Porth Aberdovey.

[Trains&armour]

EDIT: Change of title, change of plans:http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/62254-porth-rhisiart-or-aberdyfi-whos-to-blame/&do=findComment&comment=931712

 

 

Life does get in the way.... The plans for building a guest-hobby room have been shelved for now. Priorities change, and my wife desperately wants a well constructed and functioning kitchen. Go figure... But anyway, this left me with loads of time to ponder my layout design, as described in my earlier topic (in the wrong forum):

http://www.rmweb.co...._25#entry616001

Wasn't completely happy with it, and after much snooping on RMweb and reading books, I decided to redesign my layout to this:



Storage sidings will be underneath the layout, as with the old design. Inspiration came from a lot of sources, but especially the Kingswear layout, Dukedogs Cambrian layout and the great books about the Cambrian from C.C..Green, especially the section on the Aberdovey harbour branch.
The idea was to model both sides of a fictional estuary, the "real life" situation would be something like this



But of course there has to be some operating room, and the town itself will be on a liftoff section:



The rural station will be removable, and the plan (still) is to build this first. I might even have found space for it, pending approval from the directorate...

Questions and comments welcome!

Sierd Jan

Edited February 3, 2014 by Trains&armour

[Steve O.]

Hi,

- that's a great 3D model, looks like a completed layout already!

 

One quick question - how are the hidden loops / storage arranged? Are they within the room (bridge across the doorway? Very tight curves?) or through the way to the right?

 

Thanks, Steve.

[Nickinwestwales]

First thought-reminds me of Mac Pyrke`s Berrow Branch from way back when-all looks pretty well thought out -can`t see any access issues-Although you might want to consider a perspex screen in front of the jetty track-looks like the only vulnerable area...Yup,lookin good..

Is the branch station a terminus or is that a tunnel mouth at the end?-if so,with a little juggling you should be able to tuck an auto-train out of sight in there( -could be a string of villages along the coast with seasonal trade that justifies a pass. service whilst the modelled station is the freight railhead )

Smart move putting the turntable at the front-much easier to get at underneath when something goes wrong,as it inevitably will....

Only real suggestion for ease of operation-you could use a dedicated carriage siding-even two:-perhaps move the buildings to the right(which will make the bay platform longer as well ) throw in a turnout just past the yard lead and run a siding outside the bay road-should be long enough to hold a full rake-with a catch point & a shunt disc it should satisfy regs.

Will have to trim a couple of inches off of the lift-off section.

 

Yes-the more I look at this ,the more I like it-that graphic is the way forward for track plans.

 

Go for it mate !!

ATB Nick

[Trains&armour]

Hi,

- that's a great 3D model, looks like a completed layout already!

 

One quick question - how are the hidden loops / storage arranged? Are they within the room (bridge across the doorway? Very tight curves?) or through the way to the right?

 

Thanks, Steve.

 

Hi Steve.

 

Yes, there is to be a bridge across the doorway. In fact the layout is no more than a glorified roundy round, with as extra two inclines (about 1:50) that loop around the room to storage sidings beneath the harbour and station. They will be hidden in tunnels and underneath the baseboards:

 

 

The curves are third radius, which all RTR stock should be able to negotiate without any trouble.

 

Sierd Jan

[Trains&armour]

Only real suggestion for ease of operation-you could use a dedicated carriage siding-even two:-perhaps move the buildings to the right(which will make the bay platform longer as well ) throw in a turnout just past the yard lead and run a siding outside the bay road-should be long enough to hold a full rake-with a catch point & a shunt disc it should satisfy regs.

Will have to trim a couple of inches off of the lift-off section.

 

Yes-the more I look at this ,the more I like it-that graphic is the way forward for track plans.

 

Go for it mate !!

ATB Nick

 

i like your idea of a carriage siding, so here it is (in 3D ):

 

 

I did put in a Peco catch point, but that doesn't show up in the 3D print. Not perfect yet......

 

Sierd Jan

[Mike-Greg]

Looks a great plan

did you do the graphics with a dedicated progam or by hand

if software what ???

 

Mike

[Trains&armour]

Hi Mike. The layout planning was done in Wintrack 3D. A German program, and a leftover from my days modelling German railways. Nice software, but of course very german... Luckily it does have a library of peco track, codes 100, 75 and 83, but no British engines, stock or buildings at all. But some things are (just) usable, and it has a simple, but useful 3D editor. The design was done in Peco code 100, but thinking of actually building it in code 75.

 

Sierd Jan

[Trains&armour]

And who to blame?

Tony Wright, that's who. It's all his fault !

