N Gauge T-Trak

[MikeO]

Thanks debrawenlock

It was a great day with plenty of interaction with the public.

Unfortunately I missed a lot of good layouts including yours.

MikeO

 

[Peter]

I'd love to know what chassis you used for the class 071 and class 121? Cheers. 

[MikeO]

Peter

In both cases I used the whole model. For the 071 the donor was a Class 37 diesel and for the 121 it was a class 20. The choice of these models was influenced by the fact that they were about the right length and had the correct wheel arrangement. I thought it would be simpler building up the body to the appropriate shape. I am content that it looks the part but may not be strictly accurate.

Hope this helps.

[Peter]

Thanks Mike.

I have the Shapeways bodies and want to make sure I have the right chassis for them. 

Peter 

[MikeO]

Peter

I had looked at the Shapeways bodies when I first considered modelling a class 121 but could not find the specified chassis donor which was an American switcher SW9. To me the drawback to the Shapeways bodies is that the designers either had in mind a specific chassis or the left it to the buyer to come up with something. This is very hit or miss. While the dimensions are quoted, usually  external, there can be issues with internal dimensions. A friend showed me  bodies he bought for the class141/181. The internal cavity appeared to be too small to take any standard motor. The other issues is the length of the chassis need for each body type. Looking at any commercially available chassis it was always hard to know which might fit the body. even comparing real life dimensions of the potential donor loco with those of the real life body prototype I could not find any that match exactly. Making changes to the chassis was not something I felt comfortable with doing.

If you find any chassis that fit I would be interested to know.

MikeO

 

[Peter]

Thanks for the reply Mike. I found some SW9 online for the 121. It would be great to try some chassis for the 71 before I spend money and get the wrong one. Easier said than done. Will let you know if I find something that works. 

[MikeO]

Peter

Did you buy SW9s for the 121. If so were there any issuing in fitting them to the Shapeways bodiy? The Class 20 chassis measures 91mm in length from buffer beam to buffer beam and 15mm in width.

With regard to the 071, the length of the class 37 chassis is 121mm in length from buffer beam to buffer beam and 16mm in with. If you have an 071 Shapeways body does this help?

MikeO 

[Peter]

Mike, I haven't bought a SW9 yet, but I see some for sale on eBay at the moment. I'll make a purchase. 

Thank you for the measurements of those locos. The internal measurements of the 121 shell are roughly 70mm long and 10mm wide. For the class 71 shell it's roughly 95mm long and 10mm wide. 

Forgive my lack of knowledge, are buffer beams the end of the buffers?

P

[MikeO]

Peter

The buffer beams are attached to each end of the chassis and the buffers are attached to the beams. My measurements include the buffer beams but not the buffers themselves.

In respect of the class 37 the attached photos show

1 the buffer beam as seen from the front of the loco

 

 

2 the buffer beam and the position of original body as seen from underneath.

 

I hope this helps

Given your measurements of the Shapeways bodies neither the class 20 nor the class 37 chassis will suit.

MikeO

[MikeO]

With all the Exhibitions since March cancelled, I temporarily set up a T-Trak layout in my garage. I am taking the opportunity to give all my Irish collection a run and in many cases to combine stock that would perhaps not be seen on the layout at the same time.

The following photos show mostly orange and B and T liveried stock with a few more modern items at the end.

The rest of the collection will appear over the coming weeks.

Much of the stock will have been seen at various times in this thread but some will be new.

 

The first 2 photos as usual show an overview.

 

The"Tippex" coaches, pulled by the class 181, are shown for the first time in a single consist

 

Here is a view of the luggage van and the EGV at the end the long consist

 

 

The Grey intercity loco has been replaced by the class 181

 

This is the first of the new stock. The Enterprise liveried loco has been seen before but the coaches are all new. For along time I had been looking to acquire stock to run with it. However it was just this year that I found the inspiration to be able to do so. All of the coaches are made from a mix of plastic and card. The only commercial items are the wheels and bogies.

 

This is the DVT at the rear of the train

 

 

MikeO

Edited June 5, 2020 by MikeO

[MikeO]

Moving a little further back in time to the GSR/CIE steam period the next set of photos show a variety of passenger stock.. For the GSR the liveries including the Purple Lake, Maroon and the Cream/Brown. The CIE period covers mostly the lighter green era as well as a "tin" van and a B&T TPO omitted from the first set of photos.

