GWR/LMS OO Gauge DCC RR&Co

From what I've seen of it, Wrexham Station is a little strange in appearance now.
I assume the line was just truncated and a 1970s type frontage built.
Doesn't gell together somehow.

Well thanks again for all the encouraging comments………really appreciated

To answer some of the specific points…..I dont think I can do multi quotes

Phil : I think the photo extends the perception of the platform length. Its 40" long……thats 3 carriages plus loco……most times it will only have to handle 2 carriages 

Ddolfenin:  If I keep stressing broad brush it kind of covers up the flaws that do appear……but thank you. I know I can (and do;-) change the rules) but I always feel more comfortable with a precedent so thank you Chris for giving me Redruth

I am afraid you are right about the hockey…..its the only sport I know where the competitors are virtually encouraged to fight….its bizarre because they are subsequently sent to the penalty box after the refs have watched them fight for a couple of minutes. Whatever….. I am sure you are all saddened to hear that Vancouver lost to Calgary in a penalty shoot out…..draws are not permitted in North America

Wheeltapper:  I am pretty certain its either a Cooper Craft or Wills Kit……had it for a while so there is some natural weathering. It, and a similar kit from Mikes Models, can make a nice contrast withe more ubiquitous Cooper Craft lamp hut.  

Ddolfenin: Wrexham Station……………how times change! The town used to have three stations : General GWR, Central which was Grand Central and then LNER and Exchange which was used jointly by GC (LNER) and Cambrian (GWR). I will have to fudge my "legend" for Granby because although I have a couple of LNER trains my second (and secondary) loco stud is actually LMS……so maybe Chester is better! 

Its quite curious in a way….one doesnt really associate the LNER with North Wales……although they did jointly operate (with LMS) the adjacent Cheshire Lines which was quite extensive    

Regards from a very very wet Vancouver…..we need all that snow you guys have in the UK…the Olympics open here in 4 weeks

 

[user=201]georgejacksongenius[/user] wrote:

John,
       You can HAVE all the snow that's fallen in Hyde over the last 3 weeks!!! I was hoping,as I always do,for a White Christmas……….Boy did we get one!I am so SICK of the sight of it now!!!
       How would you like me to send it?
hmm

Cheers,John.B.:thumbs
 

oops who knocked the head off your snowman,so don`t come out to play see if we care …

John, I may have mislead you about Wrexham.
This is because I'm an idiot.

Google gives the following references to Wrexham area:
   
Wrexham General Railway Station

Wrexham Central Railway Station

Gwersyllt Railway Station

Cefn-y-Bedd Railway Station

Caergwrle Railway Station

Hope (Flintshire) Railway Station

Chirk Railway Station

Interesting reading up on them on Wiki too.
Of course, only the first two are in Wrexham.

The rail network around Wrexham was amazingly complex

More about Cynwyd station and at last some locos!

Here in Black and White is the autotrain from the secondary branch that runs by the brewery pulling in to the bay, as the small Prairie completes running around the B Set prior to leaving for Granby







This is an old Dapol coach which I have attempted to detail a little. Hand rails picked out, Indian Red around the windows etc…..and after the photo I fixed a headlamp onops:





At least I had the correct lamps for this shot!

Now moving nearer to the station building itself…… this is looking up towards the bay 

 




The Milk Churn cameo was introduced not only to justify the daily siphon trip but also to suggest that there was a loading bay and road in front of the suggestion. Milk traffic may seem a little odd in a Mining Town but I remember the Vale of Clwyd as having a number of Dairy Farms. Similarly 1947 may seem a little late for Milk Churns but I am pretty comfortable that both Churns and Tankers were used in the 40s. 





You can clearly see the Ratio antecedents of the Station Building althoughtthere have been a number of modifications. Its actually an amalgam of two kits. I think it would look more at home in the West country but I have tried to weather it a lot




Before we move on here is a little diversion about the footbridge that you can see on the right of this shot



When I was showing the shots of the wall and Goods Yard the sharp eyed will have spotted an opening in the parapet:







The space was left to accommodate a footbridge that I wanted to install that would link the backscene with the foreground. I looked at a number of kits but none seemed quite suitable and then I remembered I had two of these  from the previous layout


:

Myansome will probably recognise them…..they are the steps from a Knightwing Kit that I must have painted 15 years ago.

Frantic search in the "It may come in handy one day" box revealed this:


 

2 Sides and a floor but only 1 Roof panel……obviously the other one had  already "come in handy" for another project. Fortunately I had some Wills Corrugated Sheets……no problem…………..

however I seemed to have something of a height problem:




 Nothing that an Exacto knife cant solve…………………………However:

 




Yet again I had painted only one side! :twisted:

And this is when I discovered I had run out of Rail Match Dark and Light Stone…….not the fastest seller in Vancouver Model Shops

So all this became an interesting and challenging Christmas project.

