Gort Station

[Noel]

On 8/1/2021 at 11:19 PM, leslie10646 said:

Pity about the nameboards.

I'm trying out a new slide scanner (for the Legal Appendage to scan my slides of our sons) and just happened to lift this out -

Taken on some RPSI tour, of course. I took the station building as well, Noel, if of use?

Good luck with the model. Now I know how I should have done mine!

Leslie

Some tweaking needed but we're getting there.

[Noel]

Some mysterious bits for Gort

[patrick]

Flower beds is my guess. What embossed stone styrene did you use for the buildings Noel?

Edited March 1, 2021 by patrick

[Noel]

On 1/3/2021 at 10:37 PM, patrick said:

Flower beds is my guess. What embossed stone styrene did you use for the buildings Noel?

Correct Patrick

The embossed plastic sheet for the goods shed and walls was greenstuffworld.com 'Smooth Rock Wall'

[Noel]

Progress continues. Gort is gradually taking shape. Station components assembled on workbench. Some photos of current status

Content with the latest iteration of the station name board. Wasn't happy with the first cut so it had to be done again

Coming to life. Not life as we know it Jim, life as it was in 1967.

The station master has been busy planting for the forthcoming season

Gort had busy goods shed, conveying building supplies, agri produce, farm supplies and cattle.

Happy the retaining walls worked out ok

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Noel

[popeye]

Beautiful, you must be very pleased with it.

What will you do with it when it's finished?

[Noel]

5 minutes ago, popeye said:

Beautiful, you must be very pleased with it.

What will you do with it when it's finished?

Thanks Popeye. Content yes, and pleasantly surprised that I was able to take on something like this. Had to learn a ton of new stuff. Interative experimentation helped. Pleased that I was able to get the look of the place. This was inspired largely by one photo in @jhb171achill book 'Rails through the West' combined with my own childhood memories. Once I got the Good's shed done I felt compelled to give the ticket office, water tower, platforms and signal box equivalent effort. MWRC were also a catalyst due to their layout competition which forced me to get moving. Its been slow but very very enjoyable learning process.

 

@popeye PS: When I'm finished? No idea, play with it a lot I hope and shunt it for hours on end. Then its back to Kingsbridge for some landscaping.

[Galteemore]

This is brilliant. Really recalls the western corridor stations I remember 

[David Holman]

Just like Mullingar, all very believable, and very attractive.

[Noel]

14:20 Limerick to Westport afternoon working, having arrived from Ennis, next stop Athenry collecting 2 coaches from Galway before heading up to Claremorris.

Meanwhile there's activity in the goods yard, but the cattle escaped and are being chased across the fields by shunters and the signal man.  

The western sun is setting. Laminate plus a single craven without a HLV as its a seasonal summer working.

As the evening light subsides a moody looking CIE Laminate awaits the starter signal. Families on board from Limerick excited about holiday trip to Mayo's beeches and achill island. There was a race to get the best seats in the modern Craven coach new to to CIE railways, and board games are being set up on the formica tables, while the sofa seats in the laminate offer comfort even without tables.

[Galteemore]

This is brilliant. Proper old school CIE.

[Noel]

Revised train formation as its march and heating needed. A single laminate coach with a HLV up front and tailed by a 6 wheeled HLV. The leading HLV being repositioned to Sligo via Claremorris.

I just love this CIE golden era that I remember so well. Often branch trains had just a single coach and a heating van.

B188 awaits the starter signal at Gort bound for Claremorris via Athenry and Tuam.

Edited March 7, 2021 by Noel

[popeye]

There is a bit of a difference there between the rolling stock shades of orange.

I suppose it would have been like that anyway. 

[jhb171achill]

29 minutes ago, popeye said:

There is a bit of a difference there between the rolling stock shades of orange.

I suppose it would have been like that anyway.

I'd say the weathering will dumb it down a bit. many Silverfox models in that livery DO seem a tad bright, and in reality the colour on the locomotive is closest to reality.

The LVs and HVs tended to look duller than everything else, as they seemed not be cleaned as much - certainly by 1970 many were looking much more weathered than their accompanying passenger-carrying stock.

Someone asked me the difference; the "LV" or "Luggage Van" carried guard plus luggage space and did not have a generator in it. A "Heating Van" had the boiler in it too, but not so much luggage space; obviously, these carried a guard as well. It was common to see one of each on many trains. Obviously there had to be at least one or the other, as the guard and handbrake were needed on all trains. The six-wheeled version, which being introduced in 1964/5 were only ever black'n'tan and never ran with steam, allowed guard + generator + space for parcels / luggage. They were main line vans, rarely if ever seen on branches.

