Patricks Layout

[Broithe]

1 hour ago, patrick said:

We are expecting a lot of visitors over for a house party this weekend so I did some work to enable through trains be run for display.

Surely this should have been included in the Exhibition Calendar...?

[patrick]

Quote

Well you are all welcome to drop on by. Starts 4 pm eastern standard time! 

 

[patrick]

The main line platform at Glenmore has been narrowed to ease a nasty s curve on the siding behind it and to make more room for a goods shed. Meanwhile 045 shunts beet wagons. 045 is a favourite of mine as I travelled on it on the last Tralee Listowel goods train.

[popeye]

I love the beet in the wagons it looks very real. 

[patrick]

They are sesame seeds. The seeds themselves are rather flat but they look fine in piles at normal viewing distances. They are also cheap!

[patrick]

All four tracks have now been laid in Waterford fiddle yard. Each track will hold twelve 20 foot wagons and a locomotive. Previously there were five tracks, three held eleven 20 foot wagons and a locomotive, the other two were even shorter. The yard tracks have enough finger room between them to make "fiddling" rolling stock on and off the lsyout easy. A long narrow shelf above the yard is planned to store surplus rolling stock.                           Before wiring started on the rebuilt section of Glen More my hand heald DC throttle died. The unit gave me over twenty years of service and will not be replaced, it's finally time to convert to DCC. 

Edited May 24, 2018 by patrick

[Robert Shrives]

Go for it ! and I am sure all will be well and sound ? Good to see work continues on the layout. 

Robert 

[patrick]

8 hours ago, Robert Shrives said:

Go for it ! and I am sure all will be well and sound ? Good to see work continues on the layout. 

Robert 

I got a great deal on this Prodigy wireless DCC system which arrived in the mail today. Decoders are due tomorrow. Sound is defiantly in the future but for now priority goes to chipping locos. 

Edited May 30, 2018 by patrick

[Noel]

3 hours ago, patrick said:

I got a great deal on this Prodigy wireless DCC system which arrived in the mail today. Decoders are due tomorrow. Sound is defiantly in the future but for now priority goes to chipping locos. 

Hi Patrick

Enjoy the transition. That's a good DCC system. For whenever sound becomes of interest, links below to two excellent producers of Irish diesel DCC sound chip projects.  I've used both types on my MM B&T 141/181 locos. Fitting speakers and soldering to the loco PCB is straight forward and both supply speakers with the chips. Wheeltappers use LokSound chips with PowerDrive feature and MrSoundguy uses Zimo chips with RealDrive. I just love the sound especially flange squeal shunting a rake of wagons into a siding or over station pointwork.  The LokSound has a kadee uncoupling function for use over uncoupling magnets which synchronises engine and coupling sounds with the brief backwards/forwards motion needed to release the buckeye over an uncoupling magnet.

Noel

http://www.wheeltappersdccsounds.co.uk/page78/index.html

http://mrsoundguy.co.uk/msgdclass141.html

[patrick]

The reason I am a late comer to dcc is not any aversion to it but a matter of circumstance. When the layout was started a about six years ago I was recovering from a bad accident which had me unable to work for over a year. Although finance was tight an abundance of code 100 track (which had never been balllasted) and two walkaround dc controllers were recovered from the previous US themed layout layout and  I already had a small collection of Irish rolling stock. I did have an abundance of time though which accounts for the rapid progress on the layout early on. The layout was wired for twin cab control using  the two walk around throttles. The SPDT switches and even much of the wire was reclaimed from the previous layout. This system worked fine for the operating scheme of the layout and would probably have remained in place for a few more years had not one of the throttles failed and to my surprise a cheap used replacement was not easy to find. At this point it didn't take much to talk myself into converting to dcc. My requirements for the system were walkaround control of no more than four sound equipped locomotives. The planned operating scheme of the layout ideally will call for four operators. Two train drivers just run trains following signals and some verbal instructions from  operators at Glen More and Grange each of which will operate the respective signal cabins an adjacent fiddle yards. With four operators in the layout area wireless throttles were deemed desireable. All of this is of course in the future, much needs to be done, not least rounding up four operators! We are however making progress.

