Focalplane

Before we bought "my railway room with house attached" in southern France I was becoming committed to a North Warwickshire Coalfields location, including a standard gauge 15xx which is now available (or soon will be) in kit form by both Warren Shephard and MOK. The Beyer-Garratt would, of course, be very much at home in Warwickshire, being used at Baddesley. It is so sad that the last North Warwickshire mine had to close a year or more ago due to a fire. I spent some time researching potential gob gas and coalbed methane opportunities back in the late 1990s, by which time most of the interesting mines had been closed down. Both types of gas utilization seemed to be non-commercial at the time and the brouhaha concerning fracking has made this just about impossible to consider today. Interestingly, the best coalfields for rejuvenation appeared to be parts of South Wales and much of South Lancashire, particularly around Warrington. Most of the Midlands coal mining areas were too shallow (which is why they were exploited earlier at the start of the industrial revolution). North Warwickshire was the deepest mining area so lasted longer than those in the Black Country where much of the coal was at the surface, hence the name. I hope this is of interest and not too far off topic! Paul

I am in limbo as far as modelling is concerned, but at least I can accumulate various bits and pieces for when I get back to the railway room. The latest acquisitions have been delivered (or collected in the case of the order from Slaters, see below*). The David Andrews Dukedog kit has arrived and although I haven't checked all the parts I feel sure from experience that they will all be there! Here is a photo of the basic contents supplied in the box: I have not opened up the etched brass sheets, one packet for loco, one for tender. Two bags contain all the brass and white metal castings, a third the various bits and bobs (bearings, bolts, etc.). Then there is the pre-rolled boiler and a small bundle of wire as well as the usual well documented instructions. The kit does not come with various extras, some of which are now in stock: I will use Slater's hornblocks for the two drivers, leave a spare set which will be used on the centre tender axle. For pickups I have bought the Slater's plunger set but may not use them in preference for making my own along the lines of SimonD's. In which case I could put the Slater's pickups on the tender. This really won't be necessary if the excellent electrical continuity on my David Andrews LMS Compound proves to be similar. The Severn Mill's brass plates are also in the photo. 9017, last remaining Dukedog, preserved today in Sussex but last seen by me inside Oswestry Works around 1958. This locomotive was often used on specials during the last days of steam on the Cambrian but could easily have been used to pilot heavier excursion loads up the "hill" east of Dolgelley. What remains to be sourced is the motor gearbox. I will be using an abc gears combination, recommended as Mini 26:1 box with a 19mm Maxon motor. A similar ratio box will be used for the Warren Shephard 43xx Mogul. As both have 5' 8" drivers, this should mean that double heading ought to be reasonably balanced (the motors will be different though due to size restrictions). Further fine tuning of the two ought to be possible using the DCC speed tables but I have never tried this (previous American HO consists used similar RTR models, i.e. 2 EMD E9s back to back). Paul * The Slaters delivery by DPD was promised to be waiting for me at a nearby pharmacy. When I got there I was told that their scanner was down and I would have to come back on Tuesday, after the holiday. I explained that I would not be able to come back then and anyway, DPD had said that the package would be returned to them on Monday. Monday happened to be the Bank Holiday, so clearly this wasn't going to happen. After waiting for some considerable time they miraculously got the scanner to work and I eventually received the parcel. I had had to crawl in a holiday traffic jam to get the parcel so the whole process took me two hours. Ironically I usually have good words to say about DPD but this experience has been a bit off putting. The Post Office (Royal Mail and La Poste) remains my preference for most shipments.

Just spent an hour with my oldest living friend here in Borth y Gest. We are both from Birmingham families though there is also a Stourbridge connection. Our fathers were business partners caught up in the war effort in 1939 and strove day in night out to keep the factory in the Jewellery Quarter up and running, finishing* parts for the war effort. To do this they had cots in the factory so that incendary bombs could be picked up at night and thown in buckets of sand. Both had deteriorating health and my father’s partner semi-retired to Borth y Gest. My best friend of the late 1950s decided she wanted to be an actress while I went to university to study geology. One day we met up in a luvvies’ digs in Southampton while she performed a role in local rep. That would have been around 1965. We had each endured both our first weddings by then. The next time we met was back in Borth y Gest in 2016, a magnet obviously as many people who know the village keep returning. No wonder North West Wales has many friends. We now live four doors away! Paul *finishing means metal finishing in the protective rather than decorative sense. It kept Spitfires flying longer. I hope this is not too far off topic.

