4mm Morfa - The race is run.

[Neil]

.... But, you have sent my mind down its own curious pathways, and in a circular manner (see what I did there) this has helped clear the "progress constipation" in my modelling, which has been increasingly severe of late...

At the risk of finding myself downwind when this happens, have another photo:



On Sunday I had a pants day when everything I touched went wrong, so on Monday I went in search of guaranteed success. I had enough recovered flexitrack to finish off the Pwllheli staging sidings, both of which now reach right to the end of the boards. Catastrophe protection is in the hands of a rectangle of mdf g clamped to the end of the board. Once it's painted grey to match the fascia I'll be revisiting its fixing with glue and pins.

 

[Simon]

Well that looks great, and can I just say that I feel truly honoured to have (if I may so) spearheaded the operation to recondition the rather dubious track materials recovered from that shady scrap merchant up at Llanberis

Simon

 

[Neil]

A spare afternoon, other matters progressing well, so I chanced my arm at getting the Machynlleth staging sorted. It mostly went without a hitch, I even found some spare 1mm dia n/s rod just as I thought I was going to run out. I hooked up the remaining points to their operating switches, neatened up the wiring, fired up a loco to test out the formation and zilch. I spent some time checking that I'd got my wires in the right order, some time worrying that I wasn't as competent as I thought I was and some time taking the wiring apart and putting it back together again. In the end I found two thin strands, one causing a short on the rails and the other doing something similar with the choc-bloc connector. As soon as they were removed life returned. So far I've only added one section of flexi to the pointwork, but the end is in sight.

 

[Steve Cook]

Excellent news, we shall have to schedule another play / testing session soon - bring on the heavyweight hydraulics

 

[Jordan or Plymouth Mad]

I really like this arrangement of the hidden sidings - so easily accessible but not taking away any space from scenic areas at all. It's a wonderful layout design all round.

 

[Simon]

Brilliant! You'll soon be needing more stock to fill up all that permanent wayage

Simon

 

[Ressaldar]

Really coming together Neil, well done.

cheers

Mike

 

[Neil]

This afternoon I added more plain track to the Machynlleth staging sidings. The outer roads only have relatively short lengths attached so far but the middle siding is all but full length. This enabled another milestone event to take place, the first train running from one set of staging round the layout to the other.

 

[Steve Cook]

This enabled another milestone event to take place, the first train running from one set of staging round the layout to the other.

Bravo that man, have a virtual beer on me Nearly time for green bits

 

[Neil]

Bravo that man, have a virtual beer on me Nearly time for green bits

No need for virtual, I've yet to finish all the beers from your last visit. Cheers.

 

[Captain Kernow]

Nearly time for green bits

Hear hear, bring on the green bits, I say!

 

[Neil]

Well that's the last of the spivtasticcrapoflexitrack used up and I'm pleased to say it's stretched sufficiently far to finish off the staging sidings.



Next job, work out how many chairs I need to finish the bridge and compare to the stocks I hold. I may have to go shopping at Warley next weekend.

 

[Simon]

Neil, that looks just great - lots of play potential

It must be quite satisfying that "that" flexible track has

1.) Been sufficient to complete the job

2.) Been used up so that bits of ratty old track aren't littering your splendid playroom.

Looks like time for tea and biscuits to me!

Simon

 

[Neil]

.... Next job, work out how many chairs I need to finish the bridge and compare to the stocks I hold. I may have to go shopping at Warley next weekend.

On the debit side I went to Warley without checking the chairs as I really, really, really wanted to avoid the retail experience and just concentrate on the train sets. I had in mind that I could always do mail order, three quid or so being a small premium to pay to be spared the drag of carrying stuff about. Still on the debit side, slacker that I am, I hadn't checked chairs in stock till last night.

Finally on the credit side I find that I have sufficient to do the baulk track over the bridge, the approach from the Morfa Mawddach side and some for the inevitable cock ups along the way. Hurrah. The Barmouth side approach will use up the spivtastico-flexi-crap that serves as the temporary permanent way here.

 

[Neil]

Hello, what's going on here?



Didn't there used to be track here?



Like the real railway I've taken advantage of the Christmas break to schedule an engineering possession to allow the long promised upgraded bridge to be moved into position over the mouth of the less than mighty Mawddach. The first task after removing the temporary track was to strip the longest length so that the rails could be recycled for the baulk road over the bridge. All went well until chairing up the rail for despite having splashed out £1.25 on a pair of reading glasses I still managed to thread a number of chairs onto the wrong edge of the rail. Here's how I've held everything together while the solvent welded chairs fully set.



The rail sat in properly spaced chairs is held upright in one of my three point track gauges weighted down with the rolls of solder to the right of the bridge. Immediately to its left the rail is held in a near approximation of the final curve by another two rolls of solder while my side cutters make a vague attempt at sort of positioning the rail part way round the deck. As ever my ability to waffle has exceeded the rate of photography and the first rail on the deck is almost done, the solvent welding having proceeded in short easy to manage stages.

 

[iploffy]

Very nice as per usual mate

 

[28ten]

This is what caught my eye, is it are you moving round the coast to the Great Orme?

 

[Neil]

This is what caught my eye, is it are you moving round the coast to the Great Orme?

I hadn't realised the cliff railway had sneaked into the background. It's a most splendid Emmett-esque model put together by a friend of mine a little further down the valley. Mike has for the last couple of years built an Emmett themed creation for the Corris Model Railway Exhibition. Unfortunately he lives in a modest terraced house and had run out of space this year. During the exhibition I was told that he was regretfully going to have to scrap it, so I offered a home in my playroom. He's already building it's sucessor; I may need to tidy out the garage.

Hare are a couple of photos of the cliff railway that in no way do justice to it's wacky magnificence.

 

[Neil]

Late last night I finished sticking the rails down to the bridge deck. Here are a couple of photos.





Much work remains to be done, some restrained detailing, paint and the link sections of line, but I'm happy that so far I'm ahead of where I thought I'd be now.

 

[Simon]

That looks great even in its unfinished state, I just lurv those across the brae van shots too

Simon