Spoony McSpoonface

We had an unexpected new item of rolling stock to play with - The Boat!

For those who are not familiar with Festiniog Railway heritage this is, indeed, a genuine vehicle, and at special events you can still see it being used - or at least a modern replica.

The original 'Boat' was a whimsical inspection car designed by, and for, the Spooner family's use.

Mostly it gravitated down the FR line in the same was as its famous slate trains, but it also had a sail and a mast so it could travel independently along the flat 1-mile embankment known as 'The Cob' at the bottom end of the line.

This model is a 3D print which was gifted to us last week by one of our operating team at the Porthmadog show.

Himself has replaced the printed axles and wheels with metal ones so it is able to run, and fitted a coupling at the back - or should I say aft? - so it can be attached to the end of trains, which is how the real one is taken up the FR line on its rare outings.

The original vehicle met is end - the the owner damn-near did, too!- when it free-wheeled into a collision with an Up train in 1886 south of Dduallt, when Mr Spooner decided to set off down the line without the train staff which would guarantee he wasn't going to meet something coming the other way.

And, inevitably, he did!

Opportunities for 'sailing' the Boat ourselves appear to be limited, at least in public,

The replica was not built until 2005 so it has no place on Minffordd, and there's no likelihood of it ever venturing onto the Welsh Highland for it to be used on Bron Hebog.

(Aside from the fact that Bron Hebog is unlikely to appear again at an exhibition, anyway.)

But if the mood takes us to unpack Dduallt for a nostalgic running session at home it is possible the Boat may be taken for a spin.

In The Carriage Works Again

I didn't see this one coming but I've spent the last couple of weeks working on scratch building a carriage again.

What you are seeing in the picture is one side and one end of carriage 24, a replica of a North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways 'Summer Carriage' which was built at Boston Lodge almost 25 years ago.

If you've been following this blog or have come to see Bron Hebog in the years when it was going to exhibitions you might be thinking at this point, hang on, I'm sure you've got one of those already?

You're right, we do.

But now we need to make another one.

I can't say why, or at least for the moment I can't.

Our brand has always been 'doing things the hard way', and my way of tackling a carriage like 24 is no exception!

Every stick of those matchboard sides is stuck on individually. 

At a rough guess there must be around 150 of them, and that's without all the bits of door framing, the droplights and other bits of raised detailing.

It took around a fortnight to get one side done!

I'm not saying I'm getting impatient as I get older, but I'm not up for doing that twice if I don't have to.

So this time for my replica-of-a-replica I'm going to see what happens if I use this first side as a master to make a silicone mold from, and try making resin cast sides.

With so much detail it's likely that the mold will soon lose its fidelity and after a couple of castings some of the matchboard detail will become blocked.

But if I can get two good casts from it out of the initial resin pours then I hope it'll be an easier way of making the basic carriage body.

And if not I've lost two weeks - and a lot of increasingly expensive styrene strip - which I won't get back....

Minffordd Movie

Perhaps rather like an artist attempting a self-portrait, taking good pictures and videos of your own layout is surprisingly hard, in my experience.

I suspect a lot of that may because after years designing and constructing it you are simply too familiar with the subject.

Someone who is seeing it for the first time may find the viewpoints and angles which you have overlooked.

(They may also have better equipment or, quite simply, possess more talent and creativity...)

Therefore, I always welcome it when people watching our layout take photos and videos and are willing to spend the time to edit and share them.

Over the years FR volunteer Matthew Hall has produced some terrific videos of our former layouts Dduallt and Bron Hebog and I'm delighted that he has done it again for Minffordd following his visit to the show in Porthmadog at the weekend.

This is without a doubt the best footage I have yet seen of the layout.

It is a generous feature-length production of a full half-hour so grab yourself a drink, and maybe something to nibble on, then click, sit back and enjoy!

"My Grandfather Went To Work On That!"

The best part of exhibiting a layout a real place near that place is hearing the comments and stories from the people who have a connection with it.

That's one of the reasons we were so much looking forward to bringing Minffordd to Porthmadog this weekend, as well as the chance to catch up with old friends on the FR.

One of the people watching today pointed at the Wickham trolley and told us his us his grandfather from Talsarnau use to be a ganger on the Cambrian Coast Line in around the time we have modelled it and says he used to tell stories about travelling out to work sites on the trolley kept at Porthmadog.

Another visitor told us how he was once a loco fireman based at Pwllheli and recalled how tricky it was to re-start trains from Minffordd on a wet day with the tricky combination of a steep gradient and sharp curve on the line.

Someone very local, who lives right in a house right beside the FR there, was hugely complimentary about the layout, along with many current and former FR volunteers who came along, and it's comments like those which really make the years of dedication which go into to project like this worthwhile.

The second day was a lot more relaxing, with the crew well into the routine of running the layout, and we were grateful to have the assistance of some long-time acquaintances, one of whom was visiting from the other side of the world, and another who's day job is to run the real Cambrian Coast Line, so it was amusing to see if they could manage any better in model form....

Minffordd won't be on show again until the autumn, but there'll be plenty of modelling work to be getting on with, including, I hope, finally getting a DCC chip and speaker into Moelwyn once I finally discover the secrets of how it's been done before.

Keep an eye on our social media pages over the next week or so where we'll be sharing some video clips of the layout in action over the weekend.

"This Takes Me Right Back!"

That was perhaps the most gratifying compliment we heard on day 1 of the exhibition organised by the FR in Porthmadog today as we took Minffordd to the spiritual homeland for the first time, and facing its most knowledgeable audience yet.

