Gort Station

[Mayner]

There seems to be scope for quite interesting operation whether you operate end to end or eventually manage to build a continuous run though 3 road staging/fiddle yard could be quite limiting.

The line seems to have been at its busiest between the mid-late 50s & early 70s when goods/freight traffic over the Limerick-Athenry line was heavier than the western end of the Dublin-Galway line.

2-3 scheduled goods trains + overloads, seasonal beet and cattle specials. It might be worth trying JMRI Operations http://jmri.org/help/en/package/jmri/jmrit/operations/Operations.shtml for wagon routing.

Passenger wise there was a loco hauled Limerick-Galway mail train operated daily up to 1963 (A Class hauled in later years), 3 car AEC railcar sets on the Limerick-Sligo passenger trains often with cattle wagons and vans as tail traffic, small GMs & a couple of coaches after the Sligo trains were diverted to run to & from Ballina.

Are you looking at modelling the embankment and  underbridge at the Limerick end of the station? it adds to the visual interest.

[Noel]

57 minutes ago, Mayner said:

There seems to be scope for quite interesting operation whether you operate end to end or eventually manage to build a continuous run though 3 road staging/fiddle yard could be quite limiting.

The line seems to have been at its busiest between the mid-late 50s & early 70s when goods/freight traffic over the Limerick-Athenry line was heavier than the western end of the Dublin-Galway line.

2-3 scheduled goods trains + overloads, seasonal beet and cattle specials. It might be worth trying JMRI Operations http://jmri.org/help/en/package/jmri/jmrit/operations/Operations.shtml for wagon routing.

Passenger wise there was a loco hauled Limerick-Galway mail train operated daily up to 1963 (A Class hauled in later years), 3 car AEC railcar sets on the Limerick-Sligo passenger trains often with cattle wagons and vans as tail traffic, small GMs & a couple of coaches after the Sligo trains were diverted to run to & from Ballina.

Are you looking at modelling the embankment and  underbridge at the Limerick end of the station? it adds to the visual interest.

Yes on the next 5ft recessed board which would help form the loop to run behind (ie from the Ennis end back around to the Athenry end). Have family ties with Gort and spent time there in the 60s and 70s. On a recent visit it was great to see trains passing through the town again.

Edited March 25, 2019 by Noel

[Noel]

Getting back to slow progress on Gort. Some more work on the platforms before gluing the dense foam surface to the baseboards. These platforms will sit on top of the foam so they will be correct height above the track for rolling stock.

[StevieB]

Are things still progressing ok with Gort?

Stephen

[Noel]

Its been a while, but have been chipping away slowly piece meal between other projects, working on buildings, platforms, etc. Last few days. Gort is essentially designed for now as an end to end shunting layout that will eventually be part of continuous running set up in the future. Track diagram is as per the prototype as it was about 1970 nearing the end of its hey day as a busy pick up goods station for a regional agri market town.

Track cut and dry laid for test fit. Points modified for frog switching and DCC. Now lift it all again, drill holes for point motors and power feed, lay two layers of closed cell foam, one over entire base board, the other just under the track, this will ensure no 'sound' bridge with the plywood for quite running. There will be no track pins, they will just be used temporarily to hold track in place while the PVA glue dries, and then removed as a track pin can act as a sound bridge to plywood baseboard guitar effect. I like quite track. In the immediate future this will just be an end to end shunting layout, but in the future part of a larger continuous loop layout. I'm rather slow laying this track as testing everything as each step progresses, free running, smooth transition curves, locations of uncoupling magnets, avoidance of under board cross members for point motors, platform clearances, etc. Its fun but very slow. I've no idea how I had the energy and stamina to lay all the track on Kingsbridge 27 years ago.

Two 5ft x 2ft baseboards for now

Track cut and test fitted. Now to re-lift the track again and lay the closed cell dense foam baseboard cover and track bed, then relay the track and pin temporarily while gluing it with PVA.  This is going to take a long time but enjoying it all the same. 

Cattle dock will be on LHS with water tower cut into the end of the middle platform and goods shed just this side of the LHS goods platform.

This layout project was inspired by this photo in Jonathan ( @jhb171achill ) and Barry's book 'Rails Through The West', and my childhood memories of Gort as a busy market town.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rails-Through-West-Limerick-Illustrated/dp/1780730063/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Rails+Through+The+West&qid=1592600749&sr=8-1

[Midland Man]

Looks great. With a few 141s it will looks great.

[Noel]

13 minutes ago, Midland Man said:

Looks great. With a few 141s it will looks great.

Cheers. That's the general idea. But 121, and A classes and 101 Sulzers were also visitors from Limerick and Ennis on route to Athenry, Tuam and Claremorris.

