David Holman

Uckfield went well, gaining runner up in the public vote for best layout. What makes the show so enjoyable is the warm welcome, excellent balance of traders and high standard of layouts. Add in a very knowledgeable audience & it makes for a fun weekend. Spoke to several people with first hand experience of Irish railways, including one who had rode the Sligo as a boy. Lots of people commented on how nice it was to see an Irish themed layout & several times found myself musing with folk about what other 7mm scale, broad gauge layouts there were. we could all name Castle Rackrent [a brief report in the new MRJ on its 40th birthday], but got stuck after that. surely there must be more? The new loco, Lark, acquitted itself well & the only problem was when Fermanagh somehow had a lead to the motor break off, stopping it rather abruptly. Otherwise things ran nicely & the only derailments were operator error. Likewise the new fiddle yard. Slightly scary when turning it, as the track table has to be pulled right out to do this, but we soon became confident in its use. Next outing not till Easter next year, at York, though have had over 20 enquiries now for other shows, mostly in the south of England.

Coakham book is indeed a gem HF. If only there was a wagon book too....

Iain Rice, in one of his many books on model railway design, came up with a 'rule' that I have always found appropriate. It is to ensure that what ever trains you have, they are able to travel at least three times their own length on your layout. Hence if you have a train one metre long, you ideally need a three metre run on your layout. Therefore, on Arigna Town, with its four, equal length baseboards, the fiddle yard of 47 inches [old money] gives loco and six wagons which does not look out of place on the scenic section. Have used this rule with several layouts and numerous plans & it really does work.

Good on yer! 21mm looks fab.

Don't think I have any info other than what is already available on the website, Des Coakham's carriage book, etc. However, would certainly be interested in your book if you can get the material. Likewise a wagon book. The latter is particularly lacking - even a broad brush generic history/review would be a help, though from what I hear many plans and records have been destroyed. Shame, because in Britain, there seems to be a book for every company, while Irish fans are forced to peer into the background of any photos, looking for snippets of information.. All power to your elbows!

Arigna Town's second outing is coming up in a few week's time - at Uckfield Model Railway Exhibition in Sussex on weekend of 18/19 October. Come and say hello if you can make it. The new 'sliding & rotating' fiddle yard will get its first full test, allowing more stock & greater flexibility of its use. First time out too for 'Lark' my latest loco - a Tyrconnel kit of St Molaga the T&C 0-4-2T. Sadly, doesn't look like my new rake of coal empties will be there as am still waiting for underframe castings. Likewise an SLNCR parcels van. Bodywork done and another serious full scale weathering job proceeding on all six vehicles, which am photographing as I go along, so you will see how they were built. Slight issue this morning though - was trying to create 'faded maroon' for the parcels van by adding light grey to BR maroon. Unfortunately has dried a decided plum colour. Words like bother and oh dear muttered... Looks like next big project will be a total refurb of my workshop. Very fortunate in that the missus allowed me to convert our former integral garage, which is now centrally heated, properly lit, plenty of sockets etc. However, that was about 15 years ago, so now needs a serious make over. Am also going to sell on my BR 0 gauge layout, Eatonswell, to make more storage and display space in my 'den'. Hoping to start late October & will post progress as I go along.

Can only echo all the other comments. Will make a very original and atmospheric layout. At the Chatham Club, we did something similar in 7mm scale, so was 26' long, but it got lots of interest at exhibitions for being a bit different. Am sure it will be fun to operate while all the buildings will frame the view really well. Like everyone else will look forward to following its progress. Great project - good luck with it - deserves to succeed.

That is one fine wagon & a very subtle paint job too.

So far, so good HF. A little hesitant on first run post completion which was disappointing as had been fine unpainted. However, one wheel was covered in paint and one pickup wasn't touching, so not bad for two wheel pickup! A clean and a bit of adjustment and it now runs pretty well. Should improve with use. Interestingly, needs 50% on the controller to achieve same speed as the Small Tanks on just 25%. Only three foot drivers though! Happy with five opens and a brake which is the coal train.

A couple of pictures of the new loco, sharing the coal train duties with the J26. It is assumed that the J26 brings the empties into Arigna Town, where Lark is waiting to take them up to the mines. The j26 heads off light engine & brake van, to return later in the day to pick up the loads which Lark has brought back down. As you can see, this is one tiny engine. Just 21 tons, it is about the size of a box van and dwarfed even by the modest dimensions of a J26...

