Anthony Ashley

LAYOUT UPDATE Wire has been completed Photos are below. I have attached it to the foam using staples and super glue. Next will be the cover using material and pigmented plaster. Regards, Anthony

LAYOUT UPDATE 7 AUG 18 Dear All, A very long lay off with much work in my new job. I thought I was going to retire but ended up back filling instead. I have this job till Jun of next year. For the job I have been out bush for a month and before that been busy getting ready for that activity. I have also had a trip from Perth to Brisbane, which is about a 6 hour flight. Scotty and Simon thanks for the comments above. Chicken wire and material dipped in plaster are my preferred medium. Anyway I have now done some more work on the hill at Bangor. Photos are enclosed. I have cut back the foam to give a better shape to the hill. You can see the tunnel in the left for ground. Next will be the coverage of the foam in chicken wire. Regards, Anthony

Simon and Scotty, The info from Simon that the plaster should be up to 1cm thick was not my intention. I expect that the method of plastering used on the Siebwalde layout using material dipped in plaster would only require a couple of layers of material with minimal plaster. I expect this would be in the order of 4 mls and provide a similar outcome to using plaster cloth. There is a air amount of structural support in the foam which is very light but quite strong. Any comments on this idea form Simon, Scotty or anyone else would be greatly appreciated. . I would clearly need to trial it to see how it would work. I have now had to take stereoid tablets to lessen the effect of the alergic reaction to the midge bites. No work in the shed till I am over the bites, as I can not afford to get any more. Regards, Anthony

Simon and Scotty, I wanted to use the wire to practice before I tackle the Penmaenmawr mountain. I could restrict the use of wire to the non removable side of the Bangor area. One idea for the removable side at Bangor was a cardboard lattice over the top of the foam support. I am not sure that this would weigh a lot less then the wire though. Would the material dipped in plaster weigh much more than the plaster bandage? What do people think. So the option supported by both of you I think is the cardboard/plaster bandage option. I have had to have a break from the shed. We have had a lot of rain in Brisbane and it has created a plague of tiny midges. almost too small to see. These have attacked me and I have been suffering from the bites for the last 2 weeks. I need to recover from the current bites before venturing back to the she. The bites are so bad I am having trouble sleeping!!! Regards, Anthony

UPDATE 10 APR 18 Scotty, Thanks for the comment. I shall shrink the road lines in future. The first road was an experiment but overall I am happy with the result as it was my first real road!! I have been working on the removable hill/mountain at the bottom of Bangor. I decided to use a foam frame which I can remove, overlaid with chicken wire and plaster. It is an experiment so I shall see how successful ti is. Photos are below.

UPDATE 6 APR 18 Dear All, I have focused on one side of the Bangor bridge scenic area, as once I secure the next Bangor track board this are will not be accessible. The area which I have sceniced will slide under the bridge Photos are enclosed. I need to paint the rest of this board, secure it, and then I can work on the hill at the bottom of Bangor. Regards, Anthony

UPDATE 3 APR 18 Stu, Thanks for the 2 suggestions I appreciate your reply. I had a friend over ans we came up with a third option using foam. Pictures of the planned technique are below. Plan is to use the foam board shown as a structural support. From this I will attach foam ribs. I am unsure what I will use over this frame work at this stage, But maybe woven cardboard. The hill will go along the edge of the track board to overlap on the scenic board by about 15 ml on the side of Bagor shown in the picture I had to nearly complete the Bangor track placement to work out exactly where the cutting with the track work would need to be placed. I have done this now and should be able to draw in the eastern Bangor cutting tomorrow. The platform areas shown in the pictures are about 2.7 metres long. There is a second corridor on the left of the 2 of the track work to give a sense of scale. I should be able to get on with the hill tomorrow, cutting the ribs and covering the surface of the hill. I hope the foam will make the removable area sufficiently strong. Regards, Anthony

UPDATE 1 APR 18 Dear All, I have cut and fitted the board for the other side of the bridge. It was complicated and difficult to cut with an "island" needing to be cut out of the middle of the board and a very irregular shape. The road is cut to extend under the track support board and joins perfectly with the road form the other side. Work is below. I know need to work out how i will fit in a removable board to cover the hidden track in the above picture to the right of the new scenic board. The dark single line on the scenic divider shows the height of the mountain I shall build up to that divider. The line on the new scenic board in between the set square and ruler is the line from which I shall create the elevation change up to the scenic divider. The elevation change is not constant but starts fairly gradual and increases in slope. One idea was to create the gradual slope up to about 100 ml from the tracks as a permanent board and then increase the slope using a removable board over the track area. Once I get 100 mls past the hidden track then start with another permanently placed scenic structure. I am after ideas here. I do not wand a removable board against the scenic divider so need a permanent solid base to rest the scenery on. Does anyone have any ideas as to how best incorporate a removable scenic area over the hidden track, while maintaining structure stability for that element of scenery? All ideas will be gratefully accepted and considered. Thanks for the interest. Regards, Anthony

