Bron Effans

  I have had a fairly productive summer break from work. My time has been divided by various jobs on the layout and catchup repairs from the lockdown period. Ultimately, I had set myself some targets for the summer period to improve the running of the layout and to sort out the ongoing issues with the rolling stock. I have managed to finish the vast majority of these jobs and have finished a few other extra things that were not in the original plan. The biggest of which is the new retaining wall at the west end of the line.  I have been trying to give the layout a more unified look and feel that reflects the location that I am trying to model. I found some inspiration from the creation of a group on Facebook concerned with modelling the Corris Railway. I took ideas from this group and set about building a retaining wall along the northern slope to disguise the poor effort on the slope. The first layer of styrene is laid. I used styrene to make thin slabs and built them up with...

In April I bought a pair of Kato chassis off a friend in the 009 group. I took the opportunity that came with the lockdown to construct a new freelance diesel for the fleet. I wanted to use a pre-made cab and build the bodywork around that in order to build something that looked vaguely realistic. I found a Funkey bodykit from A1 models and began to deconstruct the kit to make the locomotive. I wanted a more central cab position to create something that was reminiscent of Castell Caernarfon. I  I drew up a rough sketch and set about creating the bodywork from 40 thou styrene.  I used the brass grills to add to the sides of the body. I added brassrod for the handrails and a few extra details from one of the Harlech Castle models.  I initially gave it a basecoat in Games Workshop paint which brought it to life as a something that could be realised in real life. There are several details that need to be added to the model but I am inte...

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...

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...

After the recent success with the construction of the interior of 2080, I decided that I would have a go at scratchbuilding a locomotive to fit on one of my spare Kato chassis. I had a browse of  a well known auction site and found an A1 models brass kit that represented a Funkey diesel. I bought it without even thinking and set about deciding how I was going to build it. I wanted to adapt the kit to move the cab further towards the front of the running plate so that it represented a smaller version of Castell Caernarfon.    The kit can with a styrene running board, which did not need any adaptation to fit on either of the chassis. I chose the one on the left as the basis for this new diesel and set to work. I cut a recess into the rear of the cab to allow for the motor to remain unobstructed.  The bonnet was constructed from 40 thou thick styrene to give the structure some substance and added the brass radiator grill from the kit. If it isn't b...