Cwmafon

[Barry O]

Time for some more photos Mike?

[rope runner]

Fantastic layout, so many rarely modelled industrial components. 

 

Thank you for taking the time to post some photographs, inspirational stuff!

 

Paul A.

[Michael Edge]

As promised, some photos of the locos used on Cwmafon. With most of the layout stored in the loft they have all had to come to Liverpool to have their pictures taken. NCB locos to start with.

 

 

The first of the colliery locos was this Hunslet 16" 0-6-0ST, not really typical of South Wales but there was plenty of information available in Leeds. Dafydd was all scratchbuilt in 1980 and has Sharman wheels and a K's MkII motor. It also has the last running set of home made worm gears - rather crudely hobbed in the lathe (Unimat at that time) with a BA tap. All the mechanical parts are fairly worn now and the wheels were always a bit wobbly so it may well get a new set of Judith Edge frames soon. Dafydd also seems to have avoided being weathered, shiny paintwork is Caledonian blue.

 

 

The origin of this Vanguard was a Bachmann diesel with a geared 6wh mechanism (I can't remember exactly what it was, not British anyway). This worked so well I had to find something to build it on and came across some photos of Thomas Hill 180v. This was a 3 axle version of the usual boxy TH chain drive design, only a handful of these were built and none now survive. Length and wheelbase were near enough but the engine casing had to be widened considerably to fit the mechanism and the motor fills the cab. No8 normally works the colliery top shunt, positioning the empties under the screens.

 

 

NCB No5 is a Ruston & Hornsby 165 0-6-0DE, this was built in 1981 from an MTK white metal kit. I don't know how many of these kits were produced but I think this is the only one I have seen. For one reason or another this is (and always has been) a fairly indifferent performer, another candidate for new JE frames now. Its usual duties mostly involve sitting outside the NCB loco shed doing very little.

 

 

This is a scratchbuilt model on a Tenshodo SPUD, once again I had to find something to build on this power unit when it first appeared. Still carrying the name "Davy" from its use on our short-lived club layout "Hartford Junction" the chain drive 4wh Sentinel is a bit too light to be of much use. Often found working at the tippler sidings where it is small enough to actually work over the tippler without hitting the locking bar but it can't pull loaded wagons up the gradient inside the steelworks building (and can't reliably stop the empties going down either).

 

 

The most powerful of the colliery locos is this Austerity, built from the excellent NB models kit in 1984 and painted in NCB North Western area lined black. Normal job for Revenge is lifting fulls out of the steeply graded sidings for transfer to BR and doing the run to the tippler. Sharman wheels again on this one, compensated frames help to keep them on the track.

 

 

No6 is another NB models kit, a Barclay 16" 0-4-0ST. This was built in 1991 for the steelworks fleet, transferred to NCB after the steelworks was fully dieselised. It still keeps its CISC green livery, currently awaiting a new H1024 motor after it fried itself during a York exhibition.

 

 

The newest loco in the colliery fleet (built 2004) is not surprisingly a Judith Edge Sentinel 0-6-0DH, compensated and well weighted this is just about as powerful as Revenge and shares most of the same duties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Barry O]

Mike

 

Dafydd plus new frames= weathering time (!)

 

Barry

[Michael Edge]

Moving on to the steelworks fleet, this used to be the usual eclectic mix of locos with no two the same but has now been more or less standardised with Hunslets. The time period of Cwmafon is very flexible, we have steam locos from the late 1940s but the Hunslet diesels are mostly from the 1970s.

