David Holman

And then there is Courtmacsherry, for me t h e perfect branch terminus in all sorts of ways, not least the way the town provides the backscene and the loco shed hides the hole in the sky to the fiddle yard. Quite long though, as Andy's splendid recreation shows, but then a bit of pruning and rename it Port Macsherry and it becomes doable even in 7mm scale, especially given much of the stock to run on it is available from Alphagraphix.

Indeed, though if I did the BCR, then I'd probably do Lydham Heath. Minimal, to say the least, but a reversing point, so reasonable activity. 7mm scale, radio controlled battery power, to enable a decent depth of weeds in the track. Plus the iconic Carlisle, of course. Find me an excuse for a similar loco to have run in Ireland and I'd be very tempted to build it in broad gauge. That said, Barry Norman has already done Lydham Heath in S - and very fine it is too.

I don't know about anyone else, but I often get inspired to create model track plans, even though I know they will never get built. Almost a case of exorcism, give that time and resources are inevitably finite... Anyway, among several others, Angus's latest posts on layout planning set me thinking that perhaps a dedicated ideas thread might be of interest and hopefully generate a bit of discussion. There are plenty of books on layout planning of course & I've certainly bought a few over the years, but it strikes me that, while on the one hand, Irish track plans are not that dissimilar to British ones, they tend to have their own specific features [like almost every terminus having a turntable], not to say a few peculiarities too. Trains having to reverse out of the terminus being one, as in the case of the Clifden branch out of Galway or the Schull line out of Skibbereen. So, here might be a good place to share some favourites. In additional, there are also factors, as discussed in Angus's thread about what actually works as a design - both from an operational and/or visual point of view. Scale is another, for we all have a finite amount of space to work in, while shunting layouts are probably better suited to medium and larger scales. Also, what you you want from your model railway? Some of us, me included, are more interested in building things [and creating as realistic a scene as possible], than operating, a reason why Iain Rice & Bob Barlow's magnificent Orford Quay has always inspired. Just look at those winter trees, for example. So, to get things rolling, here are a couple of thoughts. Rice's take on Westport Quay has been mentioned recently, so below we have the approximate layout, plus his adaption from his Light Railway's book for a Scottish theme. I really like the little quayside extension's scenic potential and notice how the provision of two sidings there mean you can do some basic shunting in that area. I also like his fishing harbour design, Especially the way the two sidings extend out on to the pier. However, all three designs lack a turntable [ok, Westport Quay didn't have one anyway], but one of many things that can bug me about layout design is where any shunting can end up with the loco and part of the train actually having to go off scene to make it happen. One of the most extreme versions of this is the Barry Norman design below. Very compact and probably really only a diorama, but you would hardly ever see your prized locos on scene. The same could be said for the almost honorary Irish railway, the Bishop's Castle - though few if any Irish lines ever degenerated into the state this line got into. It's a nice track plan and the addition of a turntable would make it very Irish I think, but you do need a decent bit of mainline out of the station to allow all operation to be 'on scene'. Finally, for now, I've thrown in my own Fintonagh track plan, as an example of how you can keep nearly all the action on scene, including a turntable. Note too the siding sneaking off stage left at the front edge. With only two short sidings on scene, this allows for pretty much any sort of additional traffic, without needing to to model that section - a useful dodge I've used many times. Yes, trains are short [just four wagons], but the layout is fully operable and has proven to sustain interest of numerous shows. As an idea, it could easily made larger of course, something that rarely works the other way round. Anyway, hope this starts some worthwhile discussion, as I for one am always interested in new ideas for track plans.

