Castell Mawr - A joint GWR/LMS route

[mikem64]

Super work, this is going to look great once you get the scenery added, I can just visualize it now, DMU fits into the landscape really well.

Cheers Mike.

[Dad-1]

Thanks Mike, you sound more confident than I feel .....

I'm now starting the final 2 boards that make up the Southern end with the 180 degree turn to make the roundy-roundy !!
This is the exciting one that has me frightened ......... Just getting some stiffeners and connecting beams in place on
these the river boards. A road runs alongside the river planned at about 12 mm above what will be the resin water level.
Here you see a lorry parked in a layby space, the joining beams will be cut back to aprox 25 mm high ard this will be a
rise in the roadway.



Taken from river level you can see just how tall the embankment is ...... have I overdone it ?? Admittedly the lorry will
be around 25 mm above where it sits here and the land will be higher outside the track bed, but some serious landscape
work due here !!



Still I like a challenge ...... Or I did !!!!

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Dull today & threatening rain so my river end will have to wait.
At the other end I've added another application of plaster just behind the operating desk so
no longed giving a 'flash' of styrene. Put a 14XX with short goods deep in the cutting and took
a photo at rail height.

It gives some indication of the cutting depth !!



Yeah, the loco's a long way out, but I'm checking the scenic development and there was some
slump in this rather too wet a plaster mix. Satisfied it's O.K though.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Simple things don't always work out that way .........
After cutting one of my curved platform tops I decided to see how it worked. I thought some sanding would be needed to give a
more or less consistant clearence. First I tried some old Airfix coaches and yes even for these some extra trimming is needed,
but I ought to check height and other length coaches.



Not too bad and even the height didn't seem too bad



Then with Bachmann Mk.2, Hornby Clerestory and Hornby GWR ......... MMMmmm not too happy about the height. I recall
(correctly I hope) that in 4 mm the average platform should be 12 mm above rail head hight. I'm using 15 mm strip wood
supports with 3 mm MDF tops giving 18 mm from ground level. With Peco 100 code track from sleeper base to rail top being
around 5.5 mm that should be around 17.5 mm - not far from my 18 mm. However I'm not happy as this would appear too
high !!





To me it seems that different model coaches sit at different heights ?
So do I knock all my little glued on supports off and set at around 15 mm ....... Or is it near enough.

Confused from Northampton !!!

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Although I've done nothing positive today I've at least decided that my platforms will have to be made lower.
The first time I've had to back-track. I'll try and cut the glued on supports off at their base, if this causes
any board damage I'll use loppers or some other means to reduce their hight. As there are 4 individual platform
sections at least only one has been started.
My chosen level will be 3 mm lower for which I'll use 12 mm sq beading supports and the 3 mm platform
sheeting. Having used just small strips any remnants of the earlier supports can be interspaced with new
that in themselves act as supports for embossed plastic sheeting front walls.

Having spent part of the day examining platform hights in several books It's obvious that these varied,
but very rarely higher than halfway up buffers, and frequently just below the buffer beam.

Geoff T.

[StevieDay]

Yep platform heights do vary a lot.

According to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_platform_height uk platforms should be 915mm +/-25mm above rail height. Though the international platforms of High Speed 1 are 760mm above rail height.

Also found this useful article on specifications from the Office of Rail Regulation http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/r ... orrail.pdf
(section 202 at top of page 31) where the emphasis is on the stepdown from the carriage foot board to the platform which should be 250mm to 275mm. So platform height is dependent on the stock you are running.

It the article it often states; Dimensions required out of spec, will need permission from the HMRI (Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate).........

As your head of your railway, in this case HMRI is yourself ...............Thats the excuse I'll be using in future

[Dad-1]

Hi StevieDay,

I think there were few standards in the 19th century, and just after WWII I think many stations were still as they had been built.
Anyway I've not been doing much, had a week away and my garage started leaking at ground level. Found the problem was overflowing
guttering due to being clogged with leaves. Also working outdoors has just not been possible, I thought this was supposed to be summer ?

The only additional work is a new Dapol pre-wired working signal, although not working yet as I don't have a suitable switch.



with 3 more days showing rain activity will be subdued, but I notice two days after that with no rain on the weather map ??!!

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

A half reasonable day ..... although Moto GP took a little time out !!

So real work begins on a river board, the first 3 lightweight track-bed supports glued in. Also making a brown paper pattern for the curved track-bed that'll have to be sawn out of 6 mm ply. All I'll do is measure from the outer curved line drawn on ply and then jig saw out, which I hope will be accurate enough. I'll probably cut just a little too wide which should give me some chance to adjust before securing down. The tops of these supports will have lengths of 9 mm sq beading attached, giving something to screw into to hold the track bed while it's all heavily glued together.



I still have to decide on the bridge construction for both road and rail. I fancied a girder span over the river, but may have a brick road bridge. The rail track is so high above my road that I think a steel bridge will look out of place, but many high bridges are brick, a good example being over the A420 between Swindon & Oxford.

Geoff T.

[Lysander]

many high bridges are brick, a good example being over the A120 between Swindon & Oxford.

Is that the one modelled at Pendon ?

Tony

[Dad-1]

Err, I don't know Tony,
I've never been to Pendon (yet)

Geoff T.

[Lysander]

Looked everywhere to find a photo link Geoff but could not find one. I'm pretty sure it's the same brick bridge however - I've a feeling that a canal once flowed under part of it.

Tony

[Dad-1]

The gap between river bed and track (146 mm) looked massive before any other things were added.
I've decided the road will be around 25 mm above the river - can't have it flooding in winter !
As a result the actual size looks fine, this also has the retaining wall by the tracks which I though would make it look even more up in the air.



Even the river looks smaller now, but I fancy a girder bridge here, eyeing with the Peco section and trying to imagine what I want.



I'm still not 100% certain the curve I've cut is spot on, but with just a little spare I should be able to trim small amounts off.



It makes a difference when Jamie comes to help, being a rotten so & so I can give him a few awkward jobs and that helps me along !!
Biggest help of all though is a sunny day .... without which we stand still.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Broke off from layout work to give 'scruffy' his morning digestive biscuit.



Then a dark cloud came, a few spots of rain, so all put back in the garage AND .....
it didn't rain !!

So all I've managed to do today is a Wills Pagoda waiting room ........

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

not spent much time on it, BUT have at last raised the first river board to it's legs



I've decided the road under bridge will need to be constructed before the track bed is finally fixed in place. At present it's
simply held by screws at each end. I decided it was too difficult to construct the inner plasticard 'brick lining' afterwards.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

We have had a re-think about the second low level board. As drawn the river left one board into the operating well and re-joined the second low level board a few inches in. My problem was crossing the river a second time where I was unable to get a long enough straight.
As we fancy seeing trains run around a high embankment it was decide there will be no river on board 2, leaving the river to continue it's imaginary flow through the operating well. Another minor modification sees a small lane decending under the railway to join the main road down by the now off scene river.
That meant one small lane under bridge is needed. As I can't work outdoors because it just keeps on raining I started the lane bridge. All sizing done by guess and the use of a few vehicles. Firstly the initial build with drawings.



This will easily take things like a horse box.



Two cars able to pass, even a lorry if done very carefully !!



Ahh now back to the plastic for the tunnel's brick lining

Geoff T.