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

[Brack]

Make sure the track clearances are wide enough for the bachmann quarry hunslet...

[Irishswissernie]

11 hours ago, Brack said:

Make sure the track clearances are wide enough for the bachmann quarry hunslet...

Too late! However I could build a new NG7 layout in my 'den' but it would have to be at a height of 6 feet above floor level so rather than standing on me Till Box I will need a pair of steps to operate it. It would be at eye level viewing for you however.

Just thinking your Mother did say I could build a layout on the landing though .............

Edited April 15, 2024 by Irishswissernie

[Irishswissernie]

I have been giving a fair bit of thought as to how the new layout progresses. I really miss the ability to run trains on a circuit as per the original Glengarriff layout plus I would like  a small NG7 layout for shunting. The solution appears to be to replace the part built Mullaghmore terminus with an NG7 /O-16.5 layout but attached to the exiting Irish OO with a new OO drop board across the door and behind the OO9 layout to connect up with the  Irish fiddle yard. When I am running the Irish layout the trains will then run through the NG7 board to complete the circuit.

I have acquired a new 4K video camera with a 20x zoom. This was used by the Driver of A30 who with the assistance of his jet pack took the photo below.

Edited May 19, 2024 by Irishswissernie

[Irishswissernie]

The layout in its new configuration as a 'roundy-roundy' is now working after a fashion! J15 146 speeds to Sligo.

 

 

[gibbo675]

On 8/11/2021 at 9:52 PM, Brack said:

On a slightly more depressing note, bought some microsol/set, put a bit of klear/gloss varnish on the surface (which has had a week to dry).

Tried twice more on the snails.

This happens every time:

They curl up into a tight little roll.

The transfers look fine on their backing, but I've made a lot of models, with decals from loads of different sources and never had any do this before. A bit of silvering, or old decals tearing, but none that literally curl up away from the surface whatever you do.

This is from the other week - decals went on fine.

Might try and paint one. Or 3D print a stamp or stencil!

Hi There,

I note you have folks that live in Southport, not far from Burscough where Universal Bulk Handling built these Bulk Haul reefer tanks. The factory was levelled about two years ago and the site is now brand new "toy town " housing development.

Gibbo.

[Irishswissernie]

1 minute ago, gibbo675 said:

2 minutes ago, gibbo675 said:

I note you have folks that live in Southport

 

Not any more, my youngest daughter and her husband lived in Southport but have now moved back to the 'Centre of Britain' (according to the Town Council) good old Haltwhistle.

[Irishswissernie]

The Study or Mancave , Railway Room or Rubbish Tip depending on who is expressing their opinion now has the continous run installed with a removable drop board across the entrance. The Mullaghmore area, on the right in the second photo, is to be re-developed for the proposed NG7 Quarry but Irish OO and the NG7 will be able to utilise each others sections and also the fiddle yard for running.

The Drowes River bridge at Four Masters is somewhat hidden far right but there will be a further scenic extension on the approach to the fiddle yard in front of the window.

Edited June 30, 2024 by Irishswissernie

[Mike 84C]

That's pretty creative thinking mate . Nothing like a roundy roundy ! says he after building and running a fiddle yd to terminus. Real timetable = not many trains per day!  

[islandbridgejct]

5 hours ago, Irishswissernie said:

Not any more, my youngest daughter and her husband lived in Southport but have now moved back to the 'Centre of Britain' (according to the Town Council) good old Haltwhistle.

Somewhat off topic here, but I have been wasting far too much time recently looking at your brilliant photos of Haltwhistle, Alton, Brompton, and railways in north east England that I had never paid any attention to or even heard about, like the Stanhope and Tyne, and the Westoe Colliery railway, as well as a great Scottish journey from Wick to Aberdeen. Fantastic stuff, and thanks for broadening my horizons. I travelled from Carlisle to Newcastle through Haltwhistle this Easter, and felt like we were cutting our way through the primordial rainforest - it was amazing to see pictures of it in the 1960s and 70s with tracks everywhere.

Alan

[Irishswissernie]

The Bachmann NG7 stock arrived on Saturday so yesterday with some trepidation I ran a clearance test train over the Drowes River Bridge as this provides the access to the joint OO/NG7  fiddle yard.

This was successful and at first glance the train appears to fit in with the surroundings. I have a feeling though that when the Irish OO is running through the adjacent 7mm scale quarry scene its not going to be so believeable. 

[Irishswissernie]

I have now re-wired the continous run after re-laying the former now defunct Mullaghmore with 0-16.5 track. The video also shows the scenic extension to the Drowes River scene with backdrop board in place. The video also features an 0-16-5 test train using the line to access the fiddle yard. The 'Quarry Hunslets' are quite powerful for their size!

 

[Irishswissernie]

Possibly a more suitable view of the scene for this topic.

 

[Mayner]

4 hours ago, Irishswissernie said:

 The 'Quarry Hunslets' are quite powerful for their size!

 

Is it feasible to fit an O-16.5 Quarry Hunslet or a Festiniog England engine with sound?

