SteamingWales

A little stock update. eBay had a 20% discount over the weekend so took the opportunity to do a little shopping and scored myself a Bachmann CCE set and Hornby Castle. The CCE set is self explanatory. I've bought it more for the coaches rather than the locos. I'll be splitting the set up! 😯 Coaches will be kept as is, likely sell the 43xx on and possibly model the Manor as one under light maintenance so maybe take the valve gear off and do some surgery so the smoke box door is modelled open 🤔 The Castle was advertised as Spares/Repairs. It looks like the previous owner sat on it and then made some questionable repairs with horrible glue and painted the rods brown? I'll be stealing the tender off it to pair with a Hornby Kidwelly Hall and renumbering to 4084 "Aberystwyth Castle". Strangely Hornby have never produced a Castle with the early inside cylinder block with a BR Late crest and only one (Kidwelly) with early emblem, which has a Hawksworth tender so not accurate for Aberystwyth Castle, hence the need for a doner. And yes, I know Castle's were too heavy for the Cambrian but having "Aberystwyth Castle" is an opportunity too good to miss!

Looking for some advice if possible on the below Just been cutting some holes in the "eastern" fiddle yard section to lay track through and have the current conundrum. Do I make a fancy traverser point or just put a curve in the track and run them parallel with very tight clearances? Operationally locos would come off shed (straight track) over a point (where the tracks cross) and then run back onto the coaling road (curved track). Also an ash train would be a regular movement on the coal road and the odd tool van on the shed road. Are small traversers friendly to short trains or derailment central? The proper way feels like doing a traverser but the easy way is just lay track 🤔

Show me you have been modelling without showing the model

If we do get an announcement at Ally Pally I wouldn't be surprised if it was some LT livered Panniers

My BR liveried examples arrived today 😄 As always very impressed with Rapido's wagons after buying the gunpowder and LMS opens. Only tiny weeny gripe is having to carve up the packaging I'd you want to fit the hybar

Mine haven't arrived yet (Plus I don't have a full layout) Will happily share photos though as they will be the BR versions including Breakdown Red version

Not sure this has been asked yet here. Would these wagons have easily made it onto other railway networks? Thinking through workings onto the Highland Railway (for the Jones Goods to haul) as an example?

One would hope there is a Caly tank on the horizon

Back again with a random post! Just found this photo of Aberystwyth shed taken from a different angle. Looks as though the photographer was on a train arriving/departing Aber. Hopefully I can recreate the view one day, but a nice variety of wagons for a start!

This is the colour version of the photo which the tram from Dapol stated on here they were basing the model on. Appears to be no lining on the tender from what I can see (though they may be using a different photo for reference now)

Anyone with £4000 to spare??? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334547629962?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=LJMOQvC5Siq&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=f0ANt07iS3K&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Is it cheeky to ask if/when we can expect a batch 2 of Manors. Still over the moon with my 3 after 6 months and would happily add a couple more to the collection if the right models were announced!

Does Manors run 2 count? Only other locos I'm interested in are: GWR 2251 retool LMS Stainer 3MT 2-6-2 Modelling the Cambrian network means I am pretty much covered with RTR locos. Rolling stock however, where to begin.....

Surgery time! I've removed all the chunky lamp irons from the loco body and cut the plastic ones away from the tender and replaced these with the Silver Tay Models equivalent along with the smokebox dart The other thing has been to remove the moulded coal and add a real load. The original plan was to add a prototypical coal space but looking at reference photos all the stored 2251s have full tenders so I will initially fill the space with Liquid Gravity and then top it up with coal. No point going to a lot of effort just for it not to be visible at all!

