Making Tracks.

I've had a burst of enthusiasm and activity, the track on Morfa has been extended in two directions. As I build all the track from ply sleepers, individual plastic chairs and rail it takes some time to make little progress; at max chat I achieve about half a length a day. The one bonus, and it's a biggie, is that I ballast at the same time I lay the track. Here are a couple of photos showing something of what is involved.

Though it's a long winded process there's pleasure in the rythym of construction and I'm really happy with the look of the finished length.

This is the Night Mail crossing the border ....

I've been playing with the camera this morning. The layout room is rather gloomy at this time of year, for part of its length Morfa is tucked along the back wall, and the result of trying some supplementary lighting brought out this 'night time' shot. My imaginary Pwllheli - York mails would cross the border in the night hours, just not the border the well known prose reffers to.

Cheaper by the dozen

On the workbench at the moment are the beginnings of a batch of small saloons. I've sourced six inexpensive German promotional tram models from e-bay, by dicing and slicing I can get two carriages out of each body. Here's what the donor and the donated parts look like.

Normally I dislike batch building, but there are advantages to be had. Here I'm progressing a couple of bodies to a relatively complete state. This allows me to cut out multiples of some of the added components, making templates for the awkward shapes like the vestibule end screens. I have ideas to vary the individual models, the most noticeable will be to have some to a UK style and the others to a more colonial pattern.

Sublime to the ridiculous.

Yesterday I headed off to Porthmadog to shop and to take a look at the Ffestiniog's vintage themed operations. I was struck that when it turns it's mind away from being a modern commercial enterprise to a guardian of history then it does a pretty fair job of it. Shame thinks I that this thought isn't uppermost more often.

 

It's a source of regret that their other operation, the WHR  (Caernarfon)  seems to have lost the heritage component of their DNA. On my way from Porthmadog to visit a friend in Cwm y  Glo, curiosity drove me to take a peak at the effective southern terminus of the WHR, Pont Croesor. It's a beautiful location with what has to be one of the best approaches to Snowdonia spread out in front of one, but man what an ugly wart of a station.

The wetter the better.

At the beginning of the month I had a very pleasant couple of days at the Llanfair garden railway show. I don't think it's any coincidence that it happens at the same time as the Welshpool and Llanfair railways gala weekend. I managed to get to the station at Llanfair a couple of times each day and many of the faces appeared at both events. I took several photos on each day and whilst reviewing them at home I came to the conclusion that the better ones were taken when the weather was at its worst. Here's my favourite taken at the height of Sunday's deluge.

Something for the weekend sir?

The August bank holiday weekend that is. Once again the annual Corris Model Railway and Toy Exhibition will be with us on the 28th, 29th and 30th of this month. For the second year running it will be held in the school in Corris, just across the car park from the Corris Railway station. Opening times are from 10:30 until 5:00 each day; by my reckoning there will be up to sixteen layouts or displays and seven trade stands present over the weekend though some may change over the three days. I'll be there for the whole of the weekend with Chwarel Bach, do say hello.

Make the most of the weekend and combine a visit to the exhibition with a trip on the Corris Railway itself. A journey along the line includes a tour round the operational hub of the line at Maespoeth. I may be biased but I believe the Corris to be one of the most quietly beautiful lines in Britain, certainly you won't find a friendlier welcome anywhere.

Also available in blue.

The ballast has now been sealed with dilute PVA, and while I was at it the scenery has had a work over too with the addition of more ground cover and trees that better break up the regularity of the circle. Killing two birds with one stone here's a photo of the second Fowler almost complete on an upgraded section of the layout.

Both the loco and vans won't be with me for long, the vans are already on e-bay, the loco will follow once works plates and safety valves are fitted.