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

[Irishswissernie]

Several views of Glengarriff  taken this morning during a'scanning' break.

[Irishswissernie]

Some views of Glengarriff today with Class 121 powered up and down ore trains. The layouts future is a bit uncertain at the moment as there is a move afoot to spend an inheritance on moving to a nice modern bungalow instead of (Quote) 'this rundown, cold, too large, out-dated, draughty terraced hovel I have had to put up with for the last 30 years, etc etc' This doesn't reflect the views of the railway management of course!

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Irishswissernie

[Irishswissernie]

I have a feeling that the current invective being generated towards the railways existence has been prompted by yesterdays arrival of some Sundeala for the baseboard of the Welsh narrow gauge railway projected to occupy a 4' x 2-6" space in the computer room.

C'est la Vie. Meanwhile 071 Class 085 works a Fertiliser special over the Drowes River bridge ar Four Masters.

 

[jhb171achill]

Outstanding!!

 

[Patrick Davey]

Great scenes Ernie, and I sympathise with the situation regarding (presumably) senior management......

My domestic line manager usually has this to say when I show her my railway creations:

"     "

And sometimes this:

"Zzzzzzzzzzz....."

[JasonB]

The 121's look great with the magnesite wagons. 

[DJ Dangerous]

The rusted rails are outstanding!!!

How do you do that and still have them power the locos?

[Irishswissernie]

3 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

The rusted rails are outstanding!!!

How do you do that and still have them power the locos?

Only the rail sides are painted, the top is still bare metal although it doesn't look like it on the photo!

Edited May 20, 2023 by Irishswissernie

[DJ Dangerous]

Just now, Irishswissernie said:

Only the rail sides are painted, the top is still bear metal although it doesn't look like it on the photo!

The railtops look very good in the photo. I was gazumped.

[Broithe]

4 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

The rusted rails are outstanding!!!

How do you do that and still have them power the locos?

There used to be phosphor bronze track about. It needed regular cleaning, but, even then, the polished metal exposed had quite a 'brown colour'.

And the unpolished areas would steadily oxidise to a plausible 'rust colour'.

[David Holman]

Some folk use "gun blue" to chemically blackened the surface of the rails - though it will still wear off eventually. Has its uses in other areas too, especially any raised edges on brass kits, prior to putting on primer.

  Rusty rails are a topic of their own, because the effect of weather and environment means significant changes to colour, depending on location and use. Sidings tend to be much darker, while anywhere that locos stand for longer periods get oily. Brake dust adds another hue, while newly laid rail is different to older stuff, so all part of the fun!

[Irishswissernie]

Recently arrived J15 162 crosses the Drowes River at Four Masters Bridge with a short goods. Way back from when I was a lad!

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by Irishswissernie

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Classy

[derek]

On 23/3/2023 at 1:56 PM, Irishswissernie said:

I have a feeling that the current invective being generated towards the railways existence has been prompted by yesterdays arrival of some Sundeala for the baseboard of the Welsh narrow gauge railway projected to occupy a 4' x 2-6" space in the computer room.

C'est la Vie. Meanwhile 071 Class 085 works a Fertiliser special over the Drowes River bridge ar Four Masters.

 

These bridges are unbelievably good. Fantastic work Ernie

Especially the top shot. Amazing

[Irishswissernie]

Sunny afternoon at Glengarriff as 162 dozes in the siding with the Mullaghmore Local.

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by Irishswissernie

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

That's really nice 

[Irishswissernie]

Ballyshannon S&DJR hasn't featured much mainly because its part of the loft layout and whilst there is a proper flight of stairs the heat this year has put me off somewhat. I have also been building the 009 layout in the 'den' which being next to the computer and also 1 flight of stairs less to negotiate is much more convenient to work on. However the Autumn/Winter is now on the horizon so hopefully I can get motivated!.

I did start work on the overall roof which covers the exit to the fiddle yard, Four Masters Bridge and Glengarriff. The station board is only 3'-6" x approx 13 " but you can get away with running fairly large locomotives as it could represent the end of a fairly important station (Killarney springs to mind for one) but you don't need an expensive long rake of coaches; only the first one is visible and you could use the sidings as parcels and mail docks with possibly a station pilot.

[David Holman]

I believe it was Iain Rice who coined the phrase 'Bitsa Stations', avoiding the need for long platforms to enable operationally more interesting siding space. And very good it looks too.

[Irishswissernie]

A fair number of my layouts over the last 50 years featured only platform ends with Overall roofs, footbridges or overbridges to disguise the exit to the fiddle yard. Glengarriff has an Overall roof too.

It doesn't work so well as a space saver with 'through' stations rather than termini because you still need to run full length trains so most of a layout ends up as a giant fiddle yard.

The one below 'Teifi Junction' from ca 1979-80 was a through station on a 'roundy-roundy' approx 9' x 6' on curving boards but represented a local cross country route so only short trains.

By only  modelling the platform ends all the scenic area was mainly goods yard. That Blyth 61172 van is about the only thing I have today its  getting on for 50 years old!

 

[Galteemore]

Great stuff Ernie. The ‘Ashburton’ style of station fits very well with Irish prototypes. The late Carl Arendt, maestro of the micro layout, was a fan of such layout designs. Here’s a few ideas …..https://www.carendt.com/micro-layout-design-gallery/passenger-lines/

[Irishswissernie]

Thanks!

Many years ago whilst 'train spotting' on Carlisle station I considered doing a model of the tracks and platforms 3 & 4 plus bays 7 & 8  between the overbridge (Victoria Viaduct) and the old magnificent overall roof .

