David Holman

Thankyou kind sir. Appreciate B is currently somewhat undressed and unwell, to say the least. The cab controls on my model are very much a guestimate of what might be there, based on the preserved Walker Railcar at the Finn Valley in Donegal. Not sure now if I want to know how accurate I've been, though could always call my model Railcar C and assume a second one was built later! The photo link goes to some mouth watering pictures. If you ever come across any pre-CIE wagons, I for one would be very interested.

The Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties Railway opened in 1882 & ran from Carrignat Junction, near Sligo, to Enniskillen. Broad gauge, it remained independent until closure in 1957. While no additions were made, there were proposals for branchlines to Swalinbar [from Florencecourt in 1883] and Arigna. The latter would have left the mainline at Dromahair and run via Drumkeeran, where there had been ironworks in the 18th century, then down the western shore of Lough Allen to Arigna. Here there were coal desposits, which were the basis of the proposal. In fact, there were at least two, the SLNCR’s just mentioned in 1904 and an independent line from Collooney, via Ballyfarnon in 1914. The latter was my initial proposal in an earlier blog, but the former is now the fiction behind my layout. The reason for the change is partly from the acquisition of Neil Sprink’s history of the SLNCR, but also because the orientation of the backscene on the layout better relects the likely SLNCR route and physical geography of the area. On the map, the station has been rotated 180 degrees, with the line exiting to the east & also moved north of the minor road from the actual Cavan & Leitrim station. Had the line been built, subsequent history would have most likely followed that of its parent, with railbus & railcar taking most passenger traffic and steam power for freight. However, I still like the idea of the M&GWR/GSR having a hand in the coal traffic, which is the excuse for my J26 tank. Being wholly in the Republic, it seems likely that most traffic would have been to/from Sligo, so a timetable will be created to link with mainline ones at Dromahair. Had the line been built, I guess it is just possible that it might have outlived the main SLNCR’s closure in 1957, not least because coal traffic could have continued to run & perhaps a link to the new power station on Lough Allen in 1959 would have brought welcome extra revenue. This could even have kept the line open until that closed in the 1990s. My larger version of the Arigna community might even have kept passenger trains running too. If so, the Railcar B could easily have continued into the 1980s, with C or G class diesels on freight. It is something to keep me interested as far as future stock building is concerned! [attachment=:name]

Like scenery, road vehicles are a key part of making a model railway seem realistic. However, while they can look ok in photos, at an exhibition, one needs to be careful about where to put them, as unlike the trains, they are not going to move. Faller systems excepted that is. As in most 7mm scale layouts, Arigna Town does not have a lot of room for stuff beyond the railway fence, so I’ve tried to be selective in what to include. Apart from the little donkey cart and the Austin 7 at the garage, there are three commercial vehicles and a car. Even so, not all should be on scene at the same time as I am determined not to fall into the trap on making it look like the M25. The two lorries are both Classic Commercial kits. One is a Leyland lorry, loaded with building materials. It is mainly resin castings, with some etched and whitemetal details. The other is a much older, whitemetal kit, revamped under the CC label. I’m not sure of the prototype, but am hopeful some of you will tell me. The Morris PV box van is my latest acquisition. Also Classic Commercial and again mainly resin, with some very fine stainless steel etches for the windows and finely cast whitemetal wheels. Took ages to build because you need to stop and paint things every so often. Like the other vehicles, the wheels are sanded flat where they sit on the ground, a subtle, but very effective treatment I recommend to anyone. The only other vehicle is the oldest, being a Dinky Austin Somerset from my childhood. Committed sacrilege by removing the paint and chassis, then added seat, new wheels and glazing. The numberplate is that of Dr Ian Allen, the Suffolk GP who took many railway photos in the 50s & 60s. Doubt if he made it to Ireland though. Old Dinky and Corgi toys can by useful in 7mm scale, but one needs to be careful where they are put as most are to either 1:50 [or 1:48] scale so are much too small when put alongside a 1:43 model. The last pictures are some figures for the interior of Railcar B. I mainly use the Peco figures for passengers. They are cheap, but also rather nasty, with lots of flash and rather mediocre detail. The 6 I had left were of just two different types, but am rather pleased with the adaptions I’ve made, not least because three have changed sex! A bit of work with some needle files gave them more of a waist [& even a bit of a bosom]. Similar work got rid of caps. Guess I could have got the filler out to make trousers into skirts, but for inside a coach compartment, they’ll hopefully pass muster. Rather cruel enlargement though.

Railcar B’s tractor unit is now taking shape. The body part is not very big [less than 2 metres long] and built around a shell of 40 thou plastikard, with 20 thou overlays to form the right tumblehome. The advantage of this is that it leaves a nice little slot to fit the glazing. Sections were also cut out for the door handles and footsteps. The complex shape of the roof was very much made up as I went along. Began with various layers of plastic strip, then added filler and began the careful process of sanding it all to shape. This was made less easy by the headlight, which is a piece of plastic tube fronted with a spare casting from the Morris van kit. The two marker lights are two pieces of brass tube, fitted into holes drilled in the body, while the beading is 10 and 20 thou strip. Made up a radiator unit for the roof using plastic rod and strip, with 10 thou plastic used for the box it sits in. This is let into the roof by sawing two slots. Thus far, the simple chassis seems to run well, so must hope it has enough power to pull the trailer…

Lovely artwork on the kit and the A class looks good too. Never realised CIE ran jets though...