[jhb171achill]

This route was normally, for decades, the REGULAR preserve of almost solely 141s, but as Noel says, occasional visits of C, B101, A and even 071 classes were known.

In case of an eventual layout extension, I have four black'n'tan 141s, and may get another, to represent this type of route (Mallow - Waterford would probably have ended up the same had it survived).

Naturally, a layout based on Gort might have, for realism, a sprinkler above it - permanently on!

The first time I ever travelled through this station was '75 or '76 and it was a beautiful bright day, albeit with a nippy enough wind. Every other time since, it's been lashing!

[Noel]

Looking forward to loading gauge trials next week before ballasting

Chugging away slowly

 

Edited June 20, 2020 by Noel

[NIR]

I love the essentially Irish trackplan - straight, standard turnouts, goods loop - made for modelling.

[Irishrailwayman]

Great project - best of luck.

[Noel]

Modifying the electro frog points this afternoon as per recommendations for frog switching, etc. Messy, I need thiner wire.

[Georgeconna]

I soldered the DCC droppers to the fishplates and used some very thin brass wire to bridge the 2 rails.  Looks a tad heavy there Noel but will Stand up well I'd say.

[Noel]

3 hours ago, Georgeconna said:

I soldered the DCC droppers to the fishplates and used some very thin brass wire to bridge the 2 rails.  Looks a tad heavy there Noel but will Stand up well I'd say.

Yes I was not happy, the tip of the iron was one of those beveled types more suited to pcb and awkward to get in and out quickly without heating the plastic. I prefer a flat tip. Tedious but got all the Gort ones done today using thinner feed wires. Next time on Kingsbridge I'll use thin wire as bridges and separate track feeds. 7 done, 70 more to do! 

[Noel]

Foam underlay complete at last. I've gone for double layer for sound insulation, the entire baseboard is covered in a layer of 3mm closed cell dense foam (self adhesive backing), and then a second layer of track bed under track work (ie 3mm closed cell dense self adhesive foam). Lots of awkward transposing of track plan using a roll of grease proof paper and tippex to mark the base layer of foam so that the second layer can be correctly positioned where the track will go. I cannot cut the upper layer of foam in place for fear of cutting through the base layer which would just allow PVA glue seep through to the play base and create a sound bridge. My reason for the double layer is to prevent PVA/ballast mix coming into contact with the plywood baseboard. I've seen foam act as a great track sound insulator until it is ballasted when the PVA at the edges of the track bed hardens when dry amplifying track noise (ie effectively connecting the track with the baseboard).

Cobalt point motor holes drilled before putting the foam down and transposed one layer at a time.

The double layer self adhesive foam has been workable so far

Next up is relay the track once again for a dry fit to check alignment and loading gauge clearances with platforms, point motor holes, etc and then remove to do the dirty scenic landscaping, or mask the track while doing the plaster work. Hope it works when running my toy choo-choos.  

Edited June 27, 2020 by Noel

[Noel]

Track being relaid on the double layers of 3mm closed cell dense foam (source in link below)

https://www.efoam.co.uk/closed-cell-polyethylene-foam.php#sheet1

Kadee under track uncoupling magnet fits neatly under with the 6mm of foam. Luckily its not on the main line or it could act as a sound bridge. It is located between the head shunt and the goods yard sidings.

[DiveController]

We discussed sound damping from the baseboard maybe 4-5 years ago and restoration of sound conduction to the baseboard by the PVA glue. Great to see you using the closed cell foam over the baseboard to start. That should make it very quiet indeed. Nice job wiring the electrofrog points to have the entire frog set to one polarity with the switch. Great groundwork!

[Noel]

Track laid, after its alignment had been dry tested with pins. Tested with rolling stock for lengths, shunting and uncoupling sites. Trackbed 3mm dense closed cell foam (self adhesive) on top of base board completly covered in a layer of 3mm dense closed cell foam. Hopefully this will reduce noise and perform as well as the old peco foam underlay. The double layers should ensure PVA ballast glue should never come into contact with the baseboard plywood surface, avoiding a sound bridge. Now have some more wiring to do underneath the base board especially for frog polarity switching at each point using Cobalt Analog point motors integrated frog polarity switch. There's a lot more to do, but happy the track is now finally a lock after much dry testing. Before ballasting will double check the station buildings, water tower and goods shed fit snugly.

[Robert Shrives]

Lovely work and contrary  to the muse that gentle curves add realism- when the prototype laid out with a human Mk1 eyeball  as straight as this it works very well. I am looking forward to the day when power is on.  Keep up the good work!   

