Anthony Ashley

John, I am back on 22 Jan to Sydney and will email you then. I have been home for a couple of weeks but summer heat in Brisbane has been fierce. I have spent about 3 days in the shed, working out the line for the road above the road viaduct near Penmaenmawr. It is known as Telford's rd. I used a cardboard template of 60 mm width and about 12 feet length to get the right design. I then used the cardboard template to cut the supporting ply. Lengths of pine have been used to get the correct elevation for the rd from Google earth. Photos to follow. The entire end section of the road has been cut. I have also planned the design for the rail and road sections in this area, as some are open but others through mountains. All planned on a single line showing horizontal distances involved. Again from Google earth. Next job is to secure a few of the road supports and then plaster from the top of the mountain Regards, Anthony

John, Thanks for your reply. I have been so busy this year that attendance at most meetings has not been possible. Given the last meeting I am in Sydney is in a location I have visited before I shall probably not make another meeting. I expect my wife will be down some part of the month I am in Sydney next year as well. I look forward to catching up at one of the annual conventions. All the best with you layout. I would like to have seen your progress to date before I leave but I do not think you are on in Feb. Regards, Anthony

Rodney and Scotty, Thanks for the posts. Only have to mid Feb for work and then permanently home. Not enough posts this year, but once home expect at least 3 per week. Regards, Anthony

LAYOUT DEVELOPMENTS NOV 17 Dear All, I am still alive but very very few trips home this year with a frantic pace of work in Sydney. I finally got a week end at home with a tiny bit of progress on the layout involving the viaduct. I have many piers still to go and much cladding to add. Photos are below of some progress. Stone work on the lower section of the pier with brick work to follow. Only a few months left in Sydney with Christmas in between so modelling will take off in a few more months. Regards, Anthony Ashley

John, Thanks for the link to the photo. I agree it is one of the best I have seen. Must be taken in Spring with really vibrant greens. I will use it to model the foliage for the castle. Thanks again. Regards, Anthony

Scotty, I can some time working out how to exactly match the brick work. There are a few light coloured courses on an angle that are interesting. I might do a plan to assist. Regards, Anthony

John and Scotty, Thanks for the posts. All comments are very encouraging. Scotty the channel was cut with a router. I used a resting board to ensure exactly the right channel position on the board being cut. I used one long piece of ply to cut both sides and then cut them to the appropriate lengths.I made sure the whole cutter was positioned in exactly the right spot to maintain an even height and position for the arches. I measured multiple times as I wanted to get it correct as any error would have wrecked the effect. I had to make a mirror image for the arches to ensure alignment of both sides.To secure the 12 ml piers I cut 3 ml deep n channels in the track support board to line up exactly with the piers.I had to adjust a bit by widening the channels as I attached and glued the 12 ml piers. The upper level will be 4 ml brick, the lower O gauge brick and the arches 2 ml brick. The bottom of the piers are rough stone work. There is a band on brick work around the arches which i have yet to determine how to cut. Maybe some thin plasticard I can cut with scissors to get a good circular shape. I will probably use a protractor with scribe the outline of hte arch brick work. Any ideas on how to do this would be appreciated. The road viaduct does not have circular arches so I will need to come up with another method of cutting the arches exactly. More photos of work on the viaduct to date on the layout. I am not likely to be going home for a few more months, but only 6 months left till home permanently!!! Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All After 3 months return home and work on the layout!!! Focus on the Penmaenmawr Pen y clip rail viaduct at the end of the layout. Instrument of torture , hole cutter used to create the 13 arches. Off cuts from arches. Holes cut for archways. Cutting the piers. The channel at the top is for the track support section. Completed side. Two sides on the layout. Adding the piers. Coach on the viaduct More photos to follow. Regards, Anthony