 

 

CISC No4 actually predates the layout, it was built in the early 1970s about the same time as the full size locos were being built at Jack Lane. They were actually designed and built for working at Templeborough round some viciously sharp curves which necessitated flangeless centre drivers on a wheelbase of only 8'6", weighing 67 tons and with 403hp they were chunky and powerful.. No4 isn't quite so impressive since it's built from plastikard, the heaviest components are probably the 1/16" brass mainframes - standard modelling practice in those days but actually considerably underscale thickness for this Hunslet (frame plates are 6" thick, buffer beams 8", footplate 4" and even the side valance is 3" thick). I also made an error reading the HE GA drawing and didn't notice that the engine casing narrows in front of the cab, very difficult to see in the all over wasp stripe livery they were originally painted in. I didn't even contemplate doing this and used LNER green with red buffer beams and coupling rods. No4 doesn't usually do more than potter about with a couple of slag ladles these days, certainly not much use on loaded steel wagons.

 

 

Since more power was obviously needed I got hold of the drawings of these 776hp 0-8-0s, Hunslet only built four of these in standard gauge (for Ebbw Vale and two slightly less heavy ones for Coventry Homefire).

14 is scratchbuilt in brass and nickel silver and was painted in the same livery as 4.

 

 

No21 provides even more power, this is one of the Bo-BoDEs supplied to Scunthorpe in the early 1970s for the Anchor project - all but one still hard at work today.

It was built on two Tenshodo power bogies which get through gearsets at an alarming rate, could really do with replacement Black Beetles. Cwmafon Iron and Steel (nationalisation never happened here) livery has now changed to yellow buffer beams but as yet only No21 has wasp stripes on them.

 

 

No15 is an Athearn EMD SW1000 with UK buffers and drawgear attached. It is of course HO scale, if it had been 4mm it wouldn't fit on the layout but in the smaller scale it fits neatly into UK loading gauge. It's powerful and heavy but the wheels get dirty very quickly and the large flywheel makes it dangerously difficult to stop, especially with loaded wagons - needs driving with great care. This is the only non Hunslet diesel loco in the fleet now.

 

 

12 is another 776hp 0-8-0, this time from the Judith Edge kit, slightly better performer than 14 as it is partly compensated.

 

 

No5 is the newest loco in the CISC fleet, another 67T 0-6-0 but this time from our kit, compensated and with lead crammed in everywhere. This one works as it should and together with the two 0-8-0s does most of the work on the layout.

 

 

The Garratt has been kept as a pet, the only steam loco left. Ariadne (nameplate stolen from an EM2) is not quite any of the four industrail Garratts used in the UK, it was built from scratch in 1985, powered with H1024 motors at each end. It has very noisy gears but still works well, too big to be used at the colliery so it hasn't been transferred along with the Barclay 0-4-0ST.

 

 

The only other remaining steelworks loco is Owen. This YE 0-4-0ST ran on the layout for many years but is now out of use entirely. With its short wheelbase and long overhang each end it isn't ideal for shunting on sharply curved 00 layouts and the huge ingot car buffers mark it out as a steelworks loco so Owen hasn't found new employment yet.

One more loco is under construction, a Hunslet 75T 0-6-0DE. This type was effectively one half of a Scunthorpe Bo-Bo, both of these will appear in the kit range eventually. Another Bo-Bo will probably replace the SW1000 but this time it will have better power bogies

 

[Barry O]

some of the diesels need a trip to the weathering department Mike...

[81A Oldoak]

some of the diesels need a trip to the weathering department Mike...

 

They could be ex-works and not everyone likes filth. 

[Barry O]

They could be ex-works and not everyone likes filth. 

Most of the industrials on the layout have some form of weathering from gentle "just arrived and reasonably clean" to "needs a bit of TLC"  Some have avoided the weathering booth but need a gentle toning down - only  Hunslet No 4 is really grotty but that was what Mike asked for...

[Michael Edge]

They could be ex-works and not everyone likes filth. 

These two are fairly new but I do like everything to be weathered to some extent - they are also part of the Judith Edge kits display of course.

[Barry O]

more little mounds of weathering powder in the display case..... ooops!!

