Galteemore

Rather like the late G P Keen, Fry had an eclectic modelling style uncommon today. Thankfully so - hence we have this wonderful cornucopia of odd prototypes that never made preservation - and are not modelled elsewhere. A real treasure trove.

Had hoped to make Stevenage but life got in the way! Sorry to hear about the layout frustrations but sounds like you’ve been busy; hope all the gremlins get sorted. And that’s a pretty stellar social gathering....definitely A-list! I’d be interested to hear about the magnets as I have heard of this issue when researching for my own installation.

Beautiful. Those 4-4-0s had a spidery grace that marks them out and you have really captured it.

Thanks gents. All part of a work in progress to (a) disguise an ugly bracket at the front of the layout and (b) to help mask the fiddle yard exit. The normal convention is a bridge or tunnel, but a railway bridge spanning 4 tracks wouldn’t fit with the topography of the town, and such a feature would look odd anyway in such a railway backwater - it’s not the Cork main line! So a few dodges will be employed. This is the first - a fisherman’s shed (of which we only see the rear) with an abandoned boat and other aquatic detritus. Other disguises are in preparation...the shed needed a bit of thought as it’s right at the baseboard edge and fulfils a semi-structural role. So it’s made from ply and covered with DAS to replicate the rough render one sees in some parts. More bedding in to do yet...

Got a resin rowing boat for Rosses Point and painted it up to look suitably wrecked...will hopefully add a nautical air as I haven’t got room to model a shoreline...more foliage to add yet

There is one possible way round it, with a degree of plausible historicity inspired by events a bit further east: one of the side notes in Cavan and Leitrim history is the application of Irish tricolour lining to one of the 4-4-0 tanks circa 1920 during the War of Independence. The loco was then known as ‘the Sinn Fein engine’. The political attitudes of Irish railwaymen played a role in the wider conflict, such as refusals to convey military traffic. Given the long history of Irish nationalism amongst the ‘men of the West’ it is no big stretch to imagine some enthusiastic Redmondites in a remote outpost like Belmullet painting its ironwork and woodwork green in the Home Rule crisis of 1911-14....

That is spectacular!!! Really captures the look. Reminds me of my own trips along the old MGWR in the 80s - when such architecture characterised stations like Athlone.,Beautiful, understated work

Yes, it’s funny how our minds move on to project 2 right in middle of project 1! Dioramas are a great way to go - and quick! And you really can knock up 36.75 track quite easily with old Hornby oo rail and card sleepers. This whole thing took less than an hour from start to finish as a rough test piece of 5’3” track ...

I’m not a maths teacher, JHB, but it does make sense. The only issue would be how much sheer scratch-building one would have to do. It’s tricky enough in ‘pure’ 7mm but using a non-standard scale would shut one off from all kinds of useful stuff from buffers to scenic items. Indeed, the very track itself might look odd as the sleeper spacing would be off scale too if using proprietary 7mm scale track....

I ordered stuff in last week or so and had a quick reply. Said he’d post within the week. So he’s around somewhere !

Well done. They are great fun!

Thanks David - the small scenic area (4x2) has really made me think things through and a few simple changes like putting a siding behind the platform (originally all 4 tracks were to be out front) and changing the straight front siding into an arcing branch stub have helped. Your own layout postings have proved very helpful in the research process!

Thanks PP! Spent more time than is healthy in recent weeks poring over pics of weeds and ballast ....

Scenic work more or less finished bar the backscene. Track has taken a month to dress with clay and grass! No buildings fixed down as yet until I do backscene. But we are getting there I think! Lots of ‘set dressing’ with accessories to do but the heavy, messy work is done!

Lovely work, George.

Decided to replace the mock up goods shed with the proper building. Started at lunchtime today and managed good progress. My usual modus operandi for scratchbuilding - starting with Alphagraphix Glenfarne kit as a drawing. 1 mm card shell with SE Finecast stone overlay. DAS clay quoins. Plastic strip etc accessories. Basic mockup structure in the background!

A 1959 account by H E Vickers describes 12L as ‘filthy from end to end’. The subsequent cab ride from Dromod to Ballinamore involved surviving the spilt oil cans littering the cab, the wheels rubbing against the boiler sheeting, reversing gear snatching, and a regulator about to fall off the spindle. The loco was driven for much of the time with full regulator and nominal mid-gear. Vickers found that a second day on 12L told a different story, with the engine driven by a crew on ‘their mettle’, with full cut-off range employed. Six locos were in steam and he describes all as being on their last legs! This bears out Mayner’s comments about the busy season - perhaps the crew on day 2 were old C and L hands.

The pics on the website suggest that they would look better as backscene ‘flats’ for a street scene than 3D structures

Thanks Colin - do let us see how they turn out!

Nice work Jason. The IE/Irish Cement branding and careful weathering bring it to life

Great work David. That coal stage already shouts ‘Midland’ before it’s painted! The corner work looks especially effective, like time-ravaged brick

I’m not a 4mm modeller so can only give general pointers. For solid wheels, try looking for North Eastern Railway kit suppliers - 52F Models may help as a starter. For spoked wheels, the LNWR pattern isn’t too far off - maybe try London Road Models?

Thanks Patrick -that does look familiar now you mention it!

Nice goods shed Patrick. Is there some SLNC DNA in there ?

Nice stuff Patrick. Painted backscene looks effective, too