The Dyfrdwy Tramway: extension...

I never intended to extend the railway this year, but the good weather, the plans for the rest of the garden and a renewed enthusiasm for 7/8ths (which saw the coach finished - more on that later) meant that the idea to add a bit of operating interest came to be...

The plan was simple, add two more 'stops' to the line representing the mill (half way) and siding, and the quarry (end). On the real Deeside tramway slab was brought down the line to the mill because there wasn't a water supply at the quarry to power the slab cutting machines. The same premise is followed on the Dyfrdwy Tramway, and eventually I hope to add a small mill building. The quarry should feature a small office, and the slate wharf will have the main office and loading crane.

The ground was broken, turf cut out, a little of the garden dug out and a foundation of cement and sand/ballast compacted and levelled. The Peco SM32 track was laid upon this, and the alignment and level checked. This new section is uphill, so I wanted to ensure it was fairly consistent as well as level from side to side. Once this had been achieve with packing I covered the sleepers and buried the rails with Rowlands mix (cement, sand, peat). This time with less peat, as I was worried about the strength of the trackbed on this section.

Finally, I built a small stone wall at the mill, another example of what I'm hoping to achieve with the scenic finish along the whole tramway. More soon...