For such a small loco Prince produced remarkable sound effects when hauling a long train of Slate Wagons in preparation for a gravity working. 

[Tullygrainey]

2 hours ago, Mayner said:

Is it feasible to fit an O-16.5 Quarry Hunslet or a Festiniog England engine with sound?

For such a small loco Prince produced remarkable sound effects when hauling a long train of Slate Wagons in preparation for a gravity working. 

Bachmann are selling sound equipped versions of their O-16.5 Quarry Hunslets John. I've just taken delivery of one and very good it sounds too!

 

 

[Irishswissernie]

Rails Sheffield have already sold out on the Sound equipped Quarry Hunslets and also the slate wagons (My fault there!) Meanwhile a couple more views of S&DJR 9 ex GNRI 149, on the morning passenger. First view shows the new scenic area to be developed in the background

 

Edited July 15, 2024 by Irishswissernie

[jhb171achill]

On 15/7/2024 at 9:32 AM, Irishswissernie said:

Rails Sheffield have already sold out on the Sound equipped Quarry Hunslets and also the slate wagons (My fault there!) Meanwhile a couple more views of S&DJR 9 ex GNRI 149, on the morning passenger. First view shows the new scenic area to be developed in the background

 

That's one busy fair special! Second carriage reserved for cattle dealers, no doubt....

Edited July 16, 2024 by jhb171achill

[Irishswissernie]

The S&DJR's ex GNRI 205 heads a goods crossing the Drowes River in 1959. Purchased from CIE to alleviate the Sligo & Donegal Railway loco shortage caused by increased traffic after closure of the ex GNRI Bundoran branch the re-numbered 205's purchase was at the behest of the S&DJR Chairman who had fond memories of the class on the 'Bundoran Express. This was much against the advice of the General Manager who wished to dieselise and didn't go down to well with the loco crews who saw the improved working conditions of the CIE Diesel Drivers working some of the through traffic from Dublin.

In reality 205 doesn't work much on the layout as it has the usual 4-4-0 weight balancing problems. Second view, The original 204 shortly before purchase 16 May 1959. Oops ! I'll have to invent a few more 'facts' er The Chairman particularly liked 205 but the UTA wouldn't sell it so he purchased 204 and re-named and re-numbered it. Phew!

I am off on Thursday to the Ffestiniog Gala, my first solo trip away since March 2020, hopefully back intact next Monday.

Edited October 1, 2024 by Irishswissernie

[Mike 84C]

Have a good time at the FR gala hope the weather is good for you. I have'nt been to FR gala for24yrs! Still a bit of a cloud there for me! I hope to see 134 running whilst I can still walk! But, not that I did much at FR galas in the past, much prefered to put things in place so the lads could have their moments of glory.

[Irishswissernie]

5 hours ago, Mike 84C said:

I hope to see 134 running whilst I can still walk!

Yes that's mainly my reason for going too. I've got a seat booked on the 'Subscribers Special 'on the Sunday which is going from Minfford up to Dinas for the passengers to inspect it. I've had strict instructions from Madame not to go walking on the hills round Dduallt so will probably have to crawl rather than walk

Edited October 1, 2024 by Irishswissernie

[jhb171achill]

10 hours ago, Irishswissernie said:

Yes that's mainly my reason for going too. I've got a seat booked on the 'Subscribers Special 'on the Sunday which is going from Minfford up to Dinas for the passengers to inspect it. I've had strict instructions from Madame not to go walking on the hills round Dduallt so will probably have to crawl rather than walk

As a "Deviationist" (before imaginations go wild, that's a "navvy" who worked on the Dduallt deviation round the lake in the 1970s!) I remember our foreman, a (then) serving British soldier whose interests were (a) the FR, and (b) eh, explosives...,  inevitably referring to DDuallt as "DDT" as he couldn't pronounce the Welsh version which sounds something like "Thee-acht"....

Despite his dismissive attitude to the Welsh, which was richly reciprocated, as a FR volunter his extensive knowledge of explosives was put to very good use when the new tunnel was being built.

[Mike 84C]

JHB that could only be "hey yoof"  Bunny Lewis! Now sadly passed away. He was a great bloke to work with and ex Marine.

[Irishswissernie]

This photo came to light today , this usually happens when I am looking for something else. A layout which was developed ca 2010 featuring one of my SLNC North Star 0-6-4t's plus one of my sons 3D printed narrow gauge 0-4-0 'wing' tank locos. The SLNC tank is now back in Ireland and has featured on IRM several times over the years. Alan's tank loco has no doubt moved on as well and the layout went the journey pretty quickly as someone wanted her Living room re-modelled with the consequent total anhilation of the railway room.

[jhb171achill]

On 1/10/2024 at 9:43 PM, jhb171achill said:

As a "Deviationist" (before imaginations go wild, that's a "navvy" who worked on the Dduallt deviation round the lake in the 1970s!) I remember our foreman, a (then) serving British soldier whose interests were (a) the FR, and (b) eh, explosives...,  inevitably referring to DDuallt as "DDT" as he couldn't pronounce the Welsh version which sounds something like "Thee-acht"....

