Belmullet

[jhb171achill]

That, as always, is WAY beyond superb! I thought I was looking at REAL weeds, the scenery is so realistic.

[Noel]

That looks so amazing I can hear the sound of sea gulls. Sublime, reeks of atmosphere and realism.

[scahalane]

Excellent stuff.

[popeye]

Excellent, so much great detail.

Nice to see some people added.

Who's the guy with the bald head? A monk? 

[Galteemore]

A friar if you want to be precise! The brown habit would denote a member of the Order of Friars Minor, popularly known as Franciscans. Monks tend to be fairly fixed creatures whereas Friars tend to wander about...

Edited March 28, 2020 by Galteemore

[David Holman]

He comes from a pack of five, sold by Woodlands Scenics. Ready painted, 7mm scale figures are usually £5 or more each, but I only paid this for the whole pack. Bought them at the same time as the family group you can see on the platform at Fintonagh, though they needed altering as their dress was too modern for that 1930s scene.

 Belmullet will depict two periods, early 1900s and mid 1950s (avoiding the battleship grey years). Fashions changed quite a bit in that time, which is why the cluster of passengers will be partially out of sight and other figures are a minimum of railway staff. How much monk's habits changed, I have no idea, but when I researched nuns' habits to paint those figures, the internet search took me to some very interesting and unusual places.

[jhb171achill]

13 hours ago, David Holman said:

He comes from a pack of five, sold by Woodlands Scenics. Ready painted, 7mm scale figures are usually £5 or more each, but I only paid this for the whole pack. Bought them at the same time as the family group you can see on the platform at Fintonagh, though they needed altering as their dress was too modern for that 1930s scene.

 Belmullet will depict two periods, early 1900s and mid 1950s (avoiding the battleship grey years). Fashions changed quite a bit in that time, which is why the cluster of passengers will be partially out of sight and other figures are a minimum of railway staff. How much monk's habits changed, I have no idea, but when I researched nuns' habits to paint those figures, the internet search took me to some very interesting and unusual places.

I think nuns have some very bad habits. Some don't fit well, if they gain or lose weight.....

If you go this side of '56, you can get away with a black steam engine! 

Looking forward to seeing this all finished!

[David Holman]

Almost there?

 Well, not quite, but most of the key elements are in place now, with just one major structure remaining which will be a three doll signal at the platform end. Feel like I've been messing around with this baseboard's back scene for far too long and am still not entirely convinced. The decoupage of the end board seems not too bad to me, though that is for others to judge. In fact, much of it will be partially hidden by the framing when the layout eventually gets exhibited.

The little scene behind the goods shed has taken even longer. Originally, was going to put the white cottage from Arigna there, but it dominated the scene too much, so replaced it with a stand of hawthorns and a hedged off field. Behind that, I've been trying to create a distant quayside, the mark four version you can now see in the photos. The 'Clyde Puffer' has doubled in size from its first incarnation and now has been largely hidden by a row of black sheds. Further back still, the stone pier now has a fish shed on it, though this still doesn't look right in some of the photos. Rather like some of Fintonagh's back scene, much depends on the viewing angle, so hopefully at exhibitions it will seem ok.

 The articulated lorry is an old dinky toy, well into its sixth decade. It is the wrong scale, either 1:50 or 1:48 [should be 1:43], but has been glazed and given a repaint, with the addition of windscreen wipers and door mirrors. 1950s period only of course and should have a better number plate too. Its current one is East Anglian, from a previous 0 gauge layout.

 Plenty of detailing still left, so at least I've got stuff to do during lockdown. After that, or as well, there will be much to do with running trials, as all the stock hasn't turned a wheel for nearly two years, so will need a thorough service.

[Galteemore]

Looks fantastic David. That first picture alone shows how you have transformed the layout by flipping it over to a change of viewing side. Captures the look you are seeking wonderfully 

[David Holman]

Going backwards to move forwards

 Or indeed to move anywhere. Decided it was time to change from all the scenic work and try a bit of running. After all the paint, powder, filler etc that had gone on the layout over the last six months, I didn't expect things to run smoothly, especially around the point tie bars - and so it proved. In fact it soon became apparent that having the point operating wire from the servo to the copper clad tie bar was going to put a lot of strain on servo, so in the end, decided to go back to the method Gordon Gravett outlines in his book '7mm Modelling, Part 1' [there is a part two, too]. The diagram probably explains things better than words, though I used round headed screws instead of small nails to hold the tie bar in place. I've also made the blades pivot, rather than just flex, as both the Y point and the single slip's blades are quite short and therefore stiff.  Cutting through the blades with a slitting disc and then joining them again with rail joiners is all that is required.

