Four Masters Bridge, Glengarriff & other former Irish models/layouts

[Irishswissernie]

I set out with all good intentions to do a bit more today, but its too hot and, as I hovered 50 feet above the babbling waters of the Drowes River drousing 192 appeared on a fertiliser extra. A dutiful son taking his 'addgagee' for a constitutional watched whilst his aged parent remembered something from his distant youth.

[Irishswissernie]

XXXXXXX !!! The schools break up a week on friday so no doubt modelling will go out of the window for 6 weeks so cracking on a bit over the next few days.

The Drowes River Mill received its coal via rail and rather than use the Mill siding the Mill had one of the rarer arrangements of being able to unload the coal via a shoot on the main line next to the old Warehouse. IT could then be barrowed or carted just a few yard to the Kilns and furnace. Back in the pre war days a  horse drawn tramway led from the covered shed where the shoot terminated direct to the furnaces etc but due to an oversight (or perhaps because I just thought of it) I didn't cut grooves for the rails. So it closed. No 5 is returning the empty wagon to Four Masters yard 

 

[Irishswissernie]

Fertiliser extras ran on Four Masters today. The second train was video'd  from by the river with the rumble of the waters as they flowed over the weir beneath the bridge. Actually we had a sudden heavy downpour which hammered off the loft roof as I filmed. Magic!

 

 

 

[Irishswissernie]

Scenics at north end of the line at the Drowes River Bridge are now more or less finished. 127 + 192 posing for a few shots at 5 am this morning. 

Its getting to hot in the loft to do much for the next couple of months plus SWMBO is now on holiday for 6 weeks so not much will be happening although I am advised that a new locomotive is arriving today which will have to have its portrait taken. It is A ooops sorry a NER J27 one of my favourite locos! £94 from Oxford Rail.

 

[Mike 84C]

I was looking at the J27 during our club meet last Wednesday. I doubt you will be disappointed, a very nice "nice to have".

How do you find the 00 Works Bandon tank? mine is a little "grumbly" still a nice model. And has yours got the large brass washers behind the wheels?

   Mick

[Irishswissernie]

The scenery in the Tweed Valley near the Border with England is remarkably similar to that on the Sligo & Donegal! Some of the names are also identical.

 

 

[Irishswissernie]

2 hours ago, Mike 84C said:

 

How do you find the 00 Works Bandon tank? mine is a little "grumbly" still a nice model. And has yours got the large brass washers behind the wheels?

   Mick

Mine works fine although its not done much running. It has the large washers behind the wheels, I don't know why the frames are set so close thus requiring the washer 'spacers'.

[Irishswissernie]

New JM Design Brake Van arrived from New Zealand today. Looks great, no extra charges from Customs etc and only took 2 weeks to get here.

[Galteemore]

Great stuff Ernie. Love the interior detail. 

[David Holman]

Site very well alongside the 121. Two quality models.

[Irishswissernie]

Did some tidying up today and had a look at Glengarriff which has taken a bit of a back seat whilst working on Four Masters Bridge. I actually ran a train very gingerly as nothing has ran for several months and some of the track in the fiddle yard has been re-arranged to connect the new sections. Ran a gypsum as per the Kingscourt trips/speeds and took a video to check what needs sorting. The back drop needs a good sprucing up!

 

[jhb171achill]

Wow!! SUPERBLY realistic - and that’s some collection of engines!

[WRENNEIRE]

Agreed JB, we did some Explosive Escorts to Kingscourt during the Troubles, Army Gardai and an Aer Corps Cesna overhead, and we always came out of the quarry covered in red dust, great memories.

 

[Irishswissernie]

Keeping busy in between blood tests , scans etc. I have fettled up the track on Glengarriff as it always moves a little during the summer and especially after the recent heat wave. Now its beginning to feel like Autumn (in more ways than one!) This a view looking west showing the cement storage siding with 2 x 121 having just reversed a set.

I also managed to reverse this set around the layout  as a check on the trackwork. A short video link to the flickr album with a few trains.