You could make a model to scale in about 5 feet but  you would need about 20 feet at least to accommodate the fiddle siding loops!

You could probably do the same with the 'up' end of Cork station from the roof to the tunnel and hide the goods loops exit behind the station wall.

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Irishswissernie

[Irishswissernie]

2 J15's at Mullaghmore on the S&DJR today 146  and 162. The S&DJR's own motive power must be in a parlous state!

[Irishswissernie]

Glengarriff closed suddenly today due to the impending re-wiring of the house being brought forward from next Spring to next Monday! The loft needs to be cleared to facilitate this and the local Authority has decreed that basically I am too decrepit to be climbing all those stairs and once everything has been renovated she says I can build a new layout on the Landing next to my Den. The station boards departed tonight to pastures new. 

One small piece of good news is that Four Masters Bridge will be retained as a diorama so all is not lost.

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Wow that is sudden, how much room have you got on the landing? 

[Irishswissernie]

7 hours ago, Gabhal Luimnigh said:

Wow that is sudden, how much room have you got on the landing? 

About 10 feet x 2 feet overall but it might be possible to extend into my 'den' which will double this but  at the moment things are chaotic as I havn't experienced a re-wiring whilst we are living in it.

The 009 scale layout however shouldn't be affected.

[Irishswissernie]

Most of the work is now done on the house re-wiring and the builders are now busy on the kitchen and back living room so I have taken refuge in the 'den' to develop my idea for the new layout. The landing area isn't really practicable  for the layout particularly as I want to utilise the Four Masters Bridge scene so I have worked out a new scheme which will fit in the den but at a rail height of 137cm above the existing TV, computer and new book shelves. The boards will be 14 inches deep so easily accessible and give a more realistic viewing angle rather than the traditional 'drones eye view'

I have been influenced here in that the 009 scale layout presents an eye level view when I am sitting at the computer and looks far more realistic.

Mullaghmore will once again be modelled from the platform 'terminal' end as per Glengarriff to avoid a sterile length of platform and to provide maximum goods yard siding space plus reception sidings for mineral traffic to the shipping point. (The shipping point will be just 2 bare sidings on a portable board on the landing which are not essential to normal operations.

The Four Masters Bridge baseboard is safe and stored pending construction of the new bits. Glengarriff station boards haves gone to Geof at Contikits so it may re-surface in the Blyth & District MRS club rooms (probably running Southern Electric, BR Diesel or even German steam outline though)

I have spent some time, plus felt tip pens and a sheet of paper drawing up the usual detailed construction drawings.

I just need the radiator re-moved and the heating brought back into use and I can then 'crack on'

[Irishswissernie]

I can't get much done on the modelling front at the moment as the house is being renovated . Construction should start on the new layout next year but I usually can find time at Christmas/New Year for a bit of peace and quiet modelling; however I will have to make do with looking at a few images. Here are a couple from Glengarriff in March 2023 a few months before closure.

 

[Irishswissernie]

Having the house to myself and the dogs for the last week as Madame was visiting relatives 'doon South' , and I could therefore use the dining room table for building baseboards on etc, I have at last managed some progress on the migration of the layout etc from the loft to my 'den'.

This involved building a large bookcase which forms the support for the new station board plus boards across the window and above the computer. Four Masters Bridge has also successfully made the trip and is now installed. Next stage is tracklaying and I will need to acquire some larger radius points for the station area. Lifted track has been roughly positioned just to check out angles and feasibility.

There is the facility to put a temporary fiddle yard board onto the landing which could either be used as the ore shipping point sidings or even to run Mullaghmore as a through station.

[Mike 84C]

Carpentry on the dining room table, that's brave! more than my life is worth ! I also have the house to myself, plus the guinea pigs! Swimbo has gone to Wales to see her Mother.

   Now what can I be doing between now and Monday? 

[Irishswissernie]

Work continues on Mullaghmore with the fiddle yard tracks now laid and wired up. I hate soldering!

One advantage of the layout now being in a room with a window rather then in the former windowless loft ; is that I can now use natural sunlight when photographing. 192 crosses Four Masters Bridge on the passenger.

 

[Irishswissernie]

Forgot to add the fiddle yard photo, managed to get 6 tracks in. There are isolating sections at the end of each siding so that locos can be uncoupled and isolated and then another loco can take its turn in running the train.

[Irishswissernie]

Yesterday I transferred and cut down the display shelves from the Loft and installed them round the desk  under the fiddle yard with a small one at the fiddle yard throat. After the drastic reduction in the amount of stock for the IR/IE era  I can actually fit the remainder on the fiddle yard and display shelving and hopefully can swop the 2 eras over between the 2.

[Irishswissernie]

Track has now been laid and wired up on Mullaghmore which will now be known as Mullaghmore Town station. A block of timber is dropped into the the slot at the near end of the board to stop any rolling stock running off and down the  130 cm drop to the floor. If I use the detachable extension board which purports to be Mullaghmore Pier station and Dock sidings then this block is taken out and the end of the extension board drops into the slot instead. Mullaghmore Pier station is the terminus for the ferry to a greatly enlarged Inishmurray Island which has drifted up the coast.

The Pier station means that I can run through passenger trains in the steam/early diesel era although if I am in the Irishrail period the Sligo shuttle will terminate at the Town station.

[Irishswissernie]

I painted the sky backdrop yesterday and have also roughly painted the rails so a bit of progress at Mullaghmore Town station. The backdrop grey areas at baseboard level will all be hidden when the scenery etc is added.

[Billycan]

Nice pointwork too.