All my 7mm number and name plates are from Severn Mill and Chris Watford does (or has) make (made) the best out there. The past tense reference is to the fact that modern etchers will not comply with his stringent quality control, so he has decided it's time to throw in the towel. He does have large stocks, though, so if you have any needs, send him an email. Ironically, I bought the set for prairie tank 4175 which features on Philip Hawkins' Summer Saturday at Snow Hill painting. I was planning on buying the Heljan model but then cancelled the order. It may be that I will buy the loco after all as it is now promised for September delivery. If I do I bet it isn't the first time such a decision has been made. Paul PS, nice to see some baseboard construction photos, please include more!

Gwynedd Council charge for green waste so I take the Welsh rainforest clippings to the tip where a Boris Johnson lookalike even helps to unload the stuff. My son was offered a job running the fly tipping task force in Birmingham. He declined. When we lived in Texas the state would take fly tipped sacks and look for any evidence of ownership and prosecute. They also used the research to decide where to place TV ads for their “Don’t Mess with Texas” litter campaign. Gloucestershire doesn’t have a recycling centre in the north of the county so have made arrangements with Warwickshire. They make money selling our stuff to a recycling plant in Coventry. Go figure. Off topic but I’ll be at the tip on Monday! Do you have a power saw, Larry! Sawn into smaller bits they can be fed into the bin when you have space. Paul

Larry I have an article in a Model Railroader mag in France by one of their staff that has super elevation designed around gluing small pads of plasticard under the outsides of the HO sleepers, the thickness of the pads increadng as the curve gets tighter. This seems to me to be a simpler, possibly better, way of setting up the camber than using a sander. Being in England at the moment I cannot quote the source but the article is very convincing. I am thinking about employing this for the curved scenic portions of Penmaenpool. Paul

Yes, George. I should add that listening to the sounds on my Lee Marsh Jubilee compared to recent sound files from Youchoos and Digitrains, the steam offerings are getting much better. But so are the diesels if Jintyman’s videos are to go by. I suppose one of the issues with steam sound is that every steam loco had its own character. Diesels were a bit more similar. Paul

I have some early US dcc sound diesel locos and I must say they are a turn on! But in British modelling I just can’t get my head around the diesels that replaced steam. Perhaps it’s my age and the fact that I lost all interest when steam started to disappear. Compare an express steam express passing Tamworth to a diesel; well there was no comparison. http://warwickshirerailways.com/misc/ph5.htm Paul

Andy I have never used Kadees in 7mm scale, but years ago in my HO era I fiddled with all the many Kadee variations and still have dozens of them lying around and attached to various American HO locos and stock. Of course they look the part with American models. I am using MagClic couplers between coaches because they don’t show too much and they are in rakes. To uncouple coaches your hand of god has to simply pull them apart with a bit of force. This might work as well as Kadees but in the case of the coal wagon, if it ends up inside the engine shed how can you pull it off the loco which will not have a MagClic! Let’s see if Coachmann has a point of view. Paul

Good to see 7mm, what a pun! Will you be using Kadees? I am beginning to think it might be a good idea for Penmaenpool, particularly for shunting wagons some distance away from the layout edge. In my case the coal wagon for the coal stage and ash wagon would both be beyond my eyesight and reach. Paul

I think I have resolved the piano wire problem! The solution was simple, drive to Porthmadog and visit Ian Jones at the piano store next to Tescos! Turns out Ian is a life long Borth resident and we know several of the same people in the village from the late 1950s onward. Ian was quite happy to sell me the wire without piano attached! Paul

