Coegnant branch of the Blue line

[Michael Thornberry]

Hello Paul,
Fantastic modelling and very innovative. This is as good as anything I've seen in "full-size". Would love to see this "live". Congratulations and keep-up the good work,
Kind Regards,
Michael Thornberry.

[paulsrail]

Hi All
Thank you for your kind comments. I will be exhibiting the Colliery model again this year at a model exhibition at Trinity Church, John Street, Porthcawl on Saturday August 7th. I will also be exhibiting the Bascule Bridge and the 1/90 scale model of the Santisima Trinidad. I,m in the process of stripping the bridge down and detailing it, also i,m trying to improve the smoothness of the drive mechanism as any jam up strips the plastic gears.
Best Regards
Paul

[paulsrail]

Work as restarted on the Colliery model. The north upcast pit head gear has been built

[SouthernBoy]

That looks absolutely magnificent!

[f1_mw]

That looks absolutely magnificent!

Seconded!

[Si_Donal]

It is brilliant, I am very jealous and I want it! Mind you, I've no-where to put it.

[trainsandco]

That looks absolutely magnificent!

Seconded!

Thirded!

[roadie stu]

the buildings and pit head gear are brilliant, your eye for detail would make Fred Dibnah proud!!!!

Keep up the great work!!!

Cheers

Stu

[paulsrail]

That is just amazing! I love the way it dominates and dwarfs the trains. Wouldn't be possible in styrene without warpage. I'm guessing there's no rivets on it. You would have to be a real eccentic to put rivets on it but the counters of our hammered rounded friends get a bad press and I don't think it's justified. Those people who seek modelling perfection are to be respected! Have you checked these out Paul?
http://www.archertransfers.com/catSurfaceDetails.html
Incredible modelling you're doing.

That would make me a real eccentric then. haha detailing on the bridge will include rivets whch i make simply by indenting card with something pointy. pic soon

[paulsrail]

Now that the Blue Line is no more i was thinking of changing the name of the Coegnant branch, but i might keep it the same in memory of a time when we used to have summers and a garden railway was viable. Back to the Coegnant colliery model, I,ve been lucky in my research into the colliery which closed in 1982 and was demolished shortly afterwards. A good freind of mine who has made some excellent colliery models and worked in the colliery himself knows someone who used to visit the pit head with his grandfather at weekends and can remember the pit prior to the 1957 modernisation. As a result i,m altering the layout to make the colliey more prominent and adding items from the pre modernisation era such as lancashire boilers and ariel ropeways.

[paulsrail]

After a large real world building project i can now return to the colliery model. Coegnant Colliery. Here is a photo showing the layout as it was left. I intend to add an elevated railway with large radius curves to run my american locos.

[paulsrail]

Sone photos of other parts of the layout

[paulsrail]

Going around the layout anti clockwise

[paulsrail]

The layout took a bit of a battering during the build as the garage was used by the builders as a store room

[paulsrail]

Hope we have a mild winter so i can get on with repairs