Moelwyn Returns!

I'm delighted to be able to report that Moelwyn has returned unscathed from its 800-mile round trip in the post.

Our vintage Meridian-kit model of the FR's venerable Baldwin Tractor has undergone a surgical operation for a motor transplant and a digital 'pacemaker'.

In other words it's now DCC sound fitted.

The operation was carried out by our respected surgeon, Sven, at Tramfabriek, and I cannot speak highly enough about the speed and quality of service we've received.

The Mashima motor which it was fitted with, and which filled all the space under the bonnet, has been replaced with a very small coreless motor, which has left room for the Zimo sound chip and a stay alive pack.

This has historical precedent in that the real Moelwyn had its original petrol engine replaced with a Gardner diesel when the FR was being revived to make it a more economical and useful machine.

The speaker has been lodged underneath the cab roof and is only really visible if you look at the model from below, which few people at an exhibition are likely to do.

The Royal Mail should also get a shout out for safely and swiftly getting Moelwyn there and back.

I did fork out for their premium Special Delivery service but in my view it was worth every penny when dealing with a genuinely priceless model.

Keep an eye on our social media channels and I'll soon be posting a clip of it in action so you can see and hear it in action.

Your first opportunity to see it live will be at the Ayr MRG exhibition in Troon (Ayrshire, Scotland) on 19th / 20th September.

Mute Moelwyn No More - Hopefully

I am not one of life's gamblers.  

If you needed to stick a label on me it would definitely be the one marked 'Risk Averse'.

So you can probably imagine it was a 'moment' to entrust our precious Moelwyn to the care of our elite posties for a 400 mile trip across the UK to see a man who's kindly offered to help convert it for DCC operation with sound for use on Minffordd.

Were it a model one could buy off-the-shelf then if anything unfortunate happened one could simply curse one's luck and dip into the piggy bank for a replacement.

Sadly, it's not the case with a kit built loco such as our trusty Baldwin Gas Mechanical.

This excellent kit has been in production from time to time over the years, but I reckon I've seen more Backwoods Garratts come up for sale that one of these - and that's saying something!

So it really was a leap of faith to hand that parcel over!

I'm pleased to say it has arrived, safety, and on time  (well done, Royal Mail!) and I'm told it will be going into the workshop imminently.

The challenge with this model is not simply wiring in a chip and speaker - first it will be necessary to make room for them.

At the moment all that space under the bonnet is taken up with a (superb) Mashima motor.

The idea is to replace that with something much, much smaller.  Probably in the shape of a shiny coreless cylinder, which will buy some space for the digital gubbins.

How much space is the question which will only be answered when work starts.

It may be that other places will have to be found to hide the speaker or stay alive as much out of sight as is possible.

However, for now, it's just good to know that we're taking action on something we've wanted to make happen for quite a while now.

I look forward to being able to post progress updates soon.

Waiting Its Turn

Moelwyn spent the weekend in Glasgow as a static exhibit, once again, lurking at the doorway into the goods shed.

This vintage Baldwin 'tractor ' - a veteran of the First World War - is a loco we have yet to adapt for DCC control, but I'm hoping that can change in time for the next time we have the layout running in Porthmadog in May.

The difficulty is there is nowhere immediately obvious to stuff all the gubbins - the chip, stay-alive capacitor, and speaker - with it hidden from view.

At the moment most of the space inside the bonnet is taken up by the Mashima motor.

I am told that it is possible to retro-fit a very small coreless motor which will create just enough space to hide all the kit and I am seeking advice from those in the know.

The other question is what to use for a sound file.  

As well as its vintage Gardner diesel engine Moelwyn has a very distinctive, rhythmic whine from its gearbox at speed.  

Again, I have hopes that one of our friends with all the right kit will be able to assist us with this.

How useful Moelwyn will prove to be is an open question.

It's built from a Meridian etched brass kit, so it's not featherweight like a 3D print would be, but it still doesn't have the heft of a white metal casting.

What we do know is that on Dduallt it is capable of hauling a couple of carriages up the hill, which is similar to what Britomart can do, so hopefully on Minffordd it will be able to drag a couple of wagons at a time up the ramp from the depths of the yard.

Hopefully, before to long, we will be able to find out.

Waggon Tracks

Lilla will be one of the models getting a first run on Dduallt at an exhibition this weekend, having only been completed last year, long after the layout was last shown.

It's been used to give our slate waggon rake a test on the layout, here seen double heading with Moelwyn (one of my favourite models).

I'm told that Lilla is able to haul the full rake around the spiral unassisted, which is rather impressive for a very lightweight 3D printed body, I think.

The slate waggons are starting to show their age.

They're made from Dundas plastic kits and some of them are getting on for 30 years old, and inevitably that material starts to get brittle as it ages.

This is manifesting itself around the axle boxes which are the most vulnerable parts of the model.

Himself is taking about a rolling replacement programme for the fleet.

We shall see.