Irishrailwayman

Thanks for that. A couple of shots of that Gents! I used detail from the Wills kit.

For the canopy I used some plastic sheeting of Slates from Wills and cut it to shape. The valencing is by Ratio. The extension used Wills Stone plastic sheet and Quoins (corner-stones) and window/door surrounds by Langley Models. For the gents, I used a Wills kit for interiour details. I added tile edges to roofs and "lead" to valleys using leftovers from some Metcalfe card models.

Final views and then I will try to upload a couple of videos watching the trains go by.

A couple more views. I have added an extension, a gents and a platform canopy to the Bachmann pre-cast Clonmel station for Ballybeg. Note the oil wagons: the Burmah are a Hornby offering included for colour/variety rather than historical accuracy; the black and the silver ESSO wagons appear in only one photograph I have seen them on Irish railways (page 56 - dated 1957 at Adelaide in NI - "Irish Railways in Colour - A second glance"). Perhaps Westie could be persuaded to do transfers for "Irish Shell" or "Mex" oil tankers which were more commonly recorded on Irish lines...

A reel of views around Ballybeg with Black n' Tan carriages and goods wagons.

I understand that the BR Class 24 has the same engine as the CIE Class B101 (I fitted SW Digital's BR24 sound file into one of Westies 101 kits). BR Blue era is probably the UK equivalent in nostalgia terms to Ireland's golden brown/black era?

The good die young?

Fair points. With muti-era layouts the time-scales can be stretched a bit - the "might have been" part of the modellers licence. Probably Supertrain livery would suit the bauxite wagons more. Unfortunately, Macmine Junction didn't survive long enough to host these.

Photos of Macmine Junction are relatively scarce in published books as it closed over 50 years ago. Here's one dug out by a friend of WMRC showing a grey 121 at the junction platform. John Walker's layout is very accurate reflection of the prototype I think you will agree.

A final couple of views...

A couple of more views of Macmine in the last months of its existence...

Macmine Junction was closed on 1st April 1963 so there would just about have been enough time for a fleet of CIE rolling stock in the new (Patrick Scott RIP) designed Black and Tan livery to make an appearance there. The Flying Snail logos have been replaced by the Scandinavian designed CIE Broken Wheel logo. Goods wagons are now in brown livery. Note that the cattle have taken a bath in some black stuff and that the lorry wheels have seen some mud recently. It is unknown why the Garda have made an appearance - some cattle-rustling perhaps? Locomotive A20r (re-engined with a General Motors unit) hopefully won't fail this time (and require the services of the B121 lurking on the turntable) but manages to take its short train of a Park Royal, a Laminate and an SGV to Wexford. An all black C Class (No C205) shunts the yard while class leader B141 has charge of the Kilkenny goods. Another class leader B181 hums in the head-shunt with a spare guards van loitering with intent.

Couple of photos of the cattle bank (Ratio)and wagons being unloaded on Ballybeg. Note that the cattle are now of the correct black variety! Also note the CIE Canvas Centre Van which was used uncovered when cattle were being transported (usually from West to East). The cover was replaced when the wagon was used for other goods (hopefully only after they cleaned it up well after the cattle)! The model is an Alphagraphix card kit on a Peco Wonderful Wagon chassis.

John Hazelton at Silver Fox Models tells me that for the A Class depicted he used Railmatch BR Early Multiple Unit Green (Code RM307). He has since changed to a similar shade from Precision SR Pre-war Malachite Green (Code P77). These would be available in UK but regulations don't allow them to be posted from there.

Good to note these prototypes. The question for modellers remains: which paint type currently available most closely matches these originals in 4mm? Perhaps others have identified sources other than those mentioned by me... John tells me that the bank was originally set up with fences etc for marshalling cattle but later on was used as a means of loading sugar beet from road trucks onto railway wagons.

Thanks for that. I have to say John's work is pure art. What I try to do for rolling stock is to select the best of whatever RTR or kits are available and knock them into better shape. No one element is perfect but I try to catch the overall sense of the scene. Many of the attached photos/models are fashioned with the scenes portrayed in the "Irish Railways in Colour" books in mind. As someone said, there is always more that can be done - I need to dull down and muddy the tyres of those road vehicles... Also, there has been a lot of debate on which green is which for CIE. The reality is that no one knows for sure at this remove so I have tried to identify currently available shades that might be useful in modelling. The A Class is a Silver Fox RTR (I must check with John Hazleton what shade he uses). For the B101 (Studio Scale Models kit) I used Phoenix Paints P50 LNER Doncaster green. The wooden coach is the Murphy Models offering while the Laminate and Park Royal are from Irish Freight Models painted in Revell SM364 Leaf Green Silk which I think is fairly convincing. I have a Humbrol Beige Green Matt paint to hand which I think will pass as the Eau-de-nil or CIE green stripes.

Advance notice of this event which will be held Easter Sunday (27th March) and Easter Monday (28th March) at St Joseph's Community Centre, Wexford Town between 12 noon and 5 pm each day. The exhibition is being hosted this year jointly between the Wexford Model Railway Club and St Joseph's Community Centre. Many model railway layouts will be on display along with model boats, aircraft, hobbies etc. A full list of exhibits will be posted here in time but already booked are Macmine Junction (first public exhibition), Rathmichael, Ballybeg (all OO Irish layouts) and more.

John Walker tells me that the black and white cattle I have being unloaded did not appear on Irish farms until much later. Seemingly, all cattle back then were either black with some white faces or red in colour. Out with my black matt paint to change those cattle...

Cattle are unloaded but A20's Crossley engine is giving trouble so B121 is pressed into service to bring the Wexford passenger train to its destination...

In the 1960's a fleet of new diesel locomotives sweep all steam engines off the railways in Ireland. Here at Macmine Junction the variety of goods being carried is reducing. B101 in green livery has charge of the Waterford goods while C230 in silver livery shunts the yard where cattle are being unloaded. Meanwhile, A20 in green livery has charge of the Wexford afternoon passenger train. B121in grey/yellow livery waits on the turntable in case it is needed...

Is this not Clonmel station?

The card kits are really easy to make: just cut out the printed parts on the cards provided, use card glue to mount them on spare backing card (most fine art stores will supply off-cuts at low cost), glue sections together and mount onto a suitable chassis. A matt or satin varnish will preserve the model. It is surprising how strong the card models are and durable (I made some of mine over 10 years ago). One word of warning: the colours will fade if the model is left in strong sunlight! Card kits are a great way to get low cost models of Irish prototypes which are unlikely to ever be available commercially and Alphagraphix have a big selection in both 4mm and 7mm.

Thanks Noel, The scenic part of the layout is in three sections each 4 foot by 2 feet giving a 12 foot total length. A separate loop around fiddle yard at the back is in development although the fiddle yard used with Rathmichael will work also for Macmine Junction.

Everyone is invited to the Wexford Model Railway Club/St Joseph's Community Centre Easter Exhibition (27th & 28th March) to view model railway (and other hobby exhibits) including Macmine Junction, Rathmichael (again by John Walker & co), Joseph's Bridge (John again), Ballybeg (moi) etc. Full details will be posted shortly in the Whats On section of IRM!

To John Walker's eternal credit, every item on the actual layout, including the painted backscene, is scratch-built! The rolling stock shown above is from my collection built over many years for Ballybeg (some detailed rtr or kit built).