 This puts much less strain on the mechanism, but has left me with some gaping holes to fill! Happily, the SLNCR were quite keen to board over point rodding, both alongside the track and between the rails, so mostly need to replace those centre boards. However, the single slip needs two micro switches to control polarity, so I used a double armed pivot, so that one end could move the point blades and the other the switch. For extra security, I will probably add switches to the other points as well, for like Peco ones, they rely on contact between the blade and the stock rail to transmit the current.

 So the above took a couple of days, while reminding myself of how the Megapoints control system works needed a couple more, especially ensuring the point blade movement was re-adjusted. I've lost count of the number of times I've lifted the boards off their mounting, so first work on the underside, then check the top surface. They certainly don't seem to get any lighter! Fingers crossed, I can start playing trains again soon, though all the locos are going to need a bit of TLC, both mechanically and cosmetically. At least there is still plenty to do during lockdown.

[Galteemore]

You’ve been busy, David!! That’s a useful tip on the turnouts.

[Midland Man]

Looking exellent.

what company's do 36.75mm gauge?

[David Holman]

All the points are from Marcway of Sheffield. They are code 100 FB rail soldered on copper clad sleepers. I built the plain track myself from the same materials. Have used Marcway several times and always been happy with the product. Being hand made, they are more expensive than Peco - at least half as much again, but for me, worth it. Slaters wheels are fine on Code 100 rail. The points are finescale, not S7

 C&L do points kits, which have ready machined blades and preassembled crossing vees. The correct chairs etc are supplied, which are slid on to the rail and then fixed to sleepers with solvent. Therefore, if you want bullhead track, the only extra thing needed would be a 36.75mm track gauge, ideally turned to include the flange way gap. Have built several 32mm points this way and they were very straightforward.

[2996 Victor]

Hi David,

I've just finished reading through your thread, and rather than comment on individual posts (most of them!) can I just echo all the other comments and say that you have created a beautiful model railway that is quite frankly a work of art.

I've only recently joined this forum, despite having had an interest in Irish Broad Gauge for many years - Arigna and now Belmullet are an inspiration to get something built sooner rather than later! Please keep the photos coming.

Stay safe and stay well!

Mark

[David Holman]

Trains!

 First of, thanks Victor for the positive comments and, as requested, here are some more photos. 

 Have always thought that you should be able to identify the subject of a model railway without there being any trains in sight - landscape, architecture and so on all give a certain signature to the scene, but it its the trains themselves that cement it. So, after many months of rebuilding, have at last got back to the rolling stock. Nothing is running yet, as point control still needs attention, but I wanted to try out a few different combinations and, in particular, see if I could make my Dingham couplings work for me. 

 The problem with Dinghams is that, though very effective, they are 'handed', with a hook one end of the vehicle and a loop the other. However, playing around with various sketches and combinations, it seems I can do pretty much all the moves I want for exhibitions and with just three electro-magnets - one each in the platform and bay, with another in the goods shed siding. The trains themselves are as follows and being all the stock from Arigna Town, will probably be familiar to many.

