Sean's DSER Loft layout

[Sean]

After recent successes with my micros the bug for something bigger and with continuous running had always been niggling in the back of my mind but after mulling on it for a while a tail chaser would not do as i had my mind set on bigger things and longer trains. So ive spent the last couple of weeks planning and building benchwork and this week ive managed to get some trackwork laid so now i finally feel like talking about what ive been doing 

the result is a 45cm wide bench going around my loft room totalling 12'x7' with a decent space for walkaround in the middle of the room.

planning said track work was handy as I was just looking for one big country branchline type loop going around the room which would evolve more over time.

Ideally i was thinking from the outset that eventually the layout will incorporate a station area, as well as a quarry area elsewhere in the room but the rest would be pure countryside running. the station would be built from the get go but the quarry area will be a later addition once i start to get a nice bit of a landscape down and have played with the layout for a while.

Also finally decided to take the plunge with code 75 and a pair of tracksettas and a dremel tool and OMG why did i not do this years ago 

so whilst i had been laying the track loop around the room i had also been researching what kind of station I would like and ideally i wanted to make a replica of Gorey station, however upon measuring OSI maps and comparing them to the available space that i had I really was going to need a few more available feet to do it proper justice so I began looking for alternatives from the nearby stations on the map and in the end a very suitable compromise was found and i have quickly designed the station plan around this idea. the placeholder toy buildings have been added to give me an idea of what things are going to look like.

I quickly came to the conclusion that Enniscorthy was a little bit too elaborate and Arklow actually worked but it still became space prohibitive as the old goods layout added a lot of required space.

Eventually i stumbled upon Tinahely and it struck me as perfect as it followed a very similar layout to gorey whilst fitting into a much more compact space.

So the station plan follows this station quite closely, I have had to shorten it slightly and one siding is missing and may or may not be added later depending on how lazy i get. the infrastructure and surrounding roads are going to be similar to the OS map however overall the station buildings are going to be based off of Gorey station and there will be 2 platforms with a footbridge with integrated signal box etc just like main line DSER stations.

I can currently fit 4 coach trains at the platforms or 3 42 footers into the goods loop which seems like a decent setup to me although  there definitely is some temptation to shorten the goods loop to give 5 coach platforms and a 2 flat goods loop, taking some time off from layout building to decompress and enjoy the nice weather for now however .. Still gotta wire the thing but we can leave that for a rainy day, ha

 

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Time to set up a YT channel for all of the various layouts! This is gonna be too good not to.

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Excellent, another layout build, this is going to be addictive again.

[Past-Avenue]

That's looking great and nice to see a station close to me been replicated and looking forward to seeing your progress on this.  Good luck with it and most importantly enjoy it. 

Enda 

[Sean]

Looks like this will prove insanely useful for planning my goods shed, this particular shed is also situated within a carpark too so i can get in for a closer look  

 

[Patrick Davey]

Ah brill - super research material!!! Imagine the size of layout that could be fitted in there too

[Niles]

On 10/6/2023 at 3:35 AM, Sean said:

I can currently fit 4 coach trains at the platforms or 3 42 footers into the goods loop which seems like a decent setup to me although  there definitely is some temptation to shorten the goods loop to give 5 coach platforms and a 2 flat goods loop, taking some time off from layout building to decompress and enjoy the nice weather for now however .. Still gotta wire the thing but we can leave that for a rainy day, ha

Having grown up watching 071s & mk2s in Gorey it would have been normal for the rear carriages to trail over the points and off the platform, so wouldn't be too worried about making them fit 5...

[DJ Dangerous]

8 hours ago, Patrick Davey said:

Ah brill - super research material!!! Imagine the size of layout that could be fitted in there too

Plenty of space to "mill" about in there...

