Early days on the Afonglas and Nant Llywyd

[laalratty]

Mr Bond posting some pics of the DVLR during construction prompted me to go looking through some of my old photo, backed up to various pen drives and a external hard drives. When I joined the forum, I had literally completed the main circuit of the ANLR the previous month. I had always intended on posting some pics of the construction of my line.....

And now, after 3-and-a-bit years I've finally got round to it!

First up, it's November 2006 and me gassing up Gwydion for the very first time, fresh from collection from Roundhouse the previous day. At this point my line was a tiny circuit that is now the upper ballon loop, a mere 13 yards in length, with vicious curves at each end (the tunnel one being eased eventually in 2008, there is a topic about that project somewhere on here!)

Millies when new can be a bit wild, certainly when run by unexperianced drivers! Here is Gwydion wizzing out of the tunnel light engine

Obviously I had picked the loco up an turned it round, before attaching a train comprised of my brake van and my then new scratchbuilt Welsh highland carriage

A couple of weeks later and I was making efforts to give Gwydion a longer run. This pic shows the trackbed method for most of the line above Afallen, cast concrete in two layers of a screed mix over a more convential mix. The screed just used sharp sand and cement so that it could be drilled into.

January 1st 2007 and the section was complete, running as far as Glan-yr-afon bridge because Afallen hadn't been built yet. Trains ran push pull for alternate runs, a very hair raising operation through the tunnel!

The way ahead at Afallen

Febuary and Afallen station is complete with track. Trains ran round here untill the completed continuous line was opened in December 2007.

The raised section slowly begining to take shape. The loco is my IP Punch Hazil. Note another scratchbuilt carriage has appeared, this one has now left the ANLR though.

Gwydion running round, with the first plants of what is now my slightly famous forest section (well it has appeared on the 16mm association website and the back cover of the November 2010 16mm today!)

By April, the raised section had really took shape, and another scratchbuild carriage had appeared (WHR Gladstone car)
Hope you've enjoyed my ramble down memory lane

[Narrow Minded]

Hope you've enjoyed my ramble down memory lane

Absolutely!
I've sometimes thought about doing a "Then and Now railway series" style photo collection of the line, you know, with the photo's taken from the same viewpoint next to each other?

Looks like you've got some excellent material to do just that

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Lovely! Nice to see a bit of history!

[Sir Clothem Cap]

Great to see the build photos, Well worth the wait

[SLRmidge]

It's good to look back at the early days to see how things have changed.

[DolwyddelanLightRail]

Lovely selection of pics. The only thing i can do at the moment thats simular to that is just look at the different liveries of the locos! Pheonix is currently in her 3rd, Britomart's in her 3rd etc

[laalratty]

Here's another set of pics, covering up to October 2007. By this point I was well into being a member of the North West Area group as well, so I've got some old steamup pics as well somewhere...

June, and the plants are begining to grow, although the garden was still quite a mess!

Back when I still thought "helicopter pilot" pics were a good idea, Gwydion climbs the hill

The very first ANLR steamup, with a grand total of 2 guests! These were LMSjools and SLRmidge. Jools brought his then newly purchased Jane, whilst Midge in all his wisdom bought a baguley, 2 VOR coaches and his Wrekin...

Ah yes, Kittiwake. It barely fitted through the tunnel and took a dislike to the bad joint that was inside it at that time!

Jools however was clever and brought a train that would happily run push pull

A rare view of the generally unseen bit behind the now long gone shed, notice the loco is my Accucraft Caradoc, on its first steaming.

Looking the other way, with Gwydion passing by whilst Hazil shunts the quarry sidings

My 18th Birthday, and a special double header that worked very well. Notice the scene is now pretty much how it is now, with just a few new plants and other subtle changes since

Keith should like this, as believe it or not, the loco is now your "Seagull", in the condition that it first arrived on the Little Morecambe steam railway in.

Finally the last of this lot of pics, my 18th birthday present takes the then latest carriage off the production line, number 5, for a test run. Note in the background the line begining to be extended towards Afonglas, and also more plants apprearing round Afallen.

[Narrow Minded]

Great stuff, keep 'em coming (Nostalgia isn't what it used to be!)

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

excellent, you call that garden a mess, you havn't seen mine!

[laalratty]

The last set from the Nostalgia collection....
I should say that because phase 4 of the railway is well off the ground, I changed from using concrete cast in hardboard shuttering to thermolite blocks laid on their sides, cut as neccesary. Track is screwed straight into the block, without rawlplugs.

By mid October, the both of the bridges in the corner had been completed, and track extended a bit beyond, with trackbed a bit further. By this point my dad had really realised that I was taking this garden railway thing very seriously, and that I wasn't going to give it up in a hurry. So he was doing pretty much all of the trackbed construction at this point whilst I was at school. He had given me a bit of help before this, but I had done most of the work. I still did pretty much all of the trackwork though

Same day, and blockwork had reached the junction for the lower loop

Exactly 1 year since Gwydion's first run, and look at the transformation, with the red and black lining. My first loco, Harry, is in the train as by this point the line terminated in 2 sidings, and I was using Harry to shunt release trains. Harry dosn't have a worm and wheel gear and so can be towed. The grass is from outside Dalegarth cottages beside the ratty, when the siding at Dalegarth was extended!