Edited May 30, 2018 by patrick

[patrick]

I needed a break from wiring so I finally got around to building a more appropriate signal cabin for Grange. Its a Ratio kit with new steps from a Dapol  signal box kit. 

Edited June 20, 2018 by patrick

[Robert Shrives]

The signal cabin does look good and very nicely coloured. I might have one stashed away as well, now I know what for !  I guess we are lucky that signal suppliers often supplied the building - or at least a drawing and or railways had "house style"  for long periods of time.  Now you will need to add the rodding and boards !!  In Uk we have several options from kit and etch suppliers but I guess you will "knock up " something great using local parts and you magic !

Thanks for the update, it is honestly a source of inspiration .

Robert  

 

[jhb171achill]

Looks as close as anything to many standard styles, particulary GSWR. In this guise, it fits perfectly into its surroundings. 

Maybe Glenmore is an ex-DSER location, or maybe it's ex GSWR, like Rosslare - Waterford, Palace East - Bagenalstown, or somewhere between Waterford and either Mallow or Gowal Limni!

Edited June 20, 2018 by jhb171achill

[StevieB]

From the state of the track, looks like the weedspraying train is due.

Stephen

[patrick]

[jhb171achill]

6 hours ago, StevieB said:

From the state of the track, looks like the weedspraying train is due.

Stephen

Well, it's the season after all.......!

[popeye]

Really lovely and very typically Irish. 

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Nice

[patrick]

Glen More's new signal cabin which is adapted from a Dapol kit. I was inspired by signal cabins at Dungarvin, Tralee and Ballygeary and is intended as a place holder until something better comes along.

[popeye]

Looks the part. There's always a tractor around somewhere in Ireland. 

[patrick]

There has not been a lot of progress on the layout in the last few weeks as circumstances have changed in our household. Maureen and I have become foster parents to two girls,  an 18 month old and her 5 year old sister. We have known the girls through friends of ours since they were born  and when circumstances dictated that they needed to be in foster care and no suitable home was found we volunteered.                                                What has been completed is the installation of the DCC system. This involved removing the control panels and wiring from the twin cab control system previously in place and the installation  of a bus wire. A second hand held wireless controller has also been aquired. At this stage only four locomotives have been chipped, all with Digitrax decoders, none as yet with sound. The photo shows the base unit installed at the entrance of Waterford fiddle yard. The track with 045 on it is the programming track. Five universal throttle holders aquired from Micro Mark were installed, throughout the layout, one each at Grange, Glen More, Keilys Cross an at each fiddle yard. I am very pleased with the system and can't overstate the convenience of wireless throttles on a walk around layout.                                                                                                                                                                                         No further work has been done on Glen More but it has been decided to move the tar depot and crane from the front of the layout to back as the orignally plan had been. The crane tended to get knocked over too frequently while operating and I was nervous about rolling stock so close to the edge of the layout. The beet loading bank will be reinstated on the siding towards the front and will provide protection for rolling stock parked there.

[Robert Shrives]

Patrick,

Good for you for stepping up. It was a matter of minutes ago  I looked at the thread and was wondering on any news and you posted - thanks !  Good to read work slowly progresses - no point in rushing these things.

Have a good time and hopefully not too many sleepless nights !!

Robert  

 

[patrick]

Having a few days off before starting a new job gave me time to work on the layout for the first time in months. I mentioned in a previous post about reverting to the orignal plan for the rebuild of Glen More, placing the gantry crane on the rear track and the beet loading bank towards the front. The reason for this was when the the crane on the siding towards the front it was getting knocked over too frequently during operating sessions and I was nervous about having rolling stock fall on the floor. The photos show the new old arrangement with the beet loading bank under construction. On the DCC front, six locomotives of the eight in black and tan or supertrain livery  have now been chipped which is more than enough for a decent 1973/74 operating session. 

[Robert Shrives]

Patrick,

Good to read and see progress.  The beet bank looks fine on the front and as you say offers protection from arms etc!  Hopefully the DCC conversion process not too painful and you are enjoying the "freedom" offered. 

One thought did you dump the broken point to be used as a catch point on the beet siding? 

