Jump to content
 

ChrisN

RMweb Gold
  • Posts

    5,840
  • Joined

  • Last visited

About ChrisN

Profile Information

  • Location
    Traeth Mawr
  • Interests
    Welsh 009 Freelance
    Late Victorian Cambrian

    I have always been interested in railways, ever since I watched a loco on a suburban train disappear under a bridge and we all ran across the path to see it appear on the other side. It was helped by reading the railway series by W R Audry, the originals are so good.
    I then read, 4 Little Engines. It would be wrong to say that it changed my life but it was the start of a love affair with narrow gauge railways which was fuelled by holidays in North Wales from my late teens onward. The Ffestiniog was closer to where we stayed and the first time I had the chance to go to the Talyllyn I decided to climb Cader Idris instead. It was a good call really as I have often since been on the Talyllyn but never climbed Cader Idris again, and am unlikely to in the future.
    The 4 Little Engines fixed in my mind that the narrow gauge railway I would model would have to connect to a main line railway as a feeder line and although the Traeth Mawr and Twll Du Railway does not share the same station its timetable means that those who live in the 'Big House' can get to London conveniently.
    The late Victorian and Edwardian period were the heyday of railways so I set my time period as 1895. This is fine for narrow gauge as all you change is the people around it. However, as it was having to be a feeder I began to investigate the local railway which was the Cambrian. When I found that I would have to build the standard gauge first it became 'interesting' as I have yet to tackle soldering brass and this could make life difficult but kits are becoming available and I will have to persevere.
    Trips on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch cemented in my mind the idea of 'school trains' which of course the Twll Du runs, hence the need in Traeth Mawr for some schools that are more than the local village school which everyone leaves at 12 if they stay on that long.
    These are the reasons behind my modelling but having set it in 1895 I am enjoying the history which you have to learn to recreate the flavour of the period.

