Castle Ruins

 0-4-4-0 double Fairlie 'Earl of Merioneth' with a train of bugboxes passing through the PW depot below the castle ruins. 😊

Keith

009 Society 50th Anniversary Competition

 My certificate from the 009 Society arrived today, with the 3 scratch-built wagons,

which were runners up in the competition. 😊

Keith

Lift-out Bridge Repairs part 2

 With the weather today being favourable, and probably the last opportunity to get the ends of the lift-out bridge and the 2 sections I cut off recently sanded down outside. It was a job I didn't want to do inside the railway room. Feeling inspired I then went on to drill 2 holes through the bridge and soldered a wire to each rail and a connector on the end to get power to the bridge. The wires and solder joints will be hidden with ballast when I reballast the track where it has fallen off during sawing the ends of the bridge off. 😊

Ends of the 2 short section to be fixed to the layout sanded down after being sawn off

One end of the bridge similarly sanded down

2 holes drilled through for the power cables

The same holes on the track side of the bridge

Wires soldered the the rails

Connecter soldered to the other ends of the new wires

 Everything is now ready for attaching the 2 cut sections of bridge to the layout and to assemble the bridge supports etc. 😁

Keith

009 Society 50th Anniversary and Statfold Barn Freight Train

 My 009 Society 50th anniversary and Statfold Barn freight train running past Hadarford woods 😊

Keith

Compressor Wagon part 2

 The finished compressor wagon. 😊

Keith

Compressor Wagon

 Yesterday I got to see this compressor wagon used on the Statfold Barn railway.

 today I have made a rather crude attempt at scratch-building one. 😔 Built on a spare Roco chassis.

And then primered it. 

Keith

Hunslet 0-4-0st 'Charles'

 Hunslet 0-4-0st 'Charles' hauling an 8 cylinder diesel engine through the PW depot.  😊

Keith

Trying Out New Lighting

 Just enough time for a quick chat at the level crossing, as 4-6-0 Baldwin 'Alfred James' pulls into Hadarford station. 👋 using my new lighting for the 1st time, mounted on a spare tripod. 💡

New lighting as purchased

Mounted on a spare tripod

Keith

0-4-4-0 Double Fairlie 'Earl of Merioneth'

 0-4-4-0 double Fairlie 'Earl of Merioneth' approaching Manor Road bridge with a mixed traffic train. 😊

The puzzled look on the crews faces is because they are thinking....

"Why is that pillock standing in the middle of the track taking a photograph!!" 😕

Keith

Lift-out Bridge Repairs

Ever since the 1st train crossed Hadarford's large lift-out bridge in January 2020 I have had problems with it.

An engineering problem on my part, in that the track on the layout and fiddleyard adjoining the bridge was curved and not straight. It would take a long explanation, but this was causing derailments at one end of the bridge.

I have tried various solutions, and been trying to think of a better solution. During our summer cruise I came up with the original fix, and how to implement it. It involved cutting 50mm off each end of the bridge, fixing these pieces to the layout and fiddleyard to give me a straight section of track leading into the bridge. This morning I solved the final part of the puzzle of the bridge supports and started the remedial action. I first cut 50mm off of each end of the bridge. I also cut 6 pieces of timber which will form the main part of the bridge supports at each end. All will become clear over the next few months as to how this will all come together. Having finalised the solution in my mind, I wanted to get the bridge and timber cut outside as it is a nice day, but as my wife and I are busy doing boat maintenance, and site maintenance, construction will now wait until I have the time available. yet another winter project to add to the list. See captions for details. 😊

Lift out bridge in use

Starting to cut off one end of the bridge

Timber sawn through, just the track needs sawing with a junior hacksaw

Completed cut of one end

Mystery pieces of timber

Keith

Small Mixed Train

 0-4-0 'Emma' with a small mixed train passing Hadarford wood. 😊

Keith