Galteemore

Thanks everyone! It’s been a learning experience in lots of ways and being such a small stage makes things easier. The chickens - yes, Angus, that’s down to Michael Hamilton - and they are painted as Rhode Island reds just as at Dromahair ! Lovely shot of the morning goods ex Sligo - with someone obviously hitching a ride on the empty coach..., Good idea on magnets - can also facilitate a time travelling layout by swapping buildings over!

Keen to crack on with a new stock project, I knew I had to finish off some scenery first. So I stripped the buildings off and took the chance to photograph 42 in a position that isn’t normally possible with the platform in the way. And you can see one of the things that needed sorted - the levitating building! A problem that can bedevil layouts is not having the buildings embedded into the ground. So everything at Rosses Point has had a bead of DAS clay rubbed into the base to blend it in. I’ve also installed telegraph wires (which have been tightened since the pic!) and a primitive ESB supply pole....and some chickens ...which had a nice informative result. I sent my mother a pic of the chickens as one of my earliest memories is being scared stiff of such things on visits to grandparents in Leitrim. This prompted a reply from her describing how she used to go to Lisgorman Halt with her mother and collect boxes of chicks off the railcar...a story I hadn’t heard before.

Great stuff, Angus. Sligo is a great prototype as it had inflow from three directions: three Irish cities had lines terminating in Sligo : Belfast via GN/SLNC, Dublin (MGW) and Limerick (WLW) - it has a harbour and lots of motive power variety. And thanks to the Civil War there’s no overall roof to worry about!

My daily commute to school in the 80s! Agreed - 70 class plus semaphores made it rather congenial. Lots of interesting relics back in the day such as Courtaulds sidings, harbour line at Carrick, plus Greenisland back line and narrow gauge action in Larne. Around 1949, with all those still in action, would have been fascinating (and don’t forget the tramway under the line at Magheramorne!).

As Eoin says, they are quite spectacular things in motion - and require some care in operation! My brother got a meths fired Bowman equivalent loco running. They are delightful things. Some brave souls manage it in mainstream O gauge - favourite sight of mine at the Kettering show.. .

Another top tip is to lightly coat the brass with a patch of ordinary 145 solder in the area where the w/m solder is to go, rather than attempting to solder the w/m directly on to brass. So for a chimney, for instance, I put a small patch of solder around the hole in the boiler, then get the low melt solder out. Also, wash off the work with Cif or Viakal after every solder session or the flux starts getting nasty and turning green...not good for your kit in the long run. As Mayner says, take good safety precautions. Lots of good advice on brass work here.http://www.jimmcgeown.com/Print Off FAQ Booklet pdf.pdf..

I have a vague memory that spoil trains were in use for the jetty at Cloghan Point, which was a fuel facility for Kilroot Power Stn

Nice start. Reminds me of a few sheds I’ve seen in north Leitrim.

Looks N, JHB

I think the patch is the door handle blurred in the exposure.

Now that’s a DEMU one can pardonably get excited about!

Just as well - all those lovely Dublin iron railings might have vanished. Most of what was collected in the big island was essentially useless for war work and apparently ended up being quietly dumped. The intended effect was arguably achieved however, in making people feel part of the effort...

Yes. I enjoyed my occasional trips to Glasgow - Edinburgh could be a little rarified at times! Glasgow was a little more like Belfast...

Something about your project struck a chord with me and I’ve worked out what it was! Two chords in fact. One was a model layout ...this may be up your street....http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=6906&forum_id=21 The other was the prototype. I was a student in Edinburgh 30 years ago and remember that there were the remains of a few stations a little bit like your concept along the coast, such as Granton and North Leith. The old station hotel at Granton is still standing, and might inspire a background low-relief structure, and old pics of trains there show other intriguing maritime bits such as lighthouses (as below) that could add interest ....may be worth browsing Google..http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_edin_t/0_edinburgh_transport_railways_dy_granton_west_harbour_road_crossing_1024.htm ,

Great stuff. Always thought of the line when driving through Templeogue 20 years ago. As ever, start with the books!! https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22459973291&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-tile1&searchurl=an%3Dfayle%2Bnewham%26sortby%3D17

Sorry Garfield ! Dimly remembered from an old book my dad had. The most intriguing system I remember in it was Bianconi’s private farm railway in Clare, which even had a full signalling system. Some of the loco wheels allegedly survive at Moyasta. Would make a fun model.

Annaghmore Turf Railway

Very nice Noel. Look forward to seeing it finished !

That loco release with y points is a neat amelioration of the space-eating headshunt issue that can bedevil a small layout.

A small but frustrating model is done. The humble platform barrow. This one consisted of some 17 separate parts. It has collapsed on numerous occasions during the build but seems to be holding up now....all part of my quest to replicate the platform as seen at Dromahair, a typical 50s SLNC station....

Nice work, Mark. It’s very satisfying when those flat sheets start taking shape and you see the character of the wagon emerging.

Good man yourself ! It’s a great book and you’ve inspired me to drag mine off the shelf for a look....it’s got just the stuff you want!

I did Japanese N for a bit - great fun for plug and play!! Stock is cheap and the whole system is designed to pack away after a session..

Mind you, General Humbert led a French army across Connaught in 1798 - including along the future SLNC route between Carrignagat and Dromahair! Not sure if the British artillery pieces he dumped in the River Bonet are still resting in the murky depths...

Agree, David! This year I spent a large amount of my modelling fund on books - mostly Wild Swan press. Money well spent. This was one of them, and I incorporated several ideas from it into my layout. I actually sold some books specifically to buy this one and it was a good move. Copies are a little rarer now as it’s become a cult classic. I can’t find it in the stocks of my usual second hand book dealers but Amazon have one s/h copy if you’re quick!!