Galteemore

That’s a huge debate when Stratford on Avon Model Railway Club start a new layout project. Kadee or not Kadee, that is the question. Sorry - I’ll get my coat - or hose and jerkin…

Just imagine what those trains would have looked like in 1951..ancient 4-4-0s or Woolwich moguls with strings of goodness knows what antiquity trailing behind

It’s worth persisting on their building materials tab, JB - the stone sheets etc are really very good. But I’ll concede, their stuff is best seen at an exhibition…

York Modelmaking for windows and doors. Although it’s easy enough to make your own sash windows. Slaters plastic rod and strip will do your gutters and downpipes - it’s what I use in 7mm and 3mm. Easily sourced off EBay or direct from Slaters themselves. SE Finecast are another useful supplier. These guys are good for all sorts too, with a great tool catalogue ….https://www.hobbies.co.uk/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaignid=2039839371&utm_campaign=Hobbies_Brand&utm_term=hobbies uk&adid=536046008612&addisttype=g&matchtype=e&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4eaJBhDMARIsANhrQAAyCgPkBqgz3fjQpcaw418sok_FtSlhCg_bQ3XA11p2xYbx0c07yLQaAjKpEALw_wcB

Fascinating stuff with loads of detail on what NIR used to be- back in the day when the old NCC main line was effectively mothballed. Nice to see the late Davie McDonald driving - the epitome of the understated Ulsterman….

That’s fascinating, and a rule that just sounds so Irish! With a bit of imagination, not hard to envisage a Brexit or post-partition scenario Irish line like that….’.any cattle transported by rail across the land frontier go duty-free etc’ - cue a 100 yard stub of the SLNCR crossing the border !

Thanks - that led me on a most interesting Google hunt! Images from DubDee on Flickr.

And we wonder why people don’t understand our hobby Sad thing is I know exactly what you mean !!!

Some years ago we lived near - 10 miles - the Mid Hants Rlwy, which in those days ran a semi-daily steam service with 2 locos and Mk1 sets in use, over a respectable distance with some great inclines - and a buffet car. It was possible to spend a day of more or less constant steam haulage for a respectable sum, and often with few other passengers. And some days they had the Thumper DEMU out, which sounds just like an 80 class….

It was an interesting area in the wartime era - was also the Gortnagallon long siding a bit further along the branch, which had regular passenger trains to bring in staff for the factories etc.

And boring as this made the NIR of the 80s, it arguably helped its survival

That’s incredibly good.

Thanks everyone. Been a nice project in many ways, and learnt lots. Entire board is 4’ by 2’. You can see how the foam insulation board permits contouring a landscape. The pub and corrugated store buildings sit on small raised platforms and the landscape flows around that. The red pen is sitting pretty much where the pub is. You can also see where I used Setrack for the curves leading into the offstage/back scene - just to give a tight radius but with a definite 9” radius rather than my own estimate!

Could possibly do part of the Cork coal gantry railway…, this is great info in all seriousness and helps illustrate what keeps a good layout on the road. Nice to see Sir Henry with his red plates and rods!

Determined to crack the scenery this w/e, I set to and it’s more or less done. Just a few bicycles and chickens to add….A few Google Earth and drone type views as well as normal level ones are below…..the big job this weekend was clearing the road of all scenic detritus such as stray static grass, and recoating it in paint. As ever, photos reveal more areas needing work! But the show’s a few weeks away yet…. One obvious addition is level crossing signals, inspired by Ballyduff on the Arigna tramway. These are deliberately placed to draw the eye away from the hole in the backscene where the train dives through. So the signals indicate a crossing off-stage. They are old BEC kits, from 3mm Soc 2nd hand shop. The whitewashed gable’s purpose as a sighting aid is clear in some of the views. The cart and horse are another 3mm society kit, tricked out in traditional Irish orange and blue. I had originally planned to build this layout with 009 setrack. Looking at the flowing curves, I’m glad I didn’t - the line just seems a little bit more natural with no abrupt bends. The panoramic picture is what the viewing public will see, and shows most clearly that whilst the railway is level, the road really undulates !

Coming on well. Will be a great train watching layout when you work your scenic magic!

So when locos run off the baseboard edge…there truly is a prototype for everything…..

Yes I get that. I suspect something like a 3’ Parry People Mover is what’s required. Good for the eco credentials too…..https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parry_People_Movers

That looks like a doorway of some kind he’s standing in. Can probably roughly scale off that. I don’t think he rivalled DeValera in the height stakes ! I’m not that tall myself but I won’t be volunteering to be scanned by ModelU dressed like that….. To be honest, you could get an HO scale Preiser station master or policeman and stick a few shiny dots of paint on and it would look fine.

Nice. The 800 class looks -most prototypically - suitably careworn!

The Time Traveller or the Invisible Man? Could be either in Donegal !

Thanks J-mo - it’s all scratch built, using an Alphagraphix card kit as a plan. Card sheet as the core structure, with plastic stone sheet on top, and corrugated Evergreen for the shelter. Windows are individually added layers of microstrip. Card strips for roof tiles to give layered effect, and etched valances from 3mm Society.

Excellent idea, John. My brother models 009 and the stuff coming out commercially now is tremendous. Kato tram chassis are incredibly reliable and smooth foundations for a variety of projects too - I have been most impressed by them and there are a number of good almost-Irish 3D prints available to fit them. The other end of the payout is also a Kiltubrid pastiche - with the road/rail bridges and t-junction.

With the vast bulk of heavy duty scenery now done - mostly set dressing left - it was time to bite the bullet, clean the track and see if trains actually ran after months of blasting the layout with glue, ballast and scenic fibres. Mercifully yes. Although some 3mm scale tree surgeons will be required as ‘Fury’s’ roof was knocked off by a branch - it can be glimpsed lying at the far platform end….The crew have parked their train in the overgrown siding and repaired across the road for a restorative after that shock ! That siding is very handily placed for bringing in kegs of the black liquidation - it may be in use more often than it looks…