David Holman

Just back from a 6 day tour of SW Ireland. Several soft days [inevitably!], but enough good weather to appreciate most of the scenery. Our tour started from Shannon & went north and west via the Burren & Cliffs of Moher on a lovely day when we quickly realised our [very] cheap hire car had not air-con and aerobic windows - the latter a neat idea, but one I can't see catching on... The carefully planned route also took in Moyasta Junction & although shut, I did manage to photograph a few things, including the steam loco and several industrial diesels, albeit with the former hiding in its shed. Am sure the interior of Moyata station will feature in a future model building, as it was a real time warp. First question though - what is all the broad gauge stuff going to be used for over the road? As well numerous carriages, seemed to me there was either a C or an A lurking under tarpaulins. The Shannon ferry was a bit of fun & of course soon after, we rolled into Listowell, only to find we had missed the last train by less than half an hour. They must shut up shop pretty quickly mind as nobody was about, so could only poke the camera lens through the fence to take a couple of pics of the track. Not anywhere on my modelling radar mind, though did meet a young chap at St Albans this year who was well on the way to creating a station scene with lots of superb track built from his own etchings. That was Day 1, which ended in our base for three nights at a very nice hotel in Killarney. Day 2 was the Ring of Kerry, sadly spoiled by a white out from Kenmore pretty much all the way to Cahirciveen. Kenmore seems a fine town & presumably the station was fairly close to the centre as the church spire features in several Casserley photos. Presume it is now part of the supermarket? Had to visit the Valencia railhead, almost lost in the murk, but did see much of the old trackbed on the way back to Killarney. As for the 'Reeks', cloud base was below 100feet and in it, visibility below 50 feet, so that is twice we've missed the scenery here. Day 3 was Dingle, which started a bit like Day 2, but at least cleared in the afternoon. My goodness, the peninsula is stunning, while tracing the route of the railway makes you wonder if the gradients were actually steeper than 1 in 29 in places? No problems tracing the route, especially with Castlegregory Junction so easily identifiable. Another question here though - what, if anything, is happening to the 'preserved' stretch from Tralee to Blennerville? Track in place, but very rusty & no sign of life as we passed. Day 4 was a tour [with more rain] via Bantry, Skibbereen, Clonakilty and Kinsale [spell checker wants to put Kindle here!] to our final base in Cork. Hence stopped at Ballydehob for the Schull & Skibbereen viaduct. Nice to see it in such a good state of repair, but disappointed to find no references to its origins - just the birds & other wildlife you might see in the estuary. Am afraid we passed on the model village at Clonakilty - 11 euros each seemed a bit much, even though it is presumably housed in the old Bandon station? Did we miss much? What we did do was call in at Courtmacsherry. What a superb little place that was, with the trackbed of the tramway clearly traceable, right into the old station site. Am presuming that is the old station building, now converted into a house? Likewise, that is the former loco shed in the garden? What about the stone building next to it though? Certainly looks old, while am guessing that the railway must have run right in front of the school as it came into the village. For me, this is just about the perfect branch terminus, especially with the siding out onto the pier as well & with Tyrconnel doing kits for all the locos and stock, it surprises me than nobody has had a go at building it. Certainly on my list, though not anytime soon. There was even a race meeting on the 'strand' [mudflats, really], again great fun & would make an interesting scenic item in a smaller scale methinks. Day 5 saw the morning spent in Cork, but much more enjoyable was a rail trip out to Cobh. Very pretty town, spoiled a little by the Carribbean Princess cruise ship being in port. Hence many [mostly elderly, it seemed] Americans and Aussies wandering around. Very good for local trade though! Nice to see the town makes much of its railway history, with several good display boards. Likewise the semaphore signal still standing at the Cobh end of Cork station.. Am guessing they are not working now though? Saw two Class 201s in Cork - one in the yard, the other just in with an express from Dublin. Am guessing the station has been much altered of late. Did it always only have just two through platforms though? On the way out of Cork the next day, glimpsed what I though might have been a smaller diesel in the station. Certainly looked a bit short for a 200, but was in the new green livery, at the head of passenger stock. Unable to stop at the time, but perhaps someone can enlighten? Our last day was about getting back to Shannon, for our evening flight. Managed to visit Youghal, which is a very fine little town & it would be nice to see the line from Middleton extended there - certainly the trains were rode on were very busy to & from Cobh. Crossed the Mallow - Waterford line on our way to Limerick, but no further railway sightings. Lovely holiday - splendid scenery, lovely people [great music in the bars] and excellent food. Pretty good value too, even with the euro falling through the floor. We'll be back - and not just for Cultra in November, though am thinking the only way I'm likely to see the Ring of Kerry in all its glory would be to live locally for six months and get out when/if a fine day is ever forecast!