My latest Tyrconnel kit is now complete. The little loco has taken around three weeks to finish, but overall probably about 50-60 hours work. Of this about a third was basic construction, another third faffing about adding detail and fine tuning the mechanism, with the rest on cleaning up, painting & weathering. Though mainly built 'out of the box', I've added a few extra details, not least an attempt to replicate the cross head driven 'pump thing' on the right hand side. Other bits included extra piping/taps on the footplate above the 'pump thing' and detailing the cab, where the backhead had just etched on impressions of water gauges, piping etc. With its big windows and side openings, there is a fairly clear view inside, so I thought it merited a bit more. My only other departure from the instructions was to use a Branchlines 40-1 gearbox and Mashima 18/30 motor. This drives the rear axle, rather than the front and is [mostly] hidden behind the tanks. With only 4 wheel pickup and no compensation, I'm a bit concerned about keeping the wheels clean, but the chassis folded up absolutely square and [fingers crossed] the little loco runs well and is more than up to the five coal wagons, plus brake that it is required to pull. I've stuck to black for the livery, as per T&L's St Molaga, but have graced my loco with polished boiler bands and smokebox door furniture. It also has a different name - 'Lark'. Those in the know will realise this is one of the names given to the E Class/J26 0-6-0Ts and my previous Tyrconnel kit had spare sets for all of them [including Gnat & Wasp]. The reason for Lark is that I fancy that when the Arigna Mines Co were connected to the branch from the SLNCRT at the start of the 20th century, the looked around for a suitable small engine and the T7L's Hunslet fitted the bill admirably. With [i imagine] skylarks being a feature of the moor and mountain above Arigna, it is but a small step to the loco's name. However, the plates are only held on with blutack, so it could easily morph back to Molaga if ever the desire to built a model of Courtmacsherry gets the better of me! The photos show the model pre and post weathering & I think it is interesting to compare the two. Black engines are, well, very dark and can be somewhat featureless without a bit of titivation. The name plates, red bufferbeams and polished pipework help, but extensive dry brushing with a mix of Humbrol grey [64] and Metalcote gunmetal has toned things down a bit and highlighted some of the details. Will also post some pictures of it on the layout in that section.

Thanks Paul. Seeing Robin's version and reading his article was the inspiration. The one thing I didn't pick up was that two way drawer runners are needed for my version. Only found out when realised the table would not slide fully over... Beat me round the head and I get there eventually!

Many thanks Minister - the third links is especially interesting.

Can anyone point me in the direction of pictures of Timoleague & Courtmacsherry Tramway's 0-4-2T St Molaga, please? Am building the Tyrconnel kit & want to add as much extra detail as possible. Only photos I have are low three quarter views of the right hand side. Am interested in knowing what the crosshead driven piston thingy was on the right hand side. Associated pipework very vague and no mention of it in the kit. Also, who was Molaga? Google indicates the local church named after him/her [school too], with a possible link to bee keeping as well... Thanks.

After a summer break, life returns to the workshop with the arrival of a new loco kit - namely Tyrconnel Models St Molaga. This tiny loco ran on the Timoleague & Courtmacsherry Tramway until withdrawal in 1949. My Arigna Town history assumes that the Arigna Mining Co then bought it to run on the branch. Alternatively, maybe Hunslet built another one and supplied it new? Either way, the light axle load [less than 8 tons], would be ideal. The model will be no bigger than a standard box van when complete, but with a Slaters Manning Wardle 0-4-0T, Springside GER 'Coffee Pot', plus the MRJ scratchbuild project for Wantage Tramway's 'Jane' under my belt, I'm no stranger to small locos. The Tyrconnel kit costs £80, though by the time wheels/motor/gears are added, this can easily double. It comprises several sheets of brass etches and a bag of whitemetal castings, plus a decent set of instructions which includes a scale drawing and several photos of a kit during construction. To begin with, I thought it was going to be a breeze. I spent a couple of hours cutting out the main etches [helpfully numbered], then next day got the footplate/cab/tank unit soldered up. The basic chassis soon followed, so after about 8 hours work, things were looking promising. Then things ground to a halt. This is not the fault of the kit, but my preference for 36.75mm gauge and adding more detail. You'd think with the wider gauge, there would be more room to play with, but the fold up chassis is designed for 32mm gauge. The instruction suggest using the crosshead/piston rod unit from a Hornby Princess & though I'm sure this will work well and save a lot of time, examination of the drawing & photos showed that there is some sort of pump driven from the R/H crosshead. This together with the inevitable tight clearances between the crosshead and the leading driver's crankpin resulted in a lot of head scratching and experimentation before I could get things right. Ended up making new cylinders from top hat bearings and brass tube. If anyone can shed any light on the pump [or whatever it is], please let me know. Am sure that if I had just followed the instructions and built the kit out of the box, it would be in the paintshop by now. This is a very well thought out kit, but once I'd identified some extra detail, the challenge of taking things further was too much to resist!

One very important point to remember is that, of all the aspects of the hobby, creating scenery requires the least skill - at least to start off with. Using, cork/polystyrene tiles, papier-mache etc as a base, then covering it with some sort of plaster/PVA/poster paint mix, will soon get you started. Consider doing a small diorama or practice piece first & you'll soon gain confidence to do larger areas. You won't waste much money on materials either.

Very impressive. They deserve to do really well.

Any idea what the Courtmacsherry terminus looked like? With so many Tyrconnel models available, this could perhaps make a very nice 7mm scale layout.

Other alternatives involve repeated coats of gloss varnish on MDF [suitably painted] or acrylic sheet. For puddles, microscope slide glass is very effective.

