Tullygrainey

Thanks everyone. A real team effort, this one.

A change of direction with the Countess of Antrim project. The original plan was for Patrick @Patrick Davey to build a body in plasticard on my chassis. However he managed to source a 3D printed body, printed in resin by a friend from a file created and generously donated by @J-Mo Arts of this parish. And very nice it is too. As a result, the brass running plate is now redundant since the 3D print incorporates one and it would be highly problematic to try to remove it. Both body and chassis needed a bit of fettling (that's a technical term for "hacking lumps out of each") to make them get on with one another but we're just about there, I think. The Countess so far... Some cosmetic tidying up, detailing and then paint. Over to you Patrick

That looks good David. Most unusual layout so well worth doing. I think modelling coaches requires high levels of determination and cussedness to see it through, so very well done. I've made a grand total of 3 in my time (in 4mm so fewer acres of metal and less need for detail) and it'll be a while before I have the stamina to tackle the three other kits nestling in the to-do drawer. I think it's the repetitiveness that gets me - multiple door handles, multiple grab handles, multiple ventilators, goodness knows how many window frames, etc etc. and every one a real fiddle. As David H said above, every bit as demanding as locos, just in a different way.

Yes, it's quite a good way to deal with that particular problem. A hedge would do the job too. I think it works best when there's a small gap between the physical barrier and the back scene board.

We've had some heavy rain this week after a prolonged dry spell. It's had an amazing effect on the countryside around Kilmore.

Fine modelling of the derelict buildings. I do like a bit of rusty metal

A great start! This should be an enjoyable layout to operate. I like that cottage/farmhouse. The one with (Paddy Hopkirk's?) Monte Carlo mini parked outside. Scratchbuild? The cottage not the car

Lovely work Patrick and a great tribute to the models.

Just home from the Ulster Model Railway Club Belfast Show. The constituent parts of The Stone Yard are spread over the floor at the front door until I have the energy to carry them upstairs. The layout behaved itself well over the two days and was well received. Many thanks to the UMRC for their hospitality and for a fine show. The new venue was great, with plenty of space and good light. Thanks too to Kieran Lagan and Patrick Davey for support and special thanks to Kieran for saving the day by coming up with a replacement after the cable between the hand controller and the panel failed during the Friday night setup. The little plastic tab on the plug which clips it into place broke off, meaning the plug wouldn't stay in the socket - the entire layout non-operational because of a missing 5mm of springy plastic! UMRC25.mp4

A few more pics - Day 2 of the show

Good to meet you today and get a chat Paul. Hope your trip to Derry went well. I knew you weren't a narrow gauge fan Leslie so thank you. I'll treasure this!

They’re caused by the station lights reflecting off the surface of the camera lens Leslie.

I tried to order from Light Railway Stores a few months ago having often used them in the past. Got right to the end of the ordering process without any trouble but was then told that they didn't ship to my address (Northern Ireland). I'm assuming the Brexit regs are to blame. I've had the same difficulties recently with a number of other suppliers who made it clear on their websites that Brexit regs were the reason.

Just a few examples of the very fine modelling on display here today..

I'm breathless just reading that itinerary! Have a good day at Downpatrick tomorrow.

I think you're right David. He was a remarkable innovator. So many of his ideas are now standard practice, though the one that probably doesn't have so many adherents is his recommended method for painting kit or scratch built chassis - clamp them in a vice, apply power to the motor and spray paint them while they run flat out, the logic being that the moving parts will free themselves of paint. Only the brave try that one. And I haven't.

The landscaping on Kilmore has come on by leaps and bounds over the last three days. A few of those leaps were in the wrong direction mind you, with static grass getting everywhere it shouldn't and scatter clogging up the points. And when I finally stopped for breath and looked at the result last night, I hated it. Far too bright - more toy town than County Down. This morning I mixed a thin dark green wash of acrylic paint (Tamiya XF11 green and XF1 black) and airbrushed the vegetation - the paint flow dialled right back to produce a barely visible mist. It did the trick, taking the technicolour edge off the landscape and toning the whole thing down a bit. I'm much happier with it now. A few more pics to supplement Patrick's portfolio...

Thank you Patrick. Great pictures! You are hereby appointed official photographer at Kilmore.

Great pics Patrick. Shows off the fleet, but also the location, to perfection. Bet that lot make a merry racket!

That could work out a pretty busy day! If you make it, be sure to come and say hello

The Stone Yard is getting dusted down for the Ulster Model Railway Club's show this coming weekend 23,24 August in Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI). The track could do with a good clean but the nice thing about static grass is it never needs cutting. Times for the exhibition are 10am until 5pm on Saturday, 12noon until 4pm on Sunday. The loco fleet is also getting some overdue tlc. Mr & Mrs McQuillan still waiting for that train.

Yes John, the lower profile of Code 75 does give the impression of being wider, especially once the ballast goes down. This is the first time I've used it and I'd do so again. It's not any more fragile to work with than Code 100. The illustrated instruction sheet for the Wills points rodding gives a very clear indication of what all the bits do and how they connect together. Actually doing it is quite another story so there are a few fudges in there which no-one will notice I hope and suspect.

Thanks everyone. I'm hoping so David. I used a puffer bottle on The Stone Yard, which was perfectly adequate for the small amounts of grass in odd corners there but I've got a proper gadget for this one. Haven't tried it yet! The arrangement for using choc blocs, I picked up from someone else on RM Web though I've adapted it a bit. As regards modelling the prototype points rodding, DCC Concepts marketed a system of working points rodding which I think was in metal. It still seems to be available from Rails of Sheffield but I can find no mention of it now on the DCC Concepts website so they may have discontinued it. Model Railway Journal 260 in 2018 carried an article by someone building points rodding in 2mm from self-designed etches! I suspect witchcraft was involved

Work on Kilmore over this last week or so has focused on the track - points rodding (2 sorts), ballast and paint. Points rodding 1: In the interest of keeping it simple, I've avoided points motors and opted for simple rod operation using 2mm brass rod and some bits from choc-bloc electrical connectors. It works well on The Stone Yard and I hope it will here too. This is the basic arrangement... ... and here it is installed under the board. The rod exits through the back board and terminates in a wooden knob. To paint the sides of the rails, I used a method described by Chris Nevard in Model Rail - Halfords matt black and red oxide from rattle cans, sprayed at a low angle across the track until a satisfactory colour is achieved. Shouldn't work but it does a remarkably convincing job of representing old rust. Points rodding 2: Cosmetic representations of the real thing using Wills plastic kits, laid before the ballast went down. This was the hardest thing I've done in a long time. Fragile and nightmarishly fiddly to assemble. I broke a lot of bits, lost others to the carpet monster and some of the finished results are a bit approximate. Give me an etched brass coach kit with no instructions any day! Ballasting: Not my favourite activity. Placing the ballast is fairly satisfying - all that dusting it into place with a little paint brush whilst humming quietly to oneself - but gluing it down and then picking grit out of flange ways and points mechanisms isn't. And vacuuming up the stray particles only to find great chunks coming adrift because it wasn't glued down properly or you didn't leave it to dry for long enough. Then there's weathering the stuff... Anyway, here's the state of play to date... Grassy hillsides next. Pastoral landscape has been noticeably absent from my previous layouts so new ground to be explored, new mistakes to make. Alan