Mol_PMB

Weighbridge: I drew this up during the first half of this evening's IRRS talk, then laser-cut it and slapped some paint on. I'll probably fine-tune some of the engrave depths and do a final version for installation. I'll also need to put some slots in the rail heads to match the ends of the weighbridge.

Weighing up the options... Your thoughts welcome on the following. The latest photo I have of the sidings at Quartertown Mill is this one dated 1971. By this time I think the grain traffic had ceased but bitumen continued. Compared to the 1966 photos, there are some changes to the main buildings to suit the change in use. My model will normally represent the early 1960s period, rather than this later condition. Looking at this 1971 photo, I think the brand-new brick building on the left is most likely a weighbridge office - with a fairly large weighbridge set into the ground in front of it, positioned so that it could weigh either road or rail vehicles. This is a guess based purely on this photograph. Does it seem plausible? Now, the brick building wasn't there in the 1960s, and the area that was concrete-paved was also different. The short siding was paved, but not the points to the right of it. However, there seems to have been a larger concreted area to the left of the siding. This photo shows a similar view from a bit further back. Notable in the photo above, just to the left of the loco, is a small white building which might be in a very similar position to the later weighbridge office. We can only see a bit of it, but its size and the large window in the end suggest it might be an older weighbridge office. I guess it would be plausible for a mill like this to have a weighbridge. If we assume there was an older weighbridge in the 1960s, then why was it replaced with a new version by 1971? I assume it wasn't big enough for the larger/heavier vehicles being introduced. So: Shall I model the older weighbridge, based on a glimpse of what might be its office? Do you think the old weighbridge would have been road and rail combined, or just in the road beside the siding? How big would it have been (probably not as big as the 1971 weighbridge, or else why replace it? The only other photo of this area isn't much help as someone's parked a train in the way. I can't obviously see a weighbridge in the track under the tin van (which would be the right place) but the photo isn't the clearest. Any thoughts welcome! Or the loan of a time machine...

Here: Interesting, we both found it at exactly the same time, but not the same version of the image.

I just found this image over on RMweb: I'm not sure where or when this photo was taken - it could well be in the UK. Both CHONTAR and COLD CHON were used as trade names by Scottish Tar Distillers, according to this list: https://ia902906.us.archive.org/18/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.502210/2015.502210.British-Chemicals_text.pdf I wonder whether the Irish COLD CHON was related to the Scottish firm? Did the Irish firm have their own tank wagons in the early days? They were established in 1927.

Excellent - thanks for bringing together this info. There's a nice photo of one of the AEC driving trailers freshly repainted at Rocksavage - I'll try to find it. Possible unique in having a traditional carriage underframe painted silver.

Great to hear of someone else joining the broad gauge team, and a nice combination of scale and gauge. That option for printing turnout bases looks very good, lots of options. Thanks for the link. I will definitely consider that for a future layout - I've made my own copperclad points for the current 21mm gauge project.

Today (and yesterday afternoon) have been mostly spent painting. I started by trying to learn how to paint sky and tree trunks. On a few offcuts of hardboard and cardboard I've had a go at blending shades of blue and grey to make a sky, and then painting tree trunks and branches. I'm no artist so my first attempts were too crude, but by choosing a better mix of colours on the palette and using a smaller brush for the trees, I'm gradually improving. I still need some more practice before tackling the backscene itself. I also need to try painting the foliage. In most cases these painted trees will be in the background behind 3-dimensional trees on the model, so they don't have to be perfect. With the kindergarten art class done, I have fettled the backscene assembly, filling and rubbing down any rough areas and the heads of the pins I used to hold it together. I have also sealed it all over, and painted the front with a coat of white as the basis for the sky and trees. On the board, I started by priming the track with some of that horrible new Halfords grey primer. It's no good at all for rolling stock, so I used it up on the track. I did the fiddle yard too, mainly to protect the 3D printed track bases. Then I made a palette of greys, browns and blacks to paint the sleepers, followed by some shades of reddish-brown for the rails. These were all brush-painted. It's not perfect, but once ballasted I'll use the airbrush to lightly spray some more brown and blend it together a bit more. @Rob R's track bases look quite effective in a weathered wood finish - complete with a few splits and holes! I need to do some more fine-tuning with the magnetic uncouplers before I think about ballasting the track.

A J15 if anyone's looking for one, and it's on your side of the water: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/257230571192 Note the listing says round top but the model is a Belpaire.

Many thanks John for all the info and for this photo reference. I've just had a close look at the photo, agreed it's a 1960s AEC Mammoth 8-legger, which is a type available in model form from EFE The one at Ballysodare appears to have a dark green cab, possibly with a circular logo on the cab door. The body of the vehicle is grey as you say, it looks a boxy shape but it's very hard to make out what type of body it is. The colours could be CIE, but equally could be any other firm with a green livery. Regarding grain and flour trucks, mostly GB types but with a few Irish ones, there is a really excellent set of photos here: https://www.trucknetuk.com/t/mainly-rank-hovis-spillers-milling/225912?page=1 The show a great variety of shapes of bulk flour bodies, as well as a nice selection of flatbeds and other types. I'm not attempting to model Ballysodare, but the simpler Quartertown. Owned by Webbs for most of its life I have read that it was latterly part of the Ranks empire.

Thanks Mick - I’ll have a look.

Based on what I recall from my visit to Cultra a few months back, I guess this Oxford model in 1:76 is the best option for... Though possibly with an attack of weathering:

I'm quite tempted to see what these two EFE models of AEC trucks would look like in CIE green.

Nice view of one of the few Belgian locos to run in Ireland, on eBay at present: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/pt0AAeSwBnVpJySs/s-l1600.jpg

Same for me. There's not much Irish in-stock that I haven't got already! And only a couple of weeks ago I bought some of those ESU goodies. Ah well, I'll save my money for other things.

For Quartertown Mill set loosely in the 1960-1975 period I think I'm before the Hino period, but I also remember them everywhere in the 1980s and 1990s. Even then, there were still plenty of donkey carts to be seen on the roads, a few churns of milk or a mound of hay on the back (not many balers in the west of Ireland in the 1980s as I recall - lots of rounded haystacks, sometimes on stone 'mushrooms', with a small tarp on top held down with weighted ropes - like half a bikini). Ancient trucks and tractors - definitely. I have a strong recollection of red numberplates, but I think they were a 1970s thing and may be too late for my period (certainly on older vehicles).