My first victim is the Bachmann GWR 2251. These models are now about 25 years old so are showing their age a little now with moulded and chunky detail that doesn't look very good next to today's models. Admittedly I'm patiently waiting for a manufacturer to retool these models but I have been casually looking for something suitable that could be made to look like a stored locomotive that can be shunted around the shed to represent a loco being put into/take out of storage. In Hattons Black Friday sale there was a BR Black example from the most recent release (2016) listed as a non-runner for only £30 so snapped it up as running examples are fetching upto £90 (how?) The plan for this one now is: -replace moulded smokebox dart with brass -replace chunky front end lamp irons -replace moulded tender lamp irons and grab rails -remove moulded coal load -add extra cab details???????? -renumber to appropriate Cambrian loco -weather and add a sack to the chimney Think that's it 🤔 if anyone has any other suggestions for improvements or experience with a similar project I'd be happy for the help 😁

Hello all Just a heads up I have started a thread in the Modifying RTR section if anyone is interested in work on stock as I thought I would keep it separate from the main build, but I will post finished products here too 👇👇 Link to stock thread 👇👇 Cambrian Shed Rolling Stock Builds

Hello all I've decided to start a separate thread from my main layout build to showcase some of my rolling stock and some of the stock I am working on that will sit on the layout. If your interested in the main project build please look here Cambrian Shed main build Otherwise please critique my efforts to your hearts delight 😅 and any help and feedback is always much appreciated Photo of main layout for aesthetics 😏

Mess made. Time to let this all dry but that is work done for 2023. Time to go back to having 850 Whooper swans as neighbours 🦢🦢🦢

Looking back through the thread I made the start on the ramp in February 😅 Couldn't resist another photo opportunity now the ramp is in as well

Hope everyone has had a good Christmas and knows what day it is in this limbo period before new year 😅 Some good progress has been made with the coal stage ramp with ribbing and initial land forming done. Next thing to do is to add plaster bandage where by that will likely be the last thing I can do as all the plaster will need to dry

Father Christmas came early!!!! I have obviously been a good boy as he brought the new Hornby 2MT and Collett Goods/2251 Class Like many I've been waiting for the 2MT for a while but it has definitely been worth waiting for. Not that my opinion matter, but I would say it is up there with the Accurascale Manors for detail, plus has a nice bit of weight considering how small the loco is. The only real short comings are from it being the last of it "era" in terms of features. Firebox flicker, pre-fitted speakers and a better loco>tender connection and better DCC interface would have benefitted the model but still top notch. Less can be said about the 2251 and I hope that we see a retooled model soon. It was bought in the Hattons 2nd hand Black Friday sale for £30 as a non-runner which I can't complain about as it is the newest (2016) release of the model. Upon investigation the previous owned has completely cut out the DCC chip. The plan for the Collett Goods is to improve some of the details such as lamp irons and smokebox dart and then to model it in a similar condition to that of the loco below and it will serve as a loco in storage, but I will pull the motor out and add so weight elsewhere so it can be shunted around into the sidings behind the coal stage and penned in behind empty coal wagons as a loco in storage and extracted into the running shed so it can be posed either as part way through being put into/brought out of storage

Here are a couple of photos of 78006 out in the wild (and just in time for Christmas 😁)

78006 has just come into stock as I've just paid for my pre-order from TMC 😁

CHRISTMAS ENGINEERING WORKS A bit of a flying visit to the main layout to: 1) plan a bit of work for the Christmas period 2) mess about with Manors 😁 I've started looking again at little jobs that can be done on the main layout whilst at MM and working on the walls around the coal stage steps came to mind so made up a little cereal box card guide which I can neaten up and clad with brick. If all goes to plan it should be "ready to plonk" by next week and then the grand plan is to build the embankment. He says 😅 I also brought back all 3 Manors and it was too tempting not to pull out the shed front from storage and strategically place all 3 on the layout And then make use of a proper photo opportunity. Unfortunately phone camera won't get everything in focus but you get the overall effect.

At least one of my 3 will be for ash disposal on my shed layout. I'll have to study the photos of Aberystwyth yard to see if I can spot any otherwise it's another to ash disposal and the other for merchandise