Dear All, Home again for a 4 day weekend. I did get home about 3 weeks ago but was too ill to even open the shed. This was the first time since living in Sydney and returning home that the garage door was not opened for the whole visit!!! Hopefullly will get some good work done this trip. Might work on the rail viaduct and mountain. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, Work completed over the easter break was reasonably rewarding. I managed to finish the netting for the mountain at the bottom end of the layout. Cut a section of trak support for the end of the Penmaenmawr fiddle yard and cut the support for the rail viaduct at the base of the mountain. Most of this work was painted, Pictures are below. In the right middle of the picture is a Fokker Biplane to give a sense of scale. all of the chicken mesh has been added. The plane is sitting on the rail viaduct which is 70 mls out from the cliff face. I will sit the road viaduct on the green frame work just to the left of the rail viaduct. The chicken wire will sit behind the road viaduct creating the cliff face for part of the mountain. The green strip of paint is as much of hte ocean as I could fit in and still have access around the layout. the sea will be lapping at the foot of the viaduct. the direction we are facing leads to Bangor.I shall have to cut a hole in the scenic divider to accomodate the rail and tunnel. Next stage will be paper towel and glue or plaster. I have added a couple of overtaking tracks leading into Penmaenmawr to facilitate passenger and goods movements. The curved track in the next 2 photos is right on the edge of the ocean. I obviously need to bend the chicken wire into the correct shape once I have finished messing around with the track. In this photo you can see the end of the Penmaenmawr goods yard on the left of the picture, headingback to penmaenmawr. I go home on the week end of the 11 May, so more progress is possible then, Regards, Anthony Ashley

Dear All, Got in contact with the MERG guys and was told that the MERG location detector is NOT RAILCOM compatible. The obvious best option is DCC4PC who do detection modules. It will not be until the end of the year, when I have purchased TC Gold that I can test them out. Going home for the easter break so should get a little done. I shall probably continue the horizontal track support at the bottom of the layout and perhaps work on the mountain. Regards, Anthony Ashley

Simon thanks as ever for your interest, it is fantastic!! I have drawn a blank with MERG to date through my contact. The MERG detection module is currently DTC8. Does anyone know if it or any other MERG detection modules are DCC compatible? Regards, Anthony Ashley

Scotty, Simon and other well wishes, Thanks for your concerns. The big rain storm/former cyclone is now over in Brisbane lasting about 24 hours. No ill effects for the shed and train layout, although the pool filled to nearly overflowing even though the water level was reduced by back washing that day. Brisbane received over 220 mls of rain. It is difficult being in Sydney. Family and house are all fine as well. No need for repairs on next rip but further advance on work.

Dear All, I am hoping my layout survives the flooding in Brisbane. Main issue are the scenic boards around the outside of the layout against the shed wall. Brisbane is possibly going to get 400 ml of rain today. I have told my wife to go home from work. My hope is she will be able to man the barricades for the layout, bucket in hand, given I am still in Sydney.. Regards, Anthony

Simon, Thanks for the comment I always appreciate your responses. MERG have an 8 zone detector for 33 pounds. I know a great fellow who is a prime organiser in the MERG group in Australia and he will determine for me if the modules are Rail Com compatible or not. If so this is a cheaper option for me and a great idea. Regards, Anthony

Dear All, I have a query for all reading this thread. Does anyone know the cheapest option for DCC railcom compatible rail detection modules. The best I have found to date is 125 pounds for a 16 zone module detector. I can not find anything better. I need a total of about 16 modules of 16 zones each. The cost will be substantial!! Regards, Anthony Ashley

Big Jim, Just looked through the entire thread from start to finish. I have enjoyed your work and will take a few ideas from it for my N gaufe layout set in North Wales. Keep up the good work. I shall continue to follow with interest. Regards, Anthony Ashley http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/71151-north-welsh-coast-railway-welsh-dragon-rail/

Dear All, I got home week end before the last but only managed about 3 hours in the shed. I did manage to cut the track support going from the western end of the Penmaenmawr godds area almost to the viaduct next to the mountain. it was about a 10 foot section. Will be able to paint it when I return over Easter. I did another exercise bike cycle around Conwy , Penmaenmawr and Bangor, having a good look at the buildings in the area to be modelled. Next time home I should be able to start the wiring for Penmaenmawr. Regards, Anthony

