Mynydd y Ddraig - a first foray into 009

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cloggydog

Western Thunderer
Some fettling ahead of Saturday's outing to the MMDMRC's small summer show in Knowl Hill...
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The 2nd loco (8 Llewellyn) has always been a bit tempramental compared to 7.

8 has a 3D-printed bodyshell on a Minitrix Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 chassis. This has traction tyres on the lead drivers and, despite being stuffed with as much weight as I can cram in the shell, stuttered over dirt, crossing vees and was generally a poor runner.

7 has a Chivers whitemetal body on the chassis from a Minitrix Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T chassis, which does not have the traction tyres. Smooth* as anything, runs anywhere on the layout without hesitation.
*well... as smooth an anything Minitrix can be...

My ops plan needs 2 locos, so I needed to bring 8 up to scratch. With limited time available, finding a new, better chassis wasn't an option, so I thought I'd try swapping the bodies over. Heavy whitemetal body on the poorer chassis and the 3D-printed body on the good chassis. Happily, it seems to have worked pretty well. 8 now rarely stutters while 7 is still a good runner, if now a little prone to wheelslip.

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Next job is to touch in the paint on the coaching stock in a couple of places and recheck all the coupling heights. I did swap out all the brass wire coupling loops for soft iron ones a week or so back to allow the use of a magnetic wand for easier uncoupling.
 

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C

cloggydog

Western Thunderer
David Waite said:
What type of couplings are you using?
David.
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adrian said:
They look like DG couplings to me
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Yes, they are DGs, albeit simplified with the delay latch omitted and a soft-iron loop at one end of each loco/stock only. Seems to work well for my simple needs. A magnetic 'wand' from above lifts the loop to allow uncoupling wherever required. Wand is just a length of plastic tube, a small nail inserted in one end and a 2mm diameter magnet attracted to the nail, all superglued in place.
 
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westernfan

westernfan

Western Thunderer
Rwy'n hoffi eich rheilffordd fodel . Translated I like your model railway.

I haven't seen the Vale of Rheidol Railway modelled in BR blue livery before . I do remember seeing the arrows of indecision on the side tanks in the early 70's I am glad British railways refused to let the scrappers rip it up . looking at your open sided coaches reminds me of my trip on one back in 2019 . There wasn't a nurse at devils bridge to remove the smuts . I built an oo9 layout 25 years ago and used donor Minitrix chassis for various loco projects . They were good at the time . How things have moved on .
 
C

cloggydog

Western Thunderer
Mynydd y Ddraig is out this coming Sunday (3rd Nov) to the Bracknell Railway Society's show at the Pinewood Centre, Bracknell, RG40 3AQ: Exhibitions - Bracknell Railway Society

(It's a busy weekend, I'm also out with my Scottish H0 layout Dounreay on Saturday to Newbury exhibition!)

I've made some progress with #9 Prince of Wales, using the bargain Chivers kit body picked up at the Oxfordshire group's do in Steventon earlier in the summer, this one uses the mech from a BachFarish 08 with RTModels frames, valve-gear, etc. Unlikely to be finished by Sunday, but may, just may be in a running state.

Had an idea for some fun VoR 'what-if-ery' with a caricature NG Class 24 and a 2-car DMU, the latter based on a Third+Brake Third combo with the windowed ends and the last set of doors to make a drivers cab in each coach, one powered by a Farish(?) 158 chassis (another Steventon bargain) which gives near spot-on bogie centre spacing. The DMU will likely be finished in the white/blue refurb scheme of the 1970s...

The diary for MyD is filling nicely for next year, with outings planned for Maidenhead in January, Calne in May, Exeter in June and Shenfield in September.
 
Flaxfield

Flaxfield

Western Thunderer
cloggydog said:
I exhibited Mynydd at the Calne show last weekend and enjoyed a fun weekend chatting to folk and running trains. Lots of positive comments from the many visitors who remember the VoR in it's blue days. My thanks to the Bentley MRG for the invite and hospitality.

The layout is next out at the Exeter show in June: Model Railway Exhibition Exeter 2025 – EXE Model Railway Society

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All being well, I'll see you at Exeter. I have a walk on part operating a chum's trainset for the weekend.

Rob
 
C

cloggydog

Western Thunderer
Discussing Mynydd and the VoR generally with friends at recent shows, I got (rather too willingly...) led down a rabbit hole which will result in a micro layout of the Aberystwyth end of the railway, as I do already have the stock to hand...


I'm fairly confident I can do the VoR bay at Aber mainline station in about 4ft x 1ft/1200mm x 30mm with a low backdrop of a blue/grey rake of Mk1 coaches on the backscene side - so viewing will be on the wall side (just with the wall omitted).


Something not too dissimilar to this photo on the Welsh heritage site (photo credit Vale of Rheidol Railway)




Same basic principles as Mynydd around a 4-coach train length. Platforms and canopies will be shortened, but I like the idea of looking through the supporting pillars. I'll definitely model the steps down from the concourse into the bay, the release pointwork and hopefully there will be room for the short siding at the exit end, even if that's a separate line fed from the fiddle stick rather than connected to the rest via pointwork.


It might not be the next micro I do, but it will certainly happen soon-ish and I'll set-up a thread as and when it does.
 
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C

cloggydog

Western Thunderer
Mynydd has been out and about a few times alreay this year, with Swindon (as part of NEW NG 26) and Basingstoke last month. IMG_20260304_084636.jpgIMG_20260315_123400.jpg


The next outing is to Narrow Gauge South at the end of April, then Milton Keynes in early June. Poster-NGS-2026-NGS-only-copy.jpg

Geoff Helliwell recently photographed the layout for Railway Modeller, I'm told the layout should be in the September issue.
 
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