patrick

I am looking for some information about fertilizer traffic on CIE in order to better represent it on my layout. Spring was always a busy season but was there traffic year round? Apart from the 4 wheel flats and bogie wagons what other wagons were used for this traffic, opens with tarps, covered vans? Also Oil traffic. Where did the traffic originate? I am aware of Shell in Alaxender Road but were there more depots there and what facilities were in Cork? Thanks. Patrick.

A couple of C Rail Bell refrigerated containers have been added to the Liner train.

In the third photo the train is on the main line using the platform which has the station building. This seems to have been a common practice at stations where the main line and loop were signalled for bidirectional running even when crossing goods trains. For the first two photos I have no excuse except trying to set up a nice photo!

The stone walls have been removed West of Glen More.

More smaller trees have been added.

Exploring the area on Google maps has shown occasional groves of evergreens so a few have been added.

More progress.

Thanks for all the great comments photos and suggestions. They have made getting rid of my beloved stone walls less painful. More foliage has been added since the last layout photo and now the search is on for small trees and maybe a few evergreens (spruce, pine?) which I have noticed in photos of the area. I am contemplating building a small"Rails Through The West" style diorama with stone walls to illustrate my layout building techniques and present it as a tutorial on the site.

Being called out on the inappriopate stone walls was impitus needed to do something about them. Any comments, espically from anyone familiar with South West county Waterford would be very welcome.

Thanks for posting the great selection of photos Glenderg. The third one is espically interesting as it is the first I have seen of the dolomite loading facilities at Bennetsbridge. The nineth photo is the lead/zinc ore loading facilities at Silvermines. Junctionmad is correct about the stone walls on the layout. Blame a lack of research on my part and "Rails Through The West" which I spent way too much time with. They came out so well and made the scenery look so Irish I got carried away with them and they are the first thing visitors comment on after viewing the layout. They have been bothering me for quite some time now and will be hard to get rid of. Has anyone ideas about modelling hawthorn in October? Time to get out the Woodland Scenics catalogue!

Bell liner at Keilys Cross.

The fiddle yard tracks can hold 11 twenty foot wagons. 4 oil wagons and 7 magnesite wagons seems like a good mix. I'm sure over the life of the operation almost any concievable mix ran depending on tht needs of the plant. The loads were always at the front so when the train arrives in the fiddle yard the locomotive only needs to be put on the other end and it is ready for the return journey.

An oil and magnesite train is on the to do list and very much part of the concept of the layout. Unfortunatly my current work schedule does is not conducive to modeling hense the slow progress in the last six months.

I finally got some sesame seeds to replace the barley as sugar beet loads.

The buildings and facilities in a goods yard reflect the type of goods handled. Rathkeale for instance had a gantry crane to handle containers from a nearby co op, Fenit had a scale for weighing wagons loaded on the pier, the North Kerry yard in Tralee had among other facilities, a platform for washing out cattle wagons, a small building used by Liptons for tea shipments, a tar depot and a number of private sidings which over the years handled fertilizer, grain, coal and possibly more. Figure out what traffic your yard handles and work from there.

All the drapes are finally in place under the layout. The work bench has also been moved giving a nice open area for viewing and operation. The layout lighting turned off for the last photo because of excess glare.

I recall reading that when the late John Allen the creator of the legendary Gorre and Dapheatid railroad was asked how much he spent on the hobby he replied about as much as a pack of cigaretts a day and added that he didn't smoke.

I'm finally getting around to installing the black drapes under the layout.

Waterford Cork loose coupled goods train passing Glen More and Keilys Cross.

A few more photos from today.

Not much was done on the layout in the last few months mainly due to my work schedule but the recent discussion obout dual cab control inspired me to complete the wiring and panel for Cork fiddle yard and Grange station. When the layout was extended I never got around to building a new control panel. instead the old one was hastily adapted to get things running quickly. Twin cab control using SPST center off switches and common return is employed, a system ai have used on three layouts over twenty years without problems.

No, the system works. SPST switches using one rail as common return requires less wiring though and I strongly suggest using center off three position switches so sections can be isolated allowing for parking locomotives and trains on any section of the layout even when two other trains are being run. Actually the more I think about it using two position switches is a really bad idea.

At one time CIE would run a loco and brake van through the Cork Tunnel to sand the rails for heavy North bound goods trains. Thanks John.

I have wondered about that myself. Did the sand help with braking? Were these vans used on specific lines with steep grades?

Some CIE 30 ton brake vans were equiped with sanders.