A canal boat for Gwartha vellan.

I believe that this moulding originated from Anyscale Models- some time ago. It languished in grey primer and a black hull until I finally plucked up courage to add colour.

I am quite pleased with the result, I just need to source some suitable transfers to decorate the cabin area- it will not be quite so elaborate as the original- anyway I can't find suitable signage!

The coal load is a resin moulding which, with a modicum of fettling fits the loading bay.

The canal wharf at Gwartha Vellan will have something to moor now!

 

Production batch of Jurassic Models 009 Wooden Wagon kits.

The second batch- production versions have arrived. To order yours please contact Mike on-mike.jurassic@btinternet.com

Eight more lazer cut kits requiring PECO wagon chassis.

I only have three chassis that are suitable so a quick order to Derails secured the five I need. For some reason it is cheaper to buy a complete wagon (unpainted) than a chassis kit from other suppliers.

Still that is my gain.

https://www.derails.co.uk/

 

Just for something a bit different some of these wagons have been branded GV for use on Gwartha Vellan. I have used some rub down transfers that were in stock all sealed with cheap matt varnish.

The Box & Sons wagon is , of course, fictitious but adds some variety to the rake.

There are still a couple to make and they will have a different livery from these all ready made.

009 Festiniog GEM Coaches completed!

Last to go on are the roofs- no roof ventilators as there are vents atop the doors.

My usual roofing material is slats from a disused plastic venetian blind which unfortunately came apart.

They are secured with UHU glue and bound with rubber bands whilst curing.

Final thing to do is attach the bogies, already fitted with PECO couplings. The bogies are ex-N Gauge coach bogies- cheap and cheerful!

 

 

 

Checking that the couplings are at the correct height- Ready for service once Woody Lane or Gwartha Vellan Tramway emerges from winter storage!

 

009 mass wagon building- so many kits, so little time!

 At last continuing on with stock for the GVT, there has been mass production (well Five) of suitable wagons.

All have been suitably branded and will have crushed granite loads.

I have tried to keep the weights roughly equal to ensure reliable running. Other than the two end wagons each will have an uncoupling loop on one end only. 

Moving in rakes with reliable attachment to each other removes the possibility of runaways!

 

 

Removable loads have been created with plastic card on square risers which are covered in crushed granite- this from Attwood Agregates who do a selection of grades for different scales.

The completed rake- I may relent and number them all in the style of existing wagons.

700 Posts- Layouts over the years in 3mm & 4mm scale, 009 Narrow Gauge, HO Trams and 0 Gauge.

               3mm scale Teignford- has appeared in Railway Modeller and at Warley- shows station.

                Quarry Siding is a minimum space 009 layout built by Paul Levy on a cable drum.

Hillbrow is my first 009 build. This one also appeared in the Railway Modeller but the ticket collector     was still upright!

      RAF St Misrah is 21 x 24 inches and this one appeared in both Railway Modeller and 009 News.

My only foray into 0 Gauge is Cringle Street Goods. Imagined in South London it is an exercise in how small I could make a workable 0 Gauge layout. Since relocated to a new home.

This is Woody lane. It is a continuous circuit 009 layout based on nowhere in particular but uses the smaller stock in my collection.

Gwartha Vellan Tramway ( Cornish for Higher Mill) is the latest 009 layout. Based in Cornwall it is really an excuse to run my Lynton and Barnstable Manning Wardles. Baseboards are from Norfolk Heath Works and is in five fifteen inch modules

Two pics of St Mewan a Cornish layout in 4mm. The layout is 7ft long by 8inches deep with a 10inch extension to the fiddle yard. This is still under construction as is Gwartha Vellan.

Cody Street is a simple oval operating motorised Atlas Editions HO trams. Petite Properties low relief building kits have been used throughout- named after my youngest grandson.

Lastly is Hennock which was my first 3mm scale layout. This one has also been published in Railway Modeller and also appeared at Warley. This picture appeared in Railway Modeller in an article about portable layouts.

Figures for the Mill.

 Came across these in local model shop. Figure in white is perfect for the miller. Others are useful too.

Wiring Gwartha Vellan 009.

Nice and hot over the weekend so migrated to the workshop , which is nicely insulated, and spent some relaxing (read frustrating) hours wiring . With the trusty multimeter it seems to work but the main feeds have yet to be added. Sorry for the single paragraph but this new Blogger won't let me start a new one! The chaps at ESR Electronic components delivered my order in quick time and very reasonable.       https://shop.esr.co.uk/index.html 

                           Two of the five boards - must get some more plug covers.

 

009 High Mill station

This is just a quick mock up of how the station will look. The facing and platform surface are from some 'N' gauge random stone sheets which, again, I found hiding from me!                    

The Scenecraft buildings have been given a coat of dry brushed paint so they are more matching to other structures.                                                                      

009 High Mill water wheel.

The water wheel has been made and roughly placed . The river beds have had the first coat of base paint,

the mill stream joining the main tributary after the shed viaduct.

009 Engine Shed for Gwartha Vellan.

The engine shed has been painted

and some weathering applied.

This time I have used Humbrol weathering powder rather than dry brushing. Why? Well I have had weathering powders sat in the paint box for so long I thought this may be a good time what with using plastic sheet for the buildings.

To my eye the shed hasn't turned out too badly but once the layout has been wired and ballasted then the sceneswill start to really come to life.

009 GVT Station Nameplate.

I am undecided if this will be the stations name. I suppose that it should be Higher Mill as per the tramways title.

As I have several packs of Slaters lettering in various sizes it seems prudent to use them instead of more etched names, and I only want one this time..

Also I am unsure if such a small facility would have running in boards at each end of the platform.

Still plenty of time before this decision needs to be made as at present I am undecided if any of the layouts will be shown again.

Progress on Gwartha Vellan 009.

A few bits of plastic offcuts has enabled the building of this small stone shed. The roof, I think, is from the Wills small signal box.

Presently in primed grey it will be dry brushed to match the stone colouring already used.

Likewise with the engine shed which is mainly corrugated iron cladding with wood bracing.

The stream is slowly coming on with the course of the water brushed in brown. I must look for some small rocks to add before the area is flooded with varnish or maybe I will use the airbrush to contour a coat of Mod Podge which I have been meaning to try for a while.

The corrugated sheets have been roughly applied and literally cut to fit from many offcuts I had- no more!

There are three different profiles which represent the make do and mend attitude used on many narrow gauge railways on a less than solvent budget.

The last pics show the mill bridge and viaduct- very grand name- in position waiting for the sluice gates and water wheel to be located.

009 Gwartha Vellan Tramway station buildings.

I had looked at revising one of the Wills or Peco platform structures for the buildings on GVT.

However, I happened on a couple of buildings from the Bachmann Scenecraft range which will be perfect .

Although of slate origin once they are repainted to match the other buildings and structures , they will fit in nicely.  Plus it saves time making more kits.

009 Gwartha Vellan Tramway Mill and bridges.

The mill has now had the bridge assembled so that it all interlocks when the stream and mill stream have been finished .

I have not previously used plastic sheet so much but with stone finishes it is the only thing to use as even I admit that stone paper doesn't look right.

The great thing is that as it all slots together parts can be removed whilst working on specific areas- doesn't get in the way like that!

009 GVT Engine Shed- build continues.

The spares, or bits, box has really turned up all that is needed to construct the engine shed.

It really helps that the shed is being built to fit the area available rather than have to make do with something already made.

So far bits from Ratio, Wills and some from an unknown parentage have been used together with offcuts of Plastruct -fiddly but worth it I think.

Once it stops raining then the whole can be primed and then given a coat of paint.