patrick

What's a vacation without a souvenir........

Maureen and I are currently on vacation in St. Johns Newfoundland. The island province once had an extensive three foot six inch guage railway system which at its peak was over 900 miles in length. The system interchanged with parent Canadian National via train ferries at Port Aux Basques on the west side of the island where standard guage cars from the mainland had their trucks exchanged for narrow guage ones to continue their journey. Despite modernization in the seventies, mainly involving the introduction of container service the line was closed completely in 1988 after the completion of the TransCanada Highway and was completely ripped up by the end of 1990. The old passenger depot at St John's is now a railway museum but was unfortunately not yet open for the season but a locomotive, a NL110 built by GM, a passenger car and mail car are on display outside. There are many videos of this fascinating railway in operation on YouTube.

What scale is it?

It's October 1968 and Cork Waterford goods crosses its counterpart at Glen More.

Allen McClelland's own book, The Virginian & Ohio Story published in the eighties is also well worth checking out. His influence is all over the South Waterford Line.

Latest addition to the library. Sadly Allen passed away last November shortly before this book was published.

These are the materials I use.

All the track on the South Waterford Line is weathered using Woodland Scenics weathering markers. I use rail tie brown for the sleepers and rail brown for the rail. The weathering is done before ballasting. Overall I'm pleased with the result considering how easy it was to do although some grime and oil stains applied with an airbrush would take it to the next level.

165 prepares to leave Glen More with the Cork Waterford goods after completing its shunting there. This is the same train shown in the last video. The opens were dropped at the loading bank in preperation for the upcoming sugar beet season and three loads of fertilizer from Gouldings in Cork and a load of timber left in the goods yard. Picked up were three loaded cattle wagons for Clover Meats in Waterford, an insulated van from Glen More Co op and an empty bitumen tank both of which will be on the overnight goods to Dublin tonight. Conversion to Kadee couplers has made such operations so much more enjoyable.

Due to issues with my phone the video cut off before the brake van passed but I thought it too nice not to post. 20230130_102446.mp4

141 passes Keilys Cross with a Cork bound Bell liner. The presence of two PWD flats In the beet siding suggests some permanent way work in the area.

Goods train passing Grange October 1972. 20230130_101615.mp4

The second flat fresh from the paintshop.

20' 11'wb flat with sleeper load.

I recall seeing a special train of horses boxes hauled by an A class arrive in Trailer for the September race week some time in the late sixties.

The solebars started to bother me but this was soon sorted with the help of some filler, a chisel blade and sand paper.

Having two Dapol cattle wagon kits at hand I decided to have a go at building a representation of a 20' 12' wb flat following John's suggestion. It came out so well I am now sorry I didn't spend more work on the solebars. They will be painted brown as John's photo shows and will receive a load of sleepers. The end stanchions will be applied after the deck is painted in order to make painting easier.

Great information John. Must dig out the Dapol cattle wagon kits I thought I had no use for!

I remember during a nighttime foot plate trip on the Tralee line around 1980 when the driver turned off the headlights in order to show me what what it was like running steam or the early diesels. Hurling through the darkness with the speedometer showing 60mph was quiet unnerving!

The traffic went to Arklow for a while in 1992 for some reason. Four wheel flats and open top containers were used. There is a video somewhere on you tube.

What traffic is expected on the line and do Irish Rail have rolling stock to handle it?

Lyons Tea had a small store in the North Kerry yard in Tralee on a bank between the gantry crane and county council tar depot. Prior to the introduction of the 20 foot containers I remember seeing 10 foot containers with Lyons Tea markings in open wagons in use for this traffic.

As these models DCC ready?

I never thought anyone would produce the mags so anything is possible. Something based on a 20 foot flat could open the door to all sorts of wagons Including oil tanks, container flats, bagged cement and ore wagons in the future.

Regarding the AEC railcars, Were they ever used on the Mallow Waterford line?