Irishrailwayman

Some progress with back-scene fitted and tracks for the sector plates. Mirrors will be custom cut for each end of the layout to provide visual continuity.

It's looking great!

One thing that becomes obvious looking at those photos is the amount of quality RTR N gauge stock that's available to the UK scene modeller....

The N-gauge quality now available is amazing with directional lights and lighted destination boards on DEMUs, locos with lights and high quality coaches from Mk1 to Mk4s...

Looks great.I love the 47 with large logo (I have one "preserved" on Llangollen, well thats my excuse).

Excellent video.

The weeds don't stand a chance!

A couple of shots of the bare boards for information. The main scenic section is 4 foot six inches (54cm) by 9 inches deep 23 cm (additional space provided behind back-scene for control instrumentation and power supplies brings total depth to 1 foot 30cm). The fiddle yards either end measure 28 inches (71cm) by 8 inches (20cm). These will each hold three rail lines 2 foot (61cm) to hold/despatch trains. A sector plate will allow the lines to be alternated manually.

Best of luck with this new project Gerry,

Having only visited the real Llangollen railway last weekend for the first time,you certainly captured the place very well in miniature form,so I have no doubt your new layout will be much the same standard. .

Thanks guys. Glad you liked visiting Llangollen (and my model) - I only got interested in GWR/early BR when I began visiting there each year on holidays. We love the town, canal walks, surrounding countryside, railway and friends we now meet each year. Unfortunately, there is almost no trace of the Cynwyd station left but thankfully the restoration to Corwen is progressing well with plans for a full size GWR terminus there in time. I will keep ye posted on model progress hopefully for public exhibition in the October WMRC show.

Having completed and exhibited Ballybeg (OO Irish circuit track), Llangollen (N GWR/BR circuit track) and Shunters Yard (OO GWR Compact Layout), I decided to look out for a prototype for an end-to-end (fiddle yard-to-fiddle yard) layout allowing me to use the N gauge rolling stock on Llangollen. I have identified a single line station and simple goods yard at Cynwyd just over two miles west of Corwen (the latest section to be restored from Llangollen) which fits the bill!

Cynwyd closed in late 1964 as part of the infamous cuts by Dr Beeching so it lasted well into early BR days. The goods yard as you will see from the photographs consisted of a run-around loop off the single line with two head-shunts running away from the cover of the goods shed. One head-shunt ran behind the station platform past a cattle dock. A weighing machine house was provided in the goods yard. I have selected Ratio kits which most closely resemble the prototype buildings for the model.

A new book on the Ruabon to Barmouth ("Llangollen") line has been published by Martin Williams who has kindly allowed me to reproduce some of the pre-closure photos in his book. I present some of these for info below and I will post up updates on layout progress from time to time (I have already started on building kits and on the wood work).

An early 1960s view of Cynwyd from the road bridge (John Roberts, Llanuwchllynn)

Cynwyd station platform (Peter Fisher)

Cynwyd station c1910 (Neil Parkhouse Collection)

Cynwyd c1962 (Peter Fisher)

Cynwyd c1912 (Mrs Gwyneth Williams Collection)

Cynwyd station entrance c1912 (Martin Williams Collection)

Great collection of photos. There's enough there to write a book!

Great to have a large, warm, dry and clean attic space to build a layout! Will you be able to demount the layout for exhibition purposes?

Nice models, but too modern for my preferred era. My Irish modelling interest ceases from about 1980 onwards, nostalgia memory homing, childhood memories, etc. I find modern image stock quite smart looking, but can look quite out of place on typical 00 radius model layout curves I got rid of my bogie freight stock and BR Mk3 coaches many years ago because they were too long and I didn't like the way they overhung curves. You get a lot of poetic license with swb 2 axle goods wagons and 57-60ft coaches, enabling longer trains that look more realistic. Perhaps N gauge might better accommodate scale length modern image formations, but alas UK outline!

Why not go N gauge and convert Graham Farish Mark IIs, IIIs or IVs to irish outline using vinyl overlays? See http://www.electrarailwaygraphics.co.uk/ Click on "International" then "Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland" for full range of IE vinyl overlays...

