Hando

On 04/08/2016 at 14:27, Wickham Green said:

May I - belatedly make a slight revision ? : -

 

Rule 11a:    If / when you've ALMOST completed your scratchbuild, you'll find a little known kit manufacturer offering a more accurate version of the same model - thought his lead trimes are notoriously lengthy ... .

 

Rule 11b:    If / when, eventually, you've ALMOST completed your kit build you'll find a well known RTR manufacturer offering a more accurate version of the same model at about a tenth of what it cost you to build your version.

 

Rule 11c:    If / when you've decided to bite the bullet and you've scrapped your scratchbuilt and kit built models you discover that said RTR model has already sold out  ... .

Rule 11d If/ when you have scrapped your scratchbuilt and kit-built models and the RTR model is available, you soon find that the RTR model isn't to the specifications that the model you had intentionally been building from scratch or from a kit was (that is to say, the similar RTR model you could buy, isn't actually the prototype you wanted).

I'm also doing a Cuckmere Valley line, except with a few differences, like it being built as a Colonel Stephens style light railway and beginning from Berwick station on the East Coastway line and ending with two forked ends at Friston Bottom and Cuckmere Haven, where in my alternate reality a seaside resort (by the name of Salthaven) was being constructed.

Revd. Awdry would have approved!

Well done!

Alex

I forgot to mention that the Capel Mawr Railway was later planned in 1880 to be extended to connect to the Chester-Holyhead line at Bodorgan and build a station at Bethel, of course the scheme failed, due to a lack of funds. Thus, the Capel Mawr continued to linger and stumble through its thin existence, until its eventual demise.

The use of the main, double track line means the stations at Soar & Ty Croes must have been reasonably complex junctions.

 

I'm assuming you're modelling pre-grouping, as the Aberffraw line 'closed' in 1933.

 

Shame, because the post-war development of the Anglesey Circuit could have generated more passenger traffic, as well as transport for the vintage racing cars. 

 

Of course, the extension north of the main line, to Llangefni & RAF Mona (via the over bridge just to the east of the Soar Station) would also have brought exchange traffic to Aberffraw (the installation of a double junction at Soar was deemed too complex and the local farmers objected to the loss of even more land).

I am modelling pre-grouping oddly enough!

The junction of Soar was designed extremely oddly, as the LNWR denied the Aberffraw Railway a Junction-station thus, it meant the station at Soar was cut-off from the LNWR; meanwhile the branch to Aberffraw had a complex service, where trains ran from Bodorgan (the Chairman, Gwyn petitioned for the railway to operate to the closest station on the Chester-Holyhead line, as the villagers explained that there was no point in running a A to B  passenger railway, which had no connections, apart from goods.) to Soar, reversing in order to run around to Aberffraw. The 'forward' connection to the LNWR was goods only, as it didn't face Bodorgan. (I may create a track plan of Soar in the future)

The junction at Ty Croes was designed so that the Aberffraw Railway was a slip off-line, where the track of the Aberffraw Branch pretty much followed the main line from Ty Croes Station, before leaving the side of the Chester-Holyhead line easy of Bryncain. There were no connections to the LNWR, except at Ty Croes Station, in order to stay simple, as the LNWR's doctrine was to not build stations within short-distance of each other on a main line.

Oh- I forgot in my notes on the Railway, that another branch line was constructed from Ty Croes, after the failed Aberffraw Railway (Llangefni Extension) Act of 1876, a scheme which was opposed by some rather irate farmers and extremely sharp curves and harsh gradients, that were calculated by the civil engineers for the project (especially for the line curving uphill to use the overbridge west of Soar*!), as well as a lack of investment from Llangefni town itself, the planned terminus of the line.

After several other failed schemes: the Gwalchmai Light Railway was finally constructed in 1899, with a line running from Ty Croes, via Pencarnisiog, Dothan and Glanrafon Halt to Gwalchmai. It was LNWR operated from the outset. An extension was made in 1915 to RAF Mona, an important air base where Irish Sea patrol airships were based during the 1st World War. All traffic ended in 1934 and the railway was closed.

A kind of triangular junction was created from the eastern junction at Ty Croes, and the junction and flyover constructed by the Light Railway east of Bryncain, connecting to the Aberffraw branch and Chester-Holyhead mainline.

*The overbridge east of Soar was taken out of the proposal as the extension would have to continue the use of trains reverse back from Soar Station, which was an inconvenience from the outset, but then reverse at Treiddon Halt, complicating matters; slowing down other services and creating an overcomplicated service that wouldn't be useful.

I will create a map of the Gwalchmai Light Railway soon

                                                                                                    - - -

Of course, rather unfortunately and reluctantly; the locals of Aberffraw had to say goodbye to their railway in 1933, the station at Aberffraw is now a museum, run by the Aberffraw Railway Society. The group hope in the future to build a heritage railway to Soar Station, the site is now converted into farm stores, a farm shop and café (the goods shed), and a private residence (the station building), now known as "The Sidings".

No news of the heritage railway has been made yet.

Thanks, I'll take that on board.

I am currently making a map now, I'll show it in the next post

My Grandfather owned Poppylott farm, nearby to the sidings of the same name. Sadly he passed away last year from natural causes, but whilst he was still alive he was still able to remember (although he had dementia) when he used to load produce into the open wagons at the sidings. Being chairman of the local water board, he was given the IRS book about it.

It would make an interesting layout if the PB&SSR* Branch to Nantgwynant was extended by the NWNGRS to get to Bewts and then on to Cerrigydruidon (that's another story*). Maybe another company would later build a branch to Llanberis?

*Ya see lad...

The PB&SSR was to have been built for steam transport anyway, especially once the electrification plan fell through and then Russell had to be bought and the line being built to Rhyd Ddu, this would have been arranged so NWNGRS trains could reach Porthmadog, which was the NWNGR'S pimary concern later on, not so much tourism as it wasn't as popular as they were expecting.

Cerrigydruidon or​ Cerrig y Druidon- This was a plan to build a line between the village and Ruthin, then this would have planned to have been connected by the NWNGRS from Bewts y Coed, this fell through of course.

Very nice 'history', was it a light railway?

Tin turtles/ Armoured Simplexs (sorry!) are great locos especially for a WW1 layout or any other 1918- layout.

I've seen your layout in the magazine. Great! I hope to see more in the future.