Despite his dismissive attitude to the Welsh, which was richly reciprocated, as a FR volunter his extensive knowledge of explosives was put to very good use when the new tunnel was being built.

The very man! Yes, good oul craic to work with and an excellent, knowledgeable and energetic foreman.

[Irishswissernie]

I came across these when looking for something else!

GNRI SG2 18 which was an un-powered 7mm model built to 36.75? track gauge and  cost I think £20 but looked good when posed on my now defunct Enniskillen shed diorama. Also a photo of my other PP  next to 18 on the diorama.

Finally 2 ex Highland Railway Clan Goods also long moved on to pastures new. I really regret not hanging on to these 2 Jidenco kit models. Cest la vie!

[Galteemore]

Very nice Ernie. I have one of those SGs as well / it’s very good likeness of the prototype. I don’t know its provenance but think it’s possibly SSM? 

[Irishswissernie]

I have recently acquired some 400 odd negatives covering the CDRJC, SLNC and the Cork Bandon & South Coast railways and the Bandon ones brought to mind a plan I worked out for a terminus based on Courtmacsherry several decades ago but which is now unlikely to come to fruition. Here is the plan of the station at the end of its days. There was apparently in the early days a very small turntable in front of the loco shed and only one siding on to the quay. The layout could be far more self-contained than say Fenit or Bantry and the existence of the loco shed together with another building plus trees makes the exit to the fiddle yard easily disguised.

 

What's renewed my interest is that the latest batch of negs include a view of a ship actually at the quay. This was a small vessel the MV Crescendo only 150 feet long (approx 24 inches in 00 scale) 420 Tons  built in 1938 in the Netherlands and apperently engaged by Fisons to transport what appears to be bags of fertiliser or seed grain. The ship apparently tookm part in the D Day landings, rescued ship wrecked mariners and also grounded itself during its career before being scrapped in 1971.

[Irishswissernie]

This view on the Archive shows the shed at the station throat.

Again at the station throat 90 wshunting the train heatin van (I think) on one of the many excursions.

Excursion from Cork

[Westcorkrailway]

the photo of 90 shunting the tin can was the IRRS excursion to Courtmacsherry. I think it was the 20th of October 1960

However, 90 often worked seaside excursions…sometimes in multiple….see below 

 

 

[jhb171achill]

53 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

the photo of 90 shunting the tin can was the IRRS excursion to Courtmacsherry. I think it was the 20th of October 1960

However, 90 often worked seaside excursions…sometimes in multiple….see below 

 

 

Yes, she double-headed with 100 on the Courtmacsherry to Clonakilty Junction section. They had retained a five-coach set of 45 or 48 ft bogies of GSWR origin (replacing an earlier set of clapped-out Bandon stick) for these excursions, as longer bogies couldn’t deal with the curves on the branch.

I assume that a “proper” engine brought this set from Cork to the junction - if 90 & 100 had taken the excursion the whole way, it would still be on its way back today….

90 hauling a train always looks to me like an N gauge engine on someone’s layout - hauling 0 gauge coaches!

I lit 90 up once before it left Whitehead for Downpatrick. I am of average build, but I felt like an 0 gauge driver being out in the cab of an N gauge model; the good people of Castleisland, for whom it was built, must have been marginally smaller than hobbits or leprechauns. 

Or possibly, Inchicore’s 3D printer was set to the wrong scale when they built it. 

For people built to 1:1 scale, or 12 inches to the foot, this thing is an utter monstrosity to oil, especially compared to the equally minuscule, but way better designed, CSET Sugar locos. You have to be a contortionist underneath it.

I wonder what crews thought of them - I suspect that opinions might have been less than complimentary!

 

 

[Westcorkrailway]

39 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Yes, she double-headed with 100 on the Courtmacsherry to Clonakilty Junction section. They had retained a five-coach set of 45 or 48 ft bogies of GSWR origin (replacing an earlier set of clapped-out Bandon stick) for these excursions, as longer bogies couldn’t deal with the curves on the branch.

I assume that a “proper” engine brought this set from Cork to the junction - if 90 & 100 had taken the excursion the whole way, it would still be on its way back today….

90 hauling a train always looks to me like an N gauge engine on someone’s layout - hauling 0 gauge coaches!

I lit 90 up once before it left Whitehead for Downpatrick. I am of average build, but I felt like an 0 gauge driver being out in the cab of an N gauge model; the good people of Castleisland, for whom it was built, must have been marginally smaller than hobbits or leprechauns. 

Or possibly, Inchicore’s 3D printer was set to the wrong scale when they built it. 

For people built to 1:1 scale, or 12 inches to the foot, this thing is an utter monstrosity to oil, especially compared to the equally minuscule, but way better designed, CSET Sugar locos. You have to be a contortionist underneath it.

I wonder what crews thought of them - I suspect that opinions might have been less than complimentary!

 

 

Probobly unfair to compare a German designed 1930s loco to and an 1875 loco that was further kitbashed in 1915 and was already over 80 when it retired!