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67090-prototype-railway-modelling-an-article-by-tony-wright/page-7&do=findComment&comment=924813

 

But it started with my wife, who thought a layout in the guestroom  might not be a good idea after all. The only room left to me  is  the basement.   Now the basement has it own problems, it being full of water. That's why I didn't consider it earlier. However the building expert that visited my  a few months back for some renovation advice also had a good look at the basement and said that it could and should be fixed. Hurray! (I really want to believe him.  ) This is the space, about 16.5 x 11.5 feet:

 

 

And what do I want, well a harbour would be nice, and a station, and a beach, and some buildings, and that's what I have been trying to design. But in comes Tony, and out goes the original plan. Prototypical? Hmm, this seems to fill the bill rather nicely:

 

Aberdovey ( Aberdyfi ), drawn after C.C.Green

 

Some compression:

 

Rotation

 

First attempt to fit it in the available space:

 

My take on Aberdyfi,

So what do you think. All comments, ideas, improvement ect. welcome!

 

Final plan (well, for now anyway..) here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/62254-porth-aberdovey/page-2&do=findComment&comment=1353594

 

Sierd Jan

Edited March 6, 2014 by Trains&armour

[cary hill]

That's quite a "seachange", when compared to your previous concept(s), but very much for the bettter I think, as a long thin spacious look appears very much possible.

 

A headstart with the "water features" as well!

 

Are you still planning to retain the WW2 scenario which was a key element previously?

 

Still think the "King" Class may be a "Bridge Too Far".

[alanbuttler]

Hey,

 

I really like this Aberdyfi inspired version - and I prefer the name, but then I would as Aberdyfi (or Aberdovey in the English spelling) is one of my favourite places in Wales.  The beach and dunes there are beautiful as are the small victorian shops and houses.   It would make a great place to model.   At the other end of the town there is Penhelig Halt which is text book example of a GWR era halt with its pagoda and short platform.

 

On a stranger note, there is the local legend of a sunken village out to sea, where at low tide you might be able to hear the bells of the submerged church ringing. Might be something to model under all those layers of PVA water 

[Sir Madog]

Hi Mike. The layout planning was done in Wintrack 3D. A German program, and a leftover from my days modelling German railways. Nice software, but of course very german... Luckily it does have a library of peco track, codes 100, 75 and 83, but no British engines, stock or buildings at all. But some things are (just) usable, and it has a simple, but useful 3D editor. The design was done in Peco code 100, but thinking of actually building it in code 75.

 

Sierd Jan

 

Does that mean it speaks English with an accent, just like Herr von Flick in "Allo, allo?"

 

Oh, I see, you mean the buildings ...

 

WinTrack has a large library of 3D graphics of kits from Faller, Kibri, Vollmer - hence the somewhat "Teutonic" character.

Edited January 30, 2013 by Sir Madog

[tender]

Pity you cant keep to the original Jetty and Warf as these are a significant feature even today.

 

Ray.

[The Stationmaster]

I like that - only thing which needs to be done is to provide a trap point on the harbour branch (possibly even a headshunt?) and the layout is spot on operationally even if not an exact copy of Aberdovey.  It's a shame you've had to shorten the harbour branch but unavaoidable in the space you have I think.

 

And her's a train coming round the curve from behind the town and towards the station phot'd from not far off the course of the harbour branch during one of the 'Steam On The Cambrian' seasons some years back.

 

Edited January 30, 2013 by The Stationmaster

[Kris]

I agree with the previous comments about this being much better than the previous versions. I suspect that it will give you more pleasure to operate as well.

[eldavo]

Interesting stuff. Looks to have some real potential. Shame you can't fit in the sharp angle diamond complex in the quay area as that seems to have some real character.

 

Cheers

Dave

[Trains&armour]

That's quite a "seachange", when compared to your previous concept(s), but very much for the bettter I think, as a long thin spacious look appears very much possible.

 

A headstart with the "water features" as well!

 

Are you still planning to retain the WW2 scenario which was a key element previously?

 

Still think the "King" Class may be a "Bridge Too Far".

Thanks Cary,

But you also have been an influence in my changing my plan to something more prototypical.  I certainly liked the way you managed to fit Tavistock South into the assumed fictitious location of Dartmouth Townstal.

My layout will still be firmly placed in the 1939-1945 period, in fact most of the harbour and some of the beach will have been taken over by the military. I know this happened in some South wales ports, but couldn't find anything about Aberdovey. Still, in my universe, it happened.  

(And, don't tell anybody, not only do I want a GWR king, I already have a LNER A4...) (and eagerly await the arrival of some 8 coupled tanks)

 

Sierd Jan

[Trains&armour]

 

Hey,

 

I really like this Aberdyfi inspired version - and I prefer the name, but then I would as Aberdyfi (or Aberdovey in the English spelling) is one of my favourite places in Wales.  The beach and dunes there are beautiful as are the small victorian shops and houses.   It would make a great place to model.   At the other end of the town there is Penhelig Halt which is text book example of a GWR era halt with its pagoda and short platform.

