Patrick Davey

Very helpful thanks John! I am a firm believer in small details making a big difference

I don't think it is, I think it just picks up from the driving wheels rather than the driving wheels plus the pony truck, and sends the current back through the tender wheels. Yip track is cleaned before every running session.

I had been looking forward to making this video but I was disappointed in the performance of the U class locomotive (OO Works). Despite being a thing of beauty, it wasn't running smoothly at all but I guess I have been spoilt by the effortless running of the recent IRM diesels. So I had to cheat a bit and slow some of the video clips down in order to get the desired effect, as the loco just wouldn't negotiate the (Peco) turnouts at anything other than a gallop. But here's the video anyway! 422535897_TheGNRYearsatBrookhallMill.mp4

Masterclass.

Another short video showing a CIÉ train shunting at Brookhall Mill. The procedure was that a mainline goods train from the south would stop at Lisburn, where the vans for Brookhall would be taken off the train and along with the brake van, brought up the Antrim branch and into the mill. The locomotive would then return to Lisburn and bring the rest of the train on to Grosvenor Road Goods Yard in Belfast. The reverse procedure would apply for the return journey. 1988755542_CITrainatBrookhallMill.mp4

Very impressive!

A wonderful post, very creative & entertaining! And absolutely superb modelling, every aspect of it. The Inspectorate should be more complimentary!!! Something to be very proud of LH - congratulations.

When a train from the UTA (ex-NCC) section travelled to Brookhall Mill, it would first go as far as Brookmount station where the locomotive would run around before bringing the train onto the mill siding. This meant that the brake van would be next to the locomotive on arrival. Here is a short video showing the shunting movements that would take place after the train arrived, in this case to collect a consignment of linen for the Northern Counties Hotel in Portrush. Earlier, one of the ubiquitous ex-NCC brown vans had been brought to Antrim, from where a Jinty tank loco brought the van to Brookhall. 1264703779_UTATrainatBrookhallMill.mp4

Thanks GM - they surely are, very distinctive.

Cheers Philip!

That has brought the model a huge step closer to looking very like the original - great work Alan!!

Early UTA days at Brookhall Mill and Jinty No. 18 is still wearing her NCC livery as she arrives with a short goods train from the north. The consist includes two ex-NCC vans as well as a UTA coal wagon and brake van. The two Jinty tanks rarely ventured far from York Road and the Belfast dock lines but this was an occasional working which brought them a far as Antrim before taking the GN route towards Ballinderry and then into Brookhall. Loco: Murphy Models/Bachmann UTA coal wagon & van: RTR Provincial Wagons UTA brown van: Provincial Wagons kit UTA brake van: built by Gareth Brennan

Ah ha............. gotta be The Ballymena & Larne......

Emmmmmm........

Superb - really enjoying this!

Thanks David - nice to see I share the front cover of the latest edition of NIL with your good self!

Last one for tonight, I promise!

Ha!

Late evening at the mill.

Cheers JB. Hard to believe it's actually nearing completion!

Some CIÉ action from Brookhall this evening. Apart from a protesting platform lamp everything is running smoothly! IMG_0931.mov IMG_0932.MOV IMG_0933.MOV IMG_0934.mov Those of you with the vision prowess of a large bird of prey will spot that the Provincial Wagons CIÉ vans are as yet unfinished, with buffers and decals still to be added.

iPhone not great with low light shots but I am pleased to report that Brookhall Mill is now fully illuminated, with all buildings so equipped. Really only the backscene, surround & overhead lighting rig to go.....

UPDATE: The original electrics are still working fine! Yay!

Without the voltage!

I had a decision to make regarding the turnout control on Brookhall Mill. There are only three turnouts, and not being electrically-minded, I wanted to keep all the electrics as simple as possible so I was considering some form of mechanical solution. One of my modeller mentors had previously offered to wire the turnouts for me but then with lockdown etc I got impatient and kept building the scenery and buildings etc and thought that this would make it tricky to work on the electrics (I know now that this isn't the case as the baseboard is quite deep and can easily stand up on its side). Anyway I seem to have found a mechanical solution, a bit rough 'n' ready but it seems to be working! An 8mm wooden dowel, with a short length of brass tube inserted at one end which has a 1mm Peco turnout pin soldered inside; a drawer knob at the other end: The dowel assembly is positioned under the layout, after an 8mm hole is drilled in the baseboard side and screw eyes provided: The knob (behave in the back row) is on the outside of the baseboard side: And...... it works! Points.m4v It certainly is rough but it works, and as the three knobs (stop the sniggering) are very close together, they can all be accessed without having to move from the operating position. So the next stage is to set the layout up for a running session tomorrow and to find out if I have destroyed the electrics......