Larry I fully understand. It may be that, after I have finished Penmaenpool (to my satisfaction) I may rip it up and do Gobowen myself, though again there would have to be curves where there aren't any. My reason is much the same as yours, I have locos that would have been seen (if only occasionally) on the Chester-Shrewsbury main line, including the Jubilee but also unmade kits for Castle and Patriot, both favourites of mine. Add in my existing 89A and 84J locos and Gobowen would be a good fit. Given the L Girder construction, it would plausible to have a scenic run all the way around except in the doorway with tracks running down from there to long storage loops under the station. Paul

My vote, not that there is one, would be for Gobowen, simpler than Ruabon but just as much traffic in that you would have Oswestry Works just two miles away and lots of interesting visitors, including a 15xx from 81A! My first cop at Gobowen was an LM loco, probably a Black 5, on an express to Paddington which no doubt was changed out at Wolverhampton Low Level. This would have been around 1957. As I only had the Western Region Ian Allan I was a bit confused! Paul Ps apologies if I have mentioned this before.

Now within an hour’s drive of Penmaenpool and it’ started raining! This morning the sun was shining and I was towel holder while my better half swam in the bay at Borth y Gest - it was high tide! The rest of the family just texted that they are back at Rhyddu after a successful climb up Snowdon so another achievement has been logged on the family atchives. As to railway modelling, I hope to visit Penmaenpool before long and hopefully sort out the balance between buildings, etc. then there is Guildex at Telford to consider. It does look like I will be there on the Saturday but not the Sunday. I have also received the NCE 5 amp booster. It’s smaller and lighter than I thought it would be. In the box was the second item ordered, the USB accessory that should mean that I will be able to control the trains using my iPad Mini. More technology to understand and assimilate. Talking of which, my new car has some interesting technical gadgets, including automatic headlamp dimming and nudging the steering wheel if you begin to stray off the autoroute lane. This even worked in the Cotswolds, but only where the roads had discernible white lines, but as they haven’t been repainted in years that technology isn’t quite perfect. I also noted that after about 2 hours driving the Sat Nav suggested it might be time to stop for a rest! I am not entirely convinced that these gadgets are good but it’s the future and fortunately they can be turned off. Paul

Not silly at all, Andy, a great time to drive on the M6 through Brum! Paul

Grahame My Legge Lane layout was a stop gap 2.4m x 0.6m layout that I could live with in a small apartment. Lots of learning experiences I am now putting to good use, though I still value others’ advice and experience - and always will! Ironically, it looks as though I won’t be using the turntable from Legge Lane. I am hoping to get all the add ons for both the Mogul and the Dukedog kits and they will be kit building priorities this coming winter. I will probably chronicle the builds on this thread and not my workbench topic. Paul

Post away, Grahame, you are most welcome!

Well, one last thought before I leave. I needed to see the "big picture" so cut a long piece of ply which will probably now be the "module" that holds the points, and would also be the base for several buildings (mainly station house and hotel but other huts as well). I have temporarily laid out the prototype track layout either side of the toll bridge level crossing and with the platform loop extending round the corner with enough space to allow two 4 coach trains to pass, the compression is not too bad at all! Several photos to demonstrate my latest thoughts. The first is a view looking southeast from above the estuary: Next, looking southwest from above the platform area: Details showing the level crossing (plywood piece) and the signal box and toll house, both of which are on stilts on the bank to the estuary, as well as a line of small huts in the goods yard. The small goods shed will be off to the east, beyond the catch point. Last, the view along the embankment from the signal box area, showing the station building, then the hotel and off in the distance another piece of white paper represents the engine shed area. I am hoping this will work well and will not be too cluttered. Here are some reference photos to support the above: View from the toll bridge (only part of which will be modelled) View of the track bed from the hotel (note it is at an angle from the embankment, no doubt because it pre-dated the railway) The hotel (the glassed in area nearest the camera is new and will not be modelled) The station building on the right, the toll house on the left (the station house has been extended by the hotel owners to provide a larger annexe) A similar view but from further away, showing the hotel and the faux-signal Paul

Thank you both for your input. Aesthetically I think I should follow the prototype track layout because: 1. The offset platforms will look right 2. The signal box was located on the platform 3. There should be less pointwork at the road crossing 4. In the prototype the western point is actually in front of the station building, so there should still be room for the hotel and embankment before the shed turnout And finally 5. I think it is important from an operational point of view to replicate the signal box lever positions on the control panel. But I am not going to make a decision just yet. I will be visiting Penmaenpool again very soon and this may help to confirm the best way forward. Any further comments would be most welcome! Paul