 

On a stranger note, there is the local legend of a sunken village out to sea, where at low tide you might be able to hear the bells of the submerged church ringing. Might be something to model under all those layers of PVA water 

I agree, I visited Aberdyfi last summer. But sadly, at that time I wasn't planning to model it, I only took some "tourist" snapshots instead of filling all available memory space in the camera with detail shots of the waterfront buildings, railway, the warf & jetty , the station building ect. 

 

Bu there is this on the beach:

 

 

This will definitely be included in the layout!

 

Sierd Jan

[alanbuttler]

My layout will still be firmly placed in the 1939-1945 period, in fact most of the harbour and some of the beach will have been taken over by the military. I know this happened in some South wales ports, but couldn't find anything about Aberdovey. Still, in my universe, it happened.

 

There was a large military base a little further up the coast at Tonfannau, just past Tywyn, so you'd be seeing plenty of military traffic through Aberdovey.  Plus there would be evacuees coming in from Liverpool and elsewhere.  It does make a really interesting period to model - the country was under a blackout, there would be no street signs or station/road signs etc.

 

A very detailed description of the Cambrian coast during WWII can be found in Gwyn Briwnant Jones' 'Talerddig in Great Western Days' - ISBN13 978-1859025635.  Chapter 4 in there has a wealth of information!

[Trains&armour]

A very detailed description of the Cambrian coast during WWII can be found in Gwyn Briwnant Jones' 'Talerddig in Great Western Days' - ISBN13 978-1859025635.  Chapter 4 in there has a wealth of information!

 Bought the book. And a great read it is. Thanks!

Among a great variety of GWR engines used on the Cambrian during the war  I was pleasantly surprised to read a J94 made it as far as Harlech and that at least two Johnson 2F's were seen at Machynlleth shed.

Bachmann, come on, it won't be that hard to produce a 2F with the 3F to work from. 

 

Sierd Jan

[Nickinwestwales]

Liking the plan more & more-The hillside rearing up behind the town will make a nice backdrop-stayed in the outward bound centre up there,have it in mind that it was a decomm`ed military site,but may well have mis-remembered-if so it would boost the case for a military presence-thinking of through traffic (troop trains)-could come in from the north as well-off the LMS route to Afon Wen-wholly invented,but how about gunpowder traffic south from Penryndeudraith ( !?) to Trecwn & Milford RNAD`s ??-Seem to think its a `blue` rated route which might restrict choice of visiting motive power ( although a V2 with more coaches than seems plausible should be a WW2 signature train)-but then again-rule 1....run what you like  -Perhap tanks and other extra heavy loads would also come in from the north to avoid the fearsome bank ( Tallerdig ?? ) on the main line,plus regular traffic-plenty to keep you interested there -had the presence of mind to take a camera when I visited so have a few shots of the station & surrounds-was 110 point & press but might still be of use-happy to scan & send if useful...

ATB Nick

[Trains&armour]

-had the presence of mind to take a camera when I visited so have a few shots of the station & surrounds-was 110 point & press but might still be of use-happy to scan & send if useful...

ATB Nick

 Yes please, I would be very grateful!

 

Sierd Jan

[Nickinwestwales]

Leave it with me-may take a few days but have a fair idea where to start looking

[Trains&armour]

It has been a while....

 

Just after the above post the Archaeology Company for which I used to work went into receivership and I was without a job. Luckily my wife also has a job and managed to get more working hours. I set up as a free lance Archaeologist and worked on digs for most of the summer and early autumn. All in all, quite an exiting time... In the  end, it means less income, but we are far from destitute. But clearly priorities have changed, and hiring a contractor for the (expensive) repair & refurbisment of the basement-hobby room was not high on that list. But a start was made with the help of my father and brother in law, and the basement now has a new, waterproof concrete floor. And when I inspected it last week, it was basically dry, where there used to be almost 2 inches of water. The basement is still damp, but no longer totally wet!

 

Still some problems to overcome, most importantly these two fissures in the walls, but I'm fairly optimistic I can manage that.

 

Excact measurements of the basement were taken, and I finally found the courage to work on my layout design. It will still take quite a while before the basement is ready for building a railway layout, but there is light at the end of the tunnel! 

 

 

And a first 3D impression:

 

[The Stationmaster]

The only potential problem I can see is the lack of a headshunt for the harbour sidings.  The only error I can see is the lack of a trap point for said sidings (which a headshunt would provide of course)  and the lack of a trap point on the bay or whatever it is at that end of the station.

 

That apart it is easy to signal - something which always indicates the basic track layout has been planned to sound principles.

[gwrrob]

The only problem I see is there is a very big lack of Cordylines on the platforms. Seriously though Sierd,good luck with this layout progress and it's nice to see someone else putting their head over the RMweb parapet.