Level Crossings

This is a busy section of track we're working on.

As well as crossing the river twice there are two occupational crossings of the same farm road to build.

This is the lower one, Cwm Cloch.

This was basically as far as the layout ran when we showed it at Super Power 2013 at Dinas. We had put down a basic covering of undergrowth but there were still details such as the crossing to be completed.

And once the trains have climbed around the big U bend, through the deep Cutting Mawr and passed over the river (again) they come to Bron Hebog crossing.

I like this next picture a lot because it really demonstrates how far the trains climb on their journey around the layout.

The shot is taken from 'behind' the layout. In fact the camera is sitting just at the entrance to the fiddle yard so this is not a view you're ever likely to enjoy at exhibitions.

Bridge Test Run

Himself has finished off the final river bridge at the back of the layout and, almost as an afterthought, decided to check that the stock would fit through without fouling...

One of our Garratts and the obs carr Glaslyn doing the honours there.

The bridge model has been completed with stone wall capping glued on top of the embossed plasticard side walls.

The irony is this is right at the very back on the layout and facing away from the public - you'll probably never see the bridge from this angle again, but at least we've proved it's there.

This is the side the punters get to see which has had the plaster filling added now.

The safety railings and the mesh walkway will be added at a later date.

More Walls & Track Down

The 'head of steel' has finally reached the top end of the layout with the final big loop into the fiddle yard laid at the Rhyd Ddu end.

As well as pinning down the PECO Himself has been fixing many feet of cast stone walls into place with this run along the south bank of the Afon Cwm Cloch...

And also around the farmhouse of the same name...

The actual farmhouse is still a glint in the eye of the Artistic Director (and even that may be overstating the case) but the walls are in place now so we'll just have to hope that it fits in the space Himself has left for it.

I suppose it will just have to....

Last River Crossing

Back at the other end of the layout Himself has been busy making the last of the river bridges which is next to the top level crossing called 'Bron Hebog'.

These were replaced during the reconstruction of the line and cast in concrete with a cosmetic slate facing.

Himself tells me it was quite complicated to make.

This first photo looks as if it's finished but in fact it is just a snap of the dry run to ensure the pieces all fitted.

Here we can see the component parts laid out.

They are made from 3mm ply which is then faced with styrene sheet to replicate the concrete.

Here you can see the wing walls have been covered with Wills coarse stone sheet to represent the cut slate facing.

It'll look very effective once the Artistic Director has done this thing.

There is still a walkway to build on one side of the bridge and the railings will go on much later.

It will also need a little bit of stone walling to finish off the retaining walls at the back.

Kit Development Again

If you follow my Boston Largs Works blog then you'll already know that I'm planning on releasing a fourth SAR freight kit - this time it's not a wagon but a van.

A client asked me to make him a model of the WHR V-16 brake van in its current condition with the windows at one end and the window on the doors covered over

I reasoned that it would make sense, as I was scratch building the parts anyway to make them as masters so I could produce a kit if there proved to be demand for it.

John at the FR shop has confirmed that he would like to have a batch and that was enough for me to commit.

The sides are not symmetrical and so I am having to make two. There will have to be two masters made for the ends as well because only one end has windows.

A new floor / chassis unit will need to be designed as well because the vacuum reservoir is in a different place and the van is wider than the B & DZ wagons, although it is the same length.

You can see in the picture above that one side is more advanced that the other with the L section frame detail added on.

I was unable to get hold of my preferred Evergreen styrene strip for the L section and was up sold a Plastruct alternative at twice the price! Ho hum.

At The Other End

I've been telling you a little fib for all these weeks when I've been describing the boards at the back right corner of the layout - the Rhyd Ddu end - as the last ones we've got to build. In fact there is one more, at the other end beyond Goat Tunnel and heading for the Aberglaslyn Pass.

It wasn't a complete lie because this board has been in use on the layout - it was at the show at Dinas last year - but that's only because it was being used as the temporary southern fiddle yard.

Now the track and the plywood sheet has been pulled off and its ready to be transformed into the final scenic board.

This one will have a simpler 90 degree bend into the fiddle yard rather than the 180 degree U turn at the other end.

When this one's done the basic structure of the layout really will be completed.

Honest!

Would I lie to you, dear reader?

Double Garage

The fourth of our Oberon Wood houses can now be declared complete with the double garage for number 24 completed.

The Artistic Director specified that this very much attached garage should be made as a separate structure. I'm not entirely sure why but I just do as I'm told.

It was very straightforward to assemble apart from the stone cladding on the end which required an evening scratching away with a dental implement.

Here you can see it posed in position next to the house.

Because the ground slopes away in front of the building there is a lot more wall visible at the bottom of the garage compared to the house which is why the house is balanced on a plastic drill box.

The plywood base for this house will be a split-level affair and there will be steps built up in front of the entrance porch and a sloping driveway up to the garage doors which extend well below ground level on the model.