All three were to be seen on the main lines, with just the four wheel types on lesser lines, until 1969 when the "Dutch" vans started to appear; while by 1972 they plus the "BR" vans had displaced 4 and 6 wheelers from main routes.

I am not sure when I last saw a six-wheeler in traffic - they were only in operation maybe 10 years - but there were still four wheelers about the place on the Rosslare - Limerick line, and Limerick - Ballina, until 1975/6 anyway. I think the 4-wheeled types were in use on Dublin outer suburban services until not quite 1980.

I travelled in a 4-wheel LV chatting to the guard between, I think, Limerick and Athenry about 1975. It was like travelling in a Quality Street tin, with marbles in it, and no springs, bouncing down an aluminium fire escape, on a helter skelter, in an echo chamber, with the sound turned up. I dread to think what one of the mail van versions must have been like for a postal worker on the Sligo line at that time!

[Noel]

[Noel]

On 8/3/2021 at 12:45 AM, popeye said:

There is a bit of a difference there between the rolling stock shades of orange.

I suppose it would have been like that anyway. 

The laminate was weathered gentle the two vans are pristine out of paint shop. Will be weathered in due course and then twill all blend in   

[Noel]

On 8/3/2021 at 1:25 AM, jhb171achill said:

I travelled in a 4-wheel LV chatting to the guard between, I think, Limerick and Athenry about 1975. It was like travelling in a Quality Street tin, with marbles in it, and no springs, bouncing down an aluminium fire escape, on a helter skelter, in an echo chamber, with the sound turned up. I dread to think what one of the mail van versions must have been like for a postal worker on the Sligo line at that time!

Classic Jonathan 

[Noel]

Gort cattle pen now has gates, dung, weeds and cattle. Finally got the gates fabricated for the pen. 

 

Fiddley making up the gates, but essential otherwise Tesco Galway might be limited to vegetables if the cattle keep escaping 

 

Gort loading dock is now more or less complete except for the telegraph poles and two lamps.

About to be loaded onto a Provincial Wagons van bound for Galway via Athenry. This van will be picked up by the afternoon 14:05 from Limerick to Sligo, and will be dropped off at Athenry for onward movement to Galway by the passing 15:30 Athlone to Galway goods working.

 

[Noel]

16:50 Ennis-Athenry about to depart as the down pick up goods to limerick has passed in the loop.

It's late in the evening 

Drone shot

17:40 waiting for starter signal

All quiet in the yard for the rest of the day, next movement due is tomorrow morning at 11:35 when the Sligo-Limerick goods is due to visit and exchange a few wagons.

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Noel

[jhb171achill]

Superb! SO atmospheric.........

(I'm sending this to Barry.......)

[ttc0169]

Looking well so far-do you intend to ballast the tracks?

[Galteemore]

18 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Superb! SO atmospheric.........

(I'm sending this to Barry.......)

Agreed. That fourth shot, of the light just catching the top of 188 and her train is just magic.

Edited March 13, 2021 by Galteemore

[Mayner]

On 7/3/2021 at 6:52 AM, Noel said:

14:20 Limerick to Westport afternoon working, having arrived from Ennis, next stop Athenry collecting 2 coaches from Galway before heading up to Claremorris.

Meanwhile there's activity in the goods yard, but the cattle escaped and are being chased across the fields by shunters and the signal man.  

The western sun is setting. Laminate plus a single craven without a HLV as its a seasonal summer working.

As the evening light subsides a moody looking CIE Laminate awaits the starter signal. Families on board from Limerick excited about holiday trip to Mayo's beeches and achill island. There was a race to get the best seats in the modern Craven coach new to to CIE railways, and board games are being set up on the formica tables, while the sofa seats in the laminate offer comfort even without tables.

Noel's comments about the sofa seats in the Laminates brings back memories of a college trip to Paris via Rosslare in Jan 1980. On the outbound trip we took the afternoon Connolly-Rosslare made up of an 071 BR van several Cravens, a Laminate and a Buffet car. I joined the train a Pearse the 071 and steam from the heating van made a striking sight as the train arrived under the overall roof, our group had settled in the Laminate near the back of the train playing poker. I don't remember too much about the trip apart from the driver of a North bound ballast train taking a lot of interest in the game as we crossed at Enniscorthy and not loosing my shirt at the card table. The laminates had comfortable seating and rode steadier than the Cravens whose early B4 bogies tended to hunt and ride roughly on jointed track.