Recent Profile Visitors

3,157 profile views

ChrisN's Achievements

10k

Reputation

  1. Shaun, I do like the ash tree covered in ivy. The brambles are good, but I think they need to be a little denser, they see a little to open.
  2. Again very interesting. I wonder how many other models actually replicate how the prototype was built?
  3. Fascinating Mike, That is a big driving wheel if it really was for a branch line. A fabulous looking engine.
  4. Sorry to cross post. Jim, Do you have somewhere where you explain how to do roads with DAS? I have a road that I need to do, Macadam but no tar, and gardens, and am thinking about ways to do them. Thank you.
  5. Neal, Just food for thought, as I am not completely certain, but I have found on RMWeb, if you state something then someone will come along with the correct information almost immediately. 🙂 Would the 3rd class not be 5 across? I am fairly certain non corridor stock was 6 across. Also, When seats were numbered, at least in BR days, sorry for the foul language, the seats facing each other had the same number, so it would be defined as say, 5 facing the engine, 5 back to the engine, although this may have only been for non compartment stock.
  6. Tony, Very nice. In your era, is the roof paint lead? If it is then it will react with the smoke and darken it uniformly. If it is not, then it will just get dirty with smoke. I am not sure how long the colour change would take, if the paint is lead.
  7. Mike, It was not long ago I realised that the early engines burnt coke, but I never thought about where they got it from, so very interesting and informative. A layout? 3D printed stock and station?
  8. Do you have a website or is it just by personal contact? I am assuming this is not your business.
  9. Mikkel, I shall follow with interest, not that I will, in the foreseeable future wish to convert anything GWR for main line operation in 1895. (Honest 🙂) I know somewhere you can get a siphon for the conversion as well.
  10. As for the Cambrian there is a Mike Morton-Lloyd book that has images of those seen on the line, plus a list of local PO wagon owners, with or without photos. This means that the likelihood of other PO wagons is unknown, perhaps I should look at other PO books. However, this has not stopped me ordering two wagons, that it is not completely impossible to believe that they turned up on the line. I have ordered these to support Rapido in the introduction of these wagons, as I want to encourage manufacturers in the production of pre-grouping stock. It may be that they may be encouraged to produce in future wagons for the Vauxhall Colliery, Ruabon, the Ruabon Coal and Coke Co., Cannock Case Colliery Co., Wigan Coal and Iron Co., Black Park Colliery and Westminster Colliery. Any colliery around North Wales and surrounding areas seem appropriate. Given enough encouragement with these they may even produce a Sharp Stewart 2-4-0, or 0-6-0. I can always dream.
  11. Mikkel, Mine came from York Models and I have not noticed them doing that. I shall watch out for it, but the alternative is, a bit more tricky. Yes, more mistakes seem to happen as you get older, or perhaps you are more aware it it. Just have to be methodical, mark things, watch what you are doing, put knives down when not using them.............🙂
  12. Jonathan, Mine is Evergreen. I bought lots of different sizes years ago but I am fairly certain they are still available.
  13. I thought things would be slow on the house, and they have been, but they are going quicker than I expected. Still, what I have not done is show you the progress on the Saloon Third. Remember that? It was ages ago I cut it out, and actually was a while ago when I did most of the work, but the pictures were even slower, but here they are. It was August last year that I showed you this. August 23rd to be precise. The laminates had been laminated and 10 thou x 10 thou rodding put on mimicking panels. It stayed like this for quite a while then I filed the ends to make a bevel and then fitted them together. It was not very precise. I then held them together in my magnetic clamps and applied Limonene. I waited and it worked. From the end. I tried filling the gaps at the ends between the sides with Humbrol filler, but when I opened it, all that came out was liquid, which stank. As my wife has insisted that I move my modelling desk into the warmth of the lounge, (here be carpet monsters), I put the top on rather quickly. It must have separated out, and I am not sure if I can shake the tube to mix it again. I will need some sort of filler to strengthen the joints. I then cut out a floor , and filed it to fit, then glued it in. Yes, I took the precaution of making sure I knew which way round it was. (What me? Glue it in upside down? As if?) The markings on the bottom are the centre line, the middle, where I got the middle wrong, and the position of the wheels. I had thought it would go on a Ratio chassis, but of course it is far too short for that, so it will be MJT W irons and homemade footboards etc. This is Z shaped plasticard, with one side nearly cut off except for steps below the doors. I have no pictures of this saloon in running condition, but other coaches of the 1860s on the Cambrian had this arrangement. I glued them in place, much easier as it is Z shaped. Of course it is better to remember that the buffers go all the way across before you do that but, as you see, it is not irreversible. The buffers are 4 x 2mm plastrut. Hope that is not too dark. The buffer positions were marked before they were cut off the length, drilled out with a 1mm drill, opened out with a 1.6mm drill and finally a six sided, or so broach used to open them still further until I could get the buffers to push fit. They will be glued in later. I am thinking about seats next, but there are some other challenges which I shall maybe mention the next time this coach is reviewed. When that will be I am unsure as it is done when the main project is drying, but as there are lots of bits, and you can do one while another is drying it may be a while. If you have been, thanks for looking.
  14. This Web Site could be useful for fonts. I looked at it but all the fonts I have used have ended up being printed at 0.5mm so it really did not matter if they were accurate. You can search for all sorts of things, eg., 1900s. Someone else shared this which is why I have it, but cannot remember who, probably Mikkel.
  15. I was looking at the horses. The one on the top does not seem very large, the second set I am not sure they are shires as they have no feathering on the legs, and I wondered if the last three were Suffolk Punches, as it is an Ipswich firm. I googled Suffolk Punch and in the images this one turned up, so three Suffolk Punches. I did start wondering about traction engine pulling one at Traeth Mawr, but I have seen no photographs of them there, so if I wish to add to the chaos of Station Road it will have to be horse drawn, although I too have quite enough horse drawn vehicles.
×
×
  • Create New...