closetmodeller

With the catenary due to be erected on my Greystones layout, the question of cleaning the rails arose. I found the solution [i hope] on Youtube. Basically by fixing a wooden block underneath a flat wagon that I found at the Bray Fair last Sunday. The block is easily demountable as the photo shows.

It depends for its function on the two flat head plaster board nails, glued to the block and then inserted into the retaining holes in the wagon.

Preliminary tests indicate more attention to the type of material for the block will be required, possible more weight on the wagon.

Christmas is over, back into railway modelling on an intense scale but slow start. Dart in shop getting bogie adjustments and service being rendered, but these are just to show that we are still active.

I take responsibility for the slightly perpendicularly challanged buffers in this shot.

I am, especially with the weed grass growing in the cracks in the paving.

Oh. This is equally important work. The Master has so much on his plate while I lack the skills he possess in such bounty, that progress may be slow, but it is persistent. [And he is standing at my shoulder as I type, with the static grass unit in his hand!]

By the by, Kirley, he claims to that he has done further work on those bogies!

Marvelous to see, Dave. The very best of luck.

When is the official opening?

The Master does the real work, I just look on in awe. I did get to paint some of the figures, though.

That all looks very realistic. Well done. The "marshland" is very effective.

Very nice

Connecting Youghal with the line to Lismore was proposed, unde the aegis of the Fishguard-Rosslare railway company. It never took off.

We even managed to do a quick repair for the station roof, absent from the photos. ECM is doing a great job. The water effect is very satisfactory, too.

Cleaning the "rust" from the top of the rails was quite a job, too.

Eoin's modelling skills are very impressive, but his patience with me is outstanding. I find the concrete very convincing.

Nice shots, Eoin.

I think somebody has moved that damned barrel!

General view showing the new buffers. These are made from parts created with our 3D printer.

As well as new orange buffers, the yard has been made more secure, by the addition of new fencing.

Who threw that fuel barrel over the wall?

Work continuing on the southern fiddle yard. The left hand track will also serve as storage for the DART, held overnight in order to provide an early morning sevice to Dublin.

First attempts to lay some grass

A nice ripple effect from an onshore breeze

Thanks murrayec,

Clearly there is more work to be done!

CM

We got our "Portaloos" today. Additional supplies of fuel also arrived.

An off-shore wind whipped up small waves. Tesco made a delivery, too.

Detail of sand and sea, perhaps threatening some coastal erosion?

For those who might be interested in the movement sequence at the Greystones Model, it follows here-under. Effectively, the station has to serve as a passing loop for all traffic between Bray and Wicklow. Surprisingly, I have yet to complete the whole sequence without a hitch! At the moment no times are specified, but that will follow.

Movement Sequence at Greystones Station.

1. Down Dart arrives Down platform

2. Up Wicklow Commuter arrives Up Platform

3. Up Wicklow Commuter departs Bray

4. Down Dart moves to Up Platform

5. Down Commuter arrives Down Platform

6. Up Dart Departs Bray

7. Up Timber empty arrives Up Platform

8. Down Commuter departs Wicklow

9. Up Timber reverses empties into Timber Yard siding

10. Up Timber divides empties between both yard sidings

11. Down Dart arrives Up platform

12. Up Dart departs Up platform

13. Timber loco shunts loaded wagons together

14. Down Commuter arrives Up Platform

15. Down Commuter departs Wicklow

16. Up Timber departs siding to Greystones Down Platform

17. Timber loco detaches from train and uses Up loop to go around train.

18. Down Timber loco attaches to train and departs Wicklow

19. Down Dart arrives Up platform

20. Up Dart departs Bray

Just some views of the Fiddle Yard on the Bray side of Greystones.

The view through the bridge.

Parked

Wagon with loose timber.

Ah, sailing in a Sea Class

The major project this week was to paint the timber yard a concrete finish and to try some planting.

We have a fully worked out scheme for trees and bushes to be implemented. At the moment I just wanted to judge the effect of trees.

