westernviscount

The picture above, from the top of the embankment is taken from the right of this map, looking along the line. The crossover is in the middle of the europart carpark, perhaps a little further. The mainline is actually a single bi directional line. This is the one to the south on the map. The line on the Mount street side goes to the goods shed on the right and all the way to Wrexham central but is used as a headshunt/siding. The headshunt had a wheel stop in the middle unlocked at Wrexham Central South box. Coaches were sometimes parked at the wrexham end. The headshunt could be used as an approach to the goods sheds with trains propelled from Wrexham I THINK!

Back to the site of the goods yard... The first bungy is directly on the site of the goods shed. I have struggled to find clear images of the shed. The clearest one is in the oakwood press book on the line and doesnt show much except the canopy (wagons did not go through the shed) Below, I am up on the embankment looking towards Wrexham Central. The line went over a girder bridge, onto another embankment then onto brick arches into the town centre. The smaller white buulding slightly to the right of centre was in place when the railway was in situ. Embankment then arches passed straight through where the more modern building is (now 30 odd years old). The Europart one to be precise. There was another bridge by the chimney in the distance (soames brewery) then the arches curved around the parish church, over a bridge, onto arches, over another bridge and into Wrexham Central.

Just past hightown halt on the way to marchwiel was Kingsmills viaduct. It had stone piers and a girder bridge. About half a mile from Caia Road goods so not being modelled but interesting all the same. Little remains.

Hi Mike, A bit of a change in era for me. I am going with late 50s early 60s. It was closed to passengers in '62 but the section I am modelling through to marchwiel and the industrial estate was closed in 1981. I'll be going for mainly 14xx, panniers and prairies. Some were auto fitted I am told. I am no expert, but fancied a change. A 9f hauled fuel tankers to the industrial estate apparently, then class 40s. I would not be averse to assuming Caia road goods stayed open until the late 60's so my class 25s can get a look in. The site of the goods yard had definitely gone by the mid 70s.

Here is some of the stonework still in situ behind the embankment. The leather stood right next to the retaining wall. I presume the brick part was used to shore up whilst the railway was still running. The above shot was taken from rivulet road and shows the remains of the tannery fabric. In the background is the railway embankment, wrexham towards the left.

Yes I think it is an interesting project. I grew up a few hundred yardd ftkm the site but sadly the line was gone. I remember the bridges being in situ in the town until 1995. For a branch line there was a considerable amount of infrastructure built through thetown and out to Ellesmere.

Cheers Mark. Yes, modelling the real railway always requires space. The actual site from the crossover at teh Wrexham Central end and the bridge at the Marchwiel end fits onto 14ft. I have 12ft to play with so will compress a small amount off the Wrexham end and the majority off the siding lengths, attempting to keep the feel of scale length. I am going to elevate the track about 8cm and then work down and up from that height. I believe th erailway bridges were about 16 to 17ft tall. The bridges in the town displayed a maximum clearance of 15ft 9in which I assume has some room to play with. The bridge next to Wrexham central station was over a steep incline which needed to allow trams underneath. This will not be part of the model.

Hi Graham. Yes, in club format there will be a small hinged fiddle at each end and in exhibition mode a full length fiddle at each end to accommodate at least 2 coach trains hauled by a tank engine.

Although I have a thread for both my Airfix 1400 updates and now the layout for which they are intended, I thought I would post a couple of pics of progress so far. This represents my first steps into modelling a prototype location (hence my posting here given Tony's philosophy). 1458 which was a mainstay of the Wrexham Ellesmere line. The updated 1400 and yet to be touched version posing on their eventual stamping ground.

Baseboard frames and legs have been built with help from Dad (here demonstrating the excellent leaning height) The string marks the direction angle of the track. As the trackplan is dead straight, I wanted an angle to give more interest. From this level, the embankment will be built up using formers. The upside down track is to visualisation! The layout will be 00, using SMP track and handbuilt turnouts. Two of the locos which will feature are the excellent airfix locos, in the family for 40 odd years (a tad longer than me). I am currently upgrading the two locos which I am recording on the following thread.

I have made a start on a layout representing the real location of Caia Road Goods Station, Wrexham, North Wales. The goods yard was on the line between Wrexham and Ellesmere. It was situated between Wrexham Central and Hightown Halt. There is little evidence of it being there except part of the embankment. The embankment next to tool station heads away towards Ellesmere (up). A bridge carried the railway over Salop road on the right. The national library of Scotland holds excellent 25inch to the mile maps. Above is the track plan Intend to model. I will include from the crossover at the West end to the bridge at the East end (Ellesmere direction). The row of terraced houses at the North of the shed on Caia Road are still in situ. the houses and road are as they would have been, with the track bed on the left. The far end bungalow on the left in the distance marks the site of the goods shed. Behind me as I take the above photo, down the hill to high town road is the site of the next bridge on the line, which will mark the end of the modelled scene. At the top of the embankment is the below capping stone which has been recovered from the original bridge and moved into this position. The trackbed continues toward Marchwiel and some items of railway history can still be seen. A this path crossed the track and the fence/gate post is still in place.

