The people of Penfold Priory

member Graham Yates, is by far the best so far - it allows for completely hands-free operation. It’s constructed from 10mm plywood on a 100mm by 25mm softwood frame, with the ply being screwed and glued to the bottom of the softwood frame to form two open topped boxes. The two boxes are hinged as this allows the two halves of the fiddleyard base to be pivoted together to form a box for transport. The top boards of the fiddleyard are split into four sections; three can be slid forward or backwards in aluminium guide channels, and the fourth is fixed, with two roads at the front of the layout and a three-road manual turntable at the rear. Each of the moveable boards has five roads, and each of the roads can be isolated. Alignment between the boards and the layout is obtained by lowering a bolt into a series of holes drilled into a length of steel flat bar fixed to cross-braces. These are fitted to the base of the fiddleyard under each of the moveable top boards. Buildings are positioned throughout the length of the layout, and there are gaps between buildings in which we Most of the figures are from S&D Models’ Phoenix range, while a few were made by Duncan Models, Omen Miniatures and the Aidan Campbell range. Team members who made buildings were also responsible for painting any nearby figures, but the bulk of them were supplied by member Joe Lowe, with Mal Evans also contributing. Our painting process is quite straightforward. Any flash and casting marks are cut or burnished away before a light coat of grey acrylic is brushed on. This acts as a primer and brings out the detail. After studying period photographs and literature of the era we begin painting. We start with the lightest colours, working through to the darker tones. Light dry-brushing brings back out the details. We learned a lot just by examining the work of top military modellers. We only use matt acrylics and apply thin coats at every stage. If the paint is too thick it can swamp the detail. We prefer nylon brushes with a zero in the size number. You can’t ruin anything if you use acrylics, so with a bit of research and a little practice you can spend a few relaxing hours painting.

have positioned little cameos that delight viewers. All of the buildings are scratchbuilt and securely fixed to the baseboards - when it’s boxed for transport, some of the boards end up upside down. Construction of the buildings was divided up among the club members. Everyone uses slightly different methods and materials - see the previous two pages for more. The layout was divided into nine sections, and wired for cab control via two controllers, and all the points were motorised. The fiddleyard has its own control panel and power supply. Our first exhibition was the Telford ‘O’ gauge show. The first day went well, although it took a while to get to grips with the sequence and the exact position of the section changes. Sunday started well, until the first point by the signal box failed.

POINT BREAK

This caused quite a few problems, as this point is used to access the goods yard and engine shed. We managed to keep things moving while we investigated. The fault was traced back to the point motor. We managed a temporary repair, but for the remainder of the day one of us had to stay under the layout operating the point manually.

WE WENT ‘OLD SCHOOL’ FOR POINT OPERATION, USING PIANO WIRE, HOMEMADE CRANKS AND SLIDE SWITCHES

Back in the clubroom we corrected the problem but, one by one, the other point motors failed. We went back to the drawing board and after many discussions, we decided to reduce the number of isolating sections, manually operate the points and to completely re-wire the layout. We also made the connections between the baseboards more robust. We went ‘old school’ for point operation, using piano wire, homemade cranks and slide switches. The slide switches also changed the frog polarity at the same time. Regular cleaning of the contact area on the points during track cleaning keeps everything running smoothly.

OPERATOR ERROR

All of these changes were completed in time for our next show, and the layout ran really well. Any problems were quickly traced back to the operators, and were mostly attributed to the after-effects of ‘the night before’. All the connecting cables under the layout were fitted correctly, and when the power was switched on, the locomotive moved - in the right direction too! During the first few exhibitions we thought the front of the layout could be improved with the addition of some extra detail. We decided to build some six-inch wide scenic boards for the front of the layout which would accommo- date the edge of the road leading up to the station building. They are made from 50mm by 25mm timber and 10mm plywood, and bolted to the front of the layout. We have perfected our technique for packing the layout and stock into a long wheel-based van. For exhibitions we need three or four operators. We’re happy to drive any distance to an exhibition - so far we’ve been as far afield as Glasgow and Redruth. So, if you see ‘Penfold Priory’ out and about, please stop by for a chat!

For GWR aficionados, the range of affordable ‘O’ gauge ready-to-run models will be limited to Lionheart’s ‘64XX’ 0‑6‑0PT (until Heljan’s ‘Large Prairie’ arrives on the scene). ‘Penfold Priory’ makes good use of etched brass kits with ‘57XX’ 0‑6‑0PT No....

Above: The LNWR ‘Precursor Tank’ is a Dragon Models brass kit. Our model is fitted with an ABC motor and gearbox.

Below: The row of cottages, all kept in good order by the occupants with the corner shop keeping them well supplied. The postman (extreme right) has a natter with a resident while he’s doing his rounds.