Enniskillen?

[Galteemore]

For a while now it’s been apparent that my plan to build a slice of Florencecourt won’t happen immediately, as I just don’t have 12’ of convenient space to put up the main board fed by fiddles either end. But I was feeling rather guilty about the three baseboards and trestles I’d built two years ago for the project. I also really need some kind of layout on which to test out locos and stock - even just a bit of back and forth. Much head scratching and I realised I could use one of the boards to make an Iain Rice cameo, with two tracks fed by a cassette fiddle. This can stay up more or less permanently in the workshop. So a busy morning at our local community woodwork facility saw the carcass made……and painted in SLNC station colour of grey/blue. 

So if I can’t model Florencecourt -  for all its simplicity - what on earth can I model? Why Enniskillen of course! Sounds lunacy but check out…..https://www.carendt.com/micro-layout-design-gallery/passenger-lines/ The Farthing layouts are also inspiring….https://farthinglayouts.blogspot.com/ - layouts built as various sections of a station. 

I had initially thought of modelling a segment of Dromahair goods yard to allow a shunting puzzle but that would rule out passenger ops. Then I recalled dear old Carl Arendt’s micro terminals as above. So I can model a section of the SLNC bay at Enniskillen. There was no run round so quite prototypical for trains to run in and propel out. The canopy will be at rear of layout - just have to work out how to imply that the station continues beyond ! 

Trains will be short but it’s better than no layout!! And in any case I am more of a rolling stock constructor than an operator at heart. With some thought and care, I could run the full SLNC timetable with the right stock. After all most services were by railbus so quite short in length - and the goods services would often shunt as far as the dock platform. Thus lots of scope for meaningful minimal space operation. 

Unlike anything I have done before this is straight out of Rice’s cameo layout book in terms of planning from day 1, rather than the suck it and see approach of previous efforts. Shunting, for instance,  will be hands off - no space for electro-magnets so I am not using AJs. I have ordered a batch of Flippems from our own @Bob49 and when those arrive I will start experimenting with magnet placement. 

 

Edited November 21, 2023 by Galteemore

[Irishswissernie]

This one might be of assistance; uploaded today. The sleeper spacing on the goods siding is interesting particularly towards the end!

 

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Brilliant plan Galteemore, this is going to be compulsory viewing .

[Tullygrainey]

Sounding and looking good. Micro layouts can be very satisfying to build, in my experience. 

[Northroader]

Off to a flying start, looks very promising.

[Bob49]

I have something similar in mind. I've a got the components for an A4 point which just need a track base and chairs. I'm thinking DN&GR circ 1914 ish

[Patrick Davey]

Superb - looking forward to this one.

Although when I saw the title I got a bit excited - was hoping for a large attic room with a finescale O gauge layout depicting one of the GNR's jewels!  Blue 440s, black 440s and 060s, mahogany (or was it teak?) carriages and a plethora of assorted goods stock.  And of course the venerable SLNCR 064s with the railcar and railbus.......

 

Edited November 21, 2023 by Patrick Davey

[Galteemore]

I notice what you left until last Patrick….had I the space, it would be Manorhamilton I’d be building  

[David Holman]

Fascinating! Looks like an interesting, but hopefully stress free build and will form a great picture frame for current and future projects.

 In one of his 7mm layout building books, Gordon Gravett did a plan of a light railway junction, with the bay platform to the front and the mainline behind - just like Enniskillen. Hence either a full coach, if room, or a half relief, or even a painting or photo of a GN coach could set the scene nicely.

[Galteemore]

1 hour ago, David Holman said:

Fascinating! Looks like an interesting, but hopefully stress free build and will form a great picture frame for current and future projects.

 In one of his 7mm layout building books, Gordon Gravett did a plan of a light railway junction, with the bay platform to the front and the mainline behind - just like Enniskillen. Hence either a full coach, if room, or a half relief, or even a painting or photo of a GN coach could set the scene nicely.

Thanks David. Funnily enough yesterday I looked up Robert Kosmider’s article in the Gauge O Guild Gazette doing a similar thing with Hamblings pre-war lithos. I have that Gravett book so will check it out….

Edited November 21, 2023 by Galteemore

[David Holman]

Might be worth checking the Alphagraphix catalogue for card kits to use as the backdrop, though your artistic and photographic skills are more than up to the task.

[Angus]

There was a great talk on the SLNCR at the IRRS Manchester meet last week. 

Lots of photos of Enniskillen and the line I hadn't seen. 

Although there was some IT issues the event was record so the slides should be available. 

[Galteemore]

2 minutes ago, Angus said:

There was a great talk on the SLNCR at the IRRS Manchester meet last week. 

Lots of photos of Enniskillen and the line I hadn't seen. 

Although there was some IT issues the event was record so the slides should be available. 

Thanks Angus - I managed to tune in and catch as much as was possible! 

[Patrick Davey]

14 hours ago, Galteemore said:

I notice what you left until last Patrick….had I the space, it would be Manorhamilton I’d be building  

Just to make you jealous, I drove past Manorhamilton twice on Monday…..

[Galteemore]

20 hours ago, Northroader said:

Off to a flying start, looks very promising.

How’s your project coming along Bob? Got to confess, as I think we may have similar space and track plans in mind, your ambition to include passenger workings played a part in nudging me away from a goods yard diorama! 

