Phase 1 was started in November 1999, when two fence posts, joined at the top by two 8-ft lengths of 3 by ¾ were installed near to the patio (see illustration, right). This was done primarily to see how they would stand up to the rigours of a winter in the south-east of England.
The only trouble with that plan was that the winter was not particularly severe, so much so that construction of the layout proper started on 5 February 2000, with the purchase of the materials for about half of Phase 1. A start was made by cutting the baseboards for Pant-y-fedwen Sidings. These were designed as curved baseboards, and with hindsight maybe this was not a good idea, short straight sections with angled ends would have been easier to construct.
As mentioned in the Planning and Design section the track in Phase 1 contains a 40 foot length of gradient at 1 in 78, which starts at the bridge where the phase 1 return loop crossed the main line. It is sometimes amusing to watch a train tackling this hill, as it gradually runs out of momentum and comes to a halt just 5 feet from the top.
The total length of phase 1 (including around the now non-existent
return loop at Llwyn Celyn) is 175 feet.
Click on any of the following pictures to see a larger version.
This picture taken in the snow on Sunday, 25 February 2001 shows the shape of Phase 1 of the layout. |
Pant-y-fedwen Sidings |
The baseboard at Llwyn Celyn where the return loop used to be |