Gingerbread of the highest quality.

Superb presentation. Well done sir!

Hay fever season [which also co-incides with the rainy season here] has meant a bit of very unseasonal modelling time in the workshop. An opportunity therefore to try and complete the three CVR vehicles I'd started. The Sharpie tank didn't need too much work - just coal in the top bunker and glazing to the cab, plus a bit of painting. Likewise the open wagon just needed a load & having plenty of spare crushed coal from the loco, this went in the wagon. Other work needed was painting and weathering of the chassis. It seems CVR wagons were overall grey, but am assuming that the under frames got pretty grubby, while the bodywork would inevitably have got rather blackened by carrying coal. The coach needed most of the work. Much of this was interior detail. The longitudinal seats are fairly basic & made from plastic sheet, though I did make an effort to install interior panelling. This sandwiches the glazing against the etched brass sides - and wasn't added until after the body had been sprayed with Halford's crimson lake, actually Rover Damask Red & the same colour as the loco. Information on CVR livery is fairly limited, the Branchlines instructions seem to be taken from Patterson's book & make no mention of what colour underframes, bogies etc were. Am assuming they would have been black or dark grey, covered with a layer of dust & grime, hence my usual weathering mix covers everything below sole bar level. Other detailing involved making the acetylene gas container on one buffer beam [plasticard] and capping the end handrails with small rivets to simulate the turned tops on the prototype. As yet, the prominent steam heating pipe along one sole bar is missing & will only be added once I know how much the bogies will swing once track is laid. The are a good number of Peco passengers on board though. The other work has been to install couplings on all vehicles & to this end I bought some Kadee 5s, along with a delayed action uncoupler and a mounting gauge. Unfortunately Kadee 5s need to sit below the buffer beam, whereas the actual chopper couplings are mounted inside. Being small, the Kadees are fairly discreet & an 0 gauge version I have was certainly too big. Maybe S gauge [very much alive and well commercially over the Pond] might be a good compromise, but for now, I will stick with the 5s. To check their working, I made up a short piece of plain track using copper clad sleepers and Code 124 bull head rail. The layout will have much finer Code 75 or 83 rail, but early signs indicate hands free uncoupling should be effective. As usual, photos show progress thus far, while next I am aiming to make masters of the sides and ends of the brake, cattle and covered vans, so I can cast them in resin, as per Arigna's wagons.

My first trip to Ireland was the Saturday of the ill fated Grand National, which after several false starts did not happen. Wags on the ferry cheerily suggested that a donkey derby in Ireland would be better organised. The same could be said of Brexit, where the latest (of many) issues is the likely delay of HS2.

You bet, Stephen. Tony Wright's photos are just lovely, while they made a fine job of my layout diagram too. I especially like the BRM 'large photo' format. RM's often tend to be smaller and don't always do justice to the photographer's work I feel. Either way, it is really nice to have something published and I definitely encourage everyone to have a go, for this site has much to offer.

I get the impression that most of the layouts in this section are home based, while mine are intended for exhibitions, which puts a very different perspective on your planning. This will be my sixth layout to go on the road and, truth be told, I have yet to get it right in terms of transport - and probably never will. Everything is a bit of a compromise. One key factor is weight & another is manageability. With just two scenic boards [100cm x 45cm], neither should be a problem, though I do want to be able to pair them up for transport and to give a bit of added protection. A couple of recent shows have involved loading up in the rain - not recommended! Another factor is the number of trips you need to make to and from the car. Arigna needs at least 12, so not surprisingly, I want to reduce that. Equally, I want to make as much use as possible of Ariana's superstructure, i.e. the trestles and support beams, because I have no room to store any new ones. Fintonagh, will sit on a 150cm high shelf at home, so I want to try and replicate that at shows, which means 30cm risers. hopefully, I have figured out a plan to do that, one which will enable a set of information boards along the front of the layout. Other considerations involving internet research at the moment are couplings and point motors. While I would like prototype chopper couplings, I also want hands free uncoupling & from what I have seen do far, those types which look prototypical are handed and only work one way. Not good when i want turntables. Hanging after a seated operating position at the front, means electric points too. Tortoise have always been my favourite, though the new Cobalt models are smaller and cheaper. One thing I have decided is that the layout will be analogue control - DCC seems too much of a liability on an exhibition layout. Others may disagree, but I know plenty who think the same as me Picked up a nice bargain at the Chatham Show in the form of a Peco N gauge turntable. At 6 inches diameter, it scales out at 22ft in 7mm scale & forms the ideal basis for a CVR model, this time with electric drive - eventually!