OK, while I cook dinner I am uploading and editing a photo showing the alternatives. Prototype at top, my version below. The prototype has the western point controlling the loop. A second point before the DOWN platform gives access to the yard. This point is protected by the catch point, located further east. The level crossing passes between the two points, shown by the steel ruler. The green pencil shows the location of the signal box. This actually gives a potentially longer passing loop as the loop is already established at the signal box. But this is at the expense of the heavily compressed single line section between the toll bridge and the engine shed turnout in which the station building and the hotel must be represented. My version simply compresses the pointwork such that the yard siding is switched from the western point and the loop doesn't begin until the second point. The pencil shows where I might place the signal box. Again the steel rule represents the level crossing. As the platforms are now on a 6ft radius curve the prototype is already moot. Any ideas, opinions, etc.? Paul

Actually, the prototype was different but compression had forced me to rearrange the points. I don’t like this but I have to fit in the key buildings, etc. along the back wall of the room. Perhaps I will leave it for now and come back fresh with a better idea in a month’s time. But still satisfying to have started on the scenic level. Paul

The heatwave continues so I have spent much of the day in the railway room - with the air-conditioning on. At first I did a few small things, but that large sheet of plywood where the station will be had me thinking. The scissor crossing is a module, so the two points and a catch point at the western end of the loop would also make a good drop in module, as will the two points leading to the shed roads, but that will be another time. First I cut and trimmed the pointwork and used some butadone to help to keep the track together at just a few sleepers where they touch. This created more stability than I thought possible. The fishplates are in place and the track looks like this: Next I placed the pointwork roughly where it will be located (within 5 cm accuracy): The level crossing leading to the toll bridge is actually where the western point is located, so the station house would be just to the right of the photo. The catch point protects the single siding to the yard. The second point is where the station platforms begin. They are offset, the UP platform (on the left) being to the west, the DOWN platform to the east. In reality the loop curved slightly to the right towards Dolgelley but space constraints force the platforms and loop to bend to the left. The yard siding will also bend to the left, adjacent to the DOWN platform fence. I have now cut the base for the pointwork and drilled the necessary holes. I may go back down this evening and trim some cork sheet but this will also mean referencing the various photos and maps so I may only mark it out. A satisfying day after all! Paul

Wow, wow, wow! Thank you Ray! I am thrilled to receive so much information. It will be post 1956, so now I need to assimilate all this information while away from the railway room. I forgot to look at David Andrews' book, blame it on la canicule which shows no signs of abating until after I leave France. Paul Edit, the photos are on page 52! By the way I spoke with David Andrews last week and he said he really enjoyed writing the book and would have done others but the kit business took off. The rest is history.

Well, I have done some research and all the photos I have of 5399 really don't help much - they are in publications and not at a high enough resolution. One colour photo of a class mate at Snow Hill shows flush riveting with prominent rivets on the loco's cab side, so I went back through my published photos and there is a good chance that 5399's tender had flush riveting as the cabside rivets are visible (just) whereas the tender has no evidence of them. Why 5399? Because I have ordered Severn Mill plates already! As noted above, though, if additional photos of 5399 are found and there are rivets in evidence, then the decals could be used. Thanks, Ray! Paul

My trainspotting mate was a Wrexham lad but when together we always headed for Crewe! We cycled there one morning to tour the Works with a permit and also got chased out of Crewe North by the BTP. 46235 was on shed, my best cop of the day. Given the location of Croes Newydd we never tried to gain entry - in fact Stafford Road was much easier and had big engines! I know you don’t like building buildings, Larry, but Gobowen Station, still standing, is a fine Italianate structure. There was a small yard there but Gobowen was really just a junction for the connection to Oswestry. On the other hand, all sorts of “exotic” locos did end up in Oswestry Works, including an Old Oak Common 15xx and several 9Fs. So light engine workings could be envisaged? Paul