Irishrailwayman

I have finally completed my rescue project on a failed application of MIR brass sides to a Lima carriage. I have re-attached the sides to a Hornby MK3. The attached photies show the result with the addition of lights and updated SSM window and other transfers. Included also are two shots of a MK3 Lima repaint with SSM City Gold transfers all posing happily on Ballybeg in the sunshine...

Noel, The backscene is a Gaugemaster Scenics Town Backscene (small) GM758. It measures 4 foot by 6 inches which fitted my layout exactly! I got it from Gaugemaster direct via their website.

Thanks, I had been meaning to post the photies as I went along but they got messed up in transmission. I have tried to give the progression of the layouts development in the sequence of posts here...

Shunters Yard was completed in time for its exhibition debut in October 2015 at the Wexford MRC Festival Exhibition. Enniscorthyman has kindly posted up a short video on YouTube to give an idea of how the layout looks in operation close up:

Shunters Yard mainly features goods wagons being transferred around the sidings however, the passengers patiently waiting on the platform are catered for by the occasional appearance of a GWR auotocoach. This one was purchased second-hand at the SDMRC show and fitted with passengers, lighting and Kadees. The 64XX shunter has been detailed and driver figures added. These pictures show the models posing over Ferns Lock on Ballybeg.

Ballasting completed and increasing layers of detail added including gas lamps, scenic details, trees, grass, figures... to achieve the final integration of all elements together.

Track laid, Platforms added, Goods Shed and Station building installed:

With the backscene installed (Gaugemaster small village scene) the track has been laid. To maximise shunting potential, the three-way point has been supplemented with a right-hand point. Mirrors are installed at both ends for visual effect including sliding mirrors allowing rolling stock to be fed in at either end.

I had started this thread some time ago but the photies got messed up. Hopefully this time they will stick. Basically, following my efforts on exhibition layouts Ballybeg (OO gauge fictional Irish http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/109-Ballybeg ) and Llangollen (N gauge UK GWR/BR outline based on prototype http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/3054-Llangollen-in-N), I decided to have a go at a Compact/Micro/Book-shelf top/Minimum-space layout. The dimensions decided on are 4 foot by 1 foot enabling the layout to be easily transported/set up for exhibition purposes and stored at home on a shelf over Ballybeg. I had purchased a Bachmann 64XX 0-6-0 tank loco as I had done the driver experience on this at Llangollen. I also had a 3-way point left over from previous projects and wanted to press this in to good use. A shunting layout has developed from this using Kadee couplers and under track magnets to enable remote shunting to be done. I used Ratio plastic kits for a change (I previously worked extensively with card kits from Alphagraphix or Metcalfe). I decided on GWR livery but the track plan could be used for a layout of any livery including Irish. Operation is by DCC with sound chip (courtesy of Mr Soundguy)located below the baseboard (given the small size of the loco) synchronised with a 6-pin chip on the loco itself. First up, the baseboards. Note the openings at either end allowing rolling stock to be fed into the layout hidden by buildings at either end. The scenic area is 9 inches with the 3 inches behind the backscene left for holding the DCC Controller, operating points by push-rod, power for building/gas lamps, a DCC Programming track, rolling road and Kadee tester...

I like my layouts to have lots of noise!

Enniscorthyman has posted a nice video of Llangollen in N here:

Remember that foam tends to deteriorate over the years and does not look as well as ballast.

Don't forget that the Great Famine had a devestating impact on Irish history, population and economics... including railways. Many peoples' first experience of the then incredible technology of rail transport was as they left the country!

A few shots of rolling stock (and kayakers)...

I have set up Llangollen in N over the Christmas holidays and have taken a few photies of upgrades and rolling stock... A general view of Llangollen's (mediaeval) bridge with modern traffic, the River Dee, heritage railway (note Castel Dinas Bran in backdrop overlooking the town... A BR Class 20 diesel has charge of some cattle wagons on a mixed goods train. Note the unusual footbridge cantilevered out over the River Dee... Garth Hall No 5955 4-6-0 rests in the bay platform while GWR chocolate and cream MK1 coaches form the back of an excursion set. General view of Llangollen with River Dee, bridge and railway. An engineer's train provides the needs of the PW gang at the facing siding. Note the use of a mirror to get four kayakers for the price of two (and make the River Dee flow towards the sea)! Other kayakers have a hard time dealing with a rapidly flowing River Dee. Three storey redbrick victorian villas were modelled by modifying Metcalfe card kits. A BR green Class 25 has charge of an excursion train at the Church Road bridge end of the station. Note again the use of a mirror to provide interesting depth of field at this end of the layout. View from Church Road bridge over Llangollen station. Workshop sidings above the restored line at the Church Road bridge. Modern traffic on Llangollen bridge contrasts with the heritage rolling stock on the restored railway.

The 121 is fairly unique and the chassis details differ even from the 141/181 I believe. The Athearn chassis are also HO but this does not affect performance or looks in OO too much. I have 5 of these and the DCC ready, lights and running qualities are excellent although the fuel tank/bogies are ok they don't completely match the 121 prototype. Even if correctly spaced bogies can be found, they will probably foul the ladders at both ends of the body. One other option might be to get Black Beetle motors/wheel sets and power the model in that way attaching 121 bogie sides. Again, all modelling is a blend of affordability, time/patience available, what level of "correctness" is acceptable etc...

At the end of the day, there are no easy answers prior to a good rtr 121 becoming available. We were in the same boat trying different HO chassis when we had only the MIR 201, 071, 141, 181 body kits available....

I have used the new Athearn SW1500 chassis which is DCC ready and has two bulbs forward and back which give directional lighting and fit neatly into the double headlamps of the 121 body...

Probably a bit of all those but I like the 3-D art explanation also. Personally, when I see an interesting railway scene in real life (Irish, Llangollen etc) I feel an creative urge to replicate this on a model particularly where kits/rtr items can be bashed/pressed into service. There is a fair bit of problem solving needed also to achieve an effect that satisfies the creative in all of us....

See previous pictures of my SSM kit-built model of a green B101 on Ballybeg: http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/109-Ballybeg/page5

I have (hopefully) managed to attach below some photos of the model and the prototype which got lost for technical reasons:

Nice job on the station. I am doing an extension on my own Carlow Bachmann model for Ballybeg also.

Guys, I had been posting pictures from Photobucket but this seems to be by way of weblink that can get disrupted. Any thoughts on how pictures can be attached to postings as copies of photos on a laptop. Non-techie :-(

Noel, I have incorporated the clackety-clack on a number of Loksound soundchips 141/071 etc. The sound clip is available at the ESU website.

The lights are directional and involve 3 mm white LEDs wired to the soundchip: Blue wire to each positive via a 1K resistor; White wire to negative of forward LED and Yellow wire to negative of reverse LED. There is some unintended light spill into the cabin but this nicely highlights the driver figure added at both ends!