[Mayner]

On 10/6/2023 at 2:35 PM, Sean said:

After recent successes with my micros the bug for something bigger and with continuous running had always been niggling in the back of my mind but after mulling on it for a while a tail chaser would not do as i had my mind set on bigger things and longer trains. So ive spent the last couple of weeks planning and building benchwork and this week ive managed to get some trackwork laid so now i finally feel like talking about what ive been doing 

the result is a 45cm wide bench going around my loft room totalling 12'x7' with a decent space for walkaround in the middle of the room.

planning said track work was handy as I was just looking for one big country branchline type loop going around the room which would evolve more over time.

Ideally i was thinking from the outset that eventually the layout will incorporate a station area, as well as a quarry area elsewhere in the room but the rest would be pure countryside running. the station would be built from the get go but the quarry area will be a later addition once i start to get a nice bit of a landscape down and have played with the layout for a while.

Also finally decided to take the plunge with code 75 and a pair of tracksettas and a dremel tool and OMG why did i not do this years ago 

so whilst i had been laying the track loop around the room i had also been researching what kind of station I would like and ideally i wanted to make a replica of Gorey station, however upon measuring OSI maps and comparing them to the available space that i had I really was going to need a few more available feet to do it proper justice so I began looking for alternatives from the nearby stations on the map and in the end a very suitable compromise was found and i have quickly designed the station plan around this idea. the placeholder toy buildings have been added to give me an idea of what things are going to look like.

I quickly came to the conclusion that Enniscorthy was a little bit too elaborate and Arklow actually worked but it still became space prohibitive as the old goods layout added a lot of required space.

Eventually i stumbled upon Tinahely and it struck me as perfect as it followed a very similar layout to gorey whilst fitting into a much more compact space.

So the station plan follows this station quite closely, I have had to shorten it slightly and one siding is missing and may or may not be added later depending on how lazy i get. the infrastructure and surrounding roads are going to be similar to the OS map however overall the station buildings are going to be based off of Gorey station and there will be 2 platforms with a footbridge with integrated signal box etc just like main line DSER stations.

I can currently fit 4 coach trains at the platforms or 3 42 footers into the goods loop which seems like a decent setup to me although  there definitely is some temptation to shorten the goods loop to give 5 coach platforms and a 2 flat goods loop, taking some time off from layout building to decompress and enjoy the nice weather for now however .. Still gotta wire the thing but we can leave that for a rainy day, ha

 

Before upgrading in the late 90s-early 2000s platforms at many intermediate stations on the CIE/IE system could only take 4 coach trains, the checker would go to the train asking passengers for the next stop to move to the front of the train, Clara and the majority of stations Mullingar-Sligo come to mind.

If you are modelling the Liner Train era do you?

(a) unload kegs and containers (with a 7t Forklift) while the "Liner" is waiting on the main line and use the goods loop/siding for exclusively for unloading Bagged Cement and Trainload Fertiliser traffic the practice at stations such as Mullingar, Roscommon and Boyle?

or 

(b)  is there sufficient traffic to justify a 25t forklift for container traffic and load/unload the train in the yard clear of the main line as practiced at stations such as Ballinasloe or Tralee,

or

(c) backdate to the 60s/70s and run traditional loose coupled goods trains and handle all types of goods traffic in the yard.

While long passenger and freight train are impressive if you have the space, its a lot easier to model the pre-80s era railway steam or diesel in a restricted space, a watching trains go-by double track tail chaser may be a better option than a single track country station in a restricted space

 

Edited June 16, 2023 by Mayner

[Sean]

Been a little out of sorts with the hot weather lately,(Shut up, Dave.....  ) so progress has slowed right down and I havent been updating or replying to the thread.

still plenty going on though.

heres a little sneak peak of what ive been at.

 

[Sean]

The end of a raised branchline finally laid leading to what should be eventually a "quarry" (or maybe a beer factory who knows) area.

not very prototypical for the location but the siding is built to take 12 Tara's, it also sets a scenic break for trains running around the main  loop to dissappear and reappear, ive also left room for more roads through the "fiddle" area now in the future but thats not something i'm gonna focus on till later.

the actual scenics for this line have always just been planned to stay quite basic and could later on end up having quite a ballinacourty type feeling as the intended equipment is simply going to be some sort of nondescript  "hopper loader" that will be generic enough to suit most types of hopper wagon that have been produced. im also toying with the idea of there being another small station along the way but something is telling me the layout would be much better as only a single station affair that emphasises on scenery around the rest of the room.

 after this there are still 2x 7 foot stretches of baseboard on either side of the room which i have not yet made any plans for,  i do want a sort of bog road crossing somewhere however.