Pancake motor and probably the same amount of detail, or lack of it, as the O gauge 4F. Appallingly crude by today's standards, so why do these things hold such a fascination and command such prices? I too could be tempted, but no idea why!

Bob Symes and the Dukedog on the Bluebell. Bet nobody then thought the loco would be available rtr...

Very nice indeed. I would need at least ten metres to do that in 7mm scale!

Cement is heavy, though the plants were not necessarily large. Somewhere in the back of my mind lurks a thought that there were a couple of Sentinels bought by CIE to shunt the factory near Limerick? For those of us working in 7mm scale, there is the option of ready to run as Skytrex produced a model a few years ago, while Walsworthmodels models will build you one for just £150.

Yes please!

Whoever's that is - it's a superb piece of work

Right first time, Richie - good old Wills sheet of the random stone variety. Works as well in 7mm as 4mm, to my eye at least. Based the model on the ones at Sligo and along the SLNCR. Have included a closer picture, which also shows progress on Railcar B, where the tractor unit is taking shape. Have created a more modern version of the Donegal's controls, with a proper driver's desk, throttle and brake levers, gear lever, plus a few dials and switches. Whether they are right or not is anyone's guess, but if not, are hopefully small enough to still pass muster. As for St Alban's, remains as good as ever - one of the must see events in the South East, along with the Uckfield Show, Chatham [esp in its new venue] and Alexandra Palace - the latter being great for the larger layouts.

Wow - that collection is quite something and a really valuable resource for modellers in terms of incidental details and colour. We have vehicle number plates, a lovely range of prototypes, lots of ideas for buildings, plus loads of info on the colours of peoples clothes at that time. Also brings back memories of my first visit to Ireland, one of the many minor highlights was being stuck in a traffic jam in Nenagh - it was market day. The vehicle in front was a cattle lorry and its passengers had clearly been feasting on spring grass.. The steady stream of liquid manure coming out the back of the lorry was slowly filling up the gutter, much to the consternation of the two housewives who had just scrubbed their bit of that pavement!

Have also seen the Alcock and Brown pic somewhere. Visited the site near Clifden back in June - presumably the narrow road out to remains of the Marconi station follows the line of the little railway? also saw the Vimy bomber last year in the Science Museum. In the confines of the hall, it looks enormous, but also very fragile. Apropo nothing in particular, the A&B picture reminds of one of the Spurn Head Light Railway in East Yorkshire. As well as a similar railcar, it also had a sail powered trolley...

In between faffing around with Railcar B, have been trying to complete the van castings I did just before Christmas and photos show progress thus far. Actually not a lot left to do, just a bit of painting to pick out the handrails, hinges etc and a bit of rust/oil around the axle boxes. Decided to go with the SLNCR 'semi' for the round ended vans and used the photo album of the Cavan and Leitrim to produce the canvas roof on the middle section. Could do with a couple of ropes to hold the tarp in place - assuming this is how broad gauge vans were set up as well? The tarp is just a double thickness of masking tape, with some 40thou square strip on each end. The piped GNRI vans are almost the same as the earlier 9 ton vans, but re-did the mould as the original silicon was starting to go off. Painting is Halfords orange/red primer, with my usual Freestone Models weathering powders. Get the impression that these vans did not have automatic brakes, but were just piped to fit in with those that did. Hence have fitted pipes but not extra brake blocks. Hope I'm right as am almost out of brake blocks and they are not my favourite modelling job! At last weekend's St Albans show, managed to buy some 'flowers' from Greenscene. The trick with these [very] brightly coloured scatter materials seems to be to mix them with the usual green scatter first, as this reduces the intensity - unless you are planting flowerbeds.

Thanks for thinking of me! Am probably going to do the interior in LNER teak, which fits with the effect you mention. Trouble is we are talking 57 years on from the end of the Sligo, so who knows what fading, changes etc occurred in that time. Had the same problem with the W&M railbus. A visit to Sherringham was good for general shape, driver controls and so on, but seating fabric had not doubt been replaced a number of times and the little vehicles have been at work in preservation about four times longer than for BR. If only Casserley, Peters and Whitehouse had visited, but don't think the famous Bentley ever got that far north, but we do at least have his fabulous film of the Tralee and Dingle. Now there's another project worth doing!

The smaller/cheaper versions do indeed work well and are well worth considering. A puffer bottle is also still good for tight corners. The full size static grass machine undoubtedly covers quicker and its higher charger is better [in my experience] for longer fibres. However, in 4mm scale, they are not as useful, so unless you are contemplating large areas or working in 7mm scale, the tea strainer type is well worth having. Quite simply, nothing gets close and such devices have moved scenic work to a new level. One day, maybe all layouts will be done this way!