I would like to make an N gauge version of a Lyons Tea Wagon but I am having difficulty getting information on some of the dimensions. In the resources section of this forum there is some in information and two photographs but no size is given for the length and height. The width is stated as 8ft 6ins and the wagon seems to be on a 20ft flat wagon. In one of the photographs, showing a broadside view, the body of the wagon, or should that be container, does not seem to the same length as the wagon. It may be about 12ins to 18ins shorter at each end than the flat wagon. If that is the case it would be about 16ft or 17ft long. At the North Down Show at the weekend I was told that in terms of length it would be similar to a normal sized container and would fit on to a normal sized open wagon. Again suggesting a 16ft to 17ft length.

 

Would anyone know if the Lyons Tea Wagon was a wagon specifically built for Lyons or was it a standard container? In either case what is the height and length?

 

If anyone has an 00 scale versions could they measure it and let me know the size? I can then convert that to N scale dimensions.

 

I did come across a British version which is a standard sized container but is a totally different design to the one shown in this forum. was there a distinct Irish version?

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Mike0

Irish Freight Models do a OO version. Perhaps if you asked them nicely they might share some of their research with you?

I know this place well since we used to drive past it on the way to Kenmare in the early 70's. An Oige owned it up to about 10 years ago, but it has been in private hands since.

The GSR single signal in it's garden is the one that kicked-started me off to on designing all the old signal range.

I stayed in this hostel in 1976 when myself, brother and two friends cycled from Dublin to Kerry and back over two weeks going from hostel to hostel. Many of the hostels such as Loo Bridge have since closed. Happy days! Looks like the property has been extensively renovated since then.

Next year, you'd be able to get 171 D 171.....

A palindrome: spells the same right to left and left to right...

My land line contains 90 and 461.....

My landline contains 146 142 and my e-mail contains 071...

Nice job there.

Nice job on ye olde P&T era vans.

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I'm running out of things to say..

Alphagraphix do a nice card kit of this style of engine shed...

Disgraceful lapse in Health & Safety on the Railway in that video. Not a high visibility vest in sight.

I hope Ms Clancy was wearing her steel-capped stilettos!

Still, the WMRC lads have their club fleeces in the high viz Wexford colours!

Some great shots! Thanks for posting:cheers:

A local Wexford TV report on the Exhibition: http://www.irishtv.ie/wexford-matters-74

Good evening lads,

With thanks to Wayne and the guys at Wexford MRC,I was able to purchase the Ashburton Grove N gauge layout,

I was impressed with its operation at the recent exhibition and as the layout had been for sale I decided to buy it,

This is my first venture into the N Gauge market but I have driver301 to thank for his inspirational N Gauge layouts namely Wellington bheag,Carlow and currently Connolly Stn,

I intend this layout to be in the BR blue era-1970s-late 1980s-my first purchase being a blue/grey HST.

 

 

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Many congratulations on your purchase. Have many hours of fun playing with, working on and exhibiting your layout. Loads of excellent N-gauge models to tempt you with Graham-Farish among the best upgrading their stock all the time with detail, lights etc. e.g. The Brighton Belle was issued in BR blue/grey...

I must admit I enjoyed the Show, Some lovely Layouts on display, Some nice Bargains to be had also.

 

Spent about 5 hours there, Did not help that I forgot to add the extra hour to the timepiece!!

 

I hope the Monday had a good turnout as it was well deserved.

Thanks George and to everyone who attended. We had a reasonable turnout given the weekend's competing celebrations and were very pleased with the interest shown by all in the layouts. Great to meet folks from IRM.com for a chat. Gerry

The first photo above has a locked symbol? Glad you enjoyed the show.

There are several coach bodies as mentioned above, Harry, and in various places all over the country. Almost all are now in extremely ropey condition.

There is what looks like a 6-wheel clerestory coach grounded on farmland a mile beyond Kelly's Hotel in Rosslare Strand... Next time I'm near I'll get a photie.

Looking forward to meeting many of the IRM.com folks at the St Joseph's Easter Model Railway & Hobbies Exhibition this weekend.

Nice job. I must get around to assembling mine for Ballybeg...