I had been building up a dcc bus last week end but i lost interest half way through so finishing that will be my next step, after that it I will finally be able to run a train and see have my calculations in building the incline worked when i try to pull this massive rake up it,  I will video that test for my own embarrasment  

 

As you can see ive also barricaded myself into the room so now its a bit of climbing or crawling any time i need to get in or out LOL

Edited June 23, 2023 by Sean

[derek]

Sean, what incline did you go with ? Did you stay within the 1 in 50 guidline or did you push it a bit? On my layout , I went with 1 in 48 and I having no problems. Just wondering if I could have got away with a steeper gradient. Depends on what you try to haul up it I suppose.?

[Sean]

I tried to stay at 2% (1:50) but one section is noticably more so thats where im truly worried about, ill finish the dcc bus tonight and finally get to do a test run.

I mean if it doesnt work out wont that be a proper excuse to run a double head 121 LOL

[derek]

It sure will. Cant really say I,m a fan of the 121s though. I know, I know....... : "blasphemous kinda talk". Probably the only one on here who isn,t

[Noel]

Super concept. Really looking forward to watching this evolve. It's gonna be good. 

[Rob]

2 hours ago, derek said:

It sure will. Cant really say I,m a fan of the 121s though. I know, I know....... : "blasphemous kinda talk". Probably the only one on here who isn,t

I'm personally not into the 121's myself- too early to interest me but they are super models though and great they are available to all

[Noel]

46 minutes ago, Rob said:

I'm personally not into the 121's myself- too early to interest me but they are super models though and great they are available to all

Yea in Tippex Livery they operated right up until about 2007 with PP commuter sets, Limerick shuttle, etc. And in pairs for some freight operations. For many layouts a 121 paired up with a 141 hauling a mixed rake of Cravens, Park Royals and Laminates was classic from the 1980s right up to the naughties.

[jhb171achill]

24 minutes ago, Noel said:

Yea in Tippex Livery they operated right up until about 2007 with PP commuter sets, Limerick shuttle, etc. And in pairs for some freight operations. For many layouts a 121 paired up with a 141 hauling a mixed rake of Cravens, Park Royals and Laminates was classic from the 1980s right up to the naughties.

Indeed.... You'd have got "pairs" of mixed 121 / 141 / 181 types way back fifty years ago, right up to the mid-noughties; first time I saw a 121 + 141 combo was, I think, in 1972...............  so it's a prototypical scene which covers some thirty years and more....

[Sean]

Testing of the inclines has concluded and the results are in!

 

now that things are up and running i can actually focus on how the rest of the layout is going to look and operate.

[DJ Dangerous]

[derek]

No bother to it at all. May I commend you on the neat bit of woodwork, cutting that piece of yellow pine for the side of the slope. (Cant switch off from the day job)

[Sean]

LOL it was an old bed a few weeks ago......

[DJ Dangerous]

1 hour ago, Sean said:

LOL it was an old bed a few weeks ago......

Sleeping in the bath, happy memories!

[Sean]

been taking some time away whilst i sort out some other stuff around the place but yesterdays arrival (the bus)  prompted me to get in for a tidy up and small running session, which then turned into me putting up the backscene and making a small carpark for the station as the train ran around, the code 75 seems to be very smooth and well laid.

also have the unfinished dutch van on the line for testing purposes. still need to find somewhere to put all these green boxes  

[DJ Dangerous]

15 hours ago, Sean said:

still need to find somewhere to put all these green boxes  

 

Slap a bit of glue on the backs and stick them to the wall.