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

For those interested in Welsh Railways could you express an interest in a Special Interest group at:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/80056-special-interest-group-railways-in-wales/&do=findComment&comment=1272387

 

Thank you

[St Enodoc]

Merry Christmas to all Cwmafon operators past present and future.

[St Enodoc]

Here are three, unfortunately rather dark, slides taken at the 1992 Leeds MRS exhibition.

 

 

 

 

The loco is my Mainline Mogul, at that time running on its original chassis, and the train is a somewhat lengthy collection of parcels vans that was running round the continuous circuit during the final hour of the show.

 

 

 

[Michael Edge]

Moving on to the BR locos seen on the layout (photography still in Liverpool though), taking them in number order. Most of these locos were weathered 20 or so years a go by Paul Fletcher.

 

 

37 is an ex Rhymney Railway AR 0-6-2T. Built from a Cotswold kit, Gibson wheels and an ECM motor.

 

 

The unique rebuilt Cardiff Railway 0-6-2T, scratchbult body from an unknown builder on my frames. Long overdue now for mechanical improvements, it has K's wheels and believe it or not an HP2M motor. It still works and is actually quite powerful but very noisy.

 

 

Perhaps my favourite 0-6-2T is this Barclay ex Alexandra Docks Railway - a typical industrial design in main line use, 190 only just made it into the BR era so it has no sign of ownership under the filth. Entirely scratchbuilt on partly compensated Sharman wheels with a D11 motor it runs well but with a slight limp from an eccentric wheel.

 

 

The most recent of the Welsh locos (built 1987) is from the Barry Railway, although 203 did reach the BR era it probably didn't get the totem applied. Still Sharman wheels on this one but these are fairly concentric, H1024 this time and compensation between two axles.

 

 

The Taff Vale A 0-6-2T with GW boiler is the only one of the Welsh locos which does passenger work (it's the only vacuum fitted one), all the others are goods only. Another excellent Cotswold kit with an ECM motor, this time on Maygib wheels. These need some attention since one wheel regularly works loose in service.

 

 

[Barry O]

Yes Paul was a master weathered but few people know of his work and who he "trained".

 

It really is time to get cwmafon out for a play!

[St Enodoc]

Yes Paul was a master weathered but few people know of his work and who he "trained".

 

Indeed, he weathered a couple of locos for me at the Leeds show in 1981. They are china clay locos and he said that it was a nice change to use white paint for weathering.

[Michael Edge]

More GW locos

 

 

1461 is a K's kit, built more or less as it came in the box, I didn't even add brakes and sandpipes. This is the spare loco for the GW autocoach which runs into Cwmafon from time to time - I've never worked out exactly where this service might have run from.

 

 

The 2021 pannier is another Cotswold kit, as a shunting loco Cwmafon doesn't really have much use for this and it normally lives in the loco shed.

 

 

2240 is an early Mainline model, repainted and weathered.

 

 

The Aberdare has an interesting history, I built it back in the 1980s around a set of Essar outside crank wheels with a K's MkII motor and attached it to an ROD tender I had. Some years later when I was building Herculaneum the tender found a better use behind a J11/3 so 2655 acquired this GW tender built from a Wills kit. Since none of the Aberdares survived to get BR livery this one is still in filthy GW green. The frames, Essar wheesets and coupling rods are now completely worn out so this is another one ready for rebuilding, I'll get the motor out of the cab then as well.

 

 

3610 is one of the brass models imported from Korea in the late 1970s/early 1980s. With properly modelled machined wheelsets, springing and a can motor driving through a gearbox they were a revelation at the time and ran like a Rolls Royce. Cwmafon has two of these, they can work almost any train and still run extremely well.

 

 

Probably the least reliable of the locos for the main Newport - Blaenavon passenger service 4169 is one of the original Airfix models. Not much altered apart from repainting and new wheels - originally done with wobbly Sharman ones, now fitted with Gibson.

 

 

 

[Barry O]

The Aberdare must be one of the nicest GW locos - please make it better soon!

