Patrick Davey

So it was DCC day today and it started off well with a chipped A3r showing off a range of impressive lighting effects and sounds. Then I decided to chip my MM 125 but I placed the loco onto the by now DCC-ed track before fitting the actual chip, there was a buzzing sound and she won't run, on either DCC or DC. The chip is fine though, worked great in my other 121, No. 132. I had been aware of the dangers of doing what I describe above, but perhaps the excitement made me fire ahead carelessly. What have I done........?

So I took my first tentative steps into the exciting world of DCC today, with mixed results....... on the plus side, the lights and particularly the sounds are superb and very enjoyable to experiment with: DCC Sound.mp4 However the DCC setup identified a potential short circuit at a crossover, so as a precaution I have ordered replacement turnouts. And.....there was a disaster, a careless one on my part - see separate post for details. And special thanks to Alan (Tullygrainey) for his assistance today.

Work on the track continues - has anyone ever used one of these: A nice idea but not a successful experience for me. The applicator nib started to fray almost immediately after contact with the moulded chairs on the sleepers and after a few lengths of track it became unusable. The actual paint colour was very realistic though so I ended up extracting this and applying it with a brush! Have moved on to using the chinchilla dust to represent sand, and for the first time I used a - cheap - static grass applicator to add some vegetation which will hopefully look like it's growing up through the 'sand'.

Good idea - I hope you dream about BCDR No. 6........

The most important tool in the toolbox is......patience..... I began wiring the layout yesterday (for DCC, so more feeds than a newborn baby) then suddenly the solder started to huff with me and not work, leaving me with only some of the feeds attached. It was the very end of the solder roll so I'm wondering does the composition of it change towards the end....probably not..... anyway I was left with an unfinished job (grrrrr) and no solder plus a room echoing to a chorus of colourful words so I did something I never do.... I left it - that was quite radical for me as I usually try to plough on and end up making things worse. Anyway 24hrs later, a calmer me picked up more solder and right enough, I got the job finished and all is well! The layout is now fully wired (won't win any tidy wiring awards though) and A3r seemed to enjoy exploring her new playground: Wiring Complete.mp4 Testing was carried out with a DC controller. I'm very pleased with the track as it's all quite old and most of the turnouts were taken up from an earlier layout, which is always a risky thing to do, but with the price of 5 large radius Peco turnouts plus a double slip being somewhere close to £150.00 that was definitely a bit of a saving! I'm still scared of the double slip though. Long work day tomorrow then hopefully I can get the track rusted on Sunday evening: Then it's the foliage and chinchilla dust for ballast. Then..... the exciting world of DCC programming awaits!!

She looks well settled in now Alan! Am sure all of us are itching to ask....... what's next?

I think No. 29 was primarily a shunter? As such it may not have been capable of much speed hence the low likelihood of her taking an excursion somewhere but I'll get thinking anyway! Edit: There could always be an 'engine exchange'.........maybe the GNR was thinking about buying a 0-6-4t shunter and asked the BCDR to trial their one on some GNR branches.......

Thanks Alan - I just need to dream up some insane reason to justify a visit by BCDR No 29 to the County Louth coast!

After a successful electrical test, I proceeded with the dry brushing of grey and white to bring out the detail on the sleepers, and to give the neglected bleached effect. Happy enough with the result, will begin rusting the rails tomorrow or as soon as my rust pen arrives!

Base coat applied: this is always a nice stage, when it all blends together. Another electrical test will follow later to make sure there’s no paint fouling the turnout blades. I have also learnt that I am petrified of double slips.

Decided to have a go at a test section of track to see if I can get the weathered 'sandy' look. The sleepers look a bit too glossy and copper-y in this shot but overall I'm happy enough and have decided on the following approach, once I get the correct colours: 1. Light matt brown base colour over everything 2. Dry brush sleepers with a mix of grey and white to give the 'bleached' look 3. Paint the side of the rails a rust colour (specific tool ordered for that) 4. Add clumps of foliage 5. 'Ballast' with chinchilla dust so it looks like the foliage is growing out of the sand. The subject of rusty rails is an interesting one. I have observed the prototype closely and believe the following is true: * On active railway lines, the movement of trains throws up dirt etc which gives the sides of the rails a muddy brown colour * On lesser used lines, the lack of movement of trains allows the sides of the rails to assume the rusty colour I think!

I love how you are teasing us here Alan!!!

Enjoyed that! Thanks for sharing - what a beast!

A small but important job completed this afternoon, the in-filling of sleeper gaps. 71069856164__E34AA8AD-3DB2-48CD-BC8C-3C188C0D467F.mov

Thanks for that.........!

Forgive me for interrupting what has become a highly entertaining comedy thread….. but I am pleased to report that this evening I have completed track laying and everything is working as it should, all turnouts are fully functional with no electrical issues to report. The track has been glued securely to the baseboard following sealing of this with a few coats of paint and final coat of neat PVA glue. I want to create a look of decay in a coastal context, so a bit of research will be done to get the right blend of colours. The look of the disused track on JB’s Dugort Harbour is exactly what I’m looking for. Next on the to-do list is the filling in of loose sleepers in the gaps and then applying a suitable base coat of paint to blend the whole lot together. I like David’s suggestion of using chinchilla dust, so I think I will go ahead and use that on the track, but I’m still holding onto the romantic notion of using actual sand from Clogherhead beach on the beach part of my layout, noting JB’s advice to boil this before bringing it anywhere near the layout.

Alan am thinking you must have worked in Queen's Quay paint shop in a former life..... The precision here is on a different level - the amount of concentration needed to apply the lining must be almost superhuman! I liked it in black but LOVE it in BCDR livery. Your BCDR motive power fleet is surely the envy of us northern modellers!! Looking forward to the final stages. A total masterpiece.

Cheers Noel - there is a bit of a subplot here in that I’m trying to build this without buying anything new, ie only using stuff I already have - most of the track hasn’t seen action in decades but thankfully with a clean up and new fishplates it has stood the test of time!! Also I am going to use sand rather than ballast, as this is a fictional seaside location (Clogherhead in Co. Louth)….. I am hoping to source the sand from the actual location…….

That magical moment when you see a locomotive running on your freshly laid track plan, with no derailments! I had previously carried out a rolling test with a wagon, then I wired up some basic connections, and thankfully all is well with only one small glitch, which I think I should be able to rectify. Please excuse the sudden stop & start, but I needed three hands for this test! IMG_2154.MOV FullSizeRender.MOV

100 & insulfrogs this will be a DCC Project

Let the tracklaying commence!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............ that looks vvvvvvery tasty...... When the A class landed, the UK model railway press were only really interested in them as an indicator of what the forthcoming Accurascale British online locomotives would have to offer. Time to reverse that: "The forthcoming Accurascale Manor class steam locomotive will surely provide a strong indication of the quality which we might expect from a future Irish Railway Models Irish steam outline locomotive." I really enjoyed that.........

Magnificent!

Irvinestown station was on the GNR(I)'s Bundoran branch (closed 1957) and has been thankfully preserved very well, with the station building now a beautiful self catering establishment: https://www.stationhouseirvinestown.com I was in the area on a work trip today and the very kind owners let me explore and take these photos. Lots of original features remaining, including the station building and adjoining goods shed with platform, both passenger platforms (trackbed filled in but the coping stones are visible, platform fencing, the classic GNR(I) wooden platform shelter and, for me the highlight: the signal cabin, complete with 'GNRI' on the fender.

Very sad to hear this - may he rest in peace.