The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

A place for the discussion of garden railways and any garden style/scale portable and/or indoor layouts
User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6497
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by ge_rik » Fri Jun 22, 2018 4:14 pm

Andrew wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:47 pm ... Bloomin' ribbit counters...
Nice one !!! :lol:

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

User avatar
daan
Fireman
Fireman
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:25 am

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by daan » Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:51 pm

The ribbit counter ( :lol: ) is in for a Darwin award having such a big mouth on that spot of the railway.. :lol:
"En schöne Gruess" from an Alpine railway in Holland.

User avatar
tom_tom_go
Driver
Driver
Posts: 4824
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:08 am
Location: Kent, UK
Contact:

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:12 pm

Toadally!

bazzer42
Driver
Driver
Posts: 1215
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2012 1:37 pm
Location: Forest of Dean

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by bazzer42 » Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:23 am

How lovely, Mrs B found one in the garden Wednesday...I assume the neighbours heard the scream as it hopped across her foot. It had disappeared by the time I got there so those lovely pictures are nice compensation.

User avatar
philipy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 5033
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:00 pm
Location: South Northants

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by philipy » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:47 am

My other half talks to them! She goes out in the evening with a torch to look for them. She found 27 a few weeks ago. If the back door is left open on a rainy evening we sometimes find them hopping around indoors!
Philip

User avatar
daan
Fireman
Fireman
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:25 am

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by daan » Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:26 pm

You could try and kiss one, may be something decent comes out of it.. :lol: :lol:
"En schöne Gruess" from an Alpine railway in Holland.

User avatar
Andrew
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3247
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:33 pm
Location: Bristol, UK
Contact:

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon Jun 25, 2018 4:09 pm

daan wrote: Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:26 pm You could try and kiss one, may be something decent comes out of it.. :lol: :lol:
I might do that - it might turn into a Prince, and the line could do with one of those...

Image

Cheers!

Andrew.

User avatar
IanC
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 798
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:15 am
Location: Nr. Warrington, Cheshire

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by IanC » Mon Jun 25, 2018 4:16 pm

Andrew wrote: Mon Jun 25, 2018 4:09 pm
daan wrote: Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:26 pm You could try and kiss one, may be something decent comes out of it.. :lol: :lol:
I might do that - it might turn into a Prince, and the line could do with one of those...

Image

Cheers!

Andrew.
:thumbright: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Ian

User avatar
daan
Fireman
Fireman
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:25 am

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by daan » Wed Jul 11, 2018 6:54 pm

That would be one steamy relationship then.. :lol:
"En schöne Gruess" from an Alpine railway in Holland.

User avatar
Peter Butler
Driver
Driver
Posts: 5219
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:33 pm
Location: West Wales

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Peter Butler » Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:56 pm

That is a beautiful photograph of 'Prince', a loco I particularly admire and which is always so well turned out, however, if you bought an accurate scale model, complete with all panel ripples and imperfections, you would complain to the makers and ask for a refund. Strange isn't it?
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

User avatar
IanC
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 798
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:15 am
Location: Nr. Warrington, Cheshire

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by IanC » Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:21 pm

Peter Butler wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:56 pm That is a beautiful photograph of 'Prince', a loco I particularly admire and which is always so well turned out, however, if you bought an accurate scale model, complete with all panel ripples and imperfections, you would complain to the makers and ask for a refund. Strange isn't it?
Quite true Peter. We seek perfections in our models, which don't exist on the full sized ones.

Ian
Last edited by IanC on Fri Jul 13, 2018 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ian

Just Julie
Cleaner
Cleaner
Posts: 98
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:48 pm
Location: West Wales

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Just Julie » Fri Jul 13, 2018 9:29 pm

lovely :sunny:

User avatar
Andrew
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3247
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:33 pm
Location: Bristol, UK
Contact:

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon Jul 16, 2018 2:06 pm

IanC wrote: Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:21 pm Quite true Peter. We seek perfections in our models, which don't exist on the full sized ones.
I know what you mean, although I find that when I make the first mistake on a project, as well as disappointment I often also feel considerable relief... Once perfection's out of the question I can accept imperfection much more happily!

Cheers,

Andrew.

User avatar
IanC
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 798
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:15 am
Location: Nr. Warrington, Cheshire

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by IanC » Mon Jul 16, 2018 7:52 pm

Andrew wrote: Mon Jul 16, 2018 2:06 pm
IanC wrote: Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:21 pm Quite true Peter. We seek perfections in our models, which don't exist on the full sized ones.
I know what you mean, although I find that when I make the first mistake on a project, as well as disappointment I often also feel considerable relief... Once perfection's out of the question I can accept imperfection much more happily!

Cheers,

Andrew.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Ian

User avatar
Andrew
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3247
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:33 pm
Location: Bristol, UK
Contact:

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:59 am

Hello!

Over the weekend I found some time to get out into the garden and undertake some long overdue maintenance on the line. All did not go quite according to plan...