An auspicious moment this afternoon, as the railcar’s tractor unit ran under its own power for the first time. Only 4 coupled wheels, but a lengthy process getting there, which has taken me out of my comfort zone and learning some new techniques. A key issue was the fact that the Slaters wheels, being small diameter come on a 1/8” axles, for which there is no broad gauge version available. The answer was to cut the axles in half and then lengthen them with some brass tube. Eileen’s Emporium do a 1/8-3/16” tube, which is ideal because that means a standard 7mm scale gear box can be used. However, the axles have squared ends, important for quartering coupled drivers, so the problem was how to ensure this worked in extended form. After much thought, realised that my wheels, being disc rather than spoked, had two holes at 180 degrees. At 2mm diameter, I also had some brass rod of this size, so I threaded two lengths through the holes and these held the quartering while slow setting Araldyte was used to glue everything in place. The last pictures shows the axles in a set of plastic frames, quickly put together to check alignment. Initially made the extension tube too long, so it later had to be filed back. This was because I now needed to use some sort of hornblock system, or the motor/gearbox would have been a permanent fixture in the chassis. A bit of research on the web turned up the excellent High Level Kits version. A quick phonecall got the etchings to me inside a couple of days. They are very easy to fold up, but I did not have any 1/8 axles alignment jigs, so made my own from some silver steel rods in a block of wood. The distance between the axles was easy as had previously bought a set of profile milled coupling rods. These were used both to mark out the side frames and the axle jig. After that, things went together fairly well. Frames were cut out from brass strip with a piercing saw and soldered together using my new York Model Company magnetic jig, which hold things at right angles while you apply heat or glue. Fitting the motor gearbox came next & then epoxyed some PCB strip to the outside of the frames and soldered 0.5mm phosphor bronze wire on for pickups. This all needs tidying up, but am afraid when I get to this stage, I really need to know that my efforts have resulted in something that works. As it happens, the rods needed some easing – probably because I used Derek Munday’s heavy duty crankpins, rather than the 12BA nut and bolt that Slaters provided. As you might expect, the former are more robust, but also a tighter fit, hence the easing. Hopefully the pictures help fill in the gaps, but am happy to say the chassis runs well – even on my old H&M Clipper. I always use this to test a new chassis. Being a simple rheostat, if there is anything sticky in chassis, it will result in jerky progress – something that modern electronic controllers often iron out to some degree. Hence you know whether the motor is likely to run hot or not too.

Skill and artistry in equal measures. While not my scene, tis not difficult to admire either.

For road colour, sadly Humbrol Tarmac is no longer made, but Precision paints do an equivalent. As the others say, road colour is highly variable and is much darker when wet too. For that, Humbrol Clear Cote is good, as it darkens whatever you use very nicely. Either fine wet and dry paper is good for a Tarmac surface or paint the surface in gloss grey and sift on talc. Leave overnight and brush/vacuum off. Extra layers of paint and talc can be used to add the inevitable repairs, trench fills etc. The white lines could be done by cutting a stencil and painting throught it, but the are commercial road markings too, including ready printed roads ready to lay. You pays your money and makes your choice. Perhaps the one thing to ensure is any markings are really sharp, which is where the ready printed ones can be advantageous.

Depends on the angle of view. Was this the same loco as the Dukedog class? Bluebell railway has the preserved one. Or was it the class that came before and spawned the 1930s rebuild that became the Dukedogs? However, not a patch on a GNR S, or indeed those dainty 4-4-0s that ran to Achilles and Clifden? Brought up on LNER types, the more I learn about Irish locos, the more smitten I become... Can't think of anything comparable in Ireland though and suspect even Scotsman would struggle to make something of it. But you never know...

Thanks again, John. Am going with a darkish green for now. Making progress on the chassis - crunch time approaches as will be adding the coupling rods shortly. Cries of triumph, or many rude words likely, depending on the outcome!

Great room, lovely bench work - all looks very promising!

Star! Many thanks John.

Wagons!. The bane of my life John - as you will see if you sift through the site... There is a book called 'Modelling Irish Railways', which gives some ideas, but the problem with Irish wagons is that there are very few, if any genuine equivalents from English ones. Eg opens in England tended to be 3, 5, or 7 plank; Irish are mainly 4 & 6 plank. Apart from the BR plywood vans, there is little that goes anywhere near Irish ones, but if you want to be more authentic, then scratchbuilding wagon bodies in plastikard is not difficult once you get started and there are plenty of chassis kits around that will ensure they then run properly. You could even do resin casting too. Check out some of my threads for ideas. Note, I work in 7mm scale though. Historical info is also hard to come by. Seems few if any photographers took pics of actual wagons & one is forced to scan general photos of trains - especially if there is a goods yard in the background, to get an idea of what was running. If you are happy to have generic stuff to give your locos stuff to pull, then a decent impression is possible, as you'll see from all the super pics on the site. However, if you are a wagon enthusiast, then beware!