the website.

 

Best wishes

 

CC

[cambriancoaster]

I have been quite busy of late track laying in the Pwllheli station area of the layout and have now completed this task although the track is not yet stuck down since I aim to cut the necessary slots in the baseboard for the point motors before doing so

 

I have also constructed the main and parcel platforms for Pwllheli station and also ground level for Pwllheli Station Square. - all of which will require detailing and finishing at a later stage.

 

So I thought a photographic update of the present state of Pwllheli station might be appropriate. The backscene you see in the photographs is a test print of the backscene I am creating using heavily photoshopped images of the Pwllheli inner harbour area (which adjoins the station) I have taken over the years. The backscene is still a work in progress which, when it is complete, is planned to stretch fo 19 ft, be 9 inches high and encompass baseboards C, D, E, F & G.

 

 

A Stanier 2-6-4T in Platform 1 about to take a local train to Bangor.

 

 

Small Prairie tank 4585 has just backed down from the loco shed to couple up with what will be the start of the Pwllheli portion of the down Cambrian Coast Express. At this point the headboard has not been affixed and the load is a fairly light train of 5 Mk1 coaches.

 

 

 

 

Another view of the Stanier 2-6-4T with the station in the background.

 

Some 10.5 feet of the layout baseboards rest on bookcases containing my collection of railway books. The other baseboards are supported on IKEA adjustable height legs which have made it easy to ensure a consistantly flat surface for the baseboards for the full 29 ft length of the layout. The photo below shows how the legs are attached to the baseboard frames.

 

 

At the moment I am tracklaying in the loco yard area of the layout and hope to post some pictures of this shortly.

[JCL]

This is just great! Among other things I really like how you have been putting together your backscene. Are you printing it at home or through a printers?

[cambriancoaster]

This is just great! Among other things I really like how you have been putting together your backscene. Are you printing it at home or through a printers?

 

Many thanks for your kind comment. In answer to your question I am afraid I haven't the facilities at home to make a decent job of the printing so I am getting a nearby art printer company to do it for me.

[southern42]

 

Many thanks for your interest. I have been away for a couple of weeks so I didn't see your post until yesterday. However I think you might like to see these photos of the track layout of Pwllheli before it was rationalised in the late 1970s.

 

 

This was how it was in 1964 when steam was still in everyday operation. If you look carefully you can just make out the loco shed in the distance behind the telegraph pole on the far right hand side. (The shed was about 800 yards from the station and was one of the last steam sheds to be completed [in 1959]).

 

 

Steam had disappeared by 1973 but the whole steam infrastructure still remained in place at Pwllheli station as can be seen in this shot taken one Sunday in the spring of 1973.

 

 

This is a panoramic view of the station taken the same day and created by stitching two photos together.

 

 

And turning through 180 degrees I obtained this shot of the platform end.

 

The web site www.old-maps.co.uk gives a very interesting picture of the track layout on the 1970 Post WWII Caernarvonshire 1:2500 map. To view this go to the website and enter the coordinates 237690 and 335038 for the appropriate map set . The new loco shed and extensive goods yard and carriage sidings are shown in coordinates 238874 and 335322. If you are sufficiently interested in the maps you can purchase and download them from the website.

 

Best wishes

 

CC

 

I've just looked in to see how your layout was doing, and was surprised and delighted to see all these superb pictures you posted of Pwllheli. That was most thoughtful, and as it happens, very helpful because, from the first picture, I'm pretty sure I have identified the type of signal to use on the branchline on my layout. Many thanks.

 

You are progressing well and I love your backscene.

[cambriancoaster]

Apart from the turntable I have now completed tracklaying in the shared Loco Yard Area (baseboards C and D). As I was doing so I studied the appropriate map and photos of Pwllheli loco and goods yard and realised that by making a few modifications to my original plan I could get nearer to the prototype engine shed layout. So here is my revised layout:

 

 

Being at the end of the lengthy Cambrian Coast Railway Pwllheli had extensive loco and goods facilities and carriage sidings. I do not have the space to model everything and so have had to make some compromises and, apart from one siding, I will not be modelling the goods yard or carriage sidings.

 

I took several photos of the goods and loco areas in 1973. All the steam infrastructure was still in place at the time although much track had been removed, especially near the loco shed.

