Patrick Davey Posted June 29 Posted June 29 (edited) So the summer approaches and that means lots of things to normal folk….. but to someone like me it only means one thing…a new project! Time now to get started with my long-discussed revival of Capecastle, a previous diorama version of which I built back in 2019. Capecastle was a tiny halt on the narrow gauge Ballycastle Railway in North County Antrim, being 3 miles from the Ballycastle terminus, and sitting in an idyllic location in a small hollow at the foot of the impressive Knocklayd Mountain. The otherwise unremarkable halt was made remarkable by the existence of a 66-yard single bore tunnel at the Ballycastle end, one of very few such structures on the entire Irish narrow gauge. I have a strong family connection to the line as my Great Grandfather James O’Connor was a driver on the line in its independent days, ie pre-1923, in which year it was taken over by the LMS-NCC. The project will see a number of major changes from the previous 4mm diorama: • It will be built to 5.5mm scale using 0-16.5 track (already bought!) - this combination gives the most realistic representation of the 3ft gauge of the Irish narrow gauge • The project will be a working layout rather than a diorama • Rolling stock will be scratchbuilt, beginning with 0-6-0st locomotive No. 2 ‘Countess of Antrim’, which will be a joint project between master locomotive builder Alan Nixon @Tullygrainey and myself • It will be DCC, and will have a long narrow scenic section of 7ft x 1ft 2in And we’re off - baseboards next! Many thanks to all the members here who commented on my previous posts about this idea, which helped me formulate the eventual plan Edited June 29 by Patrick Davey 12 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted June 29 Posted June 29 No pressure then Patrick. Better get my soldering iron serviced 3 Quote
jhb171achill Posted June 29 Posted June 29 1 hour ago, Patrick Davey said: So the summer approaches and that means lots of things to normal folk….. but to someone like me it only means one thing…a new project! Time now to get started with my long-discussed revival of Capecastle, a previous diorama version of which I built back in 2019. Capecastle was a tiny halt on the narrow gauge Ballycastle Railway in North County Antrim, being 3 miles from the Ballycastle terminus, and sitting in an idyllic location in a small hollow at the foot of the impressive Knocklayd Mountain. The otherwise unremarkable halt was made remarkable by the existence of a 66-yard single bore tunnel at the Ballycastle end, one of very few such structures on the entire Irish narrow gauge. I have a strong family connection to the line as my Great Grandfather James O’Connor was a driver on the line in its independent days, ie pre-1923, in which year it was taken over by the LMS-NCC. The project will see a number of major changes from the previous 4mm diorama: • It will be built to 5.5mm scale using 0-16.5 track (already bought!) - this combination gives the most realistic representation of the 3ft gauge of the Irish narrow gauge • The project will be a working layout rather than a diorama • Rolling stock will be scratchbuilt, beginning with 0-6-0st locomotive No. 2 ‘Countess of Antrim’, which will be a joint project between master locomotive builder Alan Nixon @Tullygrainey and myself • It will be DCC, and will have a long narrow scenic section of 7ft x 1ft 2in And we’re off - baseboards next! Many thanks to all the members here who commented on my previous posts about this idea, which helped me formulate the eventual plan Wow - this will be a MOST impressive project! Will it be set in pre-NCC days? Quote
Patrick Davey Posted June 29 Author Posted June 29 (edited) 13 minutes ago, jhb171achill said: Wow - this will be a MOST impressive project! Will it be set in pre-NCC days? Yes indeed - liveries have been researched! Edited June 29 by Patrick Davey Quote
Louth Posted June 29 Posted June 29 A fabulous project Patrick. Looking forward to the photos as the layout and rolling stock develop. 1 1 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted July 17 Author Posted July 17 Tracklaying today. This O-16.5 track seems to be easier to work with than OO gauge, even though they are essentially the same! 6 Quote
jhb171achill Posted July 17 Posted July 17 (edited) This is going to be a STUNNER! Edited July 17 by jhb171achill 1 Quote
David Holman Posted July 18 Posted July 18 Good on you Patrick. Feel sure you will enjoy working in 7mm scale and 0n16.5 is a great way of doing it because the track is indeed easy to work with, while your obvious talents with buildings and scenery should likewise embrace the larger scale. Very addictive though - but I would say that! 1 1 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted July 18 Author Posted July 18 7 hours ago, David Holman said: Good on you Patrick. Feel sure you will enjoy working in 7mm scale and 0n16.5 is a great way of doing it because the track is indeed easy to work with, while your obvious talents with buildings and scenery should likewise embrace the larger scale. Very addictive though - but I would say that! Very kind thanks David All track laid The boards to the left are the short ‘fiddle yard’ extensions. Running line to the left and limestone siding to the right. A big shout out to Alan @Tullygrainey for dropping in to sort the copper sleepers for the baseboard joints Busy work weekend ahead, then next week it will be painting and wiring of the track to look forward to! 5 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted July 22 Author Posted July 22 (edited) All the track has been wired and painted - dark brown base colour for the sleepers then a dry brush of grey to pick out details, and rust for the rail sides. Then a good run over with the track rubber! I had to order the correct ballast, so no more progress until that arrives. Many thanks to Alan @Tullygrainey for his update on the progress of the chassis for the loco for the layout! Edited July 22 by Patrick Davey 14 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted July 23 Author Posted July 23 On 22/7/2025 at 10:21 PM, jhb171achill said: Looking very realistic! Thanks JB. I have discovered a little issue with the wiring which I will fix once a particularly busy work period has concluded, then ballasting and final weathering 2 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted Tuesday at 15:02 Author Posted Tuesday at 15:02 After a rookie mistake with electrofrog points, which was swiftly identified and rectified by Alan @Tullygrainey, testing of the track layout has been successfully completed FullSizeRender.MOV FullSizeRender.mov 2 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted Wednesday at 06:38 Author Posted Wednesday at 06:38 Ballasting and point rodding being implemented. I’m just using 4mm rodding as there isn’t very much needed and it looks ok to me!! Also OO gauge ballast too - it’s always recommended to use ballast from a smaller scale and it definitely works here! 14 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted 21 hours ago Author Posted 21 hours ago (edited) Ballasting & point rodding finished, and none of the ballast fell off when I lifted the board. I'm one of those strange types who finds ballasting very relaxing! This ballast seems to be actual stone too which I haven't used before. Nice stuff! A busy work weekend ahead so that should give the ballast time to dry completely so I can add a bit of weathering and some foliage next week. Edited 21 hours ago by Patrick Davey 6 Quote
jhb171achill Posted 18 hours ago Posted 18 hours ago Absolutely top class job, though to be expected! Here’s Fry’s model of an original Ballycastle engine. 3 1 Quote
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