Derek's Layout

[derek]

Prob wouldnt have the work for it at this stage. Maybe if I re do the bridge and tunnels on the old part of the layout....... Oh, and stone walls of course. Hmmmmm.............

[derek]

Have things looking a lot greener now. Just used grass mats , couldn,t justify getting a static grass set up for the area I was doing. Would probably never use it again. Mats worked out ok I suppose, but there was a lot of follow up work to try and disguise the joints. Used Heki mats on the old layout a few years back but discovered that Marks Models dont sell them anymore. The lads there recommended Noch instead, so I gave them a go. The backing on the Heki was a lot stronger, I thought, and the Noch grass went black when in contact with PVA glue. Still though, I am happy enough with the result so far. Here are a few pics of the latest bit of progress

That grass is really too pristine. Going to have to "dirty" it up a bit. Hmmmm, reminds me of something. Oh yes.......

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Looking good from here

[derek]

Thanks Denis. 027 is dragging a few blow ins around the place for now . Will put that right when the Park Royals arrive Gonna do a bit of "trackside" work, next. Fill in the gaps between the obvious edge of the grassmats and the ballast. 

Edited July 22, 2023 by derek

[Broithe]

1 hour ago, derek said:

That grass is really too pristine. Going to have to "dirty" it up a bit. Hmmmm, reminds me of something. Oh yes.......

If you'd used the cue ball, it could be a scene from The Prisoner.

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

2 minutes ago, Broithe said:

If you'd used the cue ball, it could be a scene from The Prisoner.

One of my favourite series ever!

[Bob229]

Looks very well like the elevated track and river

[derek]

LUIMNEACH ABU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

1 hour ago, derek said:

LUIMNEACH ABU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tipp next year

[derek]

Drive for five talk will start soon

[derek]

On 10/6/2023 at 12:46 AM, jhb171achill said:

Only seeing this, Derek. You've put a lot of work into that - it's looking very well. Only (constructive!) suggestions I would make is that there doesn't seem to be a physical connection between the inner circuit and the rest - a connection would add much flexibility. Also, for Ireland, platform ends were never tapered (not all that much in Britain either).....  your idea of green paint on buildings, especially railway ones and post offices, is very much the way to go!

Having thought about what Jonathan correctly pointed out about the platforms and having come to the conclusion that none of my recent (and future) purchases would be able to pull in to the station, I am now seriously considering ripping up the inside 371 radius loop and replacing with a 438. This would give me the chance to make new platforms and station building. Its a big step though as a lot of roads and bridge, tunnel etc would have to go or be altered. Seriously thinking of doing it though. What do you lads think? Think it would be worth the grief? Votes on a 20 spot to this address

[jhb171achill]

9 minutes ago, derek said:

Having thought about what Jonathan correctly pointed out about the platforms and having come to the conclusion that none of my recent (and future) purchases would be able to pull in to the station, I am now seriously considering ripping up the inside 371 radius loop and replacing with a 438. This would give me the chance to make new platforms and station building. Its a big step though as a lot of roads and bridge, tunnel etc would have to go or be altered. Seriously thinking of doing it though. What do you lads think? Think it would be worth the grief? Votes on a 20 spot to this address

Looking at the pic above, the platform to the right of the class 37 could be extended a little simply by moving the signal cabin to the left of the running line (in the field, immediately be4side the track. The branch platform in the background to the right of the train of 4-wheel coaches could also be extended at both ends by almost the length of another 4-wheeler at each end. That would make a difference without causing any major hassles?

[derek]

Yes , but the class 37 is on a loop of 371 radius curves. This is my problem, the A class,  141s and so on won,t run on a radius that tight. So I will have to bring the inside loop out to roughly where the woman is holding the gate open to accomodate 438 radius. ( i don,t have space by the backscene to the right) This means coming 134mm into the field and cutting right through  the stone bridge,  and all the elevated road. It,s gonna be carnage but I think it wll be worth it to see my Irish stock at the station finally. And I should be able to get a goods siding out of it with some careful planning. 

On 24/7/2023 at 4:49 PM, jhb171achill said:

Looking at the pic above, the platform to the right of the class 37 could be extended a little simply by moving the signal cabin to the left of the running line (in the field, immediately be4side the track. The branch platform in the background to the right of the train of 4-wheel coaches could also be extended at both ends by almost the length of another 4-wheeler at each end. That would make a difference without causing any major hassles?

 

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, derek said:

Yes , but the class 37 is on a loop of 371 radius curves. This is my problem, the A class,  141s and so on won,t run on a radius that tight. So I will have to bring the inside loop out to roughly where the woman is holding the gate open to accomodate 438 radius. ( i don,t have space by the backscene to the right) This means coming 134mm into the field and cutting right through  the stone bridge,  and all the elevated road. It,s gonna be carnage but I think it wll be worth it to see my Irish stock at the station finally. And I should be able to get a goods siding out of it with some careful planning. 

 

Good stuff, Derek, looking forward to seeing it develop! Good luck!

[derek]

Its a go so.............? Gonna have to be really.

[Sean]

have you tried to run any "second radius only" trains through that circuit to see how they handle it before you go tearing it up?

