This week…. Ballasting!

Yep, it’s that mundane task that we all have to go through at some point. Maybe it’s because I’ve only got a smallish single track layout, but I’ve actually enjoyed it. I tried out a couple of methods on a test piece but in the end went with the old and tested method of applying …

Have a Brake? Have a Ki…. Pipe Wagon

While the hordes flock to Warley this weekend to froth and dribble over the latest releases, I decided to focus on the workbench. I picked up a Bachmann Pipe and Tube wagon earlier in the year, before I knew whether I could actually use them. Thankfully, after discussing this matter with an ex railwayman who worked …

Operating the full layout….properly!

Today has been an eventful one! This afternoon I took delivery of the Cwm Prysor Fiddleyards from Tim Horn. Things didn’t go as smooth as hoped initially, regarding mating the boards to the main layout…..eventually though, we got there. Here is how things look now! Blaenau Ffestiniog/Trawsfynydd Fiddleyard below. The cassettes are split into loco, …

Welsh Odyssey Part 1

As I type, I am now settled into my rather cosy B&B for the night at Trawsfynydd. Today has been rather enjoyable, meeting up with my friends John Roberts (former signalman on the Bala-Blaenau branch and Ruabon – Barmouth lines), Martin Williams (author of the super Ruabon to Barmouth Line Book) and Derek Lowe (another …

Cwm Prysor – Fully Wired!

Good Morning all! Very brief update. The layout is now fully operational! I’m extremely pleased I’ve managed to do it (wiring was something I didn’t think I’d be able to do) and with some advice from Ken Gibbons and Andy Jones, the process wasn’t as difficult as I thought. Below is a quick video I …

The Finishing Touches

With a great deal of time off during the Summer, I’ve thrown myself in to more goods stock for Cwm Prysor. The LMS vans I built several months ago, are now in Bauxite and two of them are now finished. I focussed on D1978 first, which was built from a Ratio body, Parkside under frame, with Lanarkshire …

Enjoying the Hobby

Apologies for the rather ‘basic’ title of this blog, but it sums up how I’m feeling at the point. I have now finished the landscaping on the other board that runs behind the railway. I’m rather pleased with the results from this, which was probably the hardest task landscape wise. The landscaping in front of the …

Back on Track

‘Schools out for summer!’ the lyrics go, and my start to the Summer has been a nasty stomach bug. One week on, and I’m still not quite over it, but I’m getting there. It’s funny the psychological effect something like this can have on you. Last weekend I felt like giving up the whole hobby, …

Toad in the Hole

I’ve finally got around to working on that very Great Western of all things, a Toad Brake Van. This isn’t anything fancy, it’s just a simple repaint with minimal detailing. Previous models I have found have been a pain to get into and due to excess glue, I have snapped stanchions off the body, so …

74XX crewed and ready for Cwm Prysor

I’m currently full of a cold, and just thankful I’ve caught it while it’s the weekend, before I start back at work. It’s inevitable in my job, and there have been plenty of kids sneezing and coughing in my proximity this last week or so. So while feeling like ‘death warmed up’ I decided to …