•  The railcar and railbus will probably still continue to arrive in the main platform, but will now get moved to the bay for departure. This should allow them to be seen better and also allow a second train to arrive beforehand, making for a much busier scene.
• The first goods train will be for the harbour branch, so one of the Small Tanks [Fermanagh] is seen bringing in a rake of coal wagons, from the Arigna mines, of course. Once Fermanagh has retired to the turntable, the Deutz diesel pushes a rake of cattle vans up from the harbour. By hooking on to the coal train's brake van, a new train is made up and moved to the bay. The Deutz can then depart with the coal wagons down to the harbour and after, Fermanagh can head back east with the cattle.
• Next up, a G2 arrives with an excursion, made up of three MGW six wheelers. This is a simple out and back move, with the loco turned on the 'table, of course
• The second goods train serves the goods shed/co-op siding. The J26 0-6-0T works this, bringing in five mixed wagons and vans, which are swapped with those in the goods shed, using similar moves to the first goods.
• Another excursion arrives next, with the other Small Tank [Hazelwood] and a couple of old Sligo coaches and a van.
• Finally we have Large Tank, Sir Henry, with the mixed train. On arrival, Sir Henry retires to the shed, while 'Lark' [Timoleague and Courtmacsherry loco 'St Mologa] pushes two wagons up from the harbour and shunts so that these are eventually on the back of Sligo Brake 3rd number nine in the bay. Lark can then depart with the incoming wagons, while Sir Henry can set off back east again.
• The final picture shows the fully filled fiddle yard. Eventually, as mentioned before, the plan is to operate sequences for both the 1950s and the early 1900s, so once the layout is largely finished, I will have plenty more stock and loco building to do!

 

[Galteemore]

Brilliant David ! Fantastic to see the Sligo Leitrim stock out again.

[Midland Man]

Amazing stuff.

where could I get a secon Hand J26?

[warb]

Magical as usual.

[murrayec]

Hi David

This is a beautiful layout and has stunning locos n stock

Eoin

[jhb171achill]

WOW!!!  Words fail me! Absolute (and typical) EXCELLENCE personified!

Spare J26, MM - you'd need to buy a kit, I would think....

[2996 Victor]

Hi David,

many thanks for the photos - what an inspiration! Your attention to detail is incredible.

I absolutely agree that the infrastructure should define the owning company without the need for locos and rolling stock to be present. But I have to say that its the latter that make it for me, particularly Sir Henry!

I shall be following with great interest!

Thanks again and best regards,

Mark

[David Holman]

Thank you one and all. Must admit, it is rather nice to have one's work appreciated like this, while when I look at the pictures of Sir Henry and the railcar/railbus, I also wonder - did I really make this?  The answer is yes - a combined total of around 350 hours work, with Sir Henry half of that on his own. At the end of the day, any journey starts with a small step and that's really what all our models represent. The pleasure comes from knowing you did it yourself, so the models are unique and that is all part of the fun, frustration and [many] rude words along the way.

[NIR]

That's a really good 'ecosystem' you have there.

[David Holman]

Knitting and stuff

 No, Belmullet has not gone under the wires like Barrow Street, these are the wires and other stuff, under the baseboards. Must have built at least a dozen layouts over the years, but this side of things still causes me problems. Much of this is no doubt due to an element of ham fistedness - dyspraxia even - for I cannot for the life of me work out anything that is 'handed', while rotation symmetry is a guarantee for rude words. Add in the fact that baseboard wiring requires you to visual both the top and underside of the baseboard and this work has just continued to bite me.Turfing illegitimacy just two terms that spring to mind...

 Anyway [and cross everything here], I think I just about have it sorted.

 The first thing that still needed doing was fairly straightforward. The line to the harbour needs to get to the fiddle yard, however, the fact that the sector table also pulls out to turn 180 degrees means that this short section needed to be removable to enable this. A rectangle of 12mm MDF, a short length of track, two home made bolts [to align the tracks] and a couple of M4 bolts to keep the MDF in place was all that was needed. That plus a couple of round headed screws, so that the two wires from the harbour branch could connect to the removable piece with crocodile clips.

 The major part of the wiring involves  power to the track and a Megapoints system to work the signals and points via servos. The latter is a really clever piece of kit, which enables the control panel to connect to all the points and signals via a single three wire servo lead. The brain is a complex bit of circuit board. All the switches and indicator lights on the control panel connect to this with short, plug in leads. No soldering is required and the control panel was wired up in less than half an hour. The panel and servos require a separate power source to the track - indeed with 12 volts also needed to the uncoupling magnets, that makes three power packs in all.

 The servo lead from the control panel goes to a 'servo controller' circuit board on Baseboard 3 [next to the fiddle yard]. This is also 'plug and play', with no soldering required and controls the first point entering the station, plus the three armed signal. From this first servo controller, a second and third are daisy chained together on Baseboard 2, controlling the other signals [yet to be built] and points. Three of the points are on Baseboard 1, so there are a couple of servo leads crossing between boards two and one. 

