Omagh Goods Yard

[GNRi1959]

After many months of doubt and determination, Code 75 track and pointwork was temporarily placed on my baseboards and Omagh Goods Yard took its first breath.  This time I used a well thought out plan that was simple and operational, with lots of advice and guidance from many.

Five sections, including a fiddle yard were all built from new with no expense spared. Brass pattern makers dowels were used on all sections for good alignment and quality sprung suitcases catches that hold all sections together. Leaving the possibility of exhibition possible, though not essential. None of the track you see is fixed so I am still open to suggestions.

The layout is goods only - focusing mainly on the Yard at Omagh and more interesting the movement of loose grain from wagons to the waiting grain lorries of Scotts Excelsior in town. A dropped section will allow for unloading loose grain from chutes on grain wagons to waiting lorries below and in latter years when wagons of bagged grain were unloaded onto Scotts flat bed lorries by hand. This has been verified by both employees of Scotts Mill and ex-GNRi shunters, still alive in Omagh today.

A scratchbuild turntable, will turn locomotives at one end of the layout and a small fiddle yard will allow for storage and operation when exhibiting. When the track work is finalised a 3mm cork bed will be glued in place. The replica cast-iron signs were made by a friend, who does this type of thing as a hobby. Don't they look really well!

Edited March 16, 2018 by GNRi1959

[Noel]

Well done Tony.  You've cast off and you are now underway making way. (forgive the nautical analogy).  Best of luck with the ongoing development and most importantly of all, I hope it proves an enjoyable journey for you.

[Patrick Davey]

Good luck Tony - great too that it might make it out to the exhibitions, that's great news!  Best of luck and yes, enjoy the journey!

[PaulC]

Great to see this up and running again GNR.  It sounds like you have a great plan for the layout with a clear idea of what you want from it and the option of making it exhibition worthy is an added bonus for us all. Is the gap at the back of that centre board to do with the drop down chutes or is it for something else entirely?

Paul

[GNRi1959]

13 minutes ago, PaulC said:

Great to see this up and running again GNR.  It sounds like you have a great plan for the layout with a clear idea of what you want from it and the option of making it exhibition worthy is an added bonus for us all. Is the gap at the back of that centre board to do with the drop down chutes or is it for something else entirely?

Paul

Thanks Paul. That drop is for the lorries that backed up against a retaining wall below the track level. The grain was unloaded from the siding above.

[GNRi1959]

I see obvious problems at the moment where in the middle photograph the sidings need lengthening. I can remedy this by moving some of the point work ‘right to left’.

[GNRi1959]

Good wagons moving again at Omagh. Track not pinned down and loose wired.

IMG_0771.MOV

[Patrick Davey]

Bet it feels good to see that!!!!  Well done!!!

[PaulC]

I couldn’t open the link GNR but that may be an apple thing. 

Paul

Edited March 19, 2018 by PaulC

[PJR]

Looking good, just make sure they travel over all point  before setting 

[GNRi1959]

Thanks.

The entire set up is connected by fishplate only and not fixed to baseboards. When I have tested the sidings and movement of trains I will lay my cork and then start fixing track in earnest. 

3 hours ago, Patrick Davey said:

Bet it feels good to see that!!!!  Well done!!!

I've upload to youTube

 

 

Edited March 19, 2018 by GNRi1959

[Mayner]

Great to see that you have got trains running Tony!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GNRi1959]

Yes John, I almost scrapped the entire project!

That loco needs a drop of oil, just noticed the tender drive is pushing the loco in parts.

[GNRi1959]

Finally decided to use 3mm cork underlay which I stuck down this morning. I  painted the uncorked remainder of the baseboard tops with a quick drying acrylic grey primer. Looks good, some serious track laying should start this evening!

Edited March 23, 2018 by GNRi1959

[GNRi1959]

Heres what it looks like now, track is sitting loose on glued cork. I will start laying the track tomorrow. I have to drill holes to fit point motors underneath and bore for the droppers. Out of shot, to the bottom will be the turntable and line to fiddle yard.

