Irishrailwayman

Is there a listing of layouts and traders published yet?

A recent visit to Llanuwchllyn Station to meet some of the folks there from the Bala Model Railway Exhibition allowed me take a few photos to inform my modelling. Great to meet David, John, Bernard and Barbara again! The station has been preserved as a narrow gauge line with some additions made to the station building itself.

Campbell Riverside set up ready for action at Belfast.

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Complete with the star spangled banner!

Over 1,000 visitors came to the show and good interest was shown in the model railways on display. Thanks to all including organisers for their hospitality.

Just about finished my new layout

That I hope to bring to Cork this Sunday.

Looks great EM and looking forward to seeing it in Cork. Pity about the burning house though - did the emergency services manage to save any of it?

Eniscorthyman is coming with his new layout:

Good point David-I went a bit too far with the interior detail-still it was good practice!

The roof can always be left removable to show the interiour to visitors at exhibitions! I have done this for the signal cabins on Ballybeg and get a good reaction from visitors.

It would be a treat to see this layout. Omagh GNRi station is a static model of the entire station area built by me and purchased by the local Library HQ for display in their new premises. I may bring a collection of railway photographs with me to display. The offer to attend was dropped on my today by the organisers and I couldn't say no.

Good idea to show photographs of the prototype with the model. I have a few photos of Llangollen station enlarged and laminated for display also.

Looking forward to presenting Llangollen in N-gauge at this show on behalf of Wexford Model Railway Club.

The Garrison Model Show 3 is scheduled for 27th August 2017 12 to 5 pm at Camden Fort Meagher, Crosshaven, Cork Harbour (see http://www.camdenfortmeagher.ie/event/garrison-model-show-3/).

Wexford Model Railway Club plan to attend with Rathmichael (OO Irish outline), Llangollen (N-gauge UK outline), Slaney Valley (OO anything goes) and Bramwich (N-gauge layout for sale). Enniscorthyman plans to attend also with his new OO Irish outline layout.

Rail lengths cut to size ready for pinning down and then to the wiring which should be interesting: 4-pole Double throw switch to alternate between manual and automatic shuttle/passing loop operation including synchronised turnout change; reed switches for passing loop operation including wiring in to fiddle-yards being shared with Cynwyd; two frogs to change with two turnout operations along with alternating direct and linked power source to diamond centre rails; not to mention manual control to separate the power to the two fiddle-yards...

Wow the T and D is fab.

Fantastic layout that featured over three issues of Railway Modeller in December 2002, January and February 2003. Very generous of Chester MRC to donate it on permanent loan to the Kerry Model Railway Association.

Belfast to Wexford is a long trek but maybe a few days in Wexford might be a better option. If you are at either the UMRC show end of August or Dublin end of October I may get some time to talk to you.

 

MikeO

All going well, I hope to show Llangollen at Enniskillen (30th September) and Cynwyd at SDMRC (I'll be there on the Saturday only).

For an Enniscorthy layout I was thinking of something larger perhaps 3 boards for the scenic sections each about 60cm long (making 1.8m in total) and about 30cm deep with something similar for the fiddleyard.

 

I looked at your Cynwyd layout which is very impressive. The electrics look very daunting way beyond my abilities at the moment. The Heathcote Electronics unit you have sourced for Llanuwchllyn does it work the same way as the one used in Cynwyd?

 

MikeO

The idea behind restricting this to one board is to enable shelf storage/easy transport and rapid set-up for home/exhibition use but clearly additional boards could be added.

The electrics on Cynwyd look more daunting than they are in reality e.g. I included front and back access to controls when only back access is strictly necessary, and I included a Peco uncoupling system (which I have yet to commission). The Heathcote Electronics unit on Cynwyd is an SA1.1 which has a slow-down/acceleration feature which is quite realistic. It is not too hard to set up once the instructions are studied. It works by placing miniature reed switches between the track sleepers at specific points and linking these back with wires to specific nodes on the board. Miniature magnets are fitted to the front/back of rolling stock to be used which activate the appropriate reed switch as they pass over them. It works a treat once set up and I can revert to manual operation at the flick of a switch.

A similar but different system is being used for Llanuwchllyn (SA3) which enables the trains to enter their individual passing loop and cross over in prototypical manner. This also includes the slow-down/acceleration feature, switching power between the fiddle-yards and activating two points at each end of the passing loop.

No rocket science - I happy to demonstrate any time (I am with the Wexford Model Railway Club) if that would be any help.

An interesting idea. On the eiretrains website photo 12 of Enniscorthy shows a track plan diagram and some of the other photos show a tunnel and a river crossing. Incorporating these features could make a very good small layout. A fiddle yard behind the backscene would allow a variety of trains to be run fairly easily.

 

MikeO

Note that my Cynwyd layout of the same dimensions, incorporates a bridge/tunnel over and a river bridge under the single rail line. As with my Cynwyd layout, I am planning to electronically automate the shuttle/passing of trains from linear fiddle-yards at each end. The Heathcote Electronics unit I have sourced for the Llanuwchllyn layout changes the points allowing trains to cross each other without manual intervention. It alternates the power between each fiddle-yard end in turn automatically. This allows the operator to watch the trains go by and, at exhibitions, engage with the punters. The option of manual operation will be possible at the flick of a switch while the goods yard will be manual operation only.