No female boss but just too much work and a lack of staff. Regards, Anthony

Simon I work for the Commonwealth but have had to catch up after Christmas. Regards, Anthony

Simon, Thanks for the reply. 44 weeks to go but not counting. Work has however been horrible working 21 days in a row about 11 hours a day!!! I got a day off today and went to friends house in Sydney. He has bought a reclining exercise bike for his wife's birthday - mind you he is the avid cyclist. The bike connects to an I Pad. On the I Pad you can link into google maps and then ride around any where in the world with a scrolling view in front of you on the I Pad. I started with a 10 km cycle in Paris, then 14 km in London and then cycled around Conwy, Penmaenmawr and Bangor while reclining in Sydney!!!!. Got some really good views which will help with modelling. It was quite exciting to be "cycling" through the towns I shall be modelling when work permits. Hope all are well. Regards, Anthony

37038, Thanks for the reply. I think the mountain and rail and motor viaducts are going to be spectacular if I can model them well. It is such a pity that my paid employment is seriously interfering with my train modelling. Easter will be my next substantial period back in Brisbane. I am now working on the Bangor goods shed with both of the side walls nearly completed in card and brick paper. Regards, Anthony

John, Yes I am free in Sydney and will probably be at the meeting. I look forward to seeing you there. regards, Anthony

Dear All, A little more work has been done on the mountain prior to my return to Sydney. Photos are enclosed. Chicken wire has been stapled to part of the mountain with enough slack to create the 3 roads required. You can see a car (Herbie the beetle) on the front post. from sea levle going up the mountain will be the rail viaduct at 81 ml above sea level. The road viaduct at 160 mls above sea level and 2more roads at 240 AND 300 mls above sea level. Herbie with wire in the background. Close up of Herbie. I am now back in Sydney so will need to work on the card buildings under construction in Sydney. One of these is the Bangoe goods shed which is nearly 700 mls long. Regards, Anthony

Dear All, Simon thanks for your comment above. I have more development on the mountain below. Have now completed fitting all of the Penmaenmawr track up to the point where the main lines curve to the sea and climb a gradient. Sarah has also finished her art work on the new scenic dividers. Any encouraging comment to her would be appreciated, as I think she has done a really good job (those art classes are paying off). Photos below. Scenic divider between Bangor and Penmenmawr with a small return added to it. The unpainted wooden shape at the top of the photo in the middle is the profile for the top of the mountain on the Penmaenmawr side of the layout. I shall use my chicken wire over the top of it to create the shape of the mountain. I hope it works!!! The small return with the profiled top of the mountain in the middle top of the picture. The unpainted mountain on the right is part of the hills behind Penmaenmawr. I shall curve my mountain to go from the end of the top profile on the left to the one on hte right. This gives me a bit more spare space to get to the height needed on the western side of Penmaenmawr to link into the mountain, as I have had to cut out some of the western end of the town to fit everything in.. Mountain risers and the mountain profile on the Penmaenmawr side of the divider. To give a sense of scale you can see a van at the bottom of the riser under the unpainted top mountain profile at the end of the scenic divider. Track work for Penmaenmawr, featuring the goods area. The 2 wide gaps between the rails will be the position for the narrow gauge platform. 2 of the platforms hold 2 narrow gauge tracks and the other just 1. I have been looking at Z scale track by Rokuhan to provide the ready to run track. Tunnel and curved track at Conwy station. Transition track area to the hidden track and the start of the Penmaenmawr track from the Conwy end. The goods yard seen previously is way off in the distance. point work at the eastern end of Penmaenmawr. Might get some more work done on the mountain tomorrow, but back to Sydney tomorrow afternoon for the last year. All comment particularly those encouraging Sarah are appreciated!!! Regards, Anthony