Project Cambria

[Chris]

Evenin' all. Thought I would share details of a layout I will be starting shortly.

The aim is to get as much of the mainline railways in Wales simulated, with bits over the English border as needed to make the thing work. The extent of the layout is considerable, a little under a thousand route-miles (or "over 1500 route-km" for the metrically inclined). This isn't quite as ambitious as it first seems, as away from the major towns you'll often find plain line continuing for miles on end without so much as a level crossing.

00-overview.png

The main rail axes in Wales are east-west. There are three of them, and to get from one to another requires a diversion over the border into England. They are:

• The North Wales route from Chester to Holyhead
• The Cambrian Railway route from Shrewsbury to the west coast
• The South Wales route from the Severn Estuary to Milford Haven

On the branches, we have

• The "Cardiff & Valleys local routes", better known to the locals as the Valley Lines.
• The North Wales branches to Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog
• The Heart of Wales line, from Llanelli to Shrewsbury, which survived into the 1970s primarily for political reasons*
• The West Wales branches for Pembroke and Fishguard

(For clarity, I'm not aiming to include preserved railways at this time. That's not to say they won't ever be included, but they're not planned at the moment.)

Work will start in Cardiff. This is because under the current timetable most (not all, but most) trains in the area are "out and back", which is to say that when they get to the other end, they come back the way they came, with any change in routing happening at Cardiff itself. To avoid fiddling, some parts of lines over the border will be included, in particular so that the direct trains from between North and South don't effectively get fiddled in the middle of their journeys. This includes having to add Shrewsbury-Chester via Crewe, because there are at least two trains each day that go that way.

More information to follow.

* "You can't close that one, Prime Minister. It runs through seven marginal constituencies!"

[Chris]

Long-overdue progress update. Trackwork estimated at 7% complete. As threatened, the Cardiff area was first - in particular, the Valley lines (56% done). Trains are running, but on a nominal hourly timetable corresponding to a typical pattern in daytime.

The line to Rhymney is complete, including through working to Penarth - the freight branch to Cwmbargoed colliery is done trackwise, but not yet in a position to see any trains use it. The newest additions to the line are in. Notes on the model:

• The passing loop at Tir-phil allows for a half-hourly service north of Bargoed, but it doesn't yet get one apart from the odd train in the peak, which isn't modelled.
• Trains at Bargoed correctly run wrong-line or shunt beyond the station as appropriate. The shunt is to allow for a southbound train to come off the single from Rhymney.
• Caerphilly has a new platform, currently used for some short workings starting in the morning and terminating in the evening, though again these aren't modelled.
• The new station at Energlyn has no trains. In real life, it has 2tph on a line that normally has 4tph, though for some reason instead of even interval service they're actually 2 on/2 off. This is probably possible though likely needs fiddling with route codes or train types.

Up the Taff, the main route is complete as far as Pontypridd, and the branch up the Rhondda is done as far as Porth.

• Trains through Treforest Estate are 6tph while only 2tph stop. North is easy - it's the Merthyr trains. South is more complicated, since the return journeys alternate between Barry Island and Bridgend. Probably doable by fiddling with route codes.
• In real life, while trains for Tower avoid the core of the route and use the City Line, those for Cwmbargoed have no choice but to run through Queen Street. As there isn't room in the timetable to thread them through, every few hours the Treherbert trains divert along the City Line to free up a path for them. This isn't yet reflected in the model.

The City Line and the Coryton branch form a horseshoe whose ends are barely a mile apart. Trains run every half-hour during the day. On most of the route, if you miss your stop the next train back will be the one you're standing on. Includes the closest stations on the mainline network. So close are they, that you can see a train stopped at one while standing at the other.

The line through the Vale of Glamorgan is done as far as Barry Island.

• Coal trains run through here to and from the power station at Aberthaw. They're not simulated yet, particularly since many of them run between there and Tower or Cwmbargoed.

Closer screenshots to follow.

[Chris]

This has been a slow burn in the background.

Overall route mileage at 22%.
Valleys rails 98% laid (119+20/121+67). Missing only the loop at Aberthaw power station and the detail at the Barry Docks branch, which I suspect is now effectively closed.
Other South Wales rails 28% laid (97+31/345+57). Including almost half of the mainline, from east of Cardiff to south of Carmarthen. Also in are the branch to Maesteg and the District line (not that one).

A lot of the signalling actually works, complete with level crossings that work appropriately. In particular, the close headways through the Central-Queen Street section, and the route for trains crossing the throat to Ninian Park not being reserved until the train is ready to start.

Here's the layout so far:

wales.zip

[Yenz]

Chris, this indeed looks elaborate! I will download your layout later this evening and have a look at it. You have even drawn the complex coastline!