Overall, the idea is that the 4.5 foot scenic section can be stored in full view on a shelf without the fiddle-yards. These can be fitted quickly for home use or at an exhibition. The layout is light in weight and can be carried in most cars to exhibitions etc

That's shaping up really nicely Gerry. You don't waste time hanging around.

Thanks Noel! By the by, for Irish outline modellers in N, this track-plan (or a close variant) would suit to model e.g. Enniscorthy

The baseboard has been assembled and painted with a photographic backscene fitted (from Gaugemaster) which approximates the scenery around Llanuwchllyn (I may add cut-outs of photos of significant local buildings in time as I did for my Llangollen model). Reproducing the 1960's track layout at this station will involve 7 trackwork elements: 3 right-hand points, 3 left-hand points and a long cross-over. I have selected the appropriate Peco Code 55 Finescale sections and have laid them out roughly to show the general look of the layout with the two platform tops. Llanuwchllyn was a passing station for this single line with a passing loop through the station and goods yard area.

Just checked Excel and I believe the script is listed as Bunchlo GC

I don't seem to have that on my Excel version?

Thanks for the kind comments

Here are a couple of photos of Bantry signal cabin updated with correct Gaelic script

As a matter of interest, where did you source the old Gaelic script?

Getting cracking on the baseboards with component wood frame formed from usual 2X1 planed wood and plyboard cut to size by local wood merchant. The plan is to utilise the same end fiddle yards as Cynwyd if that can be done. Llanuwchllyn layout totem signs were commissioned from Tracksidesigns.co.uk with similar in 2 mm for the layout from Sankey Scenics.

The Ruabon to Barmouth line in North Wales is becoming well covered by model railways based on the many stations on this route. I have completed models of Llangollen (http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/3054-Llangollen-in-N/page3) and Cynwyd (http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/5580-Cynwyd-in-N-based-on-closed-station-goods-yard-on-the-Llangollen-line-BR-GWR-etc/page5) stations both in N-gauge. Other modellers have covered Carrog (N and OO gauge), Berwyn, Bala Junction and many other locations.

Having visited Llanuwchllyn station a number of times (most recently during the Bala Model Railway Exhibition in May 2017) and admired the photographs in Martin William's fine book on this railway line, I am minded to have a go at modelling the station/goods yards in N-gauge. I propose to do this as another end-to-end layout 4.5 feet by 1 foot similar to Cynwyd. In British Railway days Llanuwchllyn was a passing station with two platforms and an interesting diamond crossing leading to a small goods yard. An electronic shuttle control unit with train crossing function is planned to automate the layout for exhibition purposes. While the station has now been restored with a narrow gauge line running beside the lake towards Bala town, I propose to model the prototype as it was in BR days before closure.

Thanks to Martin Williams and Peter Fisher have kindly made these historic photographs available to me which I attach below to illustrate the prototype:

A BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 arrives at Llanuwchllyn station in the early 1960s:

Lydham Manor and Hinton Manor bring a Ffestiniog Railway Special past the diamond crossing/goods yard in 1963:

A sadly overgrown station in August 1966 some years after closure:

Llanuwchllyn station in fine shape in 1963 prior to closure:

A postcard view of the station c 1920:

Station staff and families proudly pose for the camera c 1895. Note the wooden toy locomotive at the boy's feet right of centre:

It's OK, but this modern nostalgia's not as good as the old stuff...

Nostalgia is not what it used to be...

Had a great time at the Bala Exhibition in North Wales 27/28th May. Photo shows L-R my wife, myself and John Roberts (a local man who worked on the Llangollen line extensively before its closure in 1963) with the Llangollen in N-gauge model. I don't think the F sign indicates the grade achieved by the display! Some other great layouts there including a GWR OO in P4, HO/N French/German layout and a OO UK outline layout extensively computerised. Regards, Gerry

Great video and love the B121!

I have received the following information from David Jones who is organising the 2017 Bala Exhibition in North-east Wales:

Rail Gala & Model Railway Exhibition Sat 27th May (10:30 to 17:00) & Sun 28th May (10:30 to 16:00) 2017; Admission Adults £4, Concessions £3

Venue: Ysgol Y Berwyn Secondary School, on the A4212, Bala, Gwynedd LL23 7RU

A free vintage shuttle bus will be available to/from Bala to the 9 mile narrow gauge steam railway to Llanuwchllyn. Under separate organisers there is a Festival of Transport there also (vintage vehicles etc separate entrance fee applies). So park either end of the railway, ride the steam train by the lake between each venue for a great family/enthusiasts' day out!

Layouts Attending:

Llangollen in N gauge (yours truly travelling from Ireland)

Two Bridges "OO"

Plas Edwards Shed compact "O" gauge

Cwmbach "P4"

Haland "OO"

Trix Twin Mk4 "hO"

Cobra Canyon "N"

Krimhorn "OO9"

Triang Big Big Train

Walt's Playmobile

Underhill Town "OO9"

Altbahn "HO"

Traders etc

Abc Models

John Sutton Books & Narrow gauge models

Ffestiniog Railway Models/DVDs/Promotion

Corris Railway Society 2nd hand models/items

Maid Marian Fundraising

Blackham Transfers