[jhb171achill]

Possible inspiration for a DSER-based branch line - this was taken by Senior in (I think) 1944 - the DSER branch line terminus (their only one!) at Shillelagh. Very compact and easy to model.

[Sean]

Have you anything from Tinahely?

the station i have planned (mostly in my head lol) is sort of a hybrid of three stations, Initially I was looking at gorey but the sheer lenght of the place made it unfeasible to do properly so i started looking at the other stations on the network and stumbled upon tinahely which in my head is a cut down version of the track plan at gorey, So essentially as a modellers comprimise I will be building the gorey station around the tinahely track plan.

then after that its going to resemble Arklow in terms of surrounding buildings and surrounding roads and infrastructure, that evolution is more of a conincidence though.

Your latest book is on my list for within the next week or 2 which will undoubtedly help me, have you got any copies left?

[jhb171achill]

Hi Sean!

I'm afraid I've nothing on Tinahely or Ballinglen, or even Woodenbridge, among my dad's photos.......  I do like the one above, though.

In terms of books, "Rails Through the West" has just gone out of print; I've the last half-dozen or so copies here. But there are loads of "Rails through Tipperary", and for DSER enthusiasts, "Rails Through Wexford", as these are the two most recent in this series I did with Barry. For the DSER, we have included several very interesting shots of Palace East (a VERY interesting station), Macmine Junction and New Ross, as well as Wexford itself, of course.

When doing this book, we did consider covering the whole DSER, but within Barry's photos alone, never mind me writing all the history of it all, and background to the photos, we'd have had enough to fill a telephone book. The DSER / DWWR was a truly unique line, with a fascinating background and history, plus probably the most scenic main line anywhere on this island - thankfully, we still have this!

[raymurph]

Fantastic work on the layout Sean, it's looking great already. Keep the updates coming!

[Northroader]

I might have got me geography wrong, but I got the idea from somewhere there was a branch up to Glendalough. Maybe I just imagined it?

[jhb171achill]

On 5/8/2023 at 10:02 AM, Northroader said:

I might have got me geography wrong, but I got the idea from somewhere there was a branch up to Glendalough. Maybe I just imagined it?

It would have made a very nice branch, but no, it never existed.

[Northroader]

Ah well, imagination is a wonderful thing.

[Niles]

On 5/8/2023 at 10:02 AM, Northroader said:

I might have got me geography wrong, but I got the idea from somewhere there was a branch up to Glendalough. Maybe I just imagined it?

no but a nice thought for a 'might have been'. Even as a 3ft scheme.

Incidentally, there was a proposal for a Gorey to Courtown line branching off the main south of Gorey, one imagines it would have been popular in the summer but died a death in the 60s if not killed off earlier by the GSR when they culled Achill and Clifden.

[Mayner]

The Bray and Enniskerry  Light Railway was an interesting prospect, either as an independent light railway or a line worked by the DWWR/DSER, potential weekend excursion traffic and Mystery Trains to the Village and Powerscourt. https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-bray-and-enniskerry-railway/9781845885939/

Powers to construct the line were obtained, though sure if any construction took place but an interesting stone 'railway style" bridge in the valley below Enniskerry and a prospective terminal site in the village up to the 1980s when it became a housing estate.

 

[Sean]

Once i had the benchwork done and the track laid I decided to take a step away for a few months both because the weather was getting a bit too warm to be in the loft  and because i wanted to digest what i had done and make further plans before going gung ho into building everything there and then.

 

a few small notable things have happened.

got a hape of platforms second hand for a very good price, allowing me to construct a full sized platform plus a shorter platform for the other side without breaking the bank.

The super quick stuff is cheap and really suits the aesthetic that i am going for so i have had a few buildings slowly coming together, This is a combination of the superquick market house and 2 of the country shop kits.

cop shop, this is on the layout now, will take more pics and update again when i am adding the above "main street" piece onto the layout, essentially these few buildings will make  up the bulk of the towny stuff on the layout but i still have a few more to make.