Bron Effans

So I have been building my little part of Wales for a year now. Over the course of the last 12 months, Bron Effans has gone from this: To this: What a year it has been. I can't explain how happy I am with the progress of the layout. If you had asked me what I wanted to have completed 12 months ago I would not have expected to have made the progress that I have.  I have learned a great deal about what works and what does not work and am excited to take this knowledge into the future. I went from something small and compact to an all encompassing project the has become a real labour of love. I have gone from having a small collection of three locomotives to a massive collection of 12 locomotives and 15 other pieces of rolling stock, the majority of which being coaches. I know this is much more rolling stock than I actually need for a layout this size, but it allows me to field a variety of trains and showcase different ways of running on the layout.  Over the...

I found some time in the morning to work on those jobs on the to-do list with the fleet, that I had been putting off for some time. These are the sort of jobs that I know I should complete by once I have a piece of rolling stock that can travel in a train I just leave them as they are. I will be open with you, I hate glazing carriages. It just does nothing for me and the potential for getting it wrong is great. Making a mistake with the glazing can ruin a carriage, in my opinion, which is why I constantly put it off. Anyway I decided that it was finally time to finish the Dundas observation carriage Kit-bash for the eastern end of the Short Bogie Rake. Add caption I cautiously fitted the glass and left the glue to cure. I only use a few small dots of plastic glue on windows so that it does not smear everywhere and ruin the windows.  Whilst this was setting, I noticed that I hadn't painted the roof of the carriage during construction, like I normally do. I took the opport...

After languishing under the lockdown and my fettling of carriages and other distractions I decided to turn my attention to the scenery once again. I was happy with the layout of the station and how I could run two trains at once into it with no issues being caused to the rolling stock. However, I had painted it in a cheap acrylic grey and it really was not looking the part. Scuffs were showing from when I had caught it and it was not looking as polished as I had hoped. That is to say, it did not evoke the scene that I was intending. Typical Welsh Narrow Gauge stations have large stones on the edge of the platform and a crushed stone surface. To that end I took the chisel to the plaster platform again and began the process of cutting out a trench to place the 'stones' into. I know from practice with my wall building that I needed to be careful with the sizes of the slabs and make sure that I did not make them too large. I did a test fit of each piece of mounting board ...

I decided that, with the lockdown taking effect, it was time to bite the bullet and begin the construction of a locomotive using the spare Graham Farish Prairie tank locomotive. I was in two minds whether to purchase a Roxey Mouldings 'Troodos' locomotive kit or a Rodney Stenning Manning Wardle locomotive kit.  I decided on the Manning Wardle over the other kit because I was not sure whether it would actually be in gauge on my line and, deep down, I have always really wanted a Manning Wardle locomotive for my railway.  The kit itself was very straightforward and only required subtle alteration to fit the chassis.  I added some additional details to the loco using brass rod to form the handrails and the steam pips that proliferate the sides of this locomotive.  I built a backhead for the boiler using plasticard and various other odds and ends to imitate the look and feel of a working cab. I must confess I did make ...

I have finally got round to constructing interiors for the 3 Liliput carriages that I bought last year. I wanted to fit them out in a similar manner to those that operate on the Welsh Highland Railway. They are set out in a 2 + 1 formation with two seats on one side and 1 single seat on the other. In Ffestiniog and WHR parlance this is known as the clock side. I had originally aimed to build the interior for the pullman carriage today, however I was unsure how to build high backed chairs that are on the WHR. I took the decision to fit out the "Brake" coach for this rake and set about the process of building the interior with the plasticard. I cut three identical flooers for the three coaches and went from there. The basic interior was driven by the need to have a toilet cubicle at the rear end of the carriage as it travels up the line. I started with that as my basis and then worked from there to try and keep the seats the same size and level.  I then added small str...

My cabin fever in the Lockdown continued. I managed to obtain two Lynton and Barnstaple Carriage bodyshells. They were intended to become part of a project to create more GWR/ Pullman style carriages... But! After fitting the bogies to them and testing them out on the track, I was struck by a realisation.  I really liked the look of them and how they fit in with the layout. I simply could not vandalise these models. I have decided to keep them as they are and source a suitable brake van for this rake. I am considering refurbishing the Indian Red Brake van or sourcing a new one for this rake.

Due to the Lockdown enforced as a consequence of the Covid-19 virus, I have found myself with an abundance of free time on my hands. This situation has allowed me to pay more attention to the scenery of the layout and as such I have added more detail to the station area of the layout. Effans Uchaf is situated in the heart of the Welsh countryside and I felt that nothing would suggest that more than some slate walls. The Southern platform (Platform 1) was always intended to be the main platform for trains to arrive and depart and, in my head, would be the original running platform. Platform 2, the shorter, was always intended to be used as extra capacity and would only ever be able to manage smaller train sizes. I began the process simply with only a small section of wall, so that I could get used to the construction of a wall. I used mounting board as my main material with some thinner card and plasticard to mimic thicker slabs of slate. I stacked them on top of each other and secu...