 Most of this was done back in the autumn, so when I decided it was time to do some more test running, it was clearly going to be a simple matter to connect things up again. Well, no. As mentioned earlier, the points all needed miniature slide switches adding, to control polarity. Wire in tube operation worked fine on Arigna Town but, strong though these little servos are, a good yank applies much more force, so extra help was required. Of course, I managed to get a couple of sets of wires the wrong was round and what with moving the point tie bars below baseboard, the whole lot have been two weeks of blood, solder burns and tears. Add in the fact that when I did complete it, the control panel did not want to talk to the servo controllers, then you can appreciate the new and complex forms of Anglo-Saxon that resulted...

 Thankfully a call to the amiable, patient and ever helpful Dave Fenton at Megapoints soon put me right. He's tried to explain the logic of it all, but am afraid my eyes just glaze over! Suffice to say, it all works and the servo control boards have four small buttons on them to enable you to set the amount of travel required and add bounce to the signals too. Just hope that, now it all set up, I don't have to move the baseboards from their mountings or a while as recently they've been up and down more times than, well there's a metaphor I'm sure many of you know!

 The pictures hopefully show what I've been up to, with the final one showing where the control panel now sits in the workshop, above the baseboards. Pretty it ain't. When the layout is exhibited, it will need a minimum to two operators - one acting as driver/shunter, the other coveringing signalman and fiddle yard. At home, operation can be part of my daily exercise!

[murrayec]

Deadly stuff David

Megapoints really is the business.....

Eoin

[Midland Man]

looks confusing 

[Galteemore]

Great stuff David - nice to see another step along the road ! Looks a very professional job.

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, David Holman said:

 

 

 

 

 

Wot's this? A "hard border"?  That oul Brexit lark.............!    

[David Holman]

Major seismic disturbance in the far west of Co Mayo!

[Broithe]

1 hour ago, David Holman said:

Major seismic disturbance in the far west of Co Mayo!

Major enough to require Teresa Mannion.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0524/877583-mayo-earthquake/

[David Holman]

On 4/29/2020 at 8:16 PM, Midland Man said:

looks confusing 

Been doing my head in for weeks MM! However, it is essentially quite simple and used basic principles from Loose End, 20 years ago. No dcc then, so several hundred feet of wire for a layout only ten feet long! 

 Megapoints control limits a lot of wiring, but, being analogue, track power required a couple of sections, while I always take feeds to tag strips, which then help with fault tracing. Will be the first to admit that the runs could be tidier though. As for dcc, while I do have a controller, have found I prefer the simplicity of analogue, where direction and speed is all you need to think about. Sound is fun, but chips are the thick end of £150. Did consider radio control, but again, cost is in dcc territory and as it was the Megapoints set up cost a couple of hundred.

[David Holman]

Angus's thread has certainly got me thinking about traffic and traction in the west of County Mayo for my own project. My imagineering is that as per some of the projects mentioned in Rails to Achill, a line to Belmullet was eventually built, running west from Ballina. Stretching things a bit further [ok, a lot], I see the line as a joint venture between the SLNCR and the WL&W. A line from Swinford, on the Burma Road, to Foxford on the Ballina branch would have given the SLNCR a route of around 100 miles, though in best Irish practice, this would have been broken into separate sections no doubt. Also, by adding a MGW branch from Mallarany to Belmullet [all lines in pursuit of Canadian Pacific mails of course], then I have much the same traffic and traction as at Sligo, albeit on a smaller scale.

 The reasons for this flight of fantasy are the collections of locos and stock I built up for Arigna Town, plus the subsequent acquisition of models from Richard Chown's estate - notably WL&W 0-6-0 Shannon and the 101 kit. As mentioned before, the idea is to be able to operate both in the 1950s and early 1900s. 1950s I can do already, this being when Arigna Town was set. It will be somewhat SLNCR and MGW heavy, because that is what I have. Hence the roster is planned to include:

• SLNCR railcar and railbus
• SLNCR mixed train - coach No 9, of course! Both on local trains to Ballina, with connections onwards to Sligo and Enniskillen.
• SLNCR goods traffic to/from the harbour. This will be a mix of cattle and supplies for the distillery. I fancy having at least one converted WLW six wheel carriage carrying turf and Bord na Mona has [had?] workings near Belmullet
• An SLNCR passenger excursion, but using a D17 for power from Ballina.
• CIE goods, with a new engine, as I've just ordered a Tyrconnel J18/19 kit from Alphagraphix
• CIE passenger excursion, using the G2 2-4-0 and Atcock six wheelers. Both these coming from Westport.