Again starting with a few overviews

The first overview shows the CIE Green coaches

The GSR stock has been added plus a couple of other CIE Coaches

J8 no 443 heads a rake of mostly ex MGWR 6 wheel coaches in CIE Livery. No 443 was the only member of its class to have double side cab windows

 

Next we have K1a no 323 with a variety of coaches making up the boat train

 

A close up of the two Brown and Cream coaches

Class 800 leads a long train made up of the following coaches: a park royal, 2114, 1349,1143,1306,1290, Celestory 12D and Brakevan 2540

Class D17 no 18 is in charge of coaches; 345, 561, a Bredin,  897, 220D, 353(only 4 wheels per bogie not 6) and brake van 2540 this time in GSR Maroon

 

J15 no 106 pulls a mix of 4 and 6 wheel coaches of various vintages: nos 900(1924 version), 47 Dargan (in MGWR Brown), 949, 900(1953 version)308, 15A (Bird cage brake) and 7b. The last two in Purple Lake.

P1 class no 850 has in tow 2 park royals(One with the port hole window and one without), a 4 wheel TPO, a 4 wheel tin heating van and no 471 

 

P1 class 850 is now in charge of the boat train.

 

MikeO

Edited June 9, 2020 by MikeO

[MikeO]

Continuing with the age of steam the next series of photos cover the GNR, NCC and UTA periods.

The overview shots show the stock with different loco types at their head.

 

In this view there are 3 GNR rakes, headed up, from left to right, by PPs class no 43, QNG class no 112 and S class no 70.

These are followed by a UTA rake headed by WT class no 56 and the NCC rake with U2 class 74

 

Here the 3 GNR trains are headed up, from left to right,  by V class no 85, S Class no 170 and Vs class no 208

This is the same shot but with the use of flash the blue colour of the 3 loco is more clearly seen.

Same shot agin but with flash the colouring of the 3 coaches behind the loco can be more clearly seen as an orange/brown. This is similar to models on display at Whitehead.

 

Here we have the Enterprise circa 1948 with the S Class in charge. The coaches are D5(brake first), C2(first), K20(Buffet), K15, K24, F17 and L14. Apart from the K24 and the F17, the others are quoted by Desmond Coakham as making up an Enterprise set in 1948 although there should have been 3 K15s in total.

 

 

A short GNR train consisting of PPs 43 and coaches K8, K23, K23, K23 B1(diner) and J2

 

This close up of the 2 K23 coaches is included to show the different window arrangements. All but one had the arrangement on the left most coach but no 135 had the arrangement on the right most coach. You can just see the shutters to either side of 5 of the windows.

 

 

This is the 3rd GNR train with QNG class no 112 in charge. The coaches are W1(6 wheeler), M1 van, I10, 2 F15s and I11. The last 3 liveries are very dark as that is their original livery. I left them as is because some photos clearly show dark liveries. I accept that this may not be totally accurate.

 

 

The UTA rake is headed by WT class 56 and consists of an A3 (in Blue and cream), J17, F15, J16, F7, F2, J11 and K6 in varying shades of dark green

 

 

Lastly the NCC set comprising U2 class 74 and coaches J11, I2, I20, H2, North Atlantic Express Buffet Car no 90, J11, A3 (Blue and Cream) and V16

 

This is the last of the passenger stock except for one photo that I have to set up of the old and the modern Enterprise sets.. Next will come the freight.

MikeO

 

[MikeO]

A few photos of the old and the newish Enterprise trains. In the previous post i said I would do 1 photo but like most things as I started to take the photos the possibilities grew so more photos were required.

First the old and newish. The old is circa 1948 and the newish circa 2000 although I am open to correction on the later date. While the 201 class and the De Detrich's were firmly in the era of corporate identity. To a certain extent the early train also has a corporate identity, mahogany coaches and blue locos with the usual name boards.

 

The S class and train on its own. At the start of the Enterprise service in 1947 the Vs class would have been the main motive power.

 

 

The 201 class and coaches on its own

 

Come the 1960's and any semblance of a corporate image has gone.

