About Us

Tanybwlch

The Ffestiniog Railway is the world’s oldest narrow gauge railway with almost 200 years of history, taking you on a 13½-mile journey from the harbour in Porthmadog to the slate-quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. The line winding its way through the Snowdonia National Park to over 700 feet above sea level into the mountains. Through tranquil pastures and magnificent forests, past lakes, waterfalls, round tight bends clinging to the side of the mountain or tunnelling through it.

It was sentiments such as these written in the Ffestiniog Railway Travellers Guide, which originally drew me to the railway as a teenager eager to volunteer on the World Famous Ffestiniog Railway back in the late 1970’s.

Paralleled to this interest, my railway modelling followed the familiar routine of Hornby Train Sets, aborted layouts in both 00 and N gauges, until it dawned on me that the natural course would be to bring the interests together and build a layout based on the Ffestiniog Railway… but where?

Actually, this question was an easy one. Like most people who are familiar with the line, the half-way point set in a sylvan setting, where trains pass or are held in the sidings, provides much interest to the visitor. Tanybwlch was therefore an ideal location to model.

Construction started with some trepidation in 2009, the trepidation due to the excellent layout based on ‘Dduallt’ which had been viewed shortly before. However, the arrival of two solid base boards from my Father in Law, measuring 2ft x 4ft allowing for easy transportation to exhibitions, set me off.

The serpentine curves however had to be shortened to fit the space, the line also curving to the right over the Rhyd road bridge rather than to the left, and 3 gates crossing positioned rather closer as to is the case with Garnedd tunnel.

Track work.

The track is a primarily Peco Main Line with associated point work on the main line powered by Tortoise point motors from a Gaugemaster controller, with 9” points within the sidings operated using floristry wire.

All track was painted with a mix of rust and track brown, and ballasted using a mixture of N gauge and 00 fine ballast. Pinned and glued onto a track bed of cork sheet.

Scenery

The tried and tested method of scrunched wallpaper paste coated paper, with plaster of Paris spread in layers, with the final layer being more watery allowing it to run, this created natural looking outcrops, which when painted with grey paint and with flock applied, gave a very realistic feel. Talking of realism, some of the outcrops are carefully selected pieces of Welsh slate from the area, which whilst providing that look of realism, does make the layout rather on the heavy side!

Being set in a sylvan setting required trees, and lots of them. To date there are approximately 250 of various sizes, with plenty of room for more. However, the lack of readily available quality trees is for an arborist, rather frustrating, especially those which look like an individual species and of a realistically scale height.

However, the mix of broadleaf and conifer provided by a mix of the bulk bags, sea moss in the background, is complemented by the excellent individual trees made by the talented Jackie Mogford of Derby Trees and Scenics

All the plants and trees are selected to represent a late summer- early autumn timeframe, partially due to it being an excellent time of year to visit the Ffestiniog Railway, but also due to there being a plethora of models set in mid-summer, and I wanted to do something different.

The back scene is made from photos taken from various positions along the platform during the early autumn of 2012.

Signals are colour lights adapted from the Becko range.

Locos

The problem with selecting a railway such as the Ffestiniog Railway to model, is one is very restricted by the variety of locos and rolling stock. However, all have been or are about to be modelled, including double Fairlies ‘ David Lloyd George’ and ‘Merddin Emrys’, both adapted Langley kits with Narrow Planet name and works plates, bought from the Ffestiniog Railway shop.

The single Fairlie ‘Taliesin’ is made from a Backwoods Miniatures kit, and not for the faint hearted. Therefore, I chickened out and was very grateful for the assistance of David Temple for his expertise. Such a shame about the wheels not being stainless steel though.

George England Saddle Tanks & Tender locos made from Langley kits, again with Narrow Planet name and work plates, are running on the excellent N-Drive chassis and built to represent ‘Palmerston’, ‘Prince’, and with modellers licence due to the loco being actively restored, ‘Welsh Pony’.

The ex Penrhyn Quarry Hunslets are represented by the new version of the Parkside Dundas kits, which now include a very reliable and smooth running chassis by Mike Chinery in the guise of ‘Linda’. Well worth the wait and extra cost. 

Alco 2-6-2 ‘Mountaineer’ still awaits a replacement chassis, which it is hoped will be sourced in time for the 100^th and poignant anniversary in 2017.

Modern traction is ably represented by the Langley ‘Harlech Castle’, Chivers Finelines ‘Conway Castle’ and the excellent Worsley Wagon Works ‘Vale of Ffestiniog’ kits. The latter’s nameplates having to be made especially by Narrow Planet.

The modern ‘Barns’ coaching stock is primarily the excellent modeller aid kits provided by Worsley Wagon Works, and an adapted Peco Lynton & Barnstaple brake coach to represent carr 14 (just watch them bring out a ready to run version now!) with a few of my first attempts provided by Mikes Models white metal kits still running, which are now approaching 30 years old.

Typical running sessions included two rakes made up of ‘Barns’, including a buffet car and observation carr in the rake passing each other, usually with a vintage train or works train set back into the siding.

Alternatively, one of the England locos hauls a demonstration slate train up the line, with brakemen/women perched on top of the slates, pausing to replenish the locos tanks at the water tank adapted from a pair of Wills kits and next to the scratch built station building, signal box, station house and footbridge (instructions available to interested parties).

Onlookers watch the slate train re start and head towards Garnedd Tunnel, and at exhibitions, if I am very lucky, a wag makes a comment regarding its return under gravity. The smirk being wiped away as the slate train does in fact, appear to return under gravity. Actually the Parkside Dundas 2 ton slate wagon is powered by a Portram Tram chassis which is so small it fits below the wagons floor; the wheel spacing’s match the axles perfectly.

The layout appears at exhibitions to support the team who work hard to maintain the real station, and to advertise the Ffestiniog Railway Society.

Is it complete?

Definitely not, there is always something to add, which in turns maintains the interest.

Has it achieved what I set out to do?

Most definitely! Hearing onlookers wax lyrical about how they used to stand there and watch the trains, or when they last visited, makes me feel that the job has been done with everyone recognising a small gem in the history of the ‘World Famous’.