[derek]

Sean, you have read my mind. Thinking about trying just that , all day at work today. Gonna run the 141 around first as it "only" has the 8 wheels before trying the A with its 12 wheels. Time is tight at the moment so I will carry out these experiments tomorrow and report back soon as. To be honest, I think I have made up my mind not to do any ripping up to the degree I was planning. Just not worth the grief, I dont think, for what I will lose. If I want any pics of the Irish trains at the station, the hand of God will be employed to airlift them in. Running operations can be confined to the much longer outer  track. I will take Jonathans advice though and replace the platforms with something more suitable. And the station building will have to go. Watch this space............

[Sean]

the stock should go around fine for the most part but alot of the time you will run into issues with the buffers and or couplings binding and this causes derailments. so start with short trains and keep a close eye on these areas for fouling. 

[derek]

Ok, so the results are in. Locomotives on their own go around fine. The 141 maybe better than the A. Or that could be my imagination. Anyway they both ran without problems. When I tried with a coach from the steam train I had a derailment. Then with one from the blue inter city it was fine. So the conclusion is that it depends on what you run. Here are the vids. Pardon the bad camera work. Oh and pics of the improved track side

[derek]

The bridge at the back of the layout, which was originally put in to hide a crappy piece of painting on the backscene( by me), has been bugging me for a while. It just didn,t look like anything from"real life". It came straight from my head to be honest. So I decided to change it for something which I hope looks a little better. See what you lads think. So it started with.......

Abomination:

Followed by Mutilation:

 

Decoration:

 

 

And finally,....Transformation:

 

 

[Galteemore]

That looks very good. What might help lift it a little more is to make the top of the bridge a girder, as a stone bridge like that would tend to be arched. https://www.alamy.com/low-railway-bridge-over-country-lane-cultra-county-down-northern-ireland-image4831031.html

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Nice work changing the bridge.

[derek]

19 hours ago, Galteemore said:

That looks very good. What might help lift it a little more is to make the top of the bridge a girder, as a stone bridge like that would tend to be arched. https://www.alamy.com/low-railway-bridge-over-country-lane-cultra-county-down-northern-ireland-image4831031.html

Hmmm........ More mutilation. Could be worth it though. I,,ll have to have a think.

[DJ Dangerous]

19 hours ago, Galteemore said:

That looks very good. What might help lift it a little more is to make the top of the bridge a girder, as a stone bridge like that would tend to be arched. https://www.alamy.com/low-railway-bridge-over-country-lane-cultra-county-down-northern-ireland-image4831031.html

 

I'm very fond of the plate girder bridge sides. Think that they look smashing.

This kind of thing here:

 

[derek]

1 hour ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

I'm very fond of the plate girder bridge sides. Think that they look smashing.

This kind of thing here:

 

The difficulty I have making changes to the bridge is that it is fixed in place. I had to make the alterations without moving it. But if ye insist, I,ll see what I can do, Sigh! Think I prefer the image supplied by DJD here. The other one ( Galteemore) looks too contemporary to my eyes. ( But what do I know) Think I gonna have to employ a hacksaw blade here and just lop off the top section. Leave it with me..........

[Galteemore]

7 minutes ago, derek said:

The difficulty I have making changes to the bridge is that it is fixed in place. I had to make the alterations without moving it. But if ye insist, I,ll see what I can do, Sigh! Think I prefer the image supplied by DJD here. The other one ( Galteemore) looks too contemporary to my eyes. ( But what do I know) Think I gonna have to employ a hacksaw blade here and just lop off the top section. Leave it with me..........

No you’re quite right. I prefer the older style myself - that was just the first photo I found! 

[derek]

13 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

No you’re quite right. I prefer the older style myself - that was just the first photo I found! 

I appreciate the interest, thanks a lot. Believe me I need all the help I can get ha ha. Here is a bridge quite close to where I live. Stone sides and all. Still think I might try something along the lines of DJDs pic though. I,m a glutton for punishment.........

[derek]

On 19/8/2023 at 9:13 PM, Galteemore said:

That looks very good. What might help lift it a little more is to make the top of the bridge a girder, as a stone bridge like that would tend to be arched. https://www.alamy.com/low-railway-bridge-over-country-lane-cultra-county-down-northern-ireland-image4831031.html

 

On 20/8/2023 at 5:02 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

 

I'm very fond of the plate girder bridge sides. Think that they look smashing.

This kind of thing here:

 

So, lads, is this any better? The colour is actually green, but looks grey in the pics.

[DJ Dangerous]

5 minutes ago, derek said:

 

So, lads, is this any better? The colour is actually green, but looks grey in the pics.

 

Fair dues, love it, photo realistic scenery, nostalgia gold!

[derek]

Jaysus! I did a covid test while perusing the forum here. Came up positive. Keep ye,re fingers crossed for me. Thought it was just a cold, but no such luck. Hopefully wont be too severe............

[Galteemore]

2 hours ago, derek said:

 

So, lads, is this any better? The colour is actually green, but looks grey in the pics.

Now that’s more like it. Well done !

[DJ Dangerous]

12 hours ago, derek said:

Jaysus! I did a covid test while perusing the forum here. Came up positive. Keep ye,re fingers crossed for me. Thought it was just a cold, but no such luck. Hopefully wont be too severe............

 

Take it easy, @derek, nothing too strenuous and plenty of sun!

[derek]

Thanks Dave. Plenty of sun?. Easy for you to say. I do live in Ireland you know. Although its lovely in Limerick today.. Cheers

[derek]

And then there were bubbles 

 

Different angle....

 

Getting more Irish by the year

 

[derek]

Camera work is terrible. Must do better