[Northroader]

It’s slowly coming together, but for now I’m still paying expenses on two houses, so outgoings on modelling are very limited. The boards are using two A1 sheets of 10mm foamboard, which determines a length for each at 33”, with a backscene support of 5mm foamboard. The track is nearly ready to lay, and you’ll be glad to hear it’s set at 37mm. or thereabouts. Good to hear you fancy mixing goods and passenger. Don’t worry about the station building that’s roughed out, that’s for a Portuguese fancy, I’m swotting up on JB’ s useful thread on GNRI buildings.

[Galteemore]

Looks great so far Bob! This will be one to watch .

 

[Galteemore]

Being only a scenic area of 2’ long, there’s not much scope for buildings. There’s one key structure for Enniskillen, though, and that’s the canopy. Ernie’s photo archive was incredibly helpful in identifying the various component parts. Hesitant though I am to post GNR architecture in the presence of @Patrick Davey, here we are…..

Much hacking about of various laser cut canopy parts, cruelly mixed up with plastic rod and superglue, plus 12’ of obeche wood. That was the simple bit. The complication lay in the fact that - only really gleaned from careful photo analysis -was that there was a very low-pitched roof light. This took a lot of careful construction from 1mm Perspex sections, butchered laser-cut roof trusses and plastic strip. Omitting it was not an option - although it would have simplified matters enormously - as the light and shadows it provides will be critical to the composition.
It’s turned out reasonably enough. Colours gleaned from Ernie’s SLNC album as shown. The dodgy, misaligned daggerboards are prototypical btw! 

 

 

 

Edited January 22 by Galteemore

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Looking good, that's a great likeness, well done you.

[Patrick Davey]

Now that is a work of art GM, it truly is!  Looking forward to seeing more progress! 

[Patrick Davey]

Great job on the actual platform as well

[Noel]

That could be the centrepiece of any layout. Love it. 

[jhb171achill]

Superb!

 

[Tullygrainey]

Wonderful!

[David Holman]

Can only concur with all the above. How many individual pieces are there? No, don't!!

Beautiful.

[Northroader]

Really involved constructional work, I’d be scared how sturdy it would prove to be if I was doing it, but going through your materials it sounds strong enough. I found there’s a great temptation picking up those canopies for your fingers to curl over the edges, where the daggerboards are, so don't be like Bob. The appearance of the end result will set off the cameo very well.

[Galteemore]

Although not an inch of track has been laid - a train has arrived on the backscene. A 3 coach train to Clones, headed by an old U. Happy now, @Patrick Davey?  All low relief, and I only modelled 1/3 of the Us tender but it’s hopefully enough to suggest the rest is there…..platform still a bit bare but will be dressed with seats etc when  glued down ….it’s a backscene so not designed for cruel closeups like these  The bottom picture hopefully shows what the effect will look like in relation to the main scene. 

What is hopefully clear here is how important light is to the composition -to get anywhere near the look of the prototype, there has to be light on both canopy sides and in the middle of it. Had I pushed the canopy right against the backscene, as I was tempted to do, it would have put the background foliage into shade, which just wouldn’t look right. Light is shining on the coach roofs so I think we’ve got away with it….

Edited January 29 by Galteemore

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Brilliant 

[Patrick Davey]

Magnificent!!!!

[David Holman]

Remarkable. With the low viewing angle the scene is so spacious and looks far bigger than we know it actually is. The lighting works well too, while is a leaky roof responsible for that damp patch in the first picture?

 Really coming to life.

[Irishrailwayman]

A true layout "on a plank"! Well done.

[Northroader]

Highly unusual composition, and works very well. The low relief coach sides are a different way of doing things, certainly.

[Mike 84C]

Are you a cyclist? 'cos I love the gravity defying bicycle. Seriously, that is a brilliant cameo. makes me want to sit on a platform seat and enjoy the trains. I look forward to more from yourself.

[Galteemore]

 

The catalyst for this layout was ‘Enniskillen’s shockingly poor performance on Northport Quay at Uckfield in October. This made me realise that I needed some kind of layout to run locos - at least back and forward a bit to fine tune the adjustments that handbuilt metal locos need. They require much more fettling than RTR and you really need some kind of test track. There aren’t many 5’3 test tracks around though!!  So tonight the track, after soldering, sleeper gapping and wiring up, was temporarily installed to see if Enniskillen redeemed herself. This took a while to prove as the bogie pillar broke off! Quick soldering job and we were in business. I think she has earned her coal….departing here on the 7:20 to Sligo…..it’s a tiny layout with a few bits to do yet…but we are getting there I think…another big job carried out was installation of diffused LED lighting which has proved well worth doing. Sorry for dubious camera work! 

 

 

 

Edited February 7 by Galteemore

[jhb171achill]

26 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

The catalyst for this layout was ‘Enniskillen’s shockingly poor performance on Northport Quay at Uckfield in October. This made me realise that I needed some kind of layout to run locos - at least back and forward a bit to fine tune the adjustments that handbuilt metal locos need. So tonight the track, after soldering, sleeper gapping and wiring up, was temporarily installed to see if Enniskillen redeemed herself. This took a while to prove as the bogie pillar broke off! Quick soldering job and we were in business. I think she has earned her coal….departing here on the 7:20 to Sligo…..it’s a tiny layout with a few bits to do yet…but we are getting there I think…another big job carried out was installation of diffused LED lighting which has proved well worth doing.

 

 

 

VERY nice!