Here we go again........

This is what Llangunllo was supposed to be about, a railway running through a remote landscape.


My first mistake was to extend the width of the layout to house the lever frame, because in the process I lost the embankment.  Had there been a more convenient location for the frame, then I would have left things well alone.

So the baseboard frame extensions were removed, and the trusty old frames are once again the same width as when they supported Penhydd.  That simple modification not only brought the embankment back into play, but also makes the layout look longer.  As for the lever frame, well I've found a new location for it.



Here is the new layout, as you can see its not worlds away from the old one.  The dairy branch has been replaced with a single siding serving a modest goods yard.  That has allowed the main line to be slewed over, towards the backscene along with the old goods siding which now forms a loop.  However the loop isn't there to allow trains to cross, instead it is used to handle rakes of milk tanks, not to mention coal, or perhaps fuel oil bound for the off stage creamery, and sidings which are assumed to lie beyond the bridge.  Green Grove Sidings near Felin Fach, on the Aberayron - Lampeter branch, is the inspiration for this.  If you click on the link, you will find photos of the entire branch, as well as the sidings and creamery.


I got off to a flying start because I had saved the original track base that supported the level crossing scene, and trackwork on the old layout.  The Tortoise motors that controlled the points, and signals, along with all the wiring had been left in place.  Leaving just the motor that operates the catch points, and the actuator which operated the old signal to be repositioned, three cheers for jigsaw layout construction!  The bridge over the dairy branch, and the track that served it was removed, the old top surface was prepared for new underlay, and down went the new ply sleepers.  Most are secured with an adhesive called 'Tacky Glue', its a bit like PVA but remains flexible, every sixth sleeper is secured with neat Evo-stik PVA.  Apart from a test piece, which I made a couple of years ago, I have never laid templates directly onto cork underlay, and then built the track on them in situ.  So this is a first for me, in the past I have always built my track in jigs, off the layout, and then laid it.  To be honest I've always been wary of using this method of track construction, but the test piece has suffered no ill effects.  So I'm confident that all will be well, its certainly easier to maintain sleeper spacing, and to produce flowing curves.


Looking in the other direction, new front profile boards have since been fitted.  The allotment scene, which simply plugs in place has been removed whilst the changes are being made.  As for the disused quarry, well it had to go, sorry Iain.  The goods siding is longer than it looks at 28" (71 cm), and is more than adequate for my needs, The buffer stop is the GWR whitemetal kit formerly marketed by 'Mainly Trains', from patterns made by Iain Rice.


Don't read too much into this scene, there might be a small loading dock and a disused van body for a store, but I'm not sure yet.  The backscene suffered some damage, but would have needed replacing anyway as it will now wrap around the Titley Junction cassette deck.  The 'John Facer 7-plank is an Oxford Rail model, Paul Marshall-Potter recently took a closer look at these, and you can read what he had to say about them here. Knowing that I hadn't yet got my hands on one of these models, Paul kindly donated the one you see here, with instructions to see what I could do with it in 'EM'.  In short I'm very impressed with the model, and found it very easy to convert, so a big thank you to Paul, a write up will follow at some point, but for now its back to the new layout.


The alternative to a loading bank would be something like this, a simple shed based on the one at Hemyock, with perhaps a grounded van body rather than a lean to.


Please ignore the embankment behind those coal wagons, though there will be one, it won't be anywhere near as high.  Obviously a cart track would be laid in to serve the cattle dock, but both would be overgrown.   All the vegetation on the embankment will be stripped back, and replaced with rough grasses, in fact its already gone, along with the fencing


Don't read too much into this either, the station building still looks at home, perhaps its too grand for the location, but the same could be said for the real one at Presteign?  However I have two other buildings under consideration, which you will come across below.  The bridge, creamery and cattle dock will be sited as shown, but not in that shape or form the you see here.


These are the alternative station buildings that I have in mind, the top one is from 'Limekilns' on the New Radnor Branch, and is the current favourite.  The other is the slightly smaller building which still stands at New Radnor.





I tried this building before on the old layout, but it didn't sit right, that's not to say that I won't try again.


Well, its time to sign off and thread more rail chairs onto rail...........