TomJ

Apologies for the hand drawn track plan - away on my phone at the moment. I’ve been toying with the idea of a model based on the end of steam in the Welsh Valleys with a BR and NCB industrial element.

However on a recent visit to the Severn Valley Railway I was rather taken by the Highley station and the mining around there. I then found an article with a track plan AndyY had done about Highley.

I could build the model based on the SVR but the track plan has interest to me and I wondered if it might work as the basis of a Welsh plan?

This would easily work in my scale of N and could be turned into a roundy. I think I’m 8ft I could easily manage 4 coach trains if appropriate and trains of 15 or more mineral wagons which would look ok. I envisage turning it round so at the front the land falls away to the river and behind rises up a hillside and retaining walls to terraced houses etc. The branch leads to a colliery or other NCB facility. Perhaps the NCB locos are allowed to access the goods looo as an exchange siding

What do people who know about the Welsh Valleys think. Could this work as a plan?

Thanks

I think that an A4 plodding along at a few mph forwards and backwards for half a mile on the demonstration line would be one of the sadder sights in preservation.

I do find it mildly amusing when Hattons, Rails, Kernow etc are referred to as the big coporates of the model railway world. True they’re bigger than your local corner shop model shop but not quite in the Amazon or Apple league yet!

I’m still traumatised by the video shown at primary school by the BTP.

He took a short cut across the track and his football boots he was carrying got wedged. He tried to free them. Next seen was the unused boots and kit hanging in his bedroom and him in a wheelchair.

I don’t care what the voltage is - 35yrs later I’m not going anywhere near the live rail!

I’ve just realised this is all covered in the post above! Don’t know why I didn’t see it on the iPhone.

Sorry and please ignore this

I know that we can’t post pictures/images on the forum that we don’t hold the copyright to. But what about images or drawings already posted on the site. Can they be reproduced in another thread?

The scenario I’m thinking of is a layout inspired by a plan Andy Y posted a long while ago. I’d like to include a copy of the plan and rather than draw it out again it would be easier to post the original - with credit of course.

Is this allowed?

Thanks

It just occurred to me - is Fort William the only prototype where the modern diesel terminus actually has more pointwork than the steam era one it replaced?

I hope you don’t mind a mild thread hijack! I was interested in the operation of the old FW station - especially the bit about all trains having to come into the station first - including goods trains. Did they just back as far as the signal box or would they have gone right into a platform to wait for departure? Also how did they back into the station? Where they propelled by the train engine or did a pilot pull them in? Thanks

Can I pick the collective brain for some advice?

I’m planning a micro layout and trying to work out the fiddle yard. Basically two tracks from the layout enter the fiddle yard - which as well as storing trains needs to complete the run round loop - ie trains run on to the layout then the loco runs round and disappears into the fiddle yard to return to the other end of the train.

I’ve already discounted my preferred option a traverser as there doesn’t appear to be the space for the lateral movement.

So the choice is a single track sector plate pivoting between the two tracks or using cassettes. It’s N gauge and the maximum length will be only 15inch or so. My woodworking skills are legendary - legendarily bad!!

What’s peoples options of one or the other? I want the simplest way of optimising operation - but would like the choice of more than one train - though not at the same time necessarily. It seems a sector plate would be smoother operation but perhaps limited to only one train without much handling of stock.

Thanks

Before we get into a moral panic about how wild and feral young people are it’s worth boring that official statistics show this is actually generation sensible. They are drinking less, smoking less, taking fewer drugs and getting arrested less than previous generations.

Also the statistics refer to under 18s trespassing. These people are still children, whatever we might think, so I do think society as a whole has a duty to protect them. Rather than saying let them be as stupid as they want and face the consequences.

Thanks for that advice. I’ve had a look at the ABS Beaver kit and from the pictures it does look finer than the Langley. Sadly it doesn’t seem easy to obtain anymore.

I’ve sourced a Farish 57xx chassis which runs well and should be straightforward(ish!) to cover to DCC. So I’ll order the Langley kit and when there’s any progress I’ll let you all know!

As part of an N gauge kit building project I’m looking at using a 57xx chassis for the base.

The only problem is that I prefer DCC - all my other engines are chipped and I don’t want to go back to DC!

Does anyone have any info about converting this. The ones I’m looking at are the post 2000 Chinese ones built by Bachmann. I’m under the impression it shouldn’t be too tricky but any advice would be great. Space isn’t an issue I think as I’m kit building a larger 56xx so could put the decoder in the cab/bunker

Thanks everyone for your tips and advice. I think I’ve found a possible solution - a Chinese era Farish 57xx, plenty on eBay. And I know the chassis comes off separately from the body.

