David Holman

Indeed, many of us would be happy with that as the finished article. Laser cutter at work, Warb?

A layout that proves the adage of 'less is more'. Fine modelling and excellent staging have more than a bit to do with it as well, mind.

Angus's thread has certainly got me thinking about traffic and traction in the west of County Mayo for my own project. My imagineering is that as per some of the projects mentioned in Rails to Achill, a line to Belmullet was eventually built, running west from Ballina. Stretching things a bit further [ok, a lot], I see the line as a joint venture between the SLNCR and the WL&W. A line from Swinford, on the Burma Road, to Foxford on the Ballina branch would have given the SLNCR a route of around 100 miles, though in best Irish practice, this would have been broken into separate sections no doubt. Also, by adding a MGW branch from Mallarany to Belmullet [all lines in pursuit of Canadian Pacific mails of course], then I have much the same traffic and traction as at Sligo, albeit on a smaller scale. The reasons for this flight of fantasy are the collections of locos and stock I built up for Arigna Town, plus the subsequent acquisition of models from Richard Chown's estate - notably WL&W 0-6-0 Shannon and the 101 kit. As mentioned before, the idea is to be able to operate both in the 1950s and early 1900s. 1950s I can do already, this being when Arigna Town was set. It will be somewhat SLNCR and MGW heavy, because that is what I have. Hence the roster is planned to include: SLNCR railcar and railbus SLNCR mixed train - coach No 9, of course! Both on local trains to Ballina, with connections onwards to Sligo and Enniskillen. SLNCR goods traffic to/from the harbour. This will be a mix of cattle and supplies for the distillery. I fancy having at least one converted WLW six wheel carriage carrying turf and Bord na Mona has [had?] workings near Belmullet An SLNCR passenger excursion, but using a D17 for power from Ballina. CIE goods, with a new engine, as I've just ordered a Tyrconnel J18/19 kit from Alphagraphix CIE passenger excursion, using the G2 2-4-0 and Atcock six wheelers. Both these coming from Westport. For the early 1900s, I need to tinker with history a bit, as my 101/J15 was built after the WLW was absorbed by the GSW, while I want to keep Shannon as Richard built it, in WLW livery. So, the take over has been put back a couple of years. This gives me the following options to explore: A WLW 'mail goods', using Shannon with a full brake, carriage truck and Richard's two Dublin & Meath brake vans. Very Castle Rackrent. A GSWR excursion headed by the 101. This will have a GSW 6w 1st, a WLW brake 3rd and two horse boxes A MGW mail train with D15 'Wolf Dog' hauling 6w TPO, 3rd and birdcage brake A MGW goods using my J26, though this will need a new chimney and repaint An SLNCR goods with one of the Small Tanks bringing in coal from Arigna and general goods out. Especially in the 1900s period, the SLNCR would take traffic eastwards to Sligo, Enniskillen, Derry and Belfast. WL&W traffic would head south for Limerick and Cork, while the MGW would handle stuff for Westport and Dublin. Good, if slightly implausible excuses! Equally, if the Canadian Pacific mail traffic had materialised, then, for a while at least, Belmullet would have become quite thriving railway hub, one that might just have lasted into the 1950s unlike the Achill and Clifden lines. As for work on the layout itself, many hours have been spent test running. Turns out most of the points needed adjusting, along with back to backs on many of the wheels. As a result, derailments are [mostly] eliminated, though work is still needed to make the Dingham couplings work more efficiently. Half a millimetre makes all the difference! One of these days, I will get back to model making again - lets face it, the 'to do' list is considerable.

Clever!

Fine water tank in the background too.

Do indeed have a copy of the Garrett drawing, so by all means pm me and I will scan it for you. Forget who gave it to me, but do remember it was sourced from the late Desmond Coakham's stuff. Get the impression it was almost a promotional affair which could have been built using standard parts. Briefly considered building one till I realised that, not only would it not fit in the headshunt, but it would have only left room for a train of three wagons in the fiddle yard...

Had an email from Railway Modeller today. My article on Fintonagh, with excellent photos by CM Editor Andrew Burnham, will be in the June edition of RM, due out next Thursday.