Being heavily involved in the Chatham Show has limited modelling of late, though with Branchlines attending, there was the opportunity to lay down a few stores. I am the show Trade Officer, so this might have influenced my desire to have the stand present! So, the bogie first class CVR coach has been added, along with a stack of wagon chassis. Despite being dated 1989, the etches still stand up very well. Not cheap, but they do give a fair bit of work/entertainment, especially as I am choosing 21mm gauge. I am using 2mm tube in lieu of axle bearings, while also having to make my own axles too. Was going to use steel, then realised that this could cause problems with any coupling magnets, so have used 2mm brass rod instead. Sounds a bit of a faff, but it does not take long to cut a suitable length and then mount in a drill chuck to file the ends to a point. Also cut out the bracing strips between axle boxes/frames, replacing them with .8mm nickel silver wire to represent the round bar used on the prototypes. Couplings are still missing, indeed not finally decided, though am still leaning towards Kadees, as alternatives seem to be 'handed' and like Arigna, the new layout will have loco and fiddle yard turntables. Note too that that wagon is just 10cm long, so the photo is a somewhat cruel enlargement. It is not fixed to the chassis yet either. Added wheels to the coach bogie and a motor gearbox to the loco too. Fingers crossed, after some running in on the workbench, it will be a smooth runner - though with no track yet, it is still a case of wait & see.

Just heard from the editor of British Railway Modelling that Arigna Town features in the July issue, including a selection of lovely photos taken at the St Albans show earlier this year. While I've had quite a few articles published over the years, there is always a real thrill to see your work in print and I very much encourage everyone with something to share to have a go.

Proper job. Well done Mick!

My Arigna Town layout will be St the Croydon show in October, Colin. By all means come and say hello. Likewise you may be interested in my new project, which is Clogher Valley in 7mm scale/21mm gauge

Glad you like it, Eoin. Loose End was built in the mid '90s. It was three approx 1 metre scenic boards (10ft in old money), with a similar length fiddle yard which used cassettes. Track was code 100 fb with points from Marcway, same as Arigna. Locos were a mix of kit and scratch built, focussing on prototypes that fitted the roadside tramway theme. Included a Connoisseur GE tram engine, painted to represent Toby of Rev Awdrey fame, complete with smiley face. A couple of Manning Wardles, GE coffee pot (full tramway skirts); also a double cab Sentinel. Wisbech tramway coaches were ideal and also modelled a Wantage tram loco and tramcar. Pride of the line was Jane, the Wantage George England well tank that MRJ articles took you on a scratchbuilding journey. Taught me a lot, that little loco. Jane is pretty much all that survives in my possession, the layout was sold on in about 2005. Since then, it has moved again and last I heard now lives in the same barn in France as Gordon Gravett's Ditchling Green - esteemed company indeed. Operationally, it worked on the principal of a terminus junction, with a 'twig' trailing into the branch terminus. Fintonagh will use the same principal, with a siding going off scene, via the linen mill, to a broad gauge exchange yard. This can be a good way of creating extra traffic, on what is after all, a very small layout.

Things seem to have gone a bit quiet on the layout and workshop fronts lately, so here is the start of my new project - a layout based on a Clogher Valley Railway theme. Arigna Town still has plenty of life left in it, but I have a shelf space above it which gives me approx 2m long x 45cm deep and 30cm high. Initially, I draw out quite detailed plans of a small through station, with no loop, but two sidings [see pics below]. This would have been worked from turntable fiddle yards at each end. However, though I was happy with the design, in terms of operating, it would have kept two people very busy, for the 4-5 trains would have meant a sequence lasting no more than 10 minutes or so. Now, like the SLNCR, the CVR was a through line, with no branches, but I had a rethink to see if a terminus-fiddle yard layout could be done in the space available. The answer lay in a layout called Loose End, which I build around 20 years ago. This was a standard gauge, roadside line, based on the Wantage Tramway, where [in 7mm scale] the track plan for Wantage Town station is a mere 2.3metres long. Add in the fact that the train shed is very similar in appearance to the one at Fintona AND the latter is only about 10 miles from Clogher & you can easily see where my mind was going. Looking through Patterson's book on the CVR, it seems there were early plans for a line from Fintona to Armagh [long before the CVR was built], while the improbable Ulster & Connaught would have seen a line to Newry, via Keady. So, things were now starting to fall in place & with a proposed name of Fintonagh, my terminus could be a town in either direction! Have attached a plan I've been working on. The track work is fairly well inked in at the moment. It will be 21mm gauge [of course!], using hand built track with [probably] code 75 rail and copper clad sleepers. Am toying with the idea of making it DCC, so I can control the points without a control panel and [just maybe] introduce a bit of sound - though not sure on the latter. Probably use Kadee couplings and electro magnets for shunting. Stock most likely a couple of Sharp Stewart tanks, the railcar & 'Unit', while Branchlines coaches and wagon chassis will provide much help with the rest. To give you a flavour of what I hope the overall scene will look like, have included some photos of Loose End. This was set in Kent, where there is indeed a village called Loose, just outside Maidstone, though most of the buildings come from another small town nearby called West Malling. Overall, I think the layout was probably the most visually well balanced of the dozen or so projects I've built, so am hoping to repeat the process, with an Irish flavour. With a couple of trips planned to come over the water this year [including Cultra in November], there should be no excuse for not getting the flavour right. Am intending to get started on the baseboards soon, so watch this space, as they say...