Gwydion running on what really is a "bare minimum" railway

Gwydion ready to set off up the line. By this time I had learned how to do blockwork properly and so was doing my own work on the trackbed

1st December, one year and one month from the first pic, and I had just completed the blockwork on phase 4. A mass track laying session followed but I didn't run the first train for another week!

Tracklaying complete, and a general view of the greenhouse end of the layout

The first train, in my mind the HMRI inspection....

And then in mid December, the Afonglas and Nant Llywyd Railway was officially opened with a steamup, a small one by present NWAG standards admittedly. Gwydion brings the opening special into Afallen

Another pic of opening day, with SLR north and ANLR Baguleys double heading, and the ex LMS Lady Anne waiting with an up train. Since the opening, I have always held a steamup in December, and occasionally the weather is dry!

Boxing day 2007 and Caradoc brings in a short goods
That rounds off my rambleings. I posted some videos of that opening steamup on youtube, a certain "SillyBillyFR" commented on them and sent me a pm, and the rest is history when I joined the forum in early January 2008!
Now anyone want to see some of the steamup pics?

[Pendo Pilot]

Fantastic pics, nice to see how established lines were started. Always good to get new ideas & just see it built.

I thought about thermalite blocks, how have they stood the test of time?

[laalratty]

I thought about thermalite blocks, how have they stood the test of time?

Been in 3 years and dosn't appear to have been anything nasty happening with them, apart from the odd crack on motar lines where obviously a bit of settlement has taken place

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Wow the line developed quickly!

[90733]

Like the pics, out of curiosty, do you still hve Harry?

[pauly]

I wish my railway was a mere 13 yards long

[laalratty]

Like the pics, out of curiosty, do you still hve Harry?

Yes I do, hasn't been out for ages but I imagine it still works

[90733]

Like the pics, out of curiosty, do you still hve Harry?

Yes I do, hasn't been out for ages but I imagine it still works

Ok, cool, looks like a cool little lococ , is it belt drive or something?

[laalratty]

Well I'd fogotten about this until today, I believe I had mentioned the possibility of some steamup pics
But before that, Harry has normal spur gears in mesh, with a couple of reduction stages between motor and wheels
Anyway...

September 2007, the very first steamup at the Forest Fields Railway. The line conisted of the original short circuit, single track with a single passing loop and a couple of sidings! Here Gwydion and what is now Seagull double head up the steep hill

PTLR cecil's single Fairlie drifts down the other side, on its first run out after fitting a new gas tank as I remember it. Later on it had the connecting rod come off!
Tendered Edrig and train from the Poolend Garden Railway

My Millie proving why it is better then SLRmidge's Edrig! Going up the hill Gwydion buffered up to the back of Curlew's train and helped it up the hill, then at the top Edrig accelerated away and ahead of Gwydion until the bottom of the hill again. This happened for several laps!

Moving on the Pedro de Hooton's Silverdale Light Railway (south) and the first steamup I visited there in June 2007. Midge's Lady Anne is seen at a scene that has changed little really

Funnily enough I have not seen this engine out since this steamup! The carriages don't get used these days either

Same year, but a few months later, and Curlew rattle past the original site of Yealand station

Rush hour at Silverdale Junction, with Guillimot and Seagull double heading and my Caradoc behind

Finally Gwydion, on possibly its last steamup appearance before lining.
I've got more to come from the Little Morecambe steam railway, Silverdale Light Railway (north) and Pine Tree Light Railway

[bungle80a]

Just caught up on this thread. Great to see pics of your line from the construction days!!! Reminds me of all the hours I put in building Geoff's line!!! Look forward to seeing some steam up pics!!! I do like the idea someone mentioned of taking the same shot as an older photo for comparisson!! May attempt it whilst at the PTLR with some of the old shots I have of the line!!

[laalratty]

Another load of nostalgia from the A&NLR archives...

And no better place to start the the very first North West Area Group steamup I attended! This was early June 2007 at LMSjools Little Morecambe Steam Railway. Gwydion crosses the pond hauling three of the four (yes four!) scratchbuilt carriages I had available at the time. I've lost count of how many I have now...

Gwydion steams up the long straight, a view that looks a bit different now with vegetation growth

Lady Adele was Jools only proper steam loco back then a looked a bit plain

Lady Adele calls at Hest Bank

Back in 2007 this used to be Midge's little Willi...

Pedro de Hooton's Excelsior (which hasn't been out for years) passes the MPD.

My Caradoc having it's first run away from home

Visiting Russel exits the cutting

The infamous Devil's curve being climbed by Kittiwake

Caradoc and Lady Adele doublehead in the winter cold

Finally a shot of what is now Seagull around christmas 2007