To be continued

Kind Regards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

 





So all this became an interesting and challenging Christmas project.

To be continued


 
 So it will be next Christmas John when the new footbridge finally installed :question 

There is a happy ending

I can confirm that the Vale of Clwyd is still rich in Dairy Farms - I have good friends among them.

and i can confirm that they did use churns in the 40`s plus small tankers ie-four wheelers.

lol::cool:

[user=15]owen69[/user] wrote:

and i can confirm that they did use churns in the 40`s plus small tankers ie-four wheelers.

lol::cool:

And I can certainly confirm that churns were still in use during my agricultural student days in the 1950's and early 60's !!

A different shape but nevertheless still very much in use and picked up by 4 wheel flatbed lorries with chain "sideboards" to hold them on.  Churns started to disappear in the mid 1960's as dairy farmers moved over to bulk tanks and had virtually gone by the end of that decade.

Excellent cameo shots John although I do worry about what "elf and softy" would say regarding that footbridge !!!!!

This one heck of a gorgeous layout mate, love the detail you have done. Is the footbridge for thos who have had enough of life then mutley

Phill

:thumbsLooking cool, John. Yes, I do remember those panels from the footbridge …….. hmmmmmmmmm ………. I feel that you will be doing rather a better job than I did on this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the idea you've got for its use. Looking forward to seeing this completed.

I can'y get over these terraces ……… the more I look at them, I find it fascinating how you've developed the background with them! Cool!

Looking great, mate!

[user=9]phill[/user] wrote:

 Is the footbridge for thos who have had enough of life then mutley

Phill

I like that one liner Phil

OK so how did the bridge project go?




Initially I wasnt sure how close  a representation it was to a GWR footbridge……most seemed to have lattice work or cast iron panels rather than the wood structures on the model. Then I saw photos of the bridge at Llanngolen (sp?) and its actually quite a good resemblance.




I may have weathered it a little too heavily and it doesnt bear too close a scrutiny as you will see when I show the smoke baffles. However, I think, on balance, it serves a useful purpose in linking the fore scene with the backscene in a meaningful way. 

It also provides an opportunity for those clusters of lamp huts which are so typical of GWR Branch Stations

 




Then I remembered, when I was a boy, the suburban station near Liverpool and the bikes stored under a bridge





When I was researching the bridges I noticed they invariably had smoke/spark baffles or deflectors which are not always modelled and certainly didnt come with this kit 




So I scratch built these from plasticard and the little strips you get with Wills Checker Plate Metal

This shot shows them more clearly but also shows up all the flaws:oops:

 




You may be wondering why I have a garage in this particular location

 




 

 

All is revealed

 




I switch the frog polarity on all the points and this was the fourth of the peco switches to go. It was impossible to replace 3  of the switches below the board so they had to be surface mounted…..the other 2 are hidden by the road bridge Very very frustrating and started the slow progression to Tortoises which I am installing on all the new trackwork.

Anyway the legend is that it houses the station Mechanical Horse and I am installing a petrol pump to give it a bit more credibilty.

The Scammel I have is a very old model and not really good enough to be in the foreground. I think the next time I order from the UK I will get one of the Oxford ones. 




Apart from signals which are the next job thats the Branch completed…….. I think. The reason for my uncertainty is whether I have left too much open space in the forecourt area shown here. On the one hand it is only a branch but the town has grown and there are two different services planned…..maybe a few more passengers.

Alternatively I really want to get some soldiers into the scene. In 1947 the Army was 10 times its present size. Every male between the ages of 18 and 25 had to serve for two years. There were servicemen everywhere and they all travelled by train! So I am working on a little cameo of Langley Soldiers and a couple of Coopercraft lorries and I cant quite make up my mind whether it might be too much here and I should save them for the terminus…..

………decisions……. decisions its a tough life

Any way thats it we are now up to the week before last in building terms

Kind Regards from Vancouver

 


 

 

 

Nice work, John.  I've enjoyed your excellent modeling - especially that bridge. :doublethumb

A very good device for interconnecting the scenery, John.

Maybe some smoke stains on the deflectors?

That's just not fair John - I had already selected my next "Member's Nomination" and now you've thrown it all into chaos again !!!

I think that footbridge and the detail on and around it is superb.  The weathering is certainly not too heavy on my computer and I can't see anything wrong at all with the smoke deflectors.

Granby has joined my list of "favourite layouts to watch" - it looks just great. thumbs

 

 I like what you have done with the footbridge John, it makes a change from the usual 'up over and down' :doublethumb