B141 heading up the ramp to the "Timber Yard".

Commuter DMU heading Down from Greystones towards Wicklow

2700 Class passing under bridge by some trees.

The Master says that I should include some descriptive text. What follows is an imagined instruction to the Station Master at Greystones on the operation of the station.

My interest arises because, uniquely, Greystones is the only electric service on a single track, where Greystones Station functions both as a passing loop on the line to Wexford and as the terminus of the Dart Commuter service. In effect the need to receive and dispatch Dart trains at relatively short intervals, while accommodating the other traffic through the station is what interests me. Because there is no passing loop between Greystones and Bray, all schedules are determined by the time a train takes to clear this single section. The same applies on the "Down" trains from Greystones, but here the scheduling is much easier, due to the low frequency of the services.

Some remarks about the layout

The narrowness of the baseboard and my desire to have a curved track through Greystones, meant that it would not be possible to accommodate the small yard in its prototype location between the Down platform wall and the sea. Similarly, the Dart storage siding points were a problem. I therefore decided to relocate the small yard off the Down line south of the station and to incorporate the Dart storage siding in the Down fiddle yard. An Up fiddle yard beyond the bridge at the north end of the station represents the line to Bray.

I have assumed that the bridge over the Barrow remains in use for the timber service.

Greystones Station Operations

THE DART

The Dart electric service takes general priority.

UP Dart trains must be despatched exactly on time.

DOWN Dart trains will normally arrive at the UP platform.

COMMUTER SERVICE

UP trains will depart from UP platform.

DOWN trains will arrive at DOWN platform.

Note: DART Down trains will arrive at DOWN platform only when it is necessary to leave the UP platform clear for UP Commuter trains. Once these are cleared, the DOWN Dart must be moved to the UP platform, ready for UP departure.

ROSSLARE SERVICE

This train will not normally stop at the station. Passengers should not be admitted to the train should it stop, as this traffic is adequately catered for by the Dart and Commuter Services. Stops shown in the Working Timetable are for traffic purposes only.

TIMBER FREIGHT SERVICES

The imagined timber service to Belview Port requires the use of Greystones as a passing loop to relocate the locomotive to the head of the train.

UP Timber trains will us the main line, including the DOWN line, to shunt these trains into the timber yard. Given the short length of the sidings in the Yard, all timber trains must be divided in the yard. The locomotive will remain in the yard, ready to haul the DOWN train.

DOWN Timber trains, when marshaled, will be pulled to the UP line at Greystones Station. The locomotive will then uncouple, using the DOWN line to loop around the wagons, attach to them and then lead the DOWN train to Belview.

OTHER FREIGHT SERVICES

Company remains anxious to develop its freight services, especially through Roslare. With this objective in mind, occasional Special liner services may be run through Greystones Station, where possible at off-peak hours. These will be advised in the Working Timetable.

ENGINEERING & WORKS SERVICES

Pertrains, i.e. Sandite, Engineering and Works trains are run as required. These will be advised in the Working Timetable.

Steam and other Passenger Specials

These require special timetabling, which is negotiated with the train operators.

In the case of steam locos, it is desirable that provision be made to obtain additional water for the engine, should this become necessary. This is the responsibility of the operator.

Attached at some photos of some new senics. I particularly like the little shed, with bicycle and oil barrels. These are typical of the Master's creative abilities.

The tide came in!

The worker's bicycle leaning against hut in timber yard.

Passenger lift shafts with over-bridge, at high tide

The spur to the Timber Yard, with main line to right. [The yard awaits a concrete surfaced).

Just spent a happy hour or so looking at your photos of Patrick's Layout. Wonderful model. Really creative.

Greystones gets busy.

The latest acquisition 2708

[ATTACH=CONFIG]20664[/ATTACH]

Greystones gets busy.

A view of the layout from the "North"

New pedestrian overbridge for station.

Detail of Lift shaft.