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There has not been much progress on the layout in the last few months due to home renovations and a vacation in Florida. The layout has been operated very frequently though. We now have enough opens to run a decent size beet special over the line. This train is a lot of fun to operate running from Cork fiddle yard to Glen More and back swapping loads for emptys along the way.

A few more photos taken today just for fun.

Meanwhile the withdrawn wagons are stored at Waterford fiddle yard.

Some more weathering on a Bulleid open.

Nice but you can't just post a picture showing such nice grain wagons without telling us more about them!

Waterford Cork goods train.

I'm having issues with my laptop at the moment so I'm using a tablet to take photos and post. Hope it is photo is better.

First experiments weathering the Bulleid opens. These two received a wash of very diluted black poster paint with a drop of dish detergent addedd and we're then dry brushed with white.

The first two of twelve Provincial wagons Bulleid opens spotted for beet loading at Keilys Cross. The buffers on the second wagon were replaced by Dart castings heavy cast buffers which were fitted to many by the seventies. They still need to be weathered.

I weathered the track on my layout with Woodland Scenics weathering markers after it was tested. The markers come in a 3 pack but as Noel mentioned the rust colour appeared to strong so I used only the rail grime and sleeper grime. I have an airbrush but will do almost anything to avoid using it since I hate cleaning it! Woodland Scenics grey blend ballast was then applied after the ground cover was in place.

Cork Waterford train at Grange.

I have been enjoying the ongoing tour of Pettigo over the last few weeks and look forward to more, epically more photos of rolling stock. I am also glad that you raised the topic of layout height. Each consecutive layout I have built has become higher. It sometimes seems modeller are septical about layouts with narrow benchwork which are built closer to eye level and need to see one to be convinced of how effective they are. If in doubt set up a scene on a high shelf with a section of track, a building or two, a improvised backdrop, a few details and some rolling stock to see the effect. Does your layout have a continuous run or a fiddle yard at both ends?

The ramp is bassed on one in a photo of Spa station from Rails Through North Kerry. It is made from coffee stirrers which I found in the break room at work. It still needs more painting and weathering to hide the fresh lumber look.

Here you go.

Goods train at Grange.

Thanks Glenderg! You made my day.

On my last post I mentioned replacing the arms of the Dapol signals with parts from SSM signal kits. While I am sure this could be done after attempting to do one I found the process too fiddly and decided to use the signals as they are rather than risk damaging them beyond repair. The only changes made were to remove the finals and the loop at the top of the ladder. It is a compromise I am willing to accept in order to have reliable working signals. I'm not out of the woods yet though, Dapol don't make bracket signals so I will have to attempt to build SSM kits to control the entrance to the passing loops. The signal cabin in the photo is a kit bashed Dapol kit. It is quick easy and inexpensive and looks the part however is much too large for such a small station. It is planned to replace it with one based on the one at Kilmacthomas.

Another suggestion on this thread from John Mayer was to adapt Dapol GWR Round post semaphore signals by removing the finals and replacing the arms with SSM parts. The photos show the signals with the finals removed and some modification to the ladders. At some point the arms and ladders will be replaced.The final result will not be as elegant as well constructed SSM signals but is much more in line with my skills! And they will work!

Latest project is a gantry crane inspired by photos from Rails Through North Kerry by John Beaumont and Barry Carse and a comment by John Mayer on this thread a while back suggesting the presence of a Co Op near Glen More which shipped produce by container. Dementions were guesstimated from the few photos I could find online and photos in John and Barrys book. I'm still not sure about the overall demensions, thinking it might be too high but will wait until the lifting mechanism and hook are in place to make a final judgment. Similar cranes were located in Tralee Rathkeale and Navan.

In the late seventies as a teenager I was fortunate to have traveled on the North Kerry goods from Tralee to Listowel twice, to Castleisland once and from Tralee to Abbeydorney and Fenit on beet trains several times. The experience of standing on the veranda of a 30 ton brake van watching the long string of open wagons hauled by an A class climbing out of Tralee is one I will never forget as is the cocktail of diesel exhaust axle grease and paraffin oil from the marker lamps and turf smoke from the stove of the brake van in the cold morning air. In the early eighties while living in Limerick I got to travel the Mungret branch and from Silvermines to Foynes on a barytes train.

My son Kieran was visiting over Christmas and shot this video which shows the present state of the layout.

http://www.hattons.co.uk/63230/Peco_Products_5081Peco_Pallets_assorted_3_types_/StockDetail.aspx?utm_source=ehattons.com&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=ehattonsredirect The pallets are from PECO and really look well.