It's competition night at the Chatham Club the week after next, so nothing like a deadline to get something finished! Don't know what other clubs do, but we have five categories: Locos, Coaching Stock, Wagons, Buildings and Miscellaneous. The latter is the one the crane will be going in, which has in the past been won by everything from ships to scenics to road vehicles. Members vote on each others' models and so it is a bit of a lottery, but equally also mainly a bit of fun, so we are hoping for a good turnout after missing the last two years. I've been searching for that little bit extra, in the hope of making the model more believable & managed to find a picture online of how the old Aifix kit had been adapted to have a pseudo 'luffing' arrangement. Hence did a simple copy of this by adding a couple of plastic brackets to the centre of the jib, along with a couple of extra cables [fishing wire], via a pulley on a wire arm, as a means to move the jib up & down separately. None of it actually works, I hasten to add! The rest of the work has been about trying to tone down the plain [primer] grey paint. Did this first with an overall wash of 'Null Oil' [Games Workshop], followed by various applications of weathering powders to give a patina of rust. Being a harbour crane, am assuming the salty air would lead to rapid corrosion. Still need to get the cable to the hook straight. Could be I'll need to swap the fishing line for some sort of thread from the end of the jib. What I haven't been able to work out is how a 12" to the foot version of this crane would have been powered. Safe to assume that steam is very unlikely, so diesel or petrol the best bet. However, the kit doesn't come with with any sort of exhaust pipe, yet if it was electric, where would that source come from? Some dock cranes were hydraulic powered, but they were static. Either way, unlikely anything other than steam power would have been used much before WW1, so the model is only really applicable for after that, it seems.

Fascinating - plus a fine piece from Eoin too. My Railway Altas of Ireland (Hajducki), shows it as Hodgsons Tramway, with gauge at 3'6 Over here in SE England, there were many such tramways, often in obscure gauges like 4'. Aveling and Porter locos predominated - not surprising as they were built in Rochester. Essentially traction engines built to run on rails. I even have a bit of archaeology in the garden wall separating us from our neighbour. The wall itself is breeze block, but every 12' is a vertical post which is a section of flatbottomed rail from a local tramway.

Sounds like the one I have built!

Nice one!

A fine scene is developing!

Can be very important to know the value of your collection too. Rare rtr items can appreciate in value, while anything kit or scratchbuilt may have a value well in excess of the materials that went into it. For example, a complete kit could be worth at least three times what you initially paid for it, though the caveat is always it is only worth what someone will pay for it! However, in a case of total loss, then you could factor in what it would cost to have someone rebuild it for you. This is particularly so for a scratchbuilt model, while if you exhibit your layout, then the value can be very high indeed. My Fintonagh layout is pretty much all hand built, so despite being only 3m long is insured for £15000 when it goes to a show - and that is probably only half of what it would cost to get someone to recreate it if the hall burned down overnight... My most recent loco, a scratchbuilt MGWR 4-4-0 in 7mm scale cost me about £250 (mostly wheels, motor and gears), but also occupied around 180 hours work. At minimum wage (and I'd like to think I am worth a bit more than that), it is a £2000 loco. The moral is therefore not how much your own time is worth, but how much your need to pay someone else to do it as well as you. There is also the thought of what your collection is worth when you eventually shuffle off to the great railway room in the sky, so make sure your nearest and dearest have some idea of your model's value too.

Fintonagh at Alexandra Palace next week Six months on and Fintonagh is on the road again - twice in fact, because after Allypally, it is going to Nailsea the following weekend, so that's a weekend with the Gravetts and Gordon is helping me operate. Alexandra Palace, or The London Festival of Model Railways, is a splendid, if challenging place to exhibit. Heaven knows how much it costs to hire the place, though suspect Warners Magazines [aka BRM] underwrite it to a significant degree and can only think the fees for trade stands are rather high. The bureaucracy is pretty formidable too, but am certainly looking forward to being a small part of a big show again. Fintonagh is all of 3 metres long, but the pre-show routine remains the same: A thorough clean of the layout itself, which means carefully vacuuming everything, while lifting the dust with a soft brush. This soon shows where any repairs or fixing of loose items needs to take place Found the scenery needed a bit of freshening up, so 'reseeded' patches of grass, weeds and flowers, plus teased out the tree foliage while I was at it. All locos cleaned and serviced, which means oiling the mechanisms, cleaning wheels and checking pickups. Likewise all rolling stock, setting the wheel back to backs [19.2mm] while I was at it. Test everything - including going through the operating sequence several times Set the layout up in the lounge to make sure everything I need to take with me is ready. The list includes the beams and trestles it sits on, along with the lights, pelmets, fascias and all the electrics - plus the toolbox, of course. This should go some way to making the show as stress free and enjoyable as possible - both for me and my fellow operators. With a bit of luck, there will be time off to see the rest of the show too, especially the traders. I've been building up quite a shopping list. Meanwhile, a few pictures that focus on less often seen corners of the layout and if you are coming to the show, please say hello.