[St Enodoc]

The 2021 pannier is another Cotswold kit, as a shunting loco Cwmafon doesn't really have much use for this and it normally lives in the loco shed.

If 2156 is feeling lost at Cwmafon there is a home waiting for it on the Mid-Cornwall Lines :-)

[Michael Edge]

Cwmafon doesn't really need any BR shunting locos, the exchange yard is handled by the industrials and the train locos.

More GW locos

 

 

4217 was scratchbuilt in 1981 from a slightly inaccurate drawing (the proportions of the tanks not quite correct) but it's a reliable and powerful performer on steel or coal trains. It's powered by a big KTM motor driving the trailing axle, middle two are sprung and the leading axle is compensated with the pony truck.

 

 

The small prairie is another Korean brass product from the early 1980s, lined green and expertly weathered by Paul Fletcher. This is one of the four main passenger locos for Newport-Blaenavon.

 

 

The other Korean pannier, this one with the early style cab. These were very accurate models for their time, the only significant error (which I didn't bother to correct) was the tank/cabside handrails which are spaced out on long pillars instead of being bent out round the boiler feed pipes.

 

 

 

6421 was the first loco I built with the then revolutionary Sharman wheels. Back in 1977 it may well have been the first GW loco I built, certainly the first pannier tank and actually predates the layout. It's had a new motor and gears along the way but is still the normal motive power for the occasional GW push-pull service.

 

 

No South Wales layout would be complete without at least one 56xx, this is a Mainline body with scratchbuilt frames. Not really a very reliable performer, it wasnt built with enough sideplay in the drivers and has an unfortunate habit of derailing on the sharply curved turnout under the steelworks which leads to the "Newport" cassette fiddle yard on the inside of the layout.

 

 

I like the 94xx panniers, produced in huge numbers for a job that was rapidly disappearing, many of them ran very small mileages - a mistake that Swindon repeated with the D9500s of course. 9479 is a Lima body (with the bunker steps on the driver's side filled in), which is quite accurate, on a scratchbuilt frame. The wheels are a spare set from the Korean 57xx locos, at the time the importer of these models was a customer of mine.

 

 

 

The last of the GW locos is English Electric/Hawthorn Leslie 15100. Originally built as GW No.2 it was one of the earliest of the twin motor 350hp shunters, mechanically almost identical to an 08 although built in 1934. 15100 had a long life and worked in lots of different locations so we have it on trial in Wales. This is the test etch model for the JE kit, part compensated, heavy and powerful.

 

 

 

 

[81A Oldoak]

Cwmafon doesn't really need any BR shunting locos, the exchange yard is handled by the industrials and the train locos.

More GW locos

 

4217.JPG

 

4217 was scratchbuilt in 1981 from a slightly inaccurate drawing (the proportions of the tanks not quite correct) but it's a reliable and powerful performer on steel or coal trains. It's powered by a big KTM motor driving the trailing axle, middle two are sprung and the leading axle is compensated with the pony truck.

 

5517.JPG

 

The small prairie is another Korean brass product from the early 1980s, lined green and expertly weathered by Paul Fletcher. This is one of the four main passenger locos for Newport-Blaenavon.

 

5731.JPG

 

The other Korean pannier, this one with the early style cab. These were very accurate models for their time, the only significant error (which I didn't bother to correct) was the tank/cabside handrails which are spaced out on long pillars instead of being bent out round the boiler feed pipes.

 

6421.JPG

 

 

6421 was the first loco I built with the then revolutionary Sharman wheels. Back in 1977 it may well have been the first GW loco I built, certainly the first pannier tank and actually predates the layout. It's had a new motor and gears along the way but is still the normal motive power for the occasional GW push-pull service.

 

6658.JPG

 

No South Wales layout would be complete without at least one 56xx, this is a Mainline body with scratchbuilt frames. Not really a very reliable performer, it wasnt built with enough sideplay in the drivers and has an unfortunate habit of derailing on the sharply curved turnout under the steelworks which leads to the "Newport" cassette fiddle yard on the inside of the layout.