Much as I appreciate the Web [i wouldn't be typing this if I didn't], for me a hard copy is much easier to work from than a computer screen - especially in the workshop. Perhaps it's a generation thing, me being a bit older than Nelson - ok, 40+ years... Anyway, there are plenty of incredibly useful and interesting books on the subject of scenery, weathering etc, though any of the main magazines will give you ideas every month for £4. Eg both the latest Railway Modeller and BRM contain interesting articles. Don't ignore the American scene either. Model Railroader likewise has detailed articles - almost overkill in some cases as they tell you exactly what to use, right down to the knife blade number! A snap off blade is all I've ever needed, by the way. Magazines also contain a host of adverts for all the various products you will need. The range is now considerable in terms of weathering powders, dyes, inks, paints etc - all of which will do the job. Just depends on what you find is best. Likewise scenic materials. The Woodlands Scenic range of scatter 'foam' is easy to work with, but you need a decent range of textures and colours to be effective. However, the new static grass machines have moved the bar up considerably in terms of realism. Cheap versions are available, but again, you will need a range of fibres - colours and lengths. My personal view is to go for the best you can afford, because of the quality of finish these materials will bring. However, not everything needs to cost a fortune. So read as much as you can - on the web, books, mags or whatever, for there is no 'one best way' and you will develop your own techniques to suit the location, period etc you are modelling. Most of all, have a go! My personal bibles are listed below. The authors are people who are great innovators in the hobby, folk who have spent many hours practising and then sharing their ideas for our benefit. Despite [or maybe because of] their undoubted skills, they also make things seem very much achievable by mere mortals like the rest of us. Weathering: 'The Art of Weathering' by Martyn Welch [Wild Swan], though most magazines seem to have at least one article every month. Scenery: 'Simply Scenery' by Tony Hill [irwell Press]; 'Landscape Modelling' by Barry Norman & 'Modelling Grassland' by Gordon Gravett [both Wild Swan]. Gordon's book on trees is also both inspiring and easy to follow.

As indicated elsewhere, the layout now has a new fiddle yard. The Mark 1 version only had a four track turntable and the outer two were on a radius of less than 5 feet. The new one has seven tracks & these are all straight, so capacity is increased by over 75%. The photos hopefully make things clear, but here goes in terms of a description. The structure is in three parts. The lowest level is a shallow U shaped framework, which has two double ended drawer runners. In these sits a 5cm deep table and on top of this is the actual train turntable. The table is a simple framework of softwood, covered top & bottom with 3mm MDF. The turntable is 12mm MDF, while the base framework is built from a two longitudinal plywood & softwood beams [4mm ply either side of 18mm plywood squares], with ends made from 12mm ply and 45mm square softwood. A similar version was described in Model Railway Journal by S Gauge Society member Robin Fielding. His had just three tracks, but the extra width of my version requires heavier duty drawer runners [about £20 a pair]. The feed in track from the layout is in the centre of the board, so the sliding table only needs to move just over half the total width [30cm] to enable it to rotate. Track alignment is by home made bolts. Two 'bolts' on the lead in track locate in short barrels on the turntable. Both are made from brass tube soldered to flat brass strip, which is then screwed to the fiddleyard surface. The actual bolt is brass rod, which is a nice snug fit in the tube. The bolts also provide power from the scenic baseboards to the fiddleyard tracks, so only the aligned track is powered. For additional safety [& when the fiddleyard is turned], there is a hinged aluminium strip at each end. The only other refinement is a small household bolt in the side of the table, which hold the turntable in place while it is moved on the drawer runners. The only effect on the scenic part of the layout is that it has had to be raised 75mm, to line up with the new fiddleyard, which is inevitably much deeper that the previous one. Short cross pieces [the width of the layout], sit on the longitudinal beams and hopefully the small increase in height improves the overall viewing angle.

Mmmm. Nice... See comments on the MED thread. Same applies here. Top work.

Proper Job! DMUs may well be among the most challenging of all models to make. Quite apart from all the subtle curves at the front/rear, there is all the plumbing and such under the solebars where the engine, gearbox etc go. Then you have the added problem that they are proverbial greenhouses, so need full interior detailing as well. Makes a steam loco seem simple... I have a 7mm scale Bachmann Brassworks Derby Lightweight 2 car. Looked lovely when I bought it [unpainted], but the more I investigated it, the more there was wrong in terms of detail. Probably cost me about 300 hours work in total and is probably still not right.

Interesting. Looks like I may have to move the turntable buffers back when I build a G2. It will just fit [the deck is 40'] and as I've always envisaged the branch as a 'joint' line [MGW for coal, SLNCR the rest], then in my imagination an occasional excursion train [maybe to Knock or Galway] is not out of the question. There are indeed many delights in the Tyrconnel range & am surprised no one appears to have done the Timoleague & Courtmacsherry tramway in 7mm scale - virtually the entire stock is there. As for 14BA bolts, reminds me of the first engine I built with outside valvegear. It was the excellent Vulcan 016.5 kit of the Sierra Leone Hunslet 2-6-2T that runs on the Welshpool & Llanfair. All of the valve gear was fixed with 14BA nuts and bolts & am sure there are still one or two lodged in the carpet...

The vast 'desert' south of Derry & between Sligo & Dundalk shows up only too clearly. RIP the GNRI, SLNCR, CDR, Swilly etc etc...