Weather Update

We've tried a lot of new things as part of the Minffordd project, such as moving to DCC control and sound, and smaller code track.

It's also the first time we've tried weathering on any of our rolling stock, having always kept anything we bought - or made - looking 'box fresh'.

But like with any new skill you have to practice and develop, but that's a scary prospect when you're dealing with the very latest high-spec models (at high-spec prices!)

So just like with the more ambitious DCC projects I decided it would be best to invest in paying an expert to do it, and having been enormously impressed by the images I saw on his Facebook page I asked Tom Foster to quote for the job.

This morning I was very excited to receive the studio portraits of the what he's done with the locos, and I'm absolutely delighted!

What's great about Tom's service is you can specify precisely how you'd like the model to look.

For the locos I sent away I asked for our Dapol 'Bradley Manor' to look as if the lads at Aberystwyth shed had given it a really thorough going over with some oily rags.

Yes, I know when they did this the locos weren't working the 'coast section' to Pwllheli, but I'm citing Rule 1!

The others I said I wanted to look a lot more like they'd been worked hard without much attention from the cleaners.

The Collett Goods is Himself's favourite - and in nearly every picture I've seen of them at work on the Cambrian they look a lot like this.

This is now getting a very old tooling, dating from the Mainline days at the start of the 1980s, but I remember it being pretty cutting edge back then.

And in my opinion when it's given a really proper finish like this I still think it holds up really well, and the re-engineered Bachmann version we have runs as well as anything else on DCC.

The other two models are bang up to date.

The Dapol 43XX Mogul runs like a peach  (I know, fruit doesn't run...) but it did look unnaturally spotless and shiny out of the box.

I think the dirty look here really shows off the quality of the model so much better.

The same goes for the Hornby Standard 2 2-6-0 MT which is a terrific performer on the layout, but again was too clean for you to suspend your disbelief.

I'm so looking forward to being able to run these on Minffordd at our exhibitions in the autumn, I really do believe they'll lift the whole layout.

Thanks Tom!

Seven Steamers

We’ve completed the loco line up for the show in Glasgow with the sound chipping of the 43XX which was a gift from the Engineering Consultant on the occasion of the layout’s debut last October.

These Churchward moguls probably aren’t the first class which comes to mind when you think of Cambrian steam but there’s plenty of photo evidence of them around the Porthmadog area in the 1960s.

It joins our existing ex-GWR allocation including the maid of all work, the Collett Goods, which is one of those in the stock box awaiting weathering.

Representative of the earliest years of our 1960s period is the Dukedog, a younger-than-it-looks class which was seeing out its final days.

This Bachmann model is limited by being rather light on its feet and can struggle a little with the gradients and drag on our tight curves, so loadings have to be managed carefully.

Making a rare foray up the coast line our iconic Cambrian engine, a Manor.

This period witnessed the changeover to the new Standard classes.

Our trio are made up of the Standard 4MT tender we featured a few days ago. 

The sole tank engine in our fleet, for now, is the 3MT.

And another needs-to-be-dirtied is the 2MT, not to be confused with its near relative the ex-LMS Ivatt design.