 

 

This is the exit of the loco/goods yard at the time looking east. The signal box is Pwllheli east box and the main line is dual track from there to the station. There were also five carriage sidings located east of the box but they had been removed by the time I took the photo.

 

 

This is a photograph looking west and was taken opposite Pwllheli east box. The dismantled point in the foreground used to lead to turntable (which you can still see if you look hard). The loco shed is the building on the far left.

 

and this is the turntable at the same time.

 

 

Below is a photo of the layout taken from the bridge shown on the revised layout plan. The white paper circle indicates where the turntable will ultimately be located. The track is laid but as in the case of the Pwllheli station area on baseboards E, F and G it is not yet stuck down and won't be until I have installed the point motors.

 

 

Looking in the other direction you can see a rough mock up of the bridge over the railway. Beyond the bridge lies Testby. The bridge will act as a scenic break and a new backscene will hopefully mature after some future heavy Photoshop seesions representing the sand dunes which lay at the back of Pwllheli loco and goods yard.

 

 

The last Pwllheli steam loco shed was completed in 1959 and resembled a diesel depot. Several years ago I bought a photo of it in steam days at one of the railway book fairs and it is still in my collection of Pwllheli photos. A low resolution version of it is shown below.

 

 

The photo is marked as being taken by C.A Appleton and copyright of of J.A. Peden. Note the contraption for loading coal ... I'm going to have fun modelling that!

 

 

A photo of the layout taken at roughly the same position.

 

As you see I am using the Scenecraft Diesel Depot as Pwllheli loco shed. This will need to be modified in the future to incorporate smoke vents and other details but it will certainly save me much time and looks a passable representation of the actual shed.

 

To round off a few more photos of the layout in the loco yard area:

 

 

 

 

The last image is of the back of the loco shed. The white paper illustrates where a road and level crossing will ultimately be located/

[coachmann]

Another Cambrian addict here, the line having whetted my appetite when I was thirteen while travelling behind a Dukedog from Afon Wen to Portmadoc. Despite the black locos of the mid 1950s it was so different from what I was used to living in Oldham. Plenty of RTR locos to suit but I think you will need to get your soldering iron ready for some GWR coach building in due course. The Cambrian was magical to me but it evaporated after the BR 2-6-4T's arrived in 1964-ish. I prefer to remember the line as it was particularly after seeing a depressing blue Park Royal DMU near Butlins in the early 1970s. Another layout thead to watch....

[class"66"]

Interesting place to model your railway,looks great so far...

[cambriancoaster]

First of all may I thank everyone who has commented on Pwllheli - I very much appreciate your comments and am most grateful for them.

 

In the end I decided to go the whole hog and totally replace the baseboard tops for Testby station (baseboards A and B ).  At the same time I have amended the original layout plan of the station by adding a bay platform and opening up the goods yard layout a little to make best advantage of the space available.  The revised plan of Testby Station is shown below.

 

 

I have now completed tracklaying for the two Testby Station baseboards.   As before the track has not yet been stuck down since it awaits the placing and fitting of the point motors before it is finally attached. However, apart from the turntable, all the track for the layout is now laid even though it is not stuck down.  A few initial images of the Testby station area follow.  These are, of course, early images and much more detail will need to be added in the future.

 

 

This shows the new bay platform with a GWR 2251 class 0-6-0 with a local train.  The backscene is temporary and it will be replaced in the future when it will be the full wall height (to where the wall meets the sloping roof).  The white structure you see behind two cattle trucks  is a mock up showing where the road bridge will be located.  Beyond the bridge lies the shared loco servicing area (baseboards C and D).

 

 

View from the bridge looking towards Testby station.

 

 

The goods shed looking from the platform.

 

 

Another view of the bay platform.

 

 

General view of the goods shed. 

 

Testby is a fictional town located somewhere near the Shropshire/Staffordshire border.  This is perhaps not so surprising as it may at first appear when it is remembered that the furthermost North East outpost of the Cambrian Railway was Whitchurch Shropshire - which is not too far away from Staffordshire.  In fact at one time I did consider basing a layout on Whitchurch since it also had the main Crewe to Shrewsbury line running through it - a good excuse for running ex LMS pacifics through it as well as Dukedogs and Manors.   My only sighting of a Dukedog in BR service was at Whitchurch station in August 1959 and I only had a few seconds to take the following photo of 9017 before it departed light engine to Ellesmere and Oswestry.  