Whisper it quietly, but I have also pored long and hard over that area and it is one of several where Northport Quay might be. Others are Broadhaven, to the east of Belmullet and any number of potential harbours along the coast between there and back to Sligo! Have also wondered, had anyone wanted a link from Sligo to Ballina, then a short line from the Burma Road (say Swinford to Foxford) could make an interesting model. Another thought is to use the Sligo quayside branch, extending it along the shore to Strandhill that way. Whatever - for me, this sort of engineering is very much part of the fun. It also, as you say, creates the reasons for a railway being built - the traffic and revenue, both passenger and freight, which of course equals the models that can be made. With 2mm scale offering a different perspective in terms of how space can be used, it sounds a fantastic project.

Rice's Westport Quay is just one many clever ideas from the design guru. Have always liked his pier terminus in the Scottish section of his light railway book that is worth a look.

Know nothing of the prototype, but very nice models!

Likewise! What did you use for the roof?

Only if sprinkled with Chinchilla dust! Fantastic work Eoin - thanks for sharing.

Any chance of pictures?

Carried on this weekend with the tunnel portal/cliff face/headland section. The first job was to try and get the rock face looking less like a sculpted piece of filler, so after some sanding down, began with a coat of grey acrylic, followed [when dry] by a wash of diluted browns. Looking at photos, it seemed this resulted in a lack of texture, so out came the weathering powders and while the paint had yet to dry, brushed these on liberally. I've bought several weathering kits over the years and for scenic work, my go to is two large tubs - one a fairly coarse grey-brown [which may well be fire ash judging by the smell when wet] and the other a finer grey powder. This certainly improved matters, but my now much depleted Freestone Models weathering kit helped add various beige and brown tints to the rock, resulting in what seems like a nice variety now. Looking at pictures, it seems that even the steepest rock faces can be well covered with foliage, as plants seem to find a home in the smallest crevices, while larger ledges can have quite a variety. So out came the static grass machine, loaded with 5mm and 7mm long fibres in a range of greens. Undiluted PVA glue was carefully painted on to all the likely looking spots and foliage what gradually built up. At first, all seems good, but leaving it all overnight to dry, the coverage still looked rather sparse and flat compared to what I was envisaging. So, more grass fibres were added and then this was built up by adding Woodlands Scenics 'crumb' of various shades and grades. For small areas, I lightly brush PVA across the tops of the grass fibres and then sprinkle on the crumb. For larger areas, I spray on cheap hair lacquer and again add the crumb - often using the finest grade into which I mix yellow or white 'flower' grains. The latter helps spread things out, rather than have the flowers in big clumps. The last bit of foliage [thus far anyway] is the creation of brambles and dog roses using 'Postiche' or artist's hair. Teased out, sprayed with lacquer and heavily sprinkled with fine crumb as before, it is very effective. This is as far as I can go for now until I have bought some more materials and am wondering if the rock faces could do with even more foliage as they still look a bit bare to me in some of the pictures.

Not come across this maker before - they look nice models and getting the overall shape right when producing castings can't be easy. An excellent tip with all road vehicles is to file a small 'flat' (my spell checker suggested the word 'goat's for some reason) on the bottom of each tyre. It makes the vehicle sit properly on the ground and for such a small action, makes a real difference.

When sound is done well, it certainly adds an extra dimension too. Real presence here!

There is something very masochistic about applying glazing!

Looking good thus far JB, especially the low level photos. While I don't take my pictures from any great distance, I have learned that the cropping tool on the laptop is really helpful in creating a well balanced scene.

So, 25 metres, approx 80 feet, so 160mm above the layout in N. Not a lot when you think about it to get that view.

Great to see the latest update - it's a fine layout!

Scenery is easy when you can do buildings like yours, Kevin. Messier, but far less precise! By all means use a drone to build your backscene, but have a think about the viewing angle you want for your layout, as the horizon may be lower than you think. There are plenty of books and articles to guide you with scenery. Static grass machines are really effective in 4 and 7mm scale, but you may find that Woodland Scenics fine crumb is just as effective in 2mm scale.

Love it when research discovers local colour like this!