andypops

Hi, I purchased two of the Realtrack Arriva Trains Wales Class 143s (an absolute must when modelling south Wales / marches!), but I (foolishly) decided to fit the DCC myself. The DCC 8-pin socket is in the dummy car; I have found out how to remove the bodyshell (clips each bodyside, similar to Hornby class 60), but I can't for the life of me find out how to remove the seating block! There are 6 clips (3 each side) which are very tight, but even unfixing them (and using shivs to keep them apart!) doesn't release the base. Does anyone know if I have to unscrew the bogies to access the circuit board? Best wishes Andy

Hi, Just found this great layout topic. I was thinking about your bridge question, and was in a way glad you hadn't solved it so that I could make a suggestion! If you want an idea of a bridge spanning four tracks with an island in the middle, what about looking at Severn Tunnel Junction for a prototype? The bridge there is a very basic mid-1980s BR design, so would be very easy to scratchbuild. I would post pictures from flickr, but am at work at the moment. The number of enthusiasts who get down there, I'm sure you'll find plenty of useful pictures with a couple of searches. Hope that helps, Andy

This thread has been dormant for quite some time now, but is an absolute treasure trove for those interested in Hereford. Does anyone have any more interesting facts / stories / workings / pictures to add to this? Thanks!

Hi Jo, Saltire shape would be the easiest to do, but not the best solution (wasteful, not so useful if you want to rebuild in future, heavy), A simple solution would be to do either of the two things I've sketched incredibly badly below, showing two options. While the top one is probably strongest, I would personally favour the lower one, as it is very easy, sturdy and the mitred pieces can be re-used for any other frames you build if you decide to rebuild / remake the legs at a future date. Waste-not! All the best, Andy

Hi Jo, Just wanted to say that even though I don't usually like N gauge, I really like your plans (so long as the scenery is safe with big furry monsters around!) and think that the basic layout is pretty sound. My only comment is that I would be wary of supports which aren't cross-braced (as I found out from previous bad experience), because if the layout is the only thing stopping them from twisting, it can put strain on the boards and cause things to warp, scenery to come away or worse, which might be even more obvious at smaller scales. Just a thought... It always amazes me just how good N gauge stock looks at such a small scale, and yours really does look fantastic! All the best, Andy

Hi, Welcome! I really like the idea you have there, great post, and I'll be following your work with interest in the future. Who knows, your interest could rub off on younger members of your family, and help to keep the hobby alive! All the best, Andy

Hi Delticman, I've just finished reading your thread from the beginning, and it is absolutely superb. Your stock collection is simply phenomenal, and two parts in particular really piqued my interest. Firstly, the collection of DRS locos really do look fantastic, and must have cost a pretty penny! Secondly, the sandite / RHTT train looks incredible. I would love to have the skills to build one myself, or even find someone who I could trust enough to build such a fantastic model as yours! I would be really thankful if you could point me in their direction! I'll be following with interest, Andy

This may be a bit late, but of all of the suggestions, Liswerry and Woolos are the stand-outs to me. Local, fit in with the Cardiff/Newport feel, but aren't really based upon real places. But just to throw my hat into the ring - perhaps you could call it "Pilloo Junction" (portmanteau Pillgwenlly & Waterloo juncts.) Or "iard y wych tywysog cymru" ( for a proper Welsh feel)? [translates to "the Great Price of Wales Yard"]. Only problem is, with the lack of Welsh language use around a lot of S. Wales, especially Newport and Cardiff, it's probably unlikely to have ever been called a Welsh name. Up north, I could believe it a little more! My last suggestion - what about Wentloog North? The area you're modelling is to the north(east) of Wentloog, there's nothing else / similar there (well, except the Freightliner terminal...) and it's a nice-sounding, interesting word...! Hope I'm not too un-helpful! Andy P.S. Leon - the work you've done recently is stunning, still keeping your high standards, and it's coming across in the pictures. I'll continue to watch!

Hi Dave, Firstly - I loved the layout, from concept through to delivery. Wish I could do something on such a strict budget, and to such a high finish! Being the sad person I am, with 5 minutes to spare I put your total breakdown into a pie chart to see the breakdown of individual items: Interesting to see, although TBH I suppose it's expected that the track and locomotive were the biggest spends. I shudder to think how this would look if I did the same for my layout - I would have a significantly lower proportion for track, but then much higher for electronics (Maplins have done well out of me!) and also rolling stock. I suppose this also highlights the fact that less-specific era modelling has a great benefit over modelling a specific era, where a single new wagon can be up to the £30 mark... Also, sorry to nit-pick but in your list in post 9, it comes to £96.88, not £98.88... but obv I get the point (and I hate myself for even bringing it up!) All the best, Andy

Hi Nick, As a native of Herefordshire (and a particular fan of Mr. Henry Weston's golden drink), I would like to say that you've done an absolutely fantastic job of setting and capturing the scene. It's simply the model of a lifetime, and more than once I was wondering if your photographs were photographs of the real thing! Your poppy seed apples are simply an inspired idea, and I don't think your premise of a rail-served cider mill is too far from the truth since Westons did dispatch their finished product via the GWR at their local station for many years (I would imagine from Ledbury on the Hereford to Worcester line, but I do remember reading somewhere that it was somewhere along the Hereford, Gloucester & Ross). But I think that's probably drifting too far from the point of this post. One thing I would like to ask, is how did you lay the grass in your fields? It looks too perfect (by which I mean both perfectly applied, and completely realistic) to be static grass - but then again, as the rest of your model has been so skillfully made it probably is! I am only familiar with the modern railways (I'm mid-20's), and as such my two "attempts" at layout building have been firmly set in the modern era (or recent past), and all I have is the relics of the GWR and Western Region. But your model is truly inspirational, and I am seriously considering building a GWR layout based on another Herefordshire station in the future! All the best Andy P.S. Please let us know if / when you will be appearing at exhibitions!

Hi Alchemy, Its looking good to me too! As said above, the good size and flowing track should make it look good. One thing I found when doing the "dropper" wires after ballasting is that I tended to have a lot of problems with excess solder filling in the track and causing horrendous running problems - so my tip is to use lot of flux, and the bare minimum of solder. Also, you mention you've used peco code 100 track - did you cut the webbing between the sleepers along the bottom of the rail? If you did it'll be a bit easier, but if you didn't don't worry. You'll find there is a gap every few sleepers, but it can be quite small (there's a bit of overflowing plastic in this gap), so trying to solder to the underside of the rail is tough. Again, I would recommend you tried to be careful withyour soldering, since the join was hard to get to amongst the ballast, II managed to melt lots of plastic (some into the join!) which isnt good for scenery OR for electrical conductivity! All the best, and I'll be following with interest, Andy

Haha! Might be a bit hard to model that detail in OO! Do you know how many were taken in a trip from the yard, or from Bulmers to the yard? Andy

In an act of shameles bumping, does anyone else out there have anything to share about this place? I still want to model this in OO guage...!

Not just a gratuitous "bump"... I would be over the moon if anybody had any photos of the hereford good workings, especially the bulmers traffic or anything to do with this line. All the best, Andy