UPDATE 31 MAR 18 Scotty, I have a great spare room with ensuite overlooking a lake and everyone is welcome for my "grand opening", the only issue is that Australia is quite a long way to come for a night or so!!! I removed the cork which was wrong and cut new to fit. Picture below shows the problem area in the lower left corner of the track area. The lower track should be a head shu t rather than joining back to the track work by a point. The next photo shows a right point, a left inserted and another left removed. I have started work on the other side of the road at Bangor. I needed to slightly extend the track support board in a couple of places and cut it back in others to adjust heights. I need to determine which boards need to be removable for hidden track access in this area and those that can be permanently fixed. I am minimising the removable boards as they are more difficult to secure. Regards, Anthony Ashley

John, Thanks for the question. I do plan on doing some scenic work before finalising all of the track work, but only where it is well removed for any track area. For instance the hills at the bottom of Bangor will be my next focus to practice doing plaster work, but they are far enough removed from the track as not to interfere. I have only wired some of the scenic track area, from Conwy station, including the goods area, around to the interchange with the hidden track above Bangor. All of the hidden track laid to date has been wired as well. In terms of the hidden track I only have about 10 feet of dual track to go and the two 34 track storage/fiddle yards. There is a lot more wiring to be completed of the scenic area. Plans of the scenic section which has been wired is below. Wiring goes from the Conwy station on the top left corner to the interchange between the hidden and scenic track on the lower right corner. Overall Plan I doing the scenic work I realised I had made an error in the Bangor track plan. The red arrow in the plan below shows the issue. The yellow head shunt tack behind the arrow was connected onto the green track to its left using a left point. This is wrong as it does not connect but is a shunting storage area. To fix I just need to cut back the cork for a point and convert that cork to flex track. Will need to substitute a left for a right point. Regards, Anthony

UPDATE 30 MAR 18 Scotty thanks for the comment. I will not be cladding the area until I have finished the other side where the road goes through and under the track. I have at least cut down the supports so merely need to build the same sought of structure i have done on the near side. I think this will be my next task. Once I have the base and wood work completed I think I shall attempt to do the mountains at the bottom of Bangor to practice the plaster techniques I need for the Penmaenmawr mountain. I have worked out some of the roads and the location of one of the station buildings, by drawing them onto the board. Regards, Anthony

UPDATE 28 MAR 18 Deat All, I have finally managed to achieve something more constructive than I have in the last 3 years. I have manged to complete the road section under the Bangor track area. While this may seem to be relatively easy the design to facilitate the area to be removable because of the hidden track underneath added considerably to the complexity. The scenic sections either side can be fixed and do not need to be removable. Photos are below. Scenic board with road attached in position wedged under the track board. I shall need to add resin or plasticard surfaces in terms of stone or brick work A continuation of the road is drawn onto the scenic board and the circular drawing is an area going from track height down to a low waist high wall with a foot path next to it. Next photo shows the relative positions of the road and walled shaped area cut into the board supporting the track at track height. I had to slightly move the walled area to avoid a large cross support. Track support board has been removed to show the design of the road disappearing under the road. I have used 8 ml ply either side of the walls to provide more stability . Looking at the area to the left is a car park and a number of buildings along the left side of the road. Behind this car park and buildings is a cliff face and then hill. I have added a cross member to support the cliff running parallel with the platform track. Everything is flush and matches the other sections so I am very happy with the result. Next job is to draw in the scenery on the new scenic board using Google Earth as a guide. Once thii is done I shall sort out the other side of the bridge in Bangor and the lower scenic section. All comments are welcome. Regards, Anthony

John, The comments on the PVA glue are most helpful, as I was not aware of this issue. What do our readers recommend if using lead shot to weight. Given I am modelling N gauge the space restrictions are even more critical. Regards, Anthony Ashley http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/71151-north-welsh-coast-railway-welsh-dragon-rail/page-1 .

