Category: August 2020

New siding for the Moel Rhos

Today’s project was to be a new siding – in fact, the start of the ‘phase 3’ large loop, but a handy siding for now. At the minute, when running multiple trains, if a new train comes out onto the loop from the shed, there’s nowhere to pass the old train, but I will be able to tuck it away in this siding.

This is how things looked just after 6 o’clock. The day had got away from me – was it still worth making a start? I had a stern word with myself, and after a bit of hard negotiating, promised myself a beer if I got it finished.

Just before 7 the first train ran through the new points. The new siding itself will be a very makeshift affair for now – two lengths of recycled track on a plank. When it becomes the mainline of the large loop it will be laid properly on 18mm ecoply. For now this will do.

A little over an hour after starting, the first train runs into the new siding. These are the ‘after’ pictures taken from roughly the same spot as the ‘before’ pictures at the top of the post.

Time for that beer!

Simon (Moel Rhos)

A Steam Test for the Railbus

While the return loop at the top station of the Tramway is out of use trains have been running more or less in an end to end operational mode. A push-pull Railbus would be useful for passenger services in these circumstances, of course, and the Tramway has one, but it has been undergoing heavy alterations after failure of the steam drive. Recently it has come back from the workshops after a bench steam test and today was its first track test.

There were a couple of issues. The valve linkage caught on the rail at one of my points, showing up a slight “heave” on one branch of the point that will need attention soon. And, the reverser settings on the radio control were not right. The receiver has an old Andel Cruise Control fitted in the reverser servo lead so I don’t have to hold the transmitter stick all the time (I tried taking out the spring from the stick but it was then quite loose and wouldn’t hold it’s position). Either I’ll have to doctor the transmitter to put in a toothed control or have another go at setting up the Cruise Control adjustment.

But it was nice to see the Railbus and it’s driving trailer (which is still in the original livery) in the Bay Siding at Sling Uchaf again.

Must get the Station Staff to do some weeding there!

Mike Barton

Catastrophic Bridge Blockage

There’s no way through for Lady Caroline as Sheikha (our new moggy) takes up residence under the new bridge!

Not much happened on the Wittering and Linton Railway but there have been some trees planted and the Brewery siding is now gated to prevent eager ‘customers’ getting their hands on supplies.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe weekend…. Not going outside here; 49°C in UAE today!

Richard Hillard

Bridge Works in Progress!

Trains were cancelled today at the Sling and Lavan Tramway due to staff being deployed onto bridge works.

The pond was started last year, but has taken until this spring to come to fruition. Then the stream (pumped from the pond) was added, and finally the reason for all this has come into being – a bridge over a stream!

On Friday I had planned to get the bridge cast, but the amount of time to fix all the formwork and the supporting structure was underestimated (isn’t always?) and then the rain arrived early, and so mixing concrete was abandoned. The formwork is way over scale but … today the concrete was mixed and the bridge is now setting. The pre-cast concrete stone effect arches were bought from GRS. Just before lockdown I collected them from the Warwick show but hadn’t realised then just how long it would take before I could deploy them. I have several of Cain’s retaining walls and wing walls, and I have to say that the GRS ones are most certainly not up to his standards!! However, they are now fixed in place and will do their job, I’m sure. The formwork was made broadly in line with the guidance of the late Peter Jones in his book on Garden Railways. The arches are slightly un-symmetrical, however, and so each template was made to correspond to a particular casting. The final arch formwork was made using “flexible plywood” which was well oiled. I’ll find out soon if all this worked. I glued some brass screws to the inner faces of the arches using Milliput to try to prevent them peeling off, and also some bolts which were used to tie across to help spreading. The formwork and associated supporting structure to hold the arches level, vertical and at the correct width apart took a lot longer than I had imagined.

Hopefully tomorrow some trains will run – but not over the bridge just yet! It won’t be long now though until trains can run this way again.