jhb171achill

Can you intercept it?

They sold one of the trams to the Southwold Railway in England, who plan to use it as a seating extension to their tea shop! They've done it up a bit - probably badly needed it. Always thought they were gawd-ugly things, even at Shane's Castle!

And they will be well run in when we get them.

Surely that’ll be very hard on their engines if they travel all that way by rail?

Not my layout, Rob! Belongs to a friend - who appears here, as it happens, from time to time!

Looks a bit like my kitchen worktop a few months ago when I used a roll of some sort of tape to "draw" out a very small terminus for a narrow-gauge mini-terminus I want to do at some stage - though I can't guarantee results as quick, or to anything like the standard of Gort!

I, too, did the Belgian tram (in pouring rain) just after it opened, then the railcar a short time after it arrived. Haven't been back since, but that's due to the location as you suggest; I would, however, recommend a run just to get at least one go in a genuine Donegal railcar. Who knows how long it will continue to run, and the ones in Derry and the Isle of Man aren't going to be carrying passengers any time soon.

Outstanding stuff, Ken!

Was about to say that - well done indeed, excellent stuff. Thanks for posting those details.

Not a million miles indeed - though the strapping is very coarse - way overscale, which always puzzled me, as the technology was there for much finer detail well before those ever appeared! In the absence of the Provincial kits, I'd have probably gone for those myself, but the GWR ones that may be had in various kits AND RTR, and various Midland / LMS and BR ones, are too long a wheelbase and body, and design-wise nothing remotely like anything here on any railway. That one above, painted in CIE livery, would do under the "two-foot rule".

John - Like all British designs, they’re a very different design to anything Irish; in truth, Provincial Wagons kits are the only show in town. Before Provincial had ever announced their cattle wagons, I bought a couple of Dapol, Hornby or Bachmann ones - two out of those three anyway - to see what could be done with them, but unless very serious compromise is acceptable, you’d need the Provincial ones. Post-1960, they’re about the only rail vehicle, passenger or goods, which would have a rake of wagons of the same type, before block trains!

GSWR bogies, six wheelers, RTR steam, tin vans, Jeeps, AEC and 80 class railcars.......

You’re looking at early 1990s ideally. The “A”s were on their way out after that and rarely be seen on passenger trains, whereas the “tippex” didn’t appear on Cravens quickly (after 1987)….

IMG_9367.MOV IMG_9366.MOV IMG_9365.MOV

Your weathering is very subtle and very realistic. Details like the stains on the roofs of the Cravens really make it. Is it possible to see a close up of one of your Cravens to show this feature off?

F I R S T layout? That is absolutely exceptional, without doubt. Superb construction and scenery and very realistic. The scenery is most impressive, as is the attention to detail in having a real background (Mount Leinster). Very well done indeed, can't wait to see more.

Very often, locos were narrower than passenger stock, but wider than wagons; see dimensions of wagons for guidance in all the above bumph! Carriages had people in them, and room was needed to stuff as many people (and thus fares) in as possible.

Santa will be busy; I want two or three!

Yes, and then perhaps take a picture of it from the same angle and compare with the picture. Next time I'm in the Casino I'll measure the NCC narrow-gauge tank engine there and post pics of it. Actually, if anything, I'd say the loco is fractionally narrower!

Now, I'm going to go through all the above. Pic 1 Loco dimensions from the side. Compare this, and the scale of it, with Pics 8, 9 & 10 and you'll get end dimensions; the 3ft gauge of the track providing a reference point from which to measure. Pic 2 WAGON dimensions; narrower, of course, than locos; and B & L wagons were not huge! Pic 3 This relates to the almost-broad-gauge huge corridor carriages, thus may be taken as the dimensions of the biggest vehicles possible to run on the B & L - for which they were built, rather than the Ballycastle line. Not hugely tall in the grand scheme of things, especially with a later CDRJC comparison, but long and as wide as possible. Height would have been restricted by some B & L bridges. Pic 4 Relates to wagons; will be of interest. Pic 5 This is important, as reference to this height on the drawings shown will assist in calculating scale for measurements. Pics 6 & 7 Yes, it's that van again (I've a thing about passenger vans!). Note the dimensions, with coupling height and gauge known. Likely to be close enough to loco width - slightly narrower perhaps, but roughly the same height. Pics 8, 9 & 10; see (1). Pic 11 Again, clues may be gleaned from this.

The loading gauge dimensions on the Ballycastle Railway were: 8ft / 10ft / 9ft, somewhere midway between the biggest (CDRJC) and the smallest (Schull & Skib). Model dimensions best assumed by loco and rolling stock drawings....

And (for modellers!) there was a LONG time during which a very large proportion of the country's passenger services from West Coark way up into GNR-land in Derry, Belfast and Newcastle (not just CIE!) was run by these railcars. They were the ICRs of the 1950s AND 1960s; thus a RTR model is essential at some time!

That thing looks more 009 than 3ft gauge!

Love the BR blue era. I've long-term plans for a micro-mini layout consisting of a short terminus with an island platform, and several different types of two-car railcar* sets shuttling back and forth.... ( * Or "DMU"s, as Brexitologists call them....)

Excellent news, IRM! Very well done!