Dyffryn Ardudwy EM gauge

[PjKing1]

When I was small my mum and dad took me to Dyffryn Ardudwy for our summer holidays, a village not far from Barmouth which we went to nearly every year when I was young. BR blue DMU's and double headed 37's on summer specials are what I remember, I had loads of photos but thinking I'll never use or need them again they got threw in the bin about 15 years ago. I hadn't been there since I was about 12 but last year me and the Mrs drove down there, It's just a single line now with the down platform still in use, the other platform and waiting room is now someone's house and is actually for sale.

Property For Sale Station Road, Dyffryn Ardudwy, LL44 | 3 Bedroom Detached through Walter Lloyd Jones & Co Ltd

The loop was removed in the 70's, I remember one very hot summers day sitting legs dangling off the disused platform with my mum and dad, we wandered down the line picking blackberrys and just having fun, it was a Sunday so no trains, I walked with my dad up to the points where the loop had been taken out, then a backpacker walked past walking the line to the next station, memories I'd do anything to relive again, I can still smell the diesel soaked sleepers as the sun beat down on them and it's these holidays that I began my love of trains. Apart from being updated for 'health and safety' (boooooo) and being overgrown nothing has changed.

When we arrived last year and got out of the car I heard a bit of two tone an then the growl, then a 37 rumbled through, I managed to get a rather rushed pic but better than nothing and something I wasn't expecting to see and something I hadn't seen since the mid 80's.



The last time I seen a train here I was in shorts and about 3' tall, new liveries where making an appearance and 150 Sprinters where new on the scene.

Here's a few more from our visit.















This is something I modelled when I was about 8 on a small 3' board, but having visited it again I just had to do it properly.

My Dyffryn Ardudwy will be modelled in the mid 60's with the passing loop still in use, green and blue diesels and a few dwindling steam locos, all track will be hand built in EM gauge along with scratch built building and it'll be Dcc with sound.

So the research began and over the last few weeks I've discovered it had a small goods line.

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Here's a few links to some pics

Dyffryn ardudwy 9th Aug 74.

150 144 Dyffryn Ardudwy

M52050/51935/50401/56157 Dyffryn Ardudwy 6/7/1977


Here's what I've done so far, I've nearly completed the shelter, which in the 60's had a few more windows than as seen in the second pic above.



Hopefully I'll get to make a start on the boards and tack soon once a friend of mine has finished the Templot of it for me (Yep after two years I still can't do it).

Cheers, Paul

 

[PjKing1]

Evening all just thought I'd do a quick run through of how I've made the shelter.

First up is a pic of the shelter from an eBay find, this isn't mine and I'll happily remove it if need be.



First up was the windows, I've use Lcut creative laser cut for these and they're great, I've just trimmed them to the right size.



They were then stuck onto some clear plasticard.



Next up were the front, back and sides using Slaters 2mm spaced timber sheet.





Then painted white and br blue.







Doors were then made using thin plasticard for the beading glued to the Slaters sheet.



Then it was the bench along the back walls down the flooring and sides all assembled.







And doors fitted.



This is were I'm up to now.



I made a start on the roof last night so hopefully I can get that finished over the weekend and I can make a start on the weathering.

Cheers

 

[PjKing1]

This weekends work on the shelter involved the roof being made using plasticard with masking tape for the felt. This was then painted grey and weathered with powders, the hut itself has been dusted with powder then wiped with a baby wipe.

The roof is only placed on at the moment as I still need to wire the internal and external lighting up and add guttering etc along with the time tables.











Cheers

 

[PjKing1]

I've been off all week for half term but being off seems to end in less modelling, although not installed properly I've flicked the switch on the shelter end we have light, I'm still waiting on a micro LED for the outside light but I'm getting there slowly.

Not the best photos and the LED's in the inside, although warm white, are still to bright but I'll sort this with a resistor.



















I'm pretty pleased there's not much light leakage either with just one or two gaps to seal and overall it's looking ok, must admit scratch building does put a smile on your face

Cheers

 

[PjKing1]

Tonight timetables have been added and micro LED's have arrived, I was going to add frames around the timetables but as they're inside and will hardly be seen I didn't think there would be much point.







Cheers

 

[PjKing1]

Tonight I've fitted a micro LED above the doors



and I've made a shade for it, it's a bit bigger than I'd hoped and the original but it works quite well, I've also added the electric cable using thin brass and plasticard for the junction boxes as on the original.



It's more or less done now apart from maybe a figure or two and some guttering along the back.

Cheers