Patrick Davey

So there are possibly two brand new announcements coming from IRM at the show in a couple of weeks… I am not seeing a countdown timer on the website though?

Great suggestions folks! What about Clones now......

Thanks David Embossed plasticard painted with Burnt Sienna acrylic then DAS clay applied for the pointing. The chimney pots are white metal castings.

One could also ignore the actual historical closure dates, and imagine all the lines survived much longer than they did and that the MGWR made it to Castleblayney from Kingscourt - after protracted legal wranglings they were granted running powers into Armagh. With at least the main line to Cavan and the Castleblayney line surviving into the 1960s and the CIÉ diesel era, black & tan liveried trains could have formed stopping services from Dublin to Portadown via Clonsilla, Navan, Kingscourt, Castleblayney and Armagh. Passengers on these trains would have had spectacular views as they swept across Tassagh viaduct, as the thumps of the Crossley engine echoed down the valley. It wouldn’t be a great place to get stranded though if the locomotive failed……

Occasionally I fantasise about having unlimited space, time, patience and of course money, and think about what the 'dream' layout would be. And of course it changes often.... It's currently Armagh: * Four lines converging * Mainline passenger and good trains between Belfast & Cavan * Steam and diesel railcar operation * Branch workings from Keady/Castleblayney and also the Newry direction * Extensive layout with two signal cabins, a level crossing, large goods shed and cattle pens, two loco sheds and turntable * Double tracked through station with overall roof, two platforms and footbridge * Very distinctive station architecture * Detailed plans survive in the IRRS archive, including signal box elevations and station building plans * Generous photographic coverage Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh..........................

Fabulous all round David - the carriage marking out must take forever, have you timed it? Using a calendar perhaps..... I can safely say I would be very unlikely to have the patience for this kind of meticulous work although the results are undoubtedly spectacular. Watching progress with interest!

And we have chimneys

Ha - that depends who you're talking to Leslie!! #protocol

Leslie can I have one please - the 'Drogheda' reference fits very nicely with my current project! Will maybe get to Blackrock but if not I'll order by post. Great looking van!!!

Stacks of fun on the Clogherhead workbench this evening. Chimneys aren't my favourite thing to make because I invariably leave them to the end and then get really frustrated because they hold up the completion of the build, so this time I'm making them early on in the build. They are for the Clogherhead station building.

Latest developments in Co. Louth….. The derelict office has now been bedded in with foliage: And I’m not sure about this one but I have had an old Ratio crane in the ‘to make’ box for a few years thinking it would find a place at Brookhall Mill but it never did so I fired it together for Clogherhead. The idea is that the GN experimented with specially constructed containers for easier loading and unloading of the sand but the system didn’t work….. not sure it looks right but maybe it’ll grow on me! It has been suitably rusted of course!

Fabulous work as always David!

An aerial view of the sand facility at Clogherhead, photographed sometime around 1974. On the right is the long disused office, and on the left is the rapidly deteriorating sand store with an elderly JCB in attendance. The concrete of the loading bank is cracked and the weeds are slowly making the structure crumble. But the sand traffic lingers on for now.

Thank you everyone for the nice comments above! This has definitely turned out better than expected which is always nice The office has now been planted in position, so once the glue dries, I will add some more foliage to bed it in. Useful techniques practised here for the construction of the station building, which is next on the agenda!

Thanks folks for all the nice comments I think this small build is almost finished! Weathering can become something of an addiction, it’s definitely very effective - I think I just need to dull down the chimney pots a bit, then we’re done.

Once again the escapism provided by a project makes one lose track of time….. it’s now past 2:00am but the sand office is now almost complete. Just barge boards, gutters & downpipes left, then weathering & ‘ivy’ to be applied.

This will become the derelict 'sand office' at Clogherhead station. It's also a practice run for a new technique for creating GNR polychrome brick station buildings although I'm cheating slightly with this one!

A small build in preparation…..

Cheers BK

Wondering are there any updates on this one - thinking it might fit my current project very nicely!!!

The sand store has been further weathered (including evidence of swallow activity?) and bedded into the layout. I have taken the risk of using real Clogherhead sand again so I am half expecting carnage in the morning like last time it was used, but this time it's less confined so maybe not! UPDATE: No sand-related carnage!

Roof and fascia affixed and looking fairly good now.

Thanks for the info above John @Mayner - noted! Had hoped to get this building finished this weekend but a leak from a tube of impact glue went unnoticed until I saw the table and my hands covered in it, tube had to be binned so I wasn't able to fix the framing around the roof and get the roof in place. Maybe tomorrow. Happy with the result though, of both JCB and sand store!

So now that the sand loading bank has been installed, I have moved on to the sand store, which will be a very basic structure with a stone base and corrugated iron upper parts and roof. I also needed something to transfer the sand into the wagons and the old Dapol JCB kit fits the bill....I think.....am hoping this machine would have been around during the early 1970s.....? There will also be a small red brick sand 'office'. More tomorrow.....yawn.........

Hopefully not a multipack........