Lovely modelling, though wrong sort of J15 methinks! Lovely engine nevertheless. Maybe one day someone will do the Irish version...

Seems OK to me, but hard to tell re absolute smoothness on video footage. As you say, extra weight over the drivers should help. Pick ups may affect running. On Arigna Town, two locos exhibited a surging type movement. Found it was the pickups not being properly adjusted and the feedback controllers I used in compensating for the poor connection causing the surges.

In the latest Gauge O Guild Gazette [say it carefully], Perfect Miniatures are advertising no less than three E class for sale. One is a Tyrconnel kit, the other two are Leinster Models [one with wheels and motor. They also say they have some Alphagraphix wagon kits in card but with white metal castings for chassis. Perfect Miniatures are in Sudbury. Email them at perfectminiaturesS7@btinternet.com - no prices given I'm afraid. Meanwhile, renowned kit maker David Andrews apparently now has enough people interested to go ahead with a V class 4-4-0. Far too big for Arigna town, but anyone interested should contact him on davidandrews@locomotivekits.com - his website is http://www.locomotivelits.com

This weekend's Reading ALSRM show will be AT's last outing for a while, as its next shows are not until the autumn, starting with Croydon in October, the the east London fine scale show in November and Cultra a week after, with Manchester rounding things up in December. Hopefully, the break will be an opportunity for a bit of remedial work on the layout. The turntable well's wall is starting to show outside the coping stones in places, so am hoping to increase the diameter a little to hide this. Maybe I'll add a catwalk on one side too - the drop from a loco footplate to the floor of the well must be at least a scale 9 feet... Many of the trees could do with being re-foliated too. Indeed, I might even replace some of them with more detailed versions. Equally, despite attending over 20 shows in the last three years, most of the layout is standing up well. However, the Chatham show comes first [only a month away now], so will be busy with the organisation for that and also checking out some of my 32mm scale models for the club's North Circular layout. Will keep you posted.

Reading was a very pleasant experience. Arigna Town seemed to run well, though I did little operating, spending most of the time talking to visitors. The ALSRM is very much an enthusiasts show, so for once I did not have to answer the 'why 5'3?', or even the 'is it still 5'3?'. Indeed spoke to several other folk who are into Irish modelling, including one chap working in 1:24 [half inch] scale. Excellent trade support - indeed, could have spent a small fortune! Ragstone were there, sporting a 16mm scale etch of the Clogher tank [very big], while all the usual favourites were present, including Eileen's, Laurie Griffin, Connoisseur, Slater's etc. Also had a chat with Sir William McAlpine - former owner of Flying Scotsman, who featured on the ITV Robson Green documentary about the loco recently. Layouts included several 7mm scale, including one of Brunel baulk road mixed gauge. Hence AT by no means the widest tracks for there was Gauge 1 live steam and a fascinating couple of Gauge 3 layouts, one fully scenic.

Arigna Town will be at Reading this weekend for the Association of Large Scale Models show. Have been there before with a club layout & it is a fascinating experience. ALSRM caters for S scale upwards, so that means 0, Gauges 1 & 3, G, 16mm etc, plus three and five inch gauge live steam. As a result, there are some fascinating models & layouts on show - many less familiar than usual [probably why AT got invited!]. The same goes for traders, where you see all sorts of esoteric stuff. Slaters bring out their 16mm scale Welsh slate locos, while from the second hand stands a few years ago one had the choice of a 5" gauge L&Y Pug or a pre-war 3.5" gauge Bassett-Lowke GWR 4-4-0. Both around five grand I seem to remember... Will try to take a few pictures - hopefully there might be plenty of interest - even if not much of it will be Irish.