[Noel]

Nice surprise in the post this morning DCC dropper board kits arrived from WMRC electronics wizard Dave McCabe. These can be daisy chained and handy for baseboard connections where only two bus wires need to run from PCB to PCB with droppers feeding down to them.

[Rob]

I don't think l understood one part of that!!....but it sounds good!

[Noel]

Not much to see, painted the ply back scene boards a very light sky blue (Dulux Liberty Blue 6). Backscene rolls will take better to paint than ply, and if the boards are taller than the back scene rolls the tops won't stand out as much and may even blend in.

Currently installing DCC wiring which is rather tedious.

First coat on Friday.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Noel

[DJ Dangerous]

What's a dropper board, what can it do, and what will you use it for?

[Georgeconna]

I just used Copper clad PCB board cut down and the wires soldered directly to that. 

It seems all sorts of fancy stuff out there now. Are these the ones the Wexford lads used on the O Gauge Layout?

[Noel]

Its a relief to see what started out as a layout design in RailModellerPro evolved into something real

Which was inspired by this photo from "Rails Through the West'

Starting to look like this

After it started a dry test fit like this a few years ago now using old bits of toy buildings

Spent today finalising track fitting, eliminating any rail or sleeper gaps, loading gauge and clearance tests for platforms and loading docks using a variety of wide rolling stock (eg Laminate+Craven coaches, cattle wagons, etc). Also tested track work with stock and tested the uncoupling magnets. I'm hoping to use magnets to hold the buildings and platforms in place so that they remain removable for transport.

Looking south in the direction of Ennis. B188 uncoupled from the afternoon Limerick-Athenry passenger working to shunt some wagons in the yard ready for the Limerick-Claremorris evening goods train to collect.

Looking North in Athenry direction. Next step should be ballasting once the point motors have been tested.

Track pins will be removed once ballasting has been completed. Really enjoying this project. I've learned so much along this journey and its far from finished yet, but patience is the one thing I've really had to take on board and avoid the urge of trying to run trains too soon.

 

[David Holman]

Really looking the part now. Comparison with photo of the prototype shows how well it is working out. 

[Noel]

A montage of progress on Gort this past two years. Shortly after no 3 was recovering from heart surgery when WMRC pal Dave visited me in hospital with a card signed by club members and a nice get well soon gift. Little did I know then how long this might take and its not done yet, but on the home stretch now. Thanks for the kind and encouraging comments especially from those who've been so generous with advice, guidance and tips as I learned along the way. Best wishes everybody for a special and blessed Easter.

It's a long way to tipperary but loving every step along the way.

[Noel]

Used Cobalt point motor Tiebar Labels which are designed to make ballasting points a little easier and less risky to clog the tie bar .

https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/cobalt-tiebar-labels-12-pack/

The idea is you just ballast to the edges of the label which is pre-ballast coloured and then dry ballast around the tie bar which should cause the ballast to stick to the sticky labels avoiding the risk of PVA mix gluing the point.

These were easy to slide in under the points after track laying and are self adhesive with a hole for the point motor bar. Photo below shows three points and a Kadee uncoupling magnet ready for Javis fine granite ballast. The double layer of 3mm closed cell dense foam underlay at 6mm total was perfect height to recess the Kadee under track magnet without needing to cut into the baseboard.

[Patrick Davey]

This is fantastic work Noel - each update is eagerly awaited!  Happy Easter

 

[Noel]

DCC dropper plan, plus the eastern head shunt can be toggle switched from ordinary track to DCC programming track using a switch. DCC dropper pairs in red.

[Noel]

I hate droppers with a vengeance and electrofrog points, just over complicates the wiring and adds to the workload unnecessarily IMHO. Modern AWP locos function just fine on insulfrog points which negate the need for frog switching and also eliminates the need for 80% of droppers. Zero One sold me on the digital promise of - look mom only 2 wires needed. Not so, DCC needs even more wiring than DC with its block sections. I will never be running 2 axle shunters or 4-4-0 steam locos with pickup only on 2 axles. Apologies for the moan, I'm sure I'll have forgotten the hassle when its all done and dusted.