It’s not DCC fitted but I believe it shouldn’t be too difficult to do. If anyone has any info then please let me know!

Actually getting quite excited about possible kit building........

I've recently discovered a few of my teenage adventures - and actually its rekindled my interest in kit building and bashing!

First off was my N gauge rake of GWR 4 wheeled coaches. Made by chopping up a GraFar suburban coach into two (from 9 compartments to two fours) and mounting them on a PECO 15ft wagon chassis - with a scratch built 'under frame'. I also filled in a few windows with miliput and plasticard to make a 4 wheeled full brake. Pre the internet and Google my main source of information and pictures was the Ratio advert in the Railway Modeller. I then went one step further an butchered a suburban coach into a Dean clerestory.

Twenty five years later I've just rediscovered them as my parents downsized and cleared out the old house. After initially dismissing them I've revived them. A new coat of paint and replacement wheels for the 4 wheelers, and new bogies for the clerestory. Actually with a bit of weathering they don't look too bad, and now form a rake of internal user coaches on the layout

_{I didn't think about the 57xx - I thought the chassis was sort of intergral to the body/tanks so not an options}

_{I'll have a look at DCC supplies.....}

I'm pondering a layout set in South Wales in the 50s/60s for my next project - so a 56xx 0-6-2 tank would be really good to have

The problem is I model in N gauge, and DCC to complicate things, and theres no rtr model. There is a Langley whitemetal kit that looks rather nice when built.

The big issue for me before I take the plunge and buy one is the chassis. This was originally designed to fit on the old Farish 08 chassis, with the inside frames. Obviously this has now been superseded by the new model with the correct frames

It occurs to me that the 64xx has a similar wheelbase and spacing. And is DCC ready to go. Has anyone taken the body off the chassis? If so does it look like it might be feasible? The alternative is to source a second hand 08 - any ideas how easy this is to convert to DCC

Thanks if anyone can help on a somewhat specialist, esoteric topic!!

I presume we can take it as read that we a have huge sympathy for those who work on the railways and those who deal with this sort of stuff

I know many people don’t care about those who died or what they were doing. But at the end of the day they were still someone’s son. Three families, who do care, are burying their sons. Something most of us hope never to do.

Has anyone any information about N Drive Productions? I’m interested in one of the 0-4-0 chassis for an N gauge peckett. However I haven’t had any response from email or via their website. It looks like the website hasn’t been updated for a while.

Anyone know if they’re still going and any way of contacting? Thanks.

Thanks. The layout is based on an NCB exchange sidings in South Wales so an Austerity would be pretty useful. There is a kit for the Peckett but I’ve had no luck sourcing the chassis

I’m not asking for detailed updates or timescales but with the cancellation of the class 17 I wondered how/if this would affect the plans for the J94 in N. Is this still planned to go ahead?

I’m asking because I’m thinking of a new layout for which an industrial tank is pretty much essential. So I don’t want to start cutting wood if this isn’t going ahead.

Thanks

Is there a reason why you can’t start a topic in the DJM section? It seems to be unique to them.

I’ve a question id like to ask that doesn’t really fit in with the existing topics.

Just interested really

Googling the Mountain Ash system I’ve come across the loading point for Penrikyber Colliery. If I’ve got it right it seems like that was a loading point and the coal was transferred by conveyer from the colliery across the river. If that’s correct then a loading hopper might fit quite well. Photos of it seem hard to come by

That all seems a bit big to me.

Might stick to the exchange sidings!

I don’t think so - the WR classified them as passenger locos so lined them. Certainly can’t find any pictures if they did. It seems that towards the end of steam a few lines green locos got repainted green but without the lining.

But they did appear in unlined black which is perhaps the easiest livery to repaint. Even I’ve managed that.

Also they never appeared in the mixed traffic lined black.

I grew up in Bracknell. As a result there will be NO roundabouts anywhere on the layout! And having spent two years driving down to Cardiff to visit MrsJ I do not have fond memories of the Coryton Interchange!

I’ve now pretty much googled every image of ‘South Wales Colliery Railways’ I can - loads of inspiration. Are there any books on the railways anyone can recommend?

One of my real interests is modelling the buildings and I find myself strangely drawn to industrial locations in bleak or rural locations. Hence my earlier layout based on the china clay works in Cornwall. So if I ever extend I would love the challenge of building a small colliery itself. This is what I’m struggling finding photos that explain the general layout of the buildings/shafts/headstock/screens etc. Can anyone point me in the right direction of some general drawings explaining it?

Thanks everyone - there’s no way I’d have got anywhere near this far with the planning without all your input