Galteemore

Cheers gents. Was a bit of trial and error, as I found my first efforts unconvincingly smooth. Basic technique of DAS and emulsion is from Chris Nevard, but adapted to include some wonderful stuff called lava paint which is artists’ gel infused with gritty beads. This was sparingly applied on top of the bare DAS, and then shades of dark brown emulsion tester pots was applied. Whilst the emulsion was drying, ground white pepper was tamped in - a Gordon Gravett trick. The gel and pepper help give a subtle texture to the the ballast. Sleepers are simply painted with two different grey/brown shades from Games Workshop, who do some wonderful dry brush paints. Sorry the pics are a bit random in order !

Thanks David. I should admit that one of your comments in another thread about modelling what you actually see and not what you imagine was most influential! Much to do yet - but am glad to seal up the DAS for a while !

The SLNC had various schools of thought on ballasting. Dromahair and Belcoo favoured traditional stone ballast. At Manorhamilton and Glenfarne, cinders ruled the day. The attached pics by J G Dewing from ‘Irish Railways in Colour’ gives the idea - the sleepers essentially look as if they are dissolving in black/brown mud. To replicate this look, for the past few weeks I have been individually packing every sleeper gap with DAS clay. This is finally finished now, and all is painted with household emulsion. Next step is to paint every sleeper - again individually - and add the weeds. This is a sample of work thus far..more weeds and detritus to add yet..I’m glad it’s a small layout!!!

SLNC goods train in 1953...wonderful ! Ernie - thanks so much for all this.....

The new building is coming on well, David. It’s a brave step, taking on a Marcway point and hacking it about! You’ve made a great job of it - much cleaner than my efforts on my Marcway product.....My crossover came self-isolating but I decided to future proof against my incompetence by making it switched frog. I learned the hard way that rail cutters do not necessarily make good frog gappers - I somehow managed to remove a 5mm chunk of rail! A carefully shaped araldite plug means the gap is now fixed and invisible. Next time I’ll use the Dremel.... Looking forward to seeing what progress emerges from your living room!

Next stop, Adelaide! Love it. Reminds me of my school commute in the 80s when Hunslets and MVs were daily sights....

Intriguing possibility. 2A was sold for scrap from Dundalk, in the auction of the SLNC’s southern assets in spring 1959, to the Hammond Lane Foundry. This could be it, but the headlamp looks wrong.

I’m not sure either. I think the Cultra one was at Portadown by the 60s because my dad remembers the shed foreman starting it up for him!

Thanks JB - it’s Weshty who gets the credit for the fonts! I will paint the frame green in due course...and I remember seeing an SLNC sign in the boskage behind Florencecourt station circa 1978...

A GSR sign of the type JB mentions is below, mocked up before final installation...sourced from Studio Scale Models with plastic strip frame

Lovely pic - I think they were asking the crew for a cab ride by the looks of it. Wonderful foreground detail too of how the road blends into the railway via wooden sleepers and ash ballast.

Thanks JHB. Some lovely SLNC gems in last pic including ‘Pioneer’ I think?

That has a really nice look to it, David. The inset track down the side of the distillery looks very effective

Very neat work, Eoin. I like the removable brake gear

JB - here’s someone in the UK who has had a go at a small South American NG system in On30...https://playingtrains.wordpress.com/mylayouts/fcpyf/ His subsequent work on the system is here...https://playingtrains.wordpress.com/a-tour-of-the-fcpyf-2-2-18/ and another one..https://m.facebook.com/puertoborrachorailway.

Thankfully I had just enough wit to appreciate my school commuter provider

Consistency is key. Try and keep the same tones across the layout, as JB hints above. The master modeller Giles Favell, who is a theatre consultant in real life, has techniques for this....

Wonderful - you should write the Wild Swan book on Irish 7mm modelling! Can just imagine ‘Lark’ fussing with some canvas roofed wagons on the harbour line....

Interesting stuff Angus. And thanks for the link to JJ Smith’s stuff. I had seen some of his post-closure shots before but not these!

Great stuff! Walked past this several times a week in the early 2000s so it’s great to see this view.

Yes, I have fallen foul of that GSS as a seller. Sold some of my son’s N gauge so he could start buying OO Irish stock. One item went to Australia via GSS. That’s where it broke down. The courier down under left a missed delivery note and the item vanished. Now clearly I had fulfilled my part of the deal - the item had reached Australia, as the buyer freely admitted. But it was a long drawn out process to clear it up!

Nice work Angus. Track looks the business

Yes, I saw one of those streaking up the West Coast Main Line today and wondered what it was!

That’s looking good David, and some useful technique advice. Funnily enough, I tried my static grass machine for the first time tonight, so this was a timely post to show how it should be done!

Always good to get a bulletin from Belmullet. Looks really well and avoids that sterile ‘shed planted on a siding’ one sometimes sees. Ground cover coming on really well!