Focal Point

Every layout has a feature to which the eye is naturally drawn, and a lot of the time these seem to be bridges.

It was certainly the case with Dduallt and I have a feeling it's going to be the same on Minffordd, with the focus of attention being on the arched stone bridge which carries the FR on the top and has the Cambrian passing beneath.

This was our 'zero point' as we mapped out the layout and set the trackbed heights, and Himself has concentrated on building this feature first.

The underlying structure of the bridge was put together with thin plywood and it has been clad with Wills sheets to represent the dressed stone blocks.

Another Wills product, representing rough slate slab walling, is being used for the waist height wall at the far side which separates the FR from the road.

Roughly chopped styrene bits are then glued on top to represent the random slate capping.

Ever the pessimist (or pragmatist?) when it comes to his own engineering, Himself will keep the deck of the bridge as a removable unit in case he has to service his point-moving contraption, or any fault develops with the slow-action point motor which will be buried inside the embankment.

A feature which often goes unnoticed, except by passengers using the Cambrian trains, is the much smaller pedestrian underpass to the left which is the main way of accessing the standard gauge platform, the other being a public footpath which runs right beside the line for a short distance as it descends towards the Traeth.

Minffordd Progress

I've just arrived back from my almost-weekly inspection visits to see the progress Himself is making on the new mini-Minffordd project and thought I would share some images.

A lot of the time - and brain power - so far has been taken up with establishing where the track bed levels need to be set.

This gets quite complex in the yard area where we've got the standard gauge climbing up above the descending Cambrian line as it heads down the hill towards Porthmadog, and the FR tracks in the yard which at some places sit higher than the standard gauge sidings, and in others like the 'coal hole' dive down to the bottom of the baseboards.

Our FR mainline running along the back of the scene will also be built on a grade, and just the real line we've got ours on a 1:80.

So far work has been concentrated on the yard entrance area, and the bridge with the FR above.

Those of you who follow us on our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter  (just search for Bron Hebog) will have seen a video showing the engineering solution he's come up with to power the narrow gauge crossover.

Because of the limitations of our design we've had to slightly relocate where the points go with the result that if we tried to put a motor beneath the northern turnout it would fill the pedestrian underpass!

Next he'll be focussing on extending the Cambrian line along the front edge of the layout where it will pass under a (slightly relocated) road bridge - disappearing out of sight beneath the FR branch helter-skeltering down into Minffordd Yard - and the fanning out into some hidden storage loops.

Yes, it will all be quite compressed, but we hope it will be amusing to watch and engaging to operate.