Decision time on which livery to use taken over by simple availability. Halford did not have anything approaching bronze green, but did have Rover Damask Red, which is a pretty good crimson lake. So, Blackwater it had to be. Final livery for CVR locos was a real paint palette, for the two types were augmented by black skirts, footplate & smokebox, plus vermillion on the cowcatcher. In my transfers box found a sheet of press fix covering all the alphabet in suitably sized shaded sans serif, plus numbers and underscored 'No' too. Only problem is it has no indication of who made it... So, red primer as sprayed on as the first coat & with a coat of varnish will probably do for the cow catcher. The skirts were masked off & the rest of the body sprayed Damask. A couple of days to dry & then matt black [with a little gun metal] was brush painted on the skirts and smokebox, plus the firebox area in the cab. Brass, steel and copper paint was also brush painted on various pipes and fittings as appropriate. The loco is still some way from being finished. The cab roof is not fixed, as crew and glazing are needed, plus coal while a mist of light weathering will be given too, the latter will tone down the gloss finish, which is nowhere near as bright as it appears in the photos anyway - these were done in bright sunshine. Before the latter, need to create the interlaced CVR logo. Currently intending to draw it out large size, then reduce on the copier/printer & print out onto clear transfer sheet. While waiting for the paint to dry, made a start on the Branchlines coach kit. Am building it as an all 3rd. Considering the kit must be getting on for 30 years old, it stands up well, with the end balcony wire mesh etches particularly nice. Built as per instructions, the roof will be soldered to the body and the latter has been set up to bolt to the base. Photos show progress so far & with neither body not roof yet fixed shows how well things fit together.

This the Dapol/Airfix 00 kit, Paul, though heavily doctored to suit 7mm scale and 36.75 gauge. The kit is an old plastic moulding, so lots of flash to clean up, but very cheap. Mine was £4.99 Basically, I used the base plate as it came, but reversed the girders so it became an underslung model. The out rider wheels that run on the circular track are 7mm scale from a lowmac wagon. Operation is by a Frizinghall Models hand crank kit. This is made from Meccano plates and gears. Power to the track comes from wiper pick ups in the turntable well's wall, where rub on small brass plates on each end of the main girders, while alignment is simply by eye. A bit of extra stability comes from the spindle passing through a piece of brass tube set in the baseboard surface. The unit as a whole drops down from beneath for maintenance. In many ways it is simpler than it sounds and for me the only alternative would have been a Metalsmith version costing the thick end of £200. Depending on your scale/gauge, suggest you check out the Peco 7mm narrow gauge turntable. It was a bit too big for my site but has very good possibilities for various scales.

Must remember not to read this thread in public. The dribble of saliva does nothing for my image...

Thanks JB, but don't hold your breath, am thinking it will be at least a couple of years before even the small layout I have in mind is ready. Only in drawing form so far!

The All Components controlled worked well at Horsham. The light action and toggle switch for direction made it just that bit easier to use than my Gaugemaster unit. Not sure if the loco control is noticeably any better than the GM unit - maybe just a tad - but then that might be just the fact I want to think that because it costs more! The show itself was a nice to be part of, though being next to an outside door meant coats were on all day Saturday and extra layers put on for the Sunday. Equally, being in the smallest of the three hall, with never more than 30 or so visitors present, meant that it was possible to talk to them without raising my voice for once. It was also a pleasure to spend most of the weekend in the company of Gordon & Maggie Gravett - the former being my chief operator and yes, he operates as well as he models!

Construction of the Clogher Valley loco is nearing completion. Indeed, did a bit of a clean up this morning & thought it worthwhile to share a few photos. By and large, construction has continued to be straightforward, though as before, some of the instructions are a little wanting - especially detailing the cab and adding some of the minor castings. The words 'now add details, castings etc as per your chosen loco' leave a lot to be desired, especially when photos of the cab interior are few and far between. Goodness knows how the firebox door handles and hinges are meant to fit & given the manufacturer supplies both white metal and lost wax brass versions, he seems to think they are important! However, the crew will hide my omitting them. Overall though, this is a very nice kit & everything fits together pretty well. To my eye, the final result is of a chunky little engine which captures the look of the prototype really well. At the moment, the cab roof is still loose [pending painting the interior], while the chimney end vacuum pipe and coupling are yet to be added. Probably Kaydee for the latter. It is as yet without motor/gearbox too, but Branchlines are coming to the Chatham Show, so should be able to get something suitable in June