Hello, and a warm welcome to the first blog of May.
We are still under lock and key, and I'm sorry to say that yesterdays exchange at Checkpoint Charlie did not go according to plan!
Colin and I had arranged to meet (2 meters apart) at the crossing point, AKA Llechryd Bridge, but somehow we missed each other...
I returned to base, fired up the car and risking the wrath of the Dyfed-Powis border guards drove deep into forbidden territory. Having evinced an exchange of documents, I got home safely.
Progress on the Teifi Gorge extension could now proceed...

We have decided to make it Llechryd Station, as I have put the river on the wrong side for New-Castle Emlyn - plus it gives us scope to expand further, and create a stand-alone layout for future use.

Also we could incorporate the Llechryd Tin-plate works, the line supplying pig iron, and taking finished tin-plate to St Dogs for export.(The works closed around 1820, but we won't let that bother us too much...)

After cutting out the river, and making a rudimentary channel, rough hillside contours were made from cardboard:

This was then covered with plaster-of-Paris bandage:

and when dry painted appropriately:

The track plan that was delivered by Colin during our abortive meeting was put in place to check for fit:

Station at the bottom, tin-plate works at the top. The position of the two darker tracks will be decided when we eventually get together.
Across to the right, the track curves around to go through the gorge towards Cilgerran;

We were a tad sceptical about the severity of the curve - would it prove to tight for our stable of locomotives?
To that end, I made a template and put up a test board with some old track, showing the same curve profile.
I connected it up to power and a controller, and put our little engines through their paces.
I am relieved to say that they all took the bend in their stride, even the couplings stood the test, as you can see in the two short video clips below:

Seen here pulling (and pushing) a train of three coaches:

And there we have it - this week-ends offering from the ChufferDuffers, more to come in a few days no doubt.
One thing that did come through last week however, from the foothills of the Black Mountain was a photograph from Chuffer Mike of their first calf, born last week (just two days old in the pic)

Hope you are all keeping well,

Cheerio.

Shaun.