 

[PaulC]

All looking really good and very neat. Not long before you have some trains running now. 

Paul

[GNRi1959]

Whats the best method of dealing with track work at baseboard joints?

 

[PaulC]

Are you planning to move the baseboards for exhibition purposes or such like?  If so, I think one of the preferred methods is to solder the bottoms of the rails to screws placed in to the board. Once this is done you can cut the rails with a cutting disc and be assured the track will line up each time the boards are brought together. Of course, this is also dependent on the boards being perfectly aligned using coach bolts or the like but with your woodworking skills I’ve no doubt you’ve already achieved that. 

Paul

[GNRi1959]

Paul,

I have used brass pattern makers dowels to align the boards and good quality sprung toggle catches. I presume a dropped cable would be needed either side to maintain power feed?

[PaulC]

I knew you’d be forward thinking in your baseboard construction. Some sort of connector would be required to carry the bus between the two boards and there are any number of options to do this. 

Paul

[PaulC]

While continuing my quest for anything related to Ballymena railway station I was aware of the book the Industrial Archaeology Of Ireland. Now out of print the library service has one copy in circulation currently residing in its Banbridge branch. They won’t do a transfer of it to another library so whilst working in the town today I popped in to take a look. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the book that I hadn’t seen eleswhere before. This long winded intro leads me to two photos attached below I came across of Omagh. No doubt you have probably seen them before but thought I’d share them just in case. Apologies for the blurry image in the first picture, I hadn’t noticed my lack of focus when taking the pic  

Paul

[leslie10646]

Paul (and others)

The book in question is McCutcheon's "Industrial Archaeology  of the North of Ireland" (only). Amazing stuff on old mills, canals etc as well as railways. A useful reference work.

As you say, long out of print, but there is a copy in this house and if someone has a particular query, or wants a scan - just ask.

My secondhand copy came back across The Pond from the USA.

"Slasher" McCutcheon taught me at school!

Leslie

[GNRi1959]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for thinking of me and my interest in Omagh.

The Engine Shed featured in the book was reduced to a shell during storms in the mid 50s when the roof was totally blown off. It was never replaced and the shell was all that ever remained. The beautiful stone building that was the main building stood until 1973 when it was finally demolished by Omagh District Council. 

Here it is in 1964 and all that remains today is the stone wall on the right hand side.

 

Edited March 26, 2018 by GNRi1959

[leslie10646]

Nice picture, Tony.

Very evocative with the Post Office van in front!

In the days running up to Christmas 1964, I was travelling on a Runabout ticket to get as many miles as possible of steam haulage on the Derry Road before it was gone forever.

One evening, I was in the signal cabin at Omagh and I asked the signalman when he finished work for the day - "In an hour or so", he answered, "and then I'll do some overtime on the platform helping with the post!"

Of course, in those days, there was mountains of it.

Brought it all back. Thanks.

Leslie

Edited March 27, 2018 by leslie10646

[GNRi1959]

41 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

Nice picture, Tony.

Very evocative with the Post Office van in front!

In the days running up to Christmas 1964, I was travelling on a Runabout ticket to get as many miles as possible of steam haulage on the Derry Road before it was gone forever.

One evening, I was in the signal cabin at Omagh and I asked the signalman when he finished work for the day - "In an hour or so", he answered, "and then I'll do some overtime on the platform helping with the post!"

Of course, in those days, there were mountains of it.

Brought it all back. Thanks.

Leslie

Leslie, the Signal Man in the South Cabin (nearest the passenger platform) was Jackie Thompson and in the North Cabin, Packie Donaghy.

Post Office vans often reversed to the left of the picture where they had access to the platform, I will post a picture of this when I get home.

[leslie10646]

Tony

Surely there would have been three men in each cabin covering the 24 hours? I must have a look at my 1964 WTT and check the hours of opening for the cabins.

