J-Mo's Workbench

3 hours ago, Mayner said:

Have you thought of using 5.5mm Scale on OO track rather than OOn3 for modelling the Irish 3' gauge? 

I did consider it yes, but I wanted to stick to 4mm scale so that eventually I can have a layout of all three gauges I model (009, 00 and now 00n3). I'm going to use spare 00 gauge parts for the loco though, with new axles for 12mm gauge as I couldn't find motors cheaply, nor wheels, and I thought it'd be a fun (if not mad) challenge trying to get it all together! 

6 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Indeed - as seen here :https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0228/856104-when-donegal-had-a-railway/

I saw the layout once c1978. 5.5 gives a bit of a volume advantage over 4mm work.

I like that layout, it's very sweet! Ironically too, but 00n3 holds the volume advantage for me as a 5.5mm scale class 3 would not fit in my printer! 

Thanks! 

Interesting. Using 5.5mm/ft gives a scale of 1:55 - a remarkable bit of symmetry. For comparison:

7mm/0 is 1:43

S is 1:64

00 is 1:72

H0 is 1:87

TT/3mm is (approx 1:100)

British N is 1:148

Continental N is 1:160

 Without wanting to hijack J-Mo 's thread, I hadn't realised 5.5 was bigger than S. Clearly it was a scale designed to make 16.5mm track work with a known prototype gauge and I believe was also used with 12mm track for two foot gauge. Obviously a scratchbuilders scale, anyone know what figures and road vehicles were used?

 Another potential Irish scale/gauge combination is 6mm scale. It is close to 1:48, which Americans use for 0 gauge, while 32mm, standard 0 gauge track and 18mm EM, track work nicely for 5'3 and 3'. Indeed has much potential for Irish narrow gauge, with plenty of figures and road vehicles available in 1:48, but works less well with loco driving wheels for 5'3 as scaled down from 7mm, the number of spokes no longer match for a given size. Considered it for a while, but easier to stay in 7mm and use 36.75 track.

 Anyway, am sure J-Mo's stuff is far more interesting than my wittering here!

1 hour ago, David Holman said:

Anyway, am sure J-Mo's stuff is far more interesting than my wittering here!

Not at all, thanks for the interesting points!

Just out of interest, does anybody know if the layouts in the Donegal Railway Museum are 00n3 or 5.5n3? I didn't think to ask the last time I was up there. 

5mm actually, I think. That’s certainly what Johnson and O’Rourke’s book says. See also...

http://micksrovingreporter.blogspot.com/2011/04/weekend-in-donegal-23-24-may-2009.html?m=1

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/112461785190797901174/album/AF1QipOlcL7V3TY1kIN0Paiy7bNdnSZH5qarJor-vWNj

Donegal Railway Heritage Centre model layout built by late George Hanan with scratch built models on OO Gauge track and models with 5mm scratch built bodies etc

1 hour ago, airfixfan said:

Donegal Railway Heritage Centre model layout built by late George Hanan with scratch built models on OO Gauge track and models with 5mm scratch built bodies etc

 

Some really inspiring Irish Narrow Gauge modelling https://get.google.com/albumarchive/112461785190797901174/album/AF1QipOlcL7V3TY1kIN0Paiy7bNdnSZH5qarJor-vWNj. an excellent resource and source of encouragement.

George Hannan modelled the Irish narrow gauge in both 5.5 and 4mm scale and the Welsh Narrow gauge in 009. Most of his locos appear to have had scratch built mechanisms. There was an article on his Killybegs layout in the Railway Modeller during the early 1960s. 

He showed me scratchbuilt 4mm models of a T&D Hunslet Tank and some of his Welsh narrow gauge models (complete with outside frames and cranks) during visits to his Malahide Art and Model shop during the late 1970s. He also built a OO9 layout with very realistic North Wales scenery, buildings and structures, probably one of the best of the "rabbit layout" genre of the 60s and 70s 

George Hannans model of Killybegs abd Donegal Town are on display in the Donegal Railway Heritage Centre which we plan to open to the public again from June! Work on Drumboe is well under way now at Whitehead. All donations for this restoration work welcomed and see the website of Donegal Town for the details 

Very glad to hear the news about Drumboe!