[Noel]

3 hours ago, Robert Shrives said:

Lovely work and contrary  to the muse that gentle curves add realism- when the prototype laid out with a human Mk1 eyeball  as straight as this it works very well. I am looking forward to the day when power is on.  Keep up the good work!   

Thank you. Yes Gort the prototype has an unusually straight station section. I was tempted to put a gentle curve in but the essence of that scene is straight track. The next section to the south will have a gentle curve to the left over the bridge in the town centre and then veer off right behind the backscene for a return. Yes eyeball was used to line up the track.

[Noel]

After dry assembling and test fitting the goods shed to station track work, I wasn't happy and decided the gable ends had to be scrapped and remade because the arch was too wide for typical 2 axle goods wagons. So made another pair of gable ends, ready for building assembly tomorrow. If at first you don't succeed try try again. Luckily I had a spare sheet of the coarse stone finish.

The gable ends on the left were the replacement versions, the right hand side are scrapped or may be used in the future for some other shed.

Dry test fitting over the track and beside the platform showed immediately the the original archway doors were too big and in the wrong place, so off with their heads, had to be redone.

[WRENNEIRE]

Saw this on another site somewhere but it made me smile in these strange times
Measure once, cut twice !  

[Noel]

Quick test fit for the goods shed at the station location. I'll just need to cut 5mm into the edge of the platform which will work out well as a wall about 4mm thick continues to the south of the shed on the platform back.

Roof trusses on, will leave overnight

Next up is the water tower which will be a tight fit at the end of the platform between the main line and the goods road.

[jhb171achill]

Had a yarn with Barry - those pics shown above that we had in the book are actually his best ones of that shed, he says - actually, I think they're adequate for the model?

[Noel]

6 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Had a yarn with Barry - those pics shown above that we had in the book are actually his best ones of that shed, he says - actually, I think they're adequate for the model?

Hi Jonathan. Thank you very much. Agree, I think I have enough photos of the goods shed. Its the front head on facia of the station building I'm looking for (ie front track side elevation). So that I can do a drawing and transcribe to card. There are a number of photos online of the station at an acute angle from the track side, but no perpendicular photos. Not even in the planning documents from the rebuild of the line for the western rail corridor.

[Noel]

Test fitting again earlier. Its recessed a very little into the side of the platform. The gap in the platform ramp is where the water tower will go. Now I can safely finish off this building knowing it will fit ok with the track alignment and platforms.

[Noel]

Test fitted the basic structure for the water tower to see how it fits in proportionately.  I only have photos and eyeball for measurements and proportions. Will make up the water tank to go on top in the next few days.

Goods shed got primed. Will paint it lighter shade of grey before weathering it and adding the doors, roof, etc. I'm thinking of having two removable roofs. One with a large see through glazed section so you can see inside, and another which is prototypical with the small ridge level roof lights.

[Georgeconna]

looks very good Noel.

[Patrick Davey]

This is shaping up very nicely indeed Noel, great seeing the progress.  The goods shed is as fine a model as could be found anywhere!  Keep up the great work sir and happy new year!

[Noel]

40 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said:

This is shaping up very nicely indeed Noel, great seeing the progress.  The goods shed is as fine a model as could be found anywhere!  Keep up the great work sir and happy new year!

Cheers Patrick. Yes it is gradually taking shape and beginning to have a sense of Gort about it.

Now that I'm happy with the proportions of the buildings (shed and tower structure), can spend some time finishing them off and weathering them.

Now need to make a start on the station buildings, at least the structures, and keep mini projects operating in parallel. Trying to sequence the steps so everything is ready at the right phase. Lots of wiring to do under the base boards, but these can be turned onto their sides for wiring so no crawling around on the floor needed.

[Patrick Davey]

Ah that is just super - and all the current RTR releases are perfectly timed for you.....as long as the bank manager approves........ ha ha!

Really loving this one.

[jhb171achill]

Here we go:

Nice TYPICAL rural Irish 1970s train too. Two laminates - of different types - (three on some lines e.g. Limerick - Waterford) and a hot water bottle. GSR enamel bilingual sign (on BOTH platforms) too. Wonder what happened them - could they have ended up in a bar in Noo Yawk?

Edited January 4, 2021 by jhb171achill

[DERAILED]

Not Noo Yawk - nearer to home - and can be viewed at Dromod unless it has been flogged to somebody.

 

[jhb171achill]

Whew!

Thought it might have been "preserved" in - a bar in Manhattan or Chicago..............

[burnthebox]

Ya mean the way this one did, & all the way to Noo Yawk, into Fitzpatrick’s no less....!

BTB