Here lies the dilemma between actual and fictitious modelling. Build a model of an actual location and you have the issues of finding a suitable view breaker for the fiddle yard(s), together with whether or not to compress/leave out certain aspects to fit the space available. Build a might have been or fictitious location and you can tailor everything to fit your site, but will it end up looking contrived? No easy answer of course!

Lessons for all of us here, not least that it doesn't have to take years to build a model railway - you can have something up and running in a fairly short space of time. Nothing wrong with taking longer of course, but for anyone thinking of having a go, starting small and doing something achievable is the way to go methinks

The Mail Goods is an interesting train. Richard Chown had at least one on the Castle Rackrent system and photos indicate it was often Shannon, with a parcels van and various wagons, including open carriage trucks and his Dublin and Meath brake vans. This is something I hope to replicate on Belmullet, especially as I have Shannon now, plus his two Dublin and Meath brake vans. Presumably the key to a Mail Goods, is that no passengers were carried, unlike the many night mail trains to Dublin from places like Sligo.

Splendid. Peco now do a bespoke motor unit, though the factory is currently closed so you are relying on trader stocks. Kernow Models certainly operating though.

Now there's a thought. A lot of things stayed the same for long periods, but people's clothes changed, as did road vehicles. The trouble with changing buildings to enable different paint jobs is finding space to store them. Easy enough in 2mm, less so in 7mm. Definitely worth thinking about though.

Very convincing!

Sligo looks made for 2mm scale - or is it the other way round? Either way, has the potential for a fantastic, long lasting project, with enough variety to last a lifetime of stock building.

Real atmosphere. Subtle tones, careful lighting, 'less is more' and some clever photography/editing make for very convincing scenes. The modelling is rather good too!

5 min epoxy for me - especially for adding things like boiler fittings as it gives you just the right amount of time to make sure they are sitting properly.

Glad I'm not alone in finding things like this a pain! Certainly looks the part though - especially the dark green paint job, while the bare wood boards look just right too.

Sharp, clean work - looking forward to seeing things develop!

Love it when everyday items form the basis of convincing models.

Considering how materials and techniques have developed in the last 20 years, the 'forgotten' DMU compares very well with modern RTR stuff. Said it before and will say it again, building coaching stock is every bit as challenging as building locomotives and here we have four DMUs and scratchbuild too. Great work!

Am sure we'll all look forward to following your progress.

Worth considering, especially as there weren't exactly a lot of coal mines in Ireland. Another thought is that Irish railways were pretty much the opposite of British ones in that the vast majority of wagons were vans/semis, rather than opens. Thus nobody knows whether they are full or empty!

Been doing my head in for weeks MM! However, it is essentially quite simple and used basic principles from Loose End, 20 years ago. No dcc then, so several hundred feet of wire for a layout only ten feet long! Megapoints control limits a lot of wiring, but, being analogue, track power required a couple of sections, while I always take feeds to tag strips, which then help with fault tracing. Will be the first to admit that the runs could be tidier though. As for dcc, while I do have a controller, have found I prefer the simplicity of analogue, where direction and speed is all you need to think about. Sound is fun, but chips are the thick end of £150. Did consider radio control, but again, cost is in dcc territory and as it was the Megapoints set up cost a couple of hundred.

Iain Rice's Gairloch has long been one of my favourites. It's in his book on Light Railway designs, which contains several other gems. Glenderg's smaller design is a little beauty too. However, would consider swapping the locoshed for a siding, to increase operational capacity. Indeed, make it a kickback into the fiddle yard and you instantly have the opportunity to suggest all sorts of off scene industry, from mineral unloading, through fish dock, dairy, warehouses, military depot etc etc

Iain Rice's book 'Cameo Layouts' probably contains everything you need to know. Only came out last year, so should still be widely available. Covers most scales and nothing is over 2m long, often much less. Examples include harbours, mines, industrial, rural and urban settings. The book is not just track plans though, it discusses baseboards, scenery, lighting, electrics, operation - the whole lot. Many of the idea were incorporated into my Fintonagh layout. Well worth having.