 

 

The photo is interesting as it shows Whitchurch Cambrian Junction and its signal box.  The Cambrian line peels off to the right behind the signal box.   A few minutes later the doyen of the Manor Class, 7800 Torquay Manor, followed running tender first and hauling a short goods train.

 

 

 

Whitchurch had a small turntable and short 4 road engine shed which could make an interesting model for someone.

 

 

7801, Anthony Manor, being turned on Whitchurch turntable, September, 1959.

 

Continuing with the fiction let us suppose that there was another junction at the north end of Whitchurch station where a joint LNWR/Cambrian line was built to run eastwards towards the Staffordshire border - the intention being to join the West Coast Main Line somewhere between Madeley and Whitmore and with the hope of further extending eastwards to the Potteries via agreement with the North Staffordshire Railway.  Let us further suppose that the money ran out before completion and the line ended at Testby - somewhere around Woore and Pipegate.  So we can infer that railway modelling is also good for the imagination!

 

 

[cambriancoaster]

Having completed the track laying I have decided to take a breather before fitting the point motors and starting to wire up the layout.   Since the platforms are a major  feature I have moved back to the Pwllheli station end of the layout to try some experiments to see if I could make convincing looking platforms.   These are constructed from 12mm thick birch plywood topped with 3 layers of foamboard (2 of 2mm thickness and the other of 3mm).   I hadn't used foamboard before and was keen to see whether I could scribe the top layer to simulate the flagstones and platform edging.  Having scribed the top layer I then painted the top surface with liquorice emulsion paint and the flagstones with slate colour emulsion obtained from Wickes tester pots.   The preliminary results are shown in the images below.

 

 

For me at  least modern digital photography, when used for photgraphing model railways, is an excellent method for highlighting errors and discrepencies and this shot reminds me that I really must investigate close coupling and corridor connections for my coaches in the future.

 

 

This view highlights the difference beween the treated and untreated parts of the platform.   Overall I am happy with the result of the experiment and will now use the same technique for the other platform areas.   The sides of the platforms remain to be painted.

 

 

Treated platform looking towards station concourse

 

 

 

These last two photographs show the station concourse and buildings  from the parcel loading platform area.   As I think I mentioned before I constructed these buildings for an earlier (though less ambitious) model of Pwllheli.   They will need to be updated in the fulness of time.  The backscenes are all temporary and are put there to give me an idea of how it all look when I the station  and station square area are completed.  The far backscene with the shops is the original backscene I painted for the earlier layout.  This time I intend to model the whole row of shop fronts.

Having completed the track laying I have decided to take a breather before fitting the point motors and starting to wire up the layout.   Since the platforms are a major  feature I have moved back to the Pwllheli station end of the layout to try some experiments to see if I could make convincing looking platforms.   These are constructed from 12mm thick birch plywood topped with 3 layers of foamboard (2 of 2mm thickness and the other of 3mm).   I hadn't used foamboard before and was keen to see whether I could scribe the top layer to simulate the flagstones and platform edging.  Having scribed the top layer I then painted the top surface with liquorice emulsion paint and the flagstones with slate colour emulsion obtained from Wickes tester pots.   The preliminary results are shown in the images below.

 

 

For me at  least modern digital photography, when used for photgraphing model railways, is an excellent method for highlighting errors and discrepencies and this shot reminds me that I really must investigate close coupling and corridor connections for my coaches in the future.

 

 

This view highlights the difference beween the treated and untreated parts of the platform.   Overall I am happy with the result of the experiment and will now use the same technique for the other platform areas.   The sides of the platforms remain to be painted.

 

 

Treated platform looking towards station concourse

 

 

 

These last two photographs show the station concourse and buildings  from the parcel loading platform area.   As I think I mentioned before I constructed these buildings for an earlier (though less ambitious) model of Pwllheli.   They will need to be updated in the fulness of time.  The backscenes are all temporary and are put there to give me an idea of how it all look when I the station  and station square area are completed.  The far backscene with the shops is the original backscene I painted for the earlier layout.  This time I intend to model the whole row of shop fronts.