 

[Galteemore]

Great stuff Ernie. Hope you get some positive news on the health front. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by Galteemore

[murphaph]

Get well soon Ernie. The low relief buildings work very well there.

[Irishswissernie]

Not much modelling done lately as I have been scanning negs and slides plus Mother in Law can't really be left on her own so I am stuck downstairs with only my computer and a fertile imagination to keep me sane. 

Many years ago I used to write a modelling column for Narrow Gauge World magazine and I used to work out possible layouts based on the prototype. Recently I have been thinking about possible layouts based on Irish locations but trying to restrict the compression of the prototype as much as possible thereby increasing the realism. 

If you want to model expresses, heavy goods banking/pilot engines etc and a main line well how about just doing the up end of Cork , Kent from the end of the overall roof to the tunnel. The scenic bit would be approx 4 feet x 2 ft with the tunnel at one end and the roof hiding the goods lines running round the back. The tracks would easily form a circuit.

Standard and narrow gauge ? well how about Ennis from the footbridge to the road bridge , scaled down about 6 feet from footbridge & Goods shed natural scenic break to the overbridge  and about 3 ft wide at the narrow gauge works etc bit. 3 points on the standard gauge and four on the narrow.

I once built a layout of Carlisle in the UK for a friend who lived in a bedsit but wanted a workable diorama to run his locos on. The scenic bit which covered the overall roof (pre 1959 one) to the road bridge measured 5 feet x 2Feet , had four platforms plus the middle roads and was to scale.

Ennis.

Cork from tunnel to overall roof, goods lines hidden by wall

Carlisle, from the road known as Victoria Viaduct to the old roof which ended on the wall to the left.

 

[Noel]

1 hour ago, Irishswissernie said:

Cork from tunnel to overall roof, goods lines hidden by wall

Fab photo of Cork. Wow look at the busy goods yard behind, is that GN markings or GW on the vans in the goods sidings?

Edited September 28, 2021 by Noel

[Galteemore]

GN, Noel 

[jhb171achill]

The GWR would be a bit too narrow gauge for anywhere in Ireland!

[Galteemore]

Unless it’s pre 1892 in which case it might be 1 foot 9 inches too wide !

[Irishswissernie]

Feels like the Winter is here today so I have been in the loft, worked on the scenery and ran a train to test out a point installed for Four Masters Goods Yard. I have also constructed a sort of Oak tree from a plant stalk nicked from Annie's flower bed.

 

 

[Irishswissernie]

Done a bit on the river and vegetation

 

[David Holman]

Great to see this scene develop. At first glance, it could be the real thing, which says it all.

[jhb171achill]

That river is absolutely superb, TOP notch.

[Galteemore]

Great stuff Ernie. The blending of the suggestive backscene and the detailed foreground is well done. Recalls the Leitrim scenery I got to know as a child (pic is the river where my grandfather fished for salmon which then travelled by the SLNC - trackbed is a few hundred yards away).

Edited October 11, 2021 by Galteemore

[Noel]

Superb, love the micro scenes embedded in the overall composition.

[Irishswissernie]

First 2 Class A Locos have taken up duties.

 

[Galteemore]

Lovely stuff Ernie. Classic west of Ireland scenes. Don’t forget to take a break from running trains to keep posting prototype photos!  

Edited October 14, 2021 by Galteemore

[Irishswissernie]

24 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Don’t forget to take a break from running trains to keep posting prototype photos!

Oddly enough! Arriving tomorrow courtesy of Royal Mail is a Collection which I have agreed to catalogue in return for being allowed to use on flickr some 80 odd Irish which includes 10 SLNCR, also West Clare pre diesel, more Cavan & Leitrim etc.

[Irishswissernie]

I have been playing at converting 4K video to MP4, hopefully this will upload

 

[airfixfan]

Any CDR or LLSR in that batch of new photos?

[Galteemore]

Hey, get in the queue Jim, he’s sorting the SLNC ones first !  

[Irishswissernie]

Sorry Jim no.

[airfixfan]

Cannot win them all!