It's a valuable lesson to look at the WTTs to see how much DID go on in the wee small hours. I have to do this research for Portadown to work out a running sequence. Being a major junction with three lines through it, it can seldom have been very quiet and I pity local residents who may have had shunting going on at unearthly hours!

I'm sure you have the WTT for your period, but if not, contact me.

As I have several years of GNR (1950s) and UTA - certainly 1964, I'm happy to help you or any other friend modelling the GN.

The things you pick up over the years and keep in boxes!

Leslie

 

[GNRi1959]

8 hours ago, leslie10646 said:

Tony

Surely there would have been three men in each cabin covering the 24 hours? I must have a look at my 1964 WTT and check the hours of opening for the cabins.

It's a valuable lesson to look at the WTTs to see how much DID go on in the wee small hours. I have to do this research for Portadown to work out a running sequence. Being a major junction with three lines through it, it can seldom have been very quiet and I pity local residents who may have had shunting going on at unearthly hours!

I'm sure you have the WTT for your period, but if not, contact me.

As I have several years of GNR (1950s) and UTA - certainly 1964, I'm happy to help you or any other friend modelling the GN.

The things you pick up over the years and keep in boxes!

Leslie

 

Leslie, I don't doubt it - these were men I knew, I am sure there were others. (Edit) Yes, another signalman was Alec Clarke.

An ex-UTA employee told me he used to lie in bed at night and watch a train of as many as 60 goods wagons leaving Newtownstewart en-route to Omagh, and beyond.

Edited March 28, 2018 by GNRi1959

[GNRi1959]

Took delivery of South Eastern Finecast Turntable Kit today, looks pretty good and the components are first class.

 

Edited March 29, 2018 by GNRi1959

[Broithe]

8 minutes ago, GNRi1959 said:

Took delivery of South Eastern Finecast Turntable Kit today, looks pretty good and the components are first class.

I had the opportunity to have a look round the premises there a few years ago - a very impressive set-up.

[GNRi1959]

Permanent Way men busy today making a start on track laying and pinning. 

Edited March 29, 2018 by GNRi1959

[PaulC]

The turntable looks a much better proposition than the Peco alternative. 

Great to see the track laying started too. Quick question, your little hand held drilling tool, is there a name for it and where can I buy one?  

Paul

[Broithe]

43 minutes ago, PaulC said:

Quick question, your little hand held drilling tool, is there a name for it and where can I buy one?  

Normally called a pin chuck, pin vice or pin vise - that one above is a real beauty! The rotating cap makes things much easier to control.

 

There are many such things available, i.e. - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EXPO-75070-PIN-VICE-with-a-3-jaw-chuck-that-holds-drill-sizes-0-1mm-to-2-5mm/312043854480?epid=782164257&hash=item48a7435a90:g:fqMAAOxyxpxQ5gEW

[GNRi1959]

11 hours ago, PaulC said:

The turntable looks a much better proposition than the Peco alternative. 

Great to see the track laying started too. Quick question, your little hand held drilling tool, is there a name for it and where can I buy one?  

Paul

That one of mine was bought from eBay last year for £5.99 and it really is a nice little piece of gear, I love it.

[GNRi1959]

I have a couple of sidings on my layout that just don't please me. They are straight. Is there anything I can do to change this or are long straight sidings acceptable. Unless I can come up with something interesting to take the eye from them.

Edited March 31, 2018 by GNRi1959

[PaulC]

Are these the ones on the outer sides?  If so, the one nearest the bridge looks fine to me. The one at the front is perhaps bland to look at but what are your plans for the surrounding area of that track?  Will this not draw attention away from the straightness?  Maybe too late now if track is being pinned down in to its permanent position but by laying track at a slight angle across your boards rather than parallel with the board edges can deceive the eye and therefore draw you away from the straightness of track. 

Paul