The main task (I so I thought) was to re-affix the slate cladding to the decking planters that form the landscape that separates my upper and lower termini - the hot weather seemed to have dried out the glue near the tunnel mouth, and the cladding had fallen onto the track:

tunnel 1.jpg
tunnel 1.jpg (399.12 KiB) Viewed 6431 times

Unfortunately, on closer inspection, the decking in question proved to be so rotten that it simply pulled away from the screws:

tunnel 2.jpg
tunnel 2.jpg (365.19 KiB) Viewed 6431 times

I removed the remaining plants, dug out the soil, and discovered that the board behind was in much the same way:

Tunnel 3.jpg
Tunnel 3.jpg (410.08 KiB) Viewed 6431 times

As was the exterior ply that formed the "roof" of the tunnel mouth:

tunnel 4.jpg
tunnel 4.jpg (362.91 KiB) Viewed 6431 times

I knew they'd go eventually, but I had naively hoped they'd last a little longer... Pulling off most of the worst affected wood allowed me to reach in and find that the boards supporting Clarach station seem to be in much better shape, for now at least. They're not in direct contact with the soil and are protected from above by roofing felt, so I should get another year or two out of them, should I wish to. I'm still undecided on that - whether to make do and mend for a while, or to take it all out and have a re-think...

To buy time for now, get trains running and make the area look less of an eyesore I spent 10 minutes (if that!) cobbling together something that looks a little better (?!!) by propping up some of the old slate cladding and tacking on a piece of astro-turf I once found round the back of an old warehouse:

Tunnel 5.jpg
Tunnel 5.jpg (361.33 KiB) Viewed 6431 times

All a bit of a shame really, that was one of my favourite parts of the line, but I'll sort something out...

In the meantime I decided to concentrate on Penlan, the passing station, which has never really recovered from some fencing work a couple of years ago. Here it is before work commenced!

Penlan 1.jpg
Penlan 1.jpg (476.22 KiB) Viewed 6431 times

After giving the vegetation a much-needed trim I removed the track and cleared away much of the accumulated debris. Among the archaeological finds was the mortal remains of some lolly stick fencing that came from my previous railway and once adorned the platform here - there wasn't much left!

Penlan 2.jpg
Penlan 2.jpg (418.14 KiB) Viewed 6431 times

With the site clear the trackbed received a nice new coat of brown masonry paint and began to look much more cared for:

Penlan 3.jpg
Penlan 3.jpg (428.98 KiB) Viewed 6431 times

The track's back down now, but I've not tested it yet - downhill trains were sometimes de-railing as they passed over the facing point, so some attention may be required. With the future of both of the line's other stations in the balance I think I'll concentrate on making Penlan look nice for now, starting with a new platform - once the edging's in place I'll ballast the track, although I've not yet decided between replacing the old cement-based ballast or using granite chippings and SBR. I've used both in the past, and both have their merits...

I was wondering about adding a siding here (I'm desperately short of siding space), but the geometry of the site's rather awkward, so I may leave it for now I think...

So. Not altogether good news from the (WH)WHR, but the opportunity for a re-think's always a good thing, and at least the track's almost up and running again. It just needs a good brushing down now and it'll be ready for the plum harvest - how else will we possibly manage that?!

Cheers,

Andrew.

User avatar
Peter Butler
Driver
Driver
Posts: 5219
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:33 pm
Location: West Wales

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Aug 06, 2018 1:17 pm

I'm so sorry to see the deterioration of your line and the work involved to restore it. The lolly fencing is sobering yet some still insist on using it... even varnish can't protect it.
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

User avatar
tom_tom_go
Driver
Driver
Posts: 4824
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:08 am
Location: Kent, UK
Contact:

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Mon Aug 06, 2018 2:15 pm

You will get there Andrew.

When your Russell comes home and you experience the slow running it will give you the motivation to rebuild.

I would of pulled my little line long ago if it wasn't for the Slomo.

User avatar
Andrew
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3247
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:33 pm
Location: Bristol, UK
Contact:

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon Aug 06, 2018 4:04 pm

Thanks chaps...

Strangely, I'm not down-hearted, it feels like an opportunity in many ways.

And yes, I think a revived Russell will really help. It's one of the reasons I'm delaying making a decision on how to proceed - my main motivation in getting a Slomo is to aid realistic end-to-end running, but one of the options if I rebuild that section is to lose the upper terminus and have a continuous run...

I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime there are test trains to run!

Cheers,

Andrew.

User avatar
philipy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 5033
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:00 pm
Location: South Northants

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by philipy » Mon Aug 06, 2018 4:09 pm

Sorry to see/hear about your problems, Andrew, although I have to confess to wondering about the effects of weather when you were detailing the build.

As you say it's created opportunities, but it would be a shame to lose the upper station I think, personally I loved the way it looked.
Philip

User avatar
Lonsdaler
Driver
Driver
Posts: 1226
Joined: Tue May 20, 2014 9:50 am
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Lonsdaler » Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:42 pm

Peter Jones used to swear by scorching ply and then applying waterproof pva to the still warm charred surface, and for wood just the pva, before applying paint.
My personal preference has been to avoid wood at all costs, but having re-read his book on model buildings, I'm almost tempted to give it another go.
Phil

Sporadic Garden Railer who's inconsistencies know no bounds

My Line - https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11077

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests