Patrick Davey

The waistcoat and tie are ok - they were painted with enamels

Yes, he’s not very happy, he hates the NCC and his mother insisted that he bring her to a retreat in Cookstown, and she had him so demented that he ended up going to the wrong station for the journey home…..fell asleep and only woke up after Magherafelt

Mmmmm nice! Has it been the victim of a rough shunt though…….?

Well, before things get out of hand, I’m going to have a hot beverage. Would you like some T2?

S please!

Yes I suppose ‘U’ could have seen them anywhere “Taxi…….”

Well, hats off to David @Galteemore for the tip off about the RBAI railtour to Kilrea many Januarys ago!! You were spot on David and I spoke to a contact at the school who was able to unearth some very rare footage of the trip, and you’ll never guess where it was filmed……. The tour did indeed feature an ex-GNR U class and there was also a second outing, the following week, which featured an ex-GNR UG….. Coincidental or what!! ~~~ And yes folks I know both locomotives could do with being lubricated, and yes @leslie10646 there’s one of your GN passenger vans! Very rare footage from the aforementioned RBAI railtours: FullSizeRender.MOV FullSizeRender.MOV FullSizeRender.MOV

Superb ~ great to see this amazing layout back again! I was always very taken by the trackwork in particular

January 1953, and U2 class No. 80 'Dunseverick Castle' brings the Kilrea goods through Knockloughrim. 80 Kilrea Goods.mp4

Christmas 1958, and The Irish Railway Record Society organises a railtour to the last operating section of the former Derry Central line, from Magherafelt to Kilrea. The train left Dublin at 8:00am with CIÉ A class A30 hauling 4 ancient 6-wheeled carriages. It was a long day for the tour participants, in what was maybe not the most luxurious of vehicles, but nobody complained. A30 ran around her train at Lisburn and headed on to the Antrim branch, passing Antrim at 10:02am then taking the Cookstown line at Cookstown Junction a few minutes later. A comfort stop was made at Magherafelt at 10:50am before the train departed at 11:09am and ventured onto the former Derry Central line. The speed limit was just 20mph and Kilrea wasn't reached until well past midday. Lunch was taken in a nearby hostelry before the train departed at 2:30pm. A stop was made at Knockloughrim on the return journey, because the UTA pilotman's fiancée lived nearby and nobody was bothered that the CIÉ crew were left to make the journey back to Lisburn on their own. The driver was an ex-GNR man anyway so they were fine from Antrim. Lisburn was reached at 3:58pm, A30 ran around for the final time that day, and the train left for Dublin at 4:12pm, arriving at 5:58pm. Those ancient six-wheelers weren't allowed to rush. A30 @ KLM.mp4

Final details - I actually believe this very enjoyable little project is complete! Time now to indulge in some creative videography…….. watch this space

Great lineup - BR blue rocks.

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I decided to model the station in the final years of the line, and the goods shed was disused by then. The siding was actually lifted too but I left it in to add a bit of interest. In fact, the whole station was actually closed I don’t feel justified in calling it a layout, more a ‘working’ diorama

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After the comedy interlude starring the snowman, it was back to serious work today - in order to make the diorama a 'working' one, I needed to add two short extensions to allow trains to exit the diorama. These were also built from foamboard. Lengths of track were fitted using double sided tape and the wiring was added to the end of one of the extensions. However, the soldering iron packed in and I had to resort to winding the wires tightly around the ends of the rails and covering them with tape - a very temporary solution. But at least it allowed me to bring a train back to Knockloughrim for the first time since 1959......

Excellent!!! I will never be brave enough for this!

The last train has left Knockloughrim for Magherafelt as the sun begins to set. The porter has tuned off the gas lamp in the waiting room, now illuminated only by the flickering light of the turf fire. He heads into the office to complete the paperwork for the day, and all is now quiet on the Derry Central this cold winter’s evening. IMG_9408.MOV The northern lights over Knockloughrim station.

New arrival on the new diorama. A must-have for a winter scene

Thanks @Signal Post - Dunseverick Castle was a conversion from a Hornby LMS 2P - the prototypes were similar enough to make it an effective conversion. The conversion was done by Colm Flanagan a few years ago, and I agree about the UTA lined black livery, very nice it is!

I had an unexpected free morning today and I paid a visit to Knockloughrim. The owners kindly showed me inside the building and it was great to see what appears to be the original fireplace in the former waiting room: Hard to beat a roaring real fire! I brought the diorama with me and was pleased to get a photo holding it in front of the real thing: A very pleasant morning - better than working!

Nice selection! Thanks for sharing your great work.

Lovely work Darius - how do you get the thin yellow waist line so fine and so straight?

The exact layout of this area wasn’t completely clear from maps or historical photos, although I suspect it was the gents’ conveniences, which would be suggested by the excellent plan provided by Kieran Lagan: One photograph seems to show a longish slated roof building, so that’s what I have gone with. Thanks everyone for the nice comments and the encouragement. Working on the backscene today then hoping to get trains running during the coming week.