Garden Railway Forum

Looks excellent Andrew! Despite being MDF mr Sharples does make some good stuff! I'm making two of his Simplex locomotives at the moment and they're very easy and well thought out!
I have a Slater's Ashbury being painted for a group member, I'm basing it off of yours (but using NWNGR red). FRHG are doing a series on liveries at the moment so it'll be interesting if they do anything on the red livery.

Morning all,

They seem to be getting careless down at the carriage works, and had left the "Mystery Carriage" poking out of the shed this morning:


There's clearly progress being made, but something's not quite right... Those windows are the right size and shape for Welsh Highland carriages - but they're in the wrong order! Is that why the works staff are being so secretive? Are they just embarrassed because they've misread the plans?!

More news as I get it...

Andrew.

Andrew wrote: ↑Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:23 am Are they just embarrassed because they've misread the plans?!

Dunno, but if they've got enough muscle to stretch that laccy band right round the coach, then I ain't asking!

philipy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 13, 2020 3:38 pm

Andrew wrote: ↑Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:23 am Are they just embarrassed because they've misread the plans?!

Dunno, but if they've got enough muscle to stretch that laccy band right round the coach, then I ain't asking!

Yep, that's why I've never dared to venture into the shed!

It's a miracle they got it poking out of the shed, it's very close to the top of the door frame....
Bit of magic done there one feels hey Andrew..

FWLR wrote: ↑Mon Dec 14, 2020 7:28 am It's a miracle they got it poking out of the shed, it's very close to the top of the door frame....

Yeah, it's almost like whoever made the shed knocked it up in a hurry and didn't allow for the height of the track?! Let's hope they don't want to put any lamp fittings on the roof!

Andrew wrote: ↑Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:25 am Yeah, it's almost like whoever made the shed knocked it up in a hurry and didn't allow for the height of the track?! Let's hope they don't want to put any lamp fittings on the roof!

Now that's an all-too-familiar mistake on my part..

Wouldn't have a clue about Welsh rollingstock, but I'm enjoying watching the tale of the "Mystery Coach" unfold. Those coal trucks look just right, too.

Andrew wrote: ↑Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:25 am

FWLR wrote: ↑Mon Dec 14, 2020 7:28 am It's a miracle they got it poking out of the shed, it's very close to the top of the door frame....

Yeah, it's almost like whoever made the shed knocked it up in a hurry and didn't allow for the height of the track?! Let's hope they don't want to put any lamp fittings on the roof!

...................................

Hello!

It's the last day of my Christmas break, which has been fantastic - railway-wise, I didn't get quite as much done as I'd thought I might, but I was please with these wagon loads:

They're part of my plan for more realistic goods operation, and are simply expanded foam cut to shape and with suitable loads glued on top - each has a screw in the top to enable them to be removed with a magnet. The five coal loads are complete, but I ran out of gravel for the bogie open granite load. The other three granite loads are for my next wagon project - the cart before the horse! The bare white one is for another load I've just remembered was carried by the WHR, details to follow...

The C&W team seem to have been busy too (no Christmas leave for them!) and appear to have completed matchboarding the "Mystery Carriage" - perhaps we can expect a test run soon? After they've mended the shed door, of course...


Cheers all,

Andrew.

Thats looking very neat Andrew. My breath is bated!

Loving those wagon loads and the fact they can be easily swapped about utilising the wagons full potential as per prototype. I used bath sponges, 35p from a local Pound Shop. I just nip the top to remove them. Here's an I.P. WD open wagon with a load of sand, which is actually not sand! I just carved the sponge with scissors then slapped on some Humbrol Brick Red. I have coal and gravel loads made the same way but with pink and white sponges! Posh. Love the very teasing view of the new coach too, partly hidden by the shed door!

Andrew,

Those wagons look fantastic! The bogie open looks exactly the way I remember the one (two?) lying at Beddgelert in the late sixties. The loads look incredibly realistic and 'fill' the wagons 'properly' (i.e. no gap between the load and the wagon side) It's a great step toward realistic operations.

Pippindo,

That sand load looks more realistic than real sand! I'm so impressed. There isn't much call for sand traffic on my line but I'm going to have to invent a building project somewhere along the way to justify having one myself - always assuming I can come somewhere close to replicating your excellent example.

Great work fellas.

CFLR Andrew

Soar Valley Light wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 8:48 pm
The loads look incredibly realistic and 'fill' the wagons 'properly' (i.e. no gap between the load and the wagon side)

Ah. That's very kind of you, but the apparent lack of a gap is largely down to camera angle - some of the loads are quite "gappy"! Painting the edges of the blocks helps though - and the gaps make it easier to take them in and out, which I'm keen on...

The glue's drying on the last load, photo soon...

I like the ridges on the sand load. Adds to the realism.

Rik

Your matchboard coach is looking really superb Andrew, a job I like doing myself has you have seen with some of my builds. There is a certain relaxation about using matchboard for models that is something which is mostly rewarding when you sit back and say to yourself,

"I made that"

Hello!

As promised, here's an update - if this looks like a load of cr*p, then I've got it about right:


A little research showed that back in pre-preservation days the Welsh Highland sometimes used to carry manure - which I've (hopefully!) replicated with a compost/PVA mixture and some old brush bristles.

I'd assumed that manure would have been being transported from the local farms to fertilise barren city parks and flowerbeds, but it seems it was the other way round - cities, full of horse-drawn carts etc, were desperate to get rid of the stuff. I'd thought too that it would have travelled in sacks, but it appears that mineral wagons, like this one, were used, much more fun to model!

For now I've completed my ultra low-cost (no cost!) wagon load project with a tool to retrieve the loads - the end of a magnetic dart that came with a kids' dartboard, glued into a length of garden cane:


Poo sticks, anyone???

Andrew.

I'm going to have to produce something similar for the Boneworks. For some reason, they also collected piles of manure as well as carcases. Maybe it was something to do with the production of fertiliser??

Rik

Looks so convincing I can smell it from here!

Puts a whole new aspect to the term 'train movements'!

Fantastic stuff Andrew and very effective too.

CFLR Andrew

Fantastic idea Andrew.

So much can be achieved with a little bit of imagination. It's getting to be a lost art....