 

The left most train is a real mixture of company liveries. Three UTA coaches just behind the loco( a WT class no 56 with UTA logo), Two CIE coaches 1 in B&T and the other in Green and at the end another UTA coach. All heading to Dublin in May 1964 as per Derek Huntriss book Irish Traction in Colour.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by MikeO

[MikeO]

Moving on to some modern freight. Some you will have seen before in this thread but others are new.

In this overview the first 4 containers have been seen before as have the yellow autoblasters and the NIR ballast wagons as well as all but 2 of the cement wagons. However they are here for completeness.

 

 

The remaining containers are all new. Two are plastic and the others card. All the containers have scratch built wagon flats. The plastic ones are the red/brown which is a C-Rail product and the Maersk is a 1/160 scale Fleischmann one.

 

 

Two closer views of the cement train. all of the cement wagons are scratch built.

The new items are the last 2 wagons. I have painted them blue as that is the colour I have seen them portrayed in on this forum.But there are photographs of them and some curtain sided wagons in brown in Colm O'Callaghan's book Irish Traction Iarnród Éireann.

 

A closeup of the ballast train.

Finally 2 views of my Tara Mines and shale wagons from plastic sheet and styrene strip. These are all scratch built including the chassis.

 

MikeO

Edited June 22, 2020 by MikeO

[MikeO]

More freight this time from the steam era although many of the wagons were still in use in the early diesel era. The photos are from the steam era.

 

The first 3 photos show an overview of all the freight stock. Photo 3 came about by accident as I was making up a long goods train leaving gaps where I had taken some stock out of the other trains.  I thought it lookked like a marshalling yard.

 

 

This gives a clearer view of the stock

 

 

A very varied covered van consist

 

These are a mixture of long 4 wheel, 6 wheel and bogie vans. While some of the brown vans would be part of a UTA or NCC passenger working I am never sure how the rest were marshalled.

 

 

This is my permanent way train, mostly a mix of ballast wagons and a plough van

A second set of covered vans with some Ranks grain wagons.

 

A mix of what could be termed containers with some tankers

 

A closer view of the long covered van train shown in the middle of the third photo above. There are 20 wagons pulled by an SG 3

 

 

A second long but more typical mixed goods train

 

Lastly a mix of open wagons

That completes my stock at present.

 

Looking through the various books that I have a number of loco and stock combinations struck me as interesting, so I will set some up on the layout and take some photos.

 

MikeO

Edited June 29, 2020 by MikeO

[MikeO]

Some what later than planned I have included some photos of combinations of locos and stock that I would not have thought to combine.

As often happens when there are delays something similar turns up in this form in various threads.

 

This photo show 3 Park Royals in one short train. This is based on a photo by David Murray

 

This is one is inspired by one of the photos that turned up in the forum in John Mayners thread on GNR  grain and open wagons.

The Ranks and the Guinness grain wagons have been seen before but I adapted one of the covered wagons to be  grain wagon as per the photo in his thread.

 

The next 2 photos show a 201 at the head of a container liner and some bubbles.

 

 

Another 201 in Enterprise livery with some bubbles

 

Lastly a truly mixed train

 

I took a lot more photos for inclusion but on reviewing them I thought they were not good quality or focused too much on the loco with the rest of the train out of focus.

 

Edited August 28, 2020 by MikeO

[MikeO]

A few photos of the T Trak layout at the North Down Show on April 23/24. I only managed to take these 5 photos of the layout.

A motely collection of wagons parked in a siding.

 

The modules were not all Irish themed hence a Class 121 with an intercity trains passing a German town. Rule 1 in application.

A GNR 4-4-0 with various  shades of "Mahogany" passing the same buildings.

A Class 800 with a variety of Clerestory and Pullman coaches passing a W H Mills style station and thie historic part of the village.

Parked at the back a J15 with a cattle train awaiting its turn of duty.

 

 

MikeO

[MikeO]

A few photos taken at the 1st Bangor show held on 20/21 May 2022.

 

A general overview of the viewing area.

 

 

A jeep with a typical UTA( NCC section) train with a 6 wheel brown van at the rear

 

 

A class 400 in grey at the head of a long line of cattle wagons.

 

 

Two views of different Class 400 locos at the head of a typical early CIE train with tin van trailing and a cattle train passing.

 

 

 

 

Finally two views of a very impressive new Japanese T trak layout, not mine.

 

 

MikeO

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by MikeO