UPDATE 25 MAR 18 Dear All, Cut one of the Bangor scenic boards the Bangor and very happy with outcome, except I forgot to leave an area uncut for the road. Will need to attach another length of ply. Photos are below of the process. Exact measurement was a key to an accurate board given the complexity of the shape. Tools required to mark and prepare the scenic board by matching the track board. Some overlap will be required to provide the support required. Marked board ready for cutting. Tools to facilitate the cutting process Cut board in position. Note the chocks either side of the road. Given the dip in the middle of the board these chocks are required to drop the board down Regards, Anthony

UPDATE Slow but steady progress with the other side of the Bangor road being worked on. I butchered a few more of the support pieces to lower the housing and road area outside of the goods yard and main line area. Photos are below. Next is to cut the supporting 4 ml ply for these scenic areas.The major problem encountered was ready access to the hidden track which will be covered by this scenic area. No option but to make the scenic areas here removable to facilitate hidden track access. Regards, Anthony

Thanks for the above comments. The picture above is fantastic. Interesting how the landscape has changed over the years. I have been working on the scenic section at Bangor where the road enters a tunnel under the track. I have had to do a lot of cutting of the support areas to insert the lower scenic sections. I have not used a plane in many years but i had to do so today. Relatively hard work but gave the outcome I was after. The picture below shows cut track board, matching the cliff and road edge I need to follow for the lower scenery. The cuts on the left will be a vacant area with a couple of buildings including a grave stone manufacture (it has been there for over 60 years and the cinema that was torn down a number of years ago. The boards below had to be planed to raise the level back to the frame level. The board on the right has been sawed to lower the level for the road and footpath. Flying Scotsman gives an indication of scale. Photo showing clearance next to the road section. This is the lowest area. I shall have to make this section lift out to clear and for servicing. Wide view of the work done. Board on the left has been planed as well. Board on the right has also had to be removed and cut down to lower it for the town area. Area has been vacuumed and cleaned up. The last section of the scenic track support has been cut and in place, although it still needs support. Next job is to cut the town area ply board which needs to be removable. Given the complex nature of the shape this will be challenging. All comments are welcome REgards, Anthony

UPDATE Scotty, Thanks for the encouraging comments. I have only had a couple of days in the shed, pulling out the vacuum cleaner and cleaning all track after 3 years, I have decided to work on an area for plastering that is not so difficult as the mountain. While considering the options available to me I decided to look at the area in Bangor where the road runs under the track. I have not really considered how low I would need to drop the scenery to accommodate the area which is lower than the track and station. By using Google earth I have been able to measure the elevation changes. The station and track area are at 34 metres according to google. The road area under the track is at about 28 metres. Scale wise I need to drop the scenery by about 41 mls. In checking the supports in the location under consideration I shall have to save off about 14 ml from a supporting beam to be able to drop the scenery to the correct height. Next I looked at how far my board edge will extend in the town of Bangor. I used Google earth again to measure out distances from my board edge. I have 653 ml from the edge of the road bridge to the edge of my board. Converting into the scale this equates to 96.6 metres. The photo below shows my measurements for the area of Bangor I have to work with. The long red line is the extent of my table top. This photo shows my measurement lines for the width of the road under the bridge and the width of the road running parallel to the track. The right angle right lines has enable me to measure and place the bulging vegetation area. What is now a car park used to be a dual track area. The picture below is my scenic plan of the area under consideration. I need to cut into the support shown on the any rail plan. Preparing the base for this scenic area is my next task. I have also relaid and tidied up the track in Bangor above the area under consideration. More photos to follow. Regards, Anthony Ashley

UPDATE Phil thanks for the query and interest. I finally moved back to Brisbane on 1 March. I spent an additional month in Sydney after Christmas break to tidy up loose ends that I had not sorted last year. With 3 years living in Sydney apart from the occasional trip back to Brisbane I have spent all of my time since arriving back in Brisbane with administrative issues like a licence renewal, car registration, banking issues etc, etc, etc. I have now unpacked all of my boxes and bits and pieces. I hope to get back to the layout over the next day or so. My next project on the layout is to plaster the mountain. Given this is my first attempt at doing this aspect of train modelling I am going to start on a small section off the mountain section but near Bangor and experiment with the plaster and concrete pigment (Pictures on the last page of the blog). Black, brown and red should be the dominant colours, mixed with a formula recorded to facilitate the same colour down the track. We are about to enter a busy period with a new car, laptop, mobile, 27 " touch screen monitor to control the layout and the TC Gold train program to be purchased. I have more news as I am only going to be free until May, as I have been offered another Army job for 6 to 10 months. Once this job is finished I will be at retirement age with no further come backs. At least the job is in Brisbane so I can get more work done on the layout even if in full time employment. Hopefully some plastering experimentation tomorrow, particularly in terms of colour matching the mountain outside Penmaenmawr. Thankyou for your continued interest. I hope to post updates every second day or so over the next 2 months. Regards, Anthony Ashley