The comment, if he will forgive me for revealing, came from the former FR track supremo Fred Howes, a man who's probably spent decades of his life in Minffordd Yard, starting in the 1960s, and if there was an acid test for whether we've captured the look and feel of the place it's his opinion which counts for most.

The show has been very well attended, so far, and there's been a terrific relaxed atmosphere.

That's probably just as well given that we are short-staffed on the operating front due to unforeseen circumstances this weekend.

The layout has performed as well as we could have hoped.  

The investment in 'frog juicers' seems to have cut back on many of the short circuit incidents which plagued the Cambrian side of the layout during the latter stages of the 3-day show in Glasgow.

The Simplex, Mary Ann, disgraced itself again, as it did in Falkirk, throwing a digital wobbly and refusing to move, while still making all the noises. (Much like the real thing, some might say.)

It had to stay parked in a siding until the end of the day when we were able to remove all the other narrow gauge locos as use the layout as a programming track to reset the chip.

The 'bulked-up' Dukedog was able to do some useful work on the Cambrian Coast Express set this time, which has given me the confidence to consider investing in a suitable headboard for future shows.

Yard shunting has not been entirely hands-free with some stubborn Kadees refusing to release or reconnect on demand at times, requiring some 'hand of God' intervention.

It would appear all the sidings at Porthmadog are full because the long road above the 'coal hole' was used to store empty gunpowder wagons for much for the day.

The 6 hours the show was open went by in a flash. 

By this time tomorrow, as I post, it'll be all packed-up again and ready to haul back up the road to Scotland.

Strathspey Is The Reel Deal

May is turning into a very busy month for us!

Ahead of taking Minffordd on the road again later this week for the show in Porthmadog we squeezed in a weekend visit to the  jewel in Scotland's heritage railway crown, the Strathspey Railway.

This was a 'bucket list' trip for Himself, another treat to mark a significant birthday and a rare opportunity for all his children and grandchildren to get together - which happens rarely as we're at opposite end of the country.

To make the occasion extra special we'd arranged to travel in the 'Directors Saloon' , which is the brand name the railway attaches to a package to hire one end of its ex-LMS inspection saloon for the round trip complete with some light refreshments and attentive service from an on-board host.

Many heritage railways across the UK are fortunate to have examples of these type of carriages and they really are the best way to travel in comfort and privacy and views all around.

And what views!

Leaving aside the FR and WHR - natuarally - the Strathspey Railway most boast the most expansive and impressive views on any heritage railway in the UK, with the a stunning vista towards the Cairngorm mountains as the train runs through open country towards the current terminus at Broomhill.

This small station comes with such an idyllic back drop it's not surprising its often been used for shooting scenes in TV dramas, most notably disguised as 'Glenbogle' in the worldwide hit 'Monarch of the Glen.'

More recently the line's immaculately-presented middle station, Boat of Garten, features in the UK version of 'The Traitors'

As many of our blog readers will know there is also an FR connection here, because Boat of Garten is where the legendary GM Allan Garraway retired to, playing a role consolidating and developing the Strathspey Railway, an entertaining (and challenging) visitors to his home with operating sessions on his O gauge railway.

What impressed me most on our visit to the Strathspey, aside from the immaculate presentation and the stunning scenery, was the faultless customer service, friendliness and professionalism from everyone involved in running the railway.

During the layover at Aviemore, before departure, the loco crew on Ivatt class 2 46464 seemed happy to invite passengers who showed an interest to climb into the cab, answer their questions and chat.

In our saloon the staff could not have been more attentive and helpful, keeping tea and coffee flowing, explaining what to expect from the journey and offering some historical context, as not forgetting the the more pragmatic details like where to find the private toilet compartment!

When it transpired there was a surplus of sandwiches left over from the party in the other saloon (who'd booked the afternoon tea package) they were brought through to our half of the carriage as an unexpected bonus!

Small touches, but they leave such a marvellous impression.

For a visitor experience it could not be faulted. And for an enthusiast who is wondering if it is worth what is likely to be a round tip of several hundred miles from most of the UK population, the answer is most definitely yes!

Where else - apart from our dear Boston Lodge Works - are you likely to see an historic engine shed like the one at Aviemore, which is nearing its 130th anniversary and still performing its original function?

Historic Environment Scotland list it as: "The finest surviving locomotive shed in Scotland".

I don't think there is anyone who would disagree with that.

Rolling Along

How you're going to get your layout in and out of a show venue is not always high on the list of considerations when its designed.

In our experience it's one of those thing you adapt and improvise as you go along.

Over the years we've progressed from purely manual handing, deploying a squad of operators to lift and carry boards over long distances, and even up and down flights of stairs, to investing in a heavy-duty barrow to wheel sections of layout into the venue.

But with Minffordd being transported by car, instead of a hired van, we've found it's a struggle to find space for the barrow in a situation where every square inch is prisoner.

As so often a potential solution emerged out of a chance conversation at the weekend.

Chewing over the logistics of getting the layout into the venue at Porthmadog next weekend we wondered whether it would be worth investing in a small skate trolley, which would be easier to fit in one of the cars.

Which is when Himself had another of his brainwaves.

About ten years ago he made a small folding 'train set' board for my son.

In typical Himself fashion it was built on a robust 2x1 frame and he had fitted casters so it could be easily slid into the space beneath his bed when it wasn't being played with.

What if - he wondered - we removed those casters and attached them directly to one of the boards which hold the two main sections of Minffordd together for transport?

It rolls around well enough in the garage at home, I'm told.

Now there are two big tests.

How well will it work to push it in and out of a venue, across a tarmac car pack and whatever steps and bumps there are in the way.

And with the whole package now being another 7cm longer will it still fit in the back of my car?