Sunday Steam on the Dyfrdwy Tramway...
We've had some glorious spring sunshine this weekend and it's been noticeably warmer when you're out of the wind. Whilst I had the Sunday dinner to make later in the afternoon I decided to make the most of some downtime and enjoy live steam in the garden...
Trains run, and all is forgotten - lost in the mindful pursuit of the perfect run. Back and forth, push and pull, gently balancing throttle and reverser to master the undulating, twisty and poorly laid tramway.
The tramway has had a bit of a battering from the puppy and the winter. The oil tank on the wharf is damaged and the frost has finally broken up the cement joints in the dolls-house brick piers. Elsewhere the wire and post fencing was destroyed by the dog and I've not braved re-fitting the 3D printed gates for the same reason. Running trains on this stripped back railway it still feels real, and my mind is filling in the details... with the fuel tank gone on the wharf I can now imagine the kickback siding is actually for unloading slate wagons - and the removal of the gate at the mill makes the area feel larger. The quarry at the top of the line is now heavily overgrown by the bush and the turnout STILL needs replacing.
That said I felt an energy for some projects this year that I've not felt for sometime. There are one or two things I'd like to do to the steam engine, adding some sliding doors on the back of the cab and some glazing in the windows. Wagon wise, when running steam some larger slate wagons would feel more in keeping with the locomotive, I'll keep my eyes peeled for some options. Scenery? Well a water source at the Mill has long been on the cards, but perhaps those cranes need progressing too... in fact since I've proven the longevity of 3D printed nylon in the garden I wonder perhaps if a multi-media approach might be best...
But in the meantime I will sit back and enjoy these photos, this video, a lovely memory of a quiet and thoughtful afternoon in the garden. Until next time more soon...
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Hi James. Have you ever published a track plan of the dwfrdy tramway? Of all your projects it is the one that has somehow slipped under my radar. I love the weathered look of the track. I've just spent a merry 10 mins looking back at older posts, it's a rich seam to mine when I have more time and a mug of coffee. Take care.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't really warrant a track plan Tom, it starts at the wharf (the end of this video) and runs up to the mill (this is the section I filmed). There used to be gates at the top and bottom of this section but I daren't reintroduce them with the dog. From the mill it ran across the lawn to the quarry. The idea was, as per prototype, that slabs were cut at the quarry but a lack of water source meant they were brought down to the mill, where there was a spring to turn a water wheel for the mill (as per the real Deeside tramway, across the valley). Then cut slate was moved down to the wharf. Three turnouts (though the one at the quarry is broken) all facing the same direction. Locomotive always on the downhill end of the line.
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