UPDATE Ir is Sunday night at 2200 almost and I leave for Sydney at 0600 tomorrow so no more modelling for a month or so. Due to return to Brisbane on start of Mar for good!!! I did not start the plastering. I thought maybe I could have a practice on a more easily accessible area of the layout, perhaps in the Bangor area, as there are many hills in this area, although much lower. The ease of access will allow me to make easy corrections if necessary. I think this is the best plan for now. Back in an month or so. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Kris, No there is no rail track in that area. The only rail is on the rail viaduct on the edge of the mountain directly on top of the ocean. The rail viaduct is already in position but not yet complete. See photos in 710. The ply in 715 marks the old Telford rd. It is not as steep as it looks, but in reality is a very significant gradient for use by walkers. If you look at the picture in 713 you can see a grey track or path largely overgrown between the road viaduct and Telford road. The picture is more modern than my 1960 layout and hence the track will be more visible. Thanks for the comment and interest. I appreciate the time taken to reply. Regards, Anthony Ashley

UPDATE Kris thankyou very much for the comment. I had a look at the Stockrington. I have made some tracks across the mountain with the help of my son and his girl friend, as the process required someone above and below the level of the wire. The aim was to get a horizontal band across the wire with nearly vertical surfaces above and below the horizontal section. I used a sharp cornered piece of wood to achive the 90 degree bends. The inclusion of more horizontal sections has improved the slope of the mountain, giving a closer approximation to the real thing I hope. Photos are below. Two photos of the lower track. I am not sire if you can make out the track so the second has a piece of rail emphasising it. Top track but no rail to emphasise it. They will be clearer with colouring differentiation and some vegetation. Next on with the plastering!!! Regards, Anthony

Scott, Congratulations on your layout, it is looking quite spectacular. The viaduct is fantastic. I am very interested in you construction of the plaster section of the layout.I am building a large mountain as a part of a north wales layout at: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/71151-north-welsh-coast-railway-welsh-dragon-rail/page-29 I was wondering why you chose Hydrocal105 rather that casting plaster. I agree any of these substances seem to be really hard to find. I am in Brisbane and will be searching tomorrow. Interested in any replies. I shall have a look at the other site you recommended. Thanks for the work to date!! Regards, Anthony Ashley

Mountain Scenicing Simon and John thanks for the thoughts. The modelling required to complete the mountain is not demanding in terms of vegetation, as most is l rock. For the grass I shall use static grass selectively with bushes. Picture is below. I am not sue I want to pay for fibre glass, as the weight does not matter and I want an easier substance to work with. I have about 5 kg of cement and mortar colour in black, tan oxide, chocolate oxide buff to make a blend of colours. The colours are shown. I am inclined to go for cheap plaster of paris, as I do not think cracking matters on a mountain face. All comments are welcome with any further ideas. Regards, Anthony

UPDATE Simon, Thanks for the encouragement, as ir is really appreciated. I am usually working alone on the layout and any comments tend to steel my resolve to keep going. I have been focussing on the mountain, and in particular the right side of it, although the left has seen some attention. As this is the first substantial mountain I have ever done it is all a little experimental, although as with all other aspects of the layout it has been slow and steady. I have secured Telford rd to a number of vertical supports, cut the track support around to the scenic divider and filled in a number of scenic sections with foam board. The wire forming the base of the mountain has been secured to the right side of Telford rd and then stretched down to the base of the layout, creating a more mountainous shaped effect. A staple gun was used to secure the wire to the layout base boards. Photos below. View from nearly track level. the brown board in the foreground is the track support leading to the scenic divider and Bangor. Telford road is visible from below View from a higher angle. The left side of Telford rd is nor secured. The road viaduct which has yet to be built will sit just above the vertical supports in front of Telford rd, but slightly higher. Neither the roads nor the rail go through any tunnels on the right side, but I need to swing them back to the scenic so into the tunnel they shall disappear. I have put a tunnel mouth in to shew the approx location. I shall be attempting some plastering next. I am unsure what is the best substance. I intend to use an old sheet dipped in plaster. Some have recommended plaster of paris and others cornice cement. I am after recommendations please if anyone can help. It is a huge area being at least 20 feet long and 8 feet high. All comments are welcome. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, I have been working on the road above Pen-y-clip road viaduct. It is called Telford's rd. I have cut the top section in ply and need to staple the netting to the road section. Photos of progress are below. The top road is shown below. On the bottom level will be the rail viaduct, above that the road viaduct and then telford road above that. Regards, Anthony Ashley