A photograph of the two 1400s on their new territory. Baseboards are underway for the layout, Caia Road Goods Station, Wrexham.

Thank you Cypher. The loco is hopefully going to get primed fully in the coming days. Against my better judgement, I didn't bother stripping the paint as I normally do and I may need to attend to some dodgy bits. Painting should be straight forward with a coat of black. The pickups have led this to being an excellent runner. The removal of the traction tyres helps also. I have also found under tightening the retaining screws helpful too.

Thanks Barclay. That is reassuring. I must say, the few times I have needed to make pickups I have used brass and they seem ok. My locos do not clock up many miles to be honest.

Moving towards completion today. I made the steam lance next to the smoke box door with .5 mm wire and a filed down handrail knob. Pipes are by mainly trains (wizard). The pipe along the length of the loco is almost fitted in this picture. The steps are completed and are fitted with .5mm soldered to the steps and drills into the body. I have added lamp brackets here and sprayed the smoke box and boiler (this is a seperate part. I have also made some replacement fittings for the top of the water tanks. The modelu whistle has already broken and I should have left this off til the end. I don't think J will add the pipes to the rear and haven't bothered with lamp irons as this will be semi-permenantly to an autocoach.

Hi Nick, My Dad removed the plunger pick ups many years ago. He had replaced them with wipers underneath but these had become very tired. Copper clad sleeper are glued underneath then some .3mm wire used for the wipers. These ar just brass and probably not the best longterm but they work very well right now. The most convenient place to pass wires through is illustrated. .3mm wire is also used to join the front and rear pickups. This shows thr upper terminal and there is also one underneath. Cheers

A while back I posted feeling rather down about the hobby. I thought I would check in to show what I have been up to. I was and part of a club and am beginning work on a layput based on a real place (which I thought would be a new challenge) Caia Road Goods in Wrexham, N Wales. And the part that has really set the mojo going, the rennovation of an airfix 14xx my Dad dug out to run on the eventual layout. I realise I will never be into the changing parts of the hobby. I like old, cheap and familiar...althought the whistle is 3d printed by Modelu ;-)

Hi Tony and company, As usual, quite a way of topic but I thought some may be interested in the revival of an old favourite. An airfix 1400... Very much inspired by Mr Iain Rice. My dad had a copy of an article he did from MRJ number 2 on sprucing this loco. I won't be so lofty as to suggest this is my tribute to him, but a nod at the least. Inspired also by @Tony Wright to have a go at modelling a real location, this loco will appear hopefully on my rendition of Caia Road Goods yard on the Wrexham to Ellesmere line.

Parts to improve or replace have escalated. The chimney is a white metal 247 developments part. Subtely finer and narrower than the airfix one. A nice modelu whistle fitting. The airfix one was molded to the cab roof. Also in this picture are the finer cab hand rails and the roof vent which I filed out a hole for. This picture includes the replacement handrails, a loosely fitted pipe along the length of the loco, some fire iron brackets on the bunker filed and shaped from 0.8mm brass wire and a scratchbuilt set of steps. I am not particulalrly experienced with scratchbuilding in brass but it is very absorbing. A bit of a cruel close up. The top step is slightly wonky so will need adjustment.

Having decided to build a model based on the Wrexham to Ellesmere branch; specifically Caia Road goods, my dad dug out his old Airfix 14xx autotanks. I stripped the motor and made new pickups and, despite being very loud, the locos run beautifully. At 40 odd years old, they still are lovely models but the smoke box door does not look convincing. Once you see it, you can't unsee it! I decided to spruce the appearence up a bit. Dad had already put cab side plates on many many years ago. I wanted to sort the front end out as the model has too flat a smoke box door and the shape of the handrails is more Manor than 1400. The smoke box moulding was filed flat and a mainly trains (wizard) drum head door glued using evo stick. New hand rails are shaped by eye and new handrail knobs added. Having done this, further issues leapt out at me and I will continue below. Cheers for now.

Agreed.

Totally agree. Anyone who ever asks those types of questions, very much like "so explain to me how paint splatters is art?" or "how is this music?" have no interest in discussion.

I cannot recall looking out of the train window seeing giants holding controllers...looking confused.

I do have the faintest memory of seeing King George V in steam, but I was very small ;-)

In the real world I cannot ever recall the trains being more realistic than the surroundings ;-) ...Or hearing a locomotive at the same volume for a quarter mile and more.