Barry and Penarth Model Railway Club

Building Crumlin Viaduct in O-gauge

Picture of Crumlin Viaduct courtesy of John Smith of Crumlin

The club is about to embark on its most ambitious project to date - a model of the Crumlin Viaduct in O-gauge.

The viaduct itself was built of wrought iron in 1854-7 and survived as the highest railway viaduct in the U.K. until demolition in 1965.

The model will be nearly five foot high and over twenty two feet long. The two traversers will be modified to fit this height and the final model will operate as a working diorama to show off the collection of O-gauge models of South Wales origins owned by club members.

Picture of Crumlin Viaduct in 1962 kindly provided by Harry Hibberd
click on the image to see a larger version

So far some one and half hundredweight of brass tube, flat strip and wire has been purchased.

Join us month by month with this construction.

• Eric Bottomley, the artist, who provided us with his research material for his painting above. Check out his web site
  
• Nigel Bird, the railway book dealer, who informed us about the 1863 publication on the building of the viaduct. He has a web site too.
• John Smith, resident of Crumlin, whose web site (below) is an inspiration for us all.

Further information and lots of pictures of the original viaduct can be found on John Smith's very informative web site, via the links below. http://www.crumlinviaduct.co.uk/

photographs of the viaduct

Stories and a poem about the viaduct

History of the viaduct

then and now pictures of Crumlin

Members of the scalefour Society are building a model of the smaller Kendon Viaduct (three trusses compared to seven of the main Crumlin Viaduct) in 4mm/ft fine scale.
Further information here