Bethesda Sidings

LarryG

Western Thunderer
I think he might have picked up the odd tip from Ben Ashworth here, as he seems to have climbed into a tree to get this view:
Lets hope he doesn't pick up the odd tip from Les Nixon and chop it down afterwards so no one else can use it for their shot...:p

I like the look of this layout. The colouring and lighting is just right for a very realistic appearance. But I wouldn't let that diesel mechanical loose too often otherwise you will have to blacken your track!

Green locos on layouts are always a hard call because the livery and especially the orange lining is usually hard to detect in general photos of the full size railway unless the locos are especially clean. Rather than spray the green matt, I feel it is better to have a covering of weathering in matt. The bleached GWR paint on the coal office bargeboards is a well observed touch.
 
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Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
I'll let you in on the secret of the coal office, Larry - it's a Scalescenes kit - a freebie in fact (presumably this is the small office next to the buffer stops). The weathering on the bargeboards comes as part of what you print out, so kudos to John Wiffen in that case!
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
Green locos on layouts are always a hard call because the livery and especially the orange lining is usually hard to detect in general photos of the full size railway unless the locos are especially clean. Rather than spray the green matt, I feel it is better to have a covering of weathering in matt.
I see what you mean here, Larry, and it's something I've noticed myself.

On the other hand, my 1458 is meant to be a relatively well-looked after branch loco and there is a photo in one of the Ian Allan colour GW albums of sister engine 1420 on shed at Leominster in 1959, where the green parts are pretty clean and the lining is quite prominent.

I may yet give my own 14XX a further waft over with a weathering mix at some time in the future, although there are other loco projects for this layout also waiting in the wings.
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
A slightly aerial view:

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Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
An Austerity tank, normally based on the South Polden Light Railway on the Somerset Levels, is seen here stabled in the yard at Engine Wood, waiting for a path northwards, to Leominster and the VoRLR:
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A few days later, the loco finally arrived at Capel Bethesda yard:
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but had to wait there for the next working up the light railway the following day, so was still there when 2291 arrived, light engine from Leominster, to await some traffic from the military depot at Llanddewi, at the top end of the VoRLR:
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LarryG

Western Thunderer
That's the bets looking Bachmann 2251 I have ever seen. Then the penny dropped after a bit of back-tracking.....You have replaced the chassis with finer wheels for 00-FS.
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
Hi Larry,

2291 does have a replacement chassis, Comet I think, but that was done years ago. When I acquired the loco,it had a non-functioning Mainline split chassis, so that had to go. The wheels are turned-down Romford ones (all this was done in 1995), which a friend turned down for me, as the current 'RP25' profile wasn't available at the time.

I wasn't doing OO-SF then, though, just what I would call 'normal OO finescale', in other words, bullhead track and kit or hand-built points to match, but with 'normal' clearances.

One aspect of the conversion was that I kept outside bearings on the tender, when I replaced the tender wheelsets (may be Ultrascale).

The lack of lateral movement now causes problems with the OO-SF A5 crossover on 'Bethesda Sidings', in that I am going to have to install a Comet tender chassis with inside bearings, to allow the axles a bit of slop (certainly the centre one). That way, it shouldn't derail when going through the crossover.

None of this has been a problem on my non-SF pointwork on 'Engine Wood' or 'Bleakhouse Road'.
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
I've been doing a bit of scenic work at the back of the layout, for which I have removed the backscene and it's supporting boards. Once this work is done, I shall replace the backscene, hopefully with the intention of then being able to leave it it place.

The temporary absence of the backscene does allow some photographs from that side of the layout:

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Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
I've now replaced the backscene, so the layout is once again viewed from the normal viewing side. A little bit more scenic work was done yesterday as well:









Farmer Thomas's Landrover wheezes up the lane leading to the overbridge. Further scenic development will take place here, with trees at the rear of the bridge parapets and down the bank at the rear, further masking the 'join' between the scenery and the backscene.









 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
I've been doing a bit of scenic work at the back of the layout, for which I have removed the backscene and it's supporting boards. Once this work is done, I shall replace the backscene, hopefully with the intention of then being able to leave it it place.

The temporary absence of the backscene does allow some photographs from that side of the layout:


View attachment 115886

Being a picky sort, would the loose wheels still have the studs & nuts or bolts still in them?
Just a thought...
Tim
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
I should mention, because I forgot in my earlier post, that the trees were originally very kind and unsolicited gifts from John Farmer (Re6/6). John is one of the best tree makers around, having followed the methods employed by Gordon Gravett and his scenic work has been published in BRM and elsewhere.

Because we weren't sure at the time of the required depth for these half-relief trees, I have since trimmed most of the armatures and removed some of the original foliage and also applied new foliage of a slightly darker hue over the top, in order to better match the existing colours on the layout.

This afternoon I started making some patches of thorns and scrub, from teased out postiche (theatrical hair packaged up for modellers), sprayed with hair spray and different colours of foliage sprinkled on, and then all sealed up with a further spray from the hair product.
 
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