Robert    

[patrick]

On 10/20/2018 at 2:44 PM, Robert Shrives said:

Patrick,

Good to read and see progress.  The beet bank looks fine on the front and as you say offers protection from arms etc!  Hopefully the DCC conversion process not too painful and you are enjoying the "freedom" offered. 

One thought did you dump the broken point to be used as a catch point on the beet siding? 

Robert    

The upgrade to DCC didn't prove too painful but of course it would have been much easier if it had been done when layout construction started.  The previous DC control system had one wirless throttle which provided so much freedom running trains that I felt that a wireless DCC system was the only way to go, especially with a walk around layout. I found the MRC system on e bay, "as is" and won it with a really low offer. There were a few issues with it but MRC provided phenomenal customer service and I still came out way ahead on the deal. We don't have any sound equiped locos yet and have not started exploring cv values but I still feel a sense of wonder calling up a loco on the keypad and running it without having to set a bunch of switches. 

The catch point is still there on the beet loading siding although I'm questioning the length of the bank thinking it may be so long as to overwhelm the scene.

[Robert Shrives]

Hi 

I had not spotted the catch hiding behind the pole - sorry !  I think you ,might be right with the bank - but that is looking at the pink  foam - if it was grey and with overgrowing grass and bushes  it might look the right thing , but I did wonder as you have .

If it was as long as the wagons shown then perhaps more shunting or allow a wagon to be unloaded at ground level.  but I thought a bit of a sloping bank out of which the loading dock grows might be better and allow more front edge low level scenery.   

good to read of progress and hope new job is working out . - Are you tempted with  the IRM A class?

Robert  

[patrick]

The long curving beet loading bank was not working out as I hoped it would so I shortened both sidings which gave a short section of open country before the road bridge. The end result is much more pleasing to me. Track still needs to be ballasted and more scenery work done. 

[StevieB]

It very much has the look of Dungarvan now.

Stephen

[Robert Shrives]

That looks much better and the little slice of country suggests more beyond the bridge.  Good to read you are still at developing the model. I had wondered with you being off  air  so long.  Now that enjoyable ballasting job to do...

Robert  

[patrick]

1 hour ago, Robert Shrives said:

That looks much better and the little slice of country suggests more beyond the bridge.  Good to read you are still at developing the model. I had wondered with you being off  air  so long.  Now that enjoyable ballasting jo  to do...

Robert  

Our six month adventure as foster parents to two girls, one two years old, the other six has ended. As you can imagine not much modelling got done during this time especially  considering both Maureen and I work full time and we are both pushing sixty, twenty years too old for to start parenting again! Having said that we are very glad we took up the challange and although we are happy to have our lives back again we still miss the girls terribily.

Steve mentioned Dungarvin, and indeed it served as an inspiration for Glen More. Had the South Waterford line been built as I envision it  instead of the Mallow Waterford line Dungarvin could have been a junction for a branch to Fermoy. This could be a interesting idea for a layout for someone. Finally here's a shot of a loaded dolomite train approaching Keilys Cross, one of my favourite train watching spots on the layout. The A class is a stock  Silver Fox model with  a Hornby Railroad mechanism. DCC has definitely improved the performance of these models.

Edited February 22, 2019 by patrick

[Noel]

What a photo scene. Stunningly evocative. I think we may have cycled through that tunnel last year as its now a superb greenway with a preservation railway a few miles outside Waterford (ie. SVR).

[Robert Shrives]

Patrick, Glad all is well in the end and hopefully the girls left a good impression and times - if not all the time !!

Photo is lovely , I looked and eventually found the hand throw for the point into the siding.  I guess makes operating sessions a bit more lifelike.  The A looks lovely  and in good running order with no oilstreaks from an ailing engine- must be fresh from works!

Keep smiling 

Robert 

[JasonB]

Absolutely love this layout. It's a perfect example of less is more, and that's meant as a compliment. No fuss, kept simple but finished to a high standard as the picture above shows. This layout just oozes atmosphere and class to go with it.

[David Holman]

That is one very fine viewpoint. Good to see this layout again.

[Ribérac]

Just read it. A wonderful layout. Thanks for the pics.