This is as far as I got with the class 3 this morning:

The body is nearly finished, there are a few small bits to add at the front, some touching up and some rivets to add to the buffer beam. I then need to design the chassis, work out its dimensions and extrude a big enough hole into the bottom of the body to fit the motor. 

Thanks! 

Work is coming on well and post some photos by end of this week if interested?

1 hour ago, airfixfan said:

Work is coming on well and post some photos by end of this week if interested?

Absolutely! 

The Class 3 body is now finished except for the whistle on the roof- it's always small things like this that you see after saving the photos!

Thanks!

The residents of Portaferry were very surprised to see a narrow gauge line built at their halt this week! 

Apologies for the dismal photo quality, my phone isn't the best. The more eagle-eyed of you may be able to identify the second red locomotive as a 2ft version of Blessingbourse, as designed by Model Engine Works. I put the line here temporarily to give me a running space for my 009 and have put together a small collection of grounded wagon and coach bodies at the far end. This doesn't fit in with my plans for this side of the layout but I may keep it, albeit moving it behind the 00 gauge line. 

Very nice. Blessingbourne long a favourite of mine....although a shorter name would be nicer for the modeller trying to make it up out of individual letter transfers ! That’s the livery she would have worn had she been any way successful and survived to overhaul by the late 30s. The only 2 Clogher engines in red (of varying shades) were Blackwater and No 4. Any chance of a closer look please ?

7 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Very nice. Blessingbourne long a favourite of mine....although a shorter name would be nicer for the modeller trying to make it up out of individual letter transfers ! That’s the livery she would have worn had she been any way successful and survived to overhaul by the late 30s. The only 2 Clogher engines in red (of varying shades) were Blackwater and No 4. Any chance of a closer look please ?

I made mine up as No.3 'Orla' for my own imaginary railway and tried to replicate the CDR dirty red look. 

A real amalgamation of Irish narrow gauge in order to produce something which I think looks very attractive. The number is a Southern buffer beam number transfer. 

Thanks

I like the Quarry Hunslet complete with smokebox door wheel!

35 minutes ago, Mayner said:

I like the Quarry Hunslet complete with smokebox door wheel!

Thank you! The wheel broke off the original BCDR tank and I thought I'd put it to good use! 

While this isn't Irish modelling per se, it might be of interest to some :

This design draws heavily on the Donegal Class 5 but I've painted it up for use in my Southern narrow gauge project and I'm incredibly happy with it! 

Thanks

It’s very nice. Rather like what may have appeared had the LSW taken over the L and B and shrunk down an O2 or G6 to 2’ gauge. 

9 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

It’s very nice. Rather like what may have appeared had the LSW taken over the L and B and shrunk down an O2 or G6 to 2’ gauge. 

It's funny you should say that!

The theory of this railway is that the Ouse Valley Railway (belonging to the LBSCR), instead of being built in standard gauge and contributors going bankrupt before it was finished, it was built in narrow gauge. This engine, I thought, had a slightly Billington-esque cab and so I painted it up as the railway's goods loco.

I also designed, as you say, a mini O2! I thought that these would be built post-grouping for passenger working where the big loco wasn't economical to run. Here's a CAD picture as I'm yet to paint my print:

For rolling stock I have designed (also printed but not yet painted) these Maunsell style coaches in 4 and 6 compartment lengths:

Thanks

I have been somewhat sidetracked by starting a 009 layout based on the anonymous French ports seen in the Tintin books, however recently I wondered which Irish NG locomotives could look good adapted for 009...

You can see a 009 Blessingbourne a few posts above, which I think works very well, and my SR tank inspired by the CDR Class 5 (although I'm sure I could shrink the class 5 in a more accurate way too).