 

9479.JPG

 

I like the 94xx panniers, produced in huge numbers for a job that was rapidly disappearing, many of them ran very small mileages - a mistake that Swindon repeated with the D9500s of course. 9479 is a Lima body (with the bunker steps on the driver's side filled in), which is quite accurate, on a scratchbuilt frame. The wheels are a spare set from the Korean 57xx locos, at the time the importer of these models was a customer of mine.

 

 

15100 (2).JPG

 

The last of the GW locos is English Electric/Hawthorn Leslie 15100. Originally built as GW No.2 it was one of the earliest of the twin motor 350hp shunters, mechanically almost identical to an 08 although built in 1934. 15100 had a long life and worked in lots of different locations so we have it on trial in Wales. This is the test etch model for the JE kit, part compensated, heavy and powerful.

The 94XX is a strangely neglected locomotive, but essential for anyone with an interest in South Wales. I agree that the Lima body is reasonable basis for a 4mm scale model having tarted one up myself and stuck a modified Bachmann 57XX chassis underneath it. One day I'll build the Springside 0 Gauge kit.

[Kev_Lewis]

That's a fantastic collection of Great Western tanks loco's you have there, Michael.

 

The 94XX is a strangely neglected locomotive, but essential for anyone with an interest in South Wales. I agree that the Lima body is reasonable basis for a 4mm scale model having tarted one up myself and stuck a modified Bachmann 57XX chassis underneath it. One day I'll build the Springside 0 Gauge kit.

Chris,

Coming to my 7mm workbench at some point this year: a CRT Kits 94XX in etched nickel silver.

[Barry O]

If 2156 is feeling lost at Cwmafon there is a home waiting for it on the Mid-Cornwall Lines :-)

Well having a shunter in the Cwmafon station area generally creates chaos as its always in the way - unless you are dropping parcels into the parcels dock where it isn't quite so simple as it seems!

[t-b-g]

Lovely collection of locos you have there Mike.

 

I think my favourite is Barry Railway No 203.

 

I had to do a double take as my first thought was that The GWR had got hold of an N5 and done nasty things to it.

 

Tony

[Michael Edge]

Moving on to the LNW side of the layout.

 

 

This coal tank is the normal motive power for the Cwmafon - Brynmawr push-pull service, scratchbuilt in 1982 with Sharman wheels and partial compensation.

 

 

The spare loco for the push-pull is this venerable Ivatt 2-6-2T. This dates back to about 1963 and is the first loco I ever built in metal. It has a Triang Princess mechanism and the body was built from tinplate (cut from large square Oxo tins) soldered together with an iron heated up on the gas stove. It still works well but is kept more for sentimental reasons now and we could really do with another LMS motor fitted loco.

 

 

There were very few parts of the former LNW where you couldn't see a G2 of some sort. 49448 represents most of the last surviors with an ex Claughton tender, LMS buffers and chimney. Another scratchbuilt loco, built originally for a customer (and painted by Coachmann under all Barry's filth) and traded back to me some years later.

 

 

The 0-8-4Ts, actually built in the LMS period, were always associated with the MT&A. Normal duty for 47938 is dragging the iron ore tipplers (with a banker) up to Clydach yard. This is a relative youngster for Cwmafon, built in 1987, you can just see the LMS lettering showing through under the BR livery and the dirt

 

 

Not strictly accurate for South Wales, 47877 was an Edge Hill loco but this, built from a Jidenco kit (one of the better ones) does most of the shunting at the gravity yard. This one didn't get the BR totem, LMS still on the tank sides but with its BR number.

 

 

The last of my LNW locos, a coal engine built from an M&L kit. 58336 doesn't see much use on the layout, usually found lurking on Cwmafon Junction shed.

 

.