I thought that the L&LSR 4-8-0 locos looked rather like Darjeeling & Himilayan C classes- someone I am acquainted with is producing a kit for these so if I can afford the chassis to fit it, that may be the paintjob I paint one in (after modifying the front to look more like the 4-8-0). 

I now cast the question out to you readers, are there any other NG Irish locos that you think would look good 'shrunk' to between 2' and 2'6" gauge (009 is fairly flexible)? 

Thanks

Some of the smaller ones, like either Muskerry or Skibbereen 4.4.0Ts......probably best.

Larger stuff like Donegal, Clare or even Dingle look a bit odd. I tried converting a T & D R 2.6.0T kit to 9mm gauge back in the day when my eyesight permitted such things (30 years ago!). Didn't like the result, though the chassis ran nicely, so I sold all the bits.....

I tried the same with an Anbrico Donegal railcar - odder again. 

Then again you could go for an imaginary one.....(as I did eventually!)

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

Some of the smaller ones, like either Muskerry or Skibbereen 4.4.0Ts......probably best.

I like this one! It may well be 009-ified in the future. 

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

Larger stuff like Donegal, Clare or even Dingle look a bit odd.

This is very true! However I reckon some of the larger locos would look good if they were adapted to look more like 2'-2'6 machines rather than regauged 3'. I think that the example of the C class looking a bit like a Swilly 4-8-0 is the best example of the concept I am thinking of. 

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

I'm not sure why this quote box is here, I didn't ask for it and it won't go away... 

Thanks

I don't understand this............(a puzzle for mods!)....this appears on the answer above, as a comment attributed to me, but I didn't write it and I don't know what it's about.:

Some of the West Clare locos look very tidy - and the NCC tanks are delightful. 

7 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

I don't understand this............(a puzzle for mods!)....this appears on the answer above, as a comment attributed to me, but I didn't write it and I don't know what it's about.:

 

  1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

I'm not sure why this quote box is here, I didn't ask for it and it won't go away... 

The box was yours, however it was empty so I filled it. The words are mine expressing my confusion at the existence of the mysterious box

44 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Some of the West Clare locos look very tidy - and the NCC tanks are delightful. 

I like both of these! 

Those NCC locos might have to become trams, I can't imagine I'd find a chassis for them and I'm not able to build one quite yet. 

With a bit of work I think I can make something of a West Clare tank too. 

Thanks both for the suggestions! 

The NCC locos are very tricky - David Lloyd and Charlie Insley both say so ! They don’t have a normal footplate so the tanks are effectively the loco foundation. All the same I fancy a try some day, but have a few things in the mix first……

Quick question- does anyone have access to drawing for the Ballycastle Black Hawthorn 0-6-0STs that they'd be willing to share? 

Thanks 

Need to check through my archives/notes later this evening.

4 hours ago, J-Mo Arts said:

Quick question- does anyone have access to drawing for the Ballycastle Black Hawthorn 0-6-0STs that they'd be willing to share? 

Thanks 

This, plus info on appropriate rolling stock.

In pic. 3, you can see the carriages and one of those little brake vans (a thing of great beauty in itself!) in early Ballycastle Rly days - long before the NCC went near it.

And look what’s poking out of the shed! From roof profile, is that an original Cushendall rigid 8-wheeler?

3 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

This, plus info on appropriate rolling stock.

Thank you very much for sharing this jhb!

Much appreciated.

3 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

 

 

 

Quick question- is 'Lady Boyd' of a different class to the one in the drawing and the other photo? It looks a fair bit shorter and maybe also a bit taller, but that may be a trick by the length. 

Stupid me-it's all in that writeup you posted. Sorry! 

9 minutes ago, J-Mo Arts said:

Stupid me-it's all in that writeup you posted. Sorry! 

Here’s COMPLETE chapter & verse; all a modeller could want!

Would anyone know the width of these machines,what the width of a similar prototype would be or the width of a 00n3 model so that I can get that right on the model?