 For the early 1900s, I need to tinker with history a bit, as my 101/J15 was built after the WLW was absorbed by the GSW, while I want to keep Shannon as Richard built it, in WLW livery. So, the take over has been put back a couple of years. This gives me the following options to explore:

• A WLW 'mail goods', using Shannon with a full brake, carriage truck and Richard's two Dublin & Meath brake vans. Very Castle Rackrent.
• A GSWR excursion headed by the 101. This will have a GSW 6w 1st, a WLW brake 3rd and two horse boxes
• A MGW mail train with D15 'Wolf Dog' hauling 6w TPO, 3rd and birdcage brake
• A MGW goods using my J26, though this will need a new chimney and repaint
• An SLNCR goods with one of the Small Tanks bringing in coal from Arigna and general goods out.

 Especially in the 1900s period, the SLNCR would take traffic eastwards to Sligo, Enniskillen, Derry and Belfast. WL&W traffic would head south for Limerick and Cork, while the MGW would handle stuff for Westport and Dublin. Good, if slightly implausible excuses! Equally, if the Canadian Pacific mail traffic had materialised, then, for a while at least, Belmullet would have become quite thriving railway hub, one that might just have lasted into the 1950s unlike the Achill and Clifden lines.

 As for work on the layout itself, many hours have been spent test running. Turns out most of the points needed adjusting, along with back to backs on many of the wheels. As a result, derailments are [mostly] eliminated, though work is still needed to make the Dingham couplings work more efficiently. Half a millimetre makes all the difference! One of these days, I will get back to model making again - lets face it, the 'to do' list is considerable.

 

[David Holman]

Sorting out the ugly bits

 Have taken a step back from stock modelling for a few days - things were not going as well as I like, so a change is as good as a rest as they say and there is always something else you can do in the world of model railways. In addition, a chance phonecall also prompted a new train of thought. Belmullet was due to make its debut on the exhibition circuit in October, at the Uckfield show, but like pretty much everywhere else this year, it has been cancelled, so the rebuilt layout will not be going out for at least another 15 months and before anyone tries to tempt me, all the shows I was going to this year with Fintonagh have been moved to 2021, so [all being well], there is no room in the diary for anything else for now.

 Anyway, the eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that Belmullet only has a partial back scene at the moment. I've held off making the sky boards, which means you can see the odds and ends of plywood and MDF behind. Similarly, the four transformers [lights, track, uncoupling magnets and point motors], don't have proper homes, while the workshop as a whole is due a bit of a makeover too. This last one more than justified as I've been doing as I'm told by the domestic authority of late with decorating around the house - 'nuff said! All this has prompted some scribbling, measuring and drawing, so that [hopefully], I can have both a bit of a sort out and, in particular, make sure the layout is better presented/more easily operated. When I knew it was going to a show in October, getting things ready for that was more important. Now it is staying at home for at least another year, I might as well make it look 'proper', as it were.

 As for the workshop, I am sure I am not alone in having a hodge-podge of storage for all the accutriments a modeller gathers over the years, so again, it is about time I made an effort to make things neater. The workshop was originally created out of the integral garage about 20 years ago and in many ways is a nice place to work. Centrally heated, plenty of power sockets and lighting, but although it was substantially updated with kitchen base units and worktops, many of the odds and sods for storing things have remained, as I'm sure you will see below. The lighting needs a rethink - being more quantity than quality with a large overhead fluorescent tube, an ugly strip of LEDs over the layout and incandescent spotlights scattered around - not good when I exhibit under LEDs. Oh, and it would be nice if all the shelving were at the same height around the workshop! So, watch this space - and hopefully, the layout will look a lot better for it too.

Edited July 9, 2020 by David Holman

[KMCE]

2 hours ago, David Holman said:

So, watch this space

Sounds like a serious make over in progress. 

I'm sure you'll find all those things you bought for models ages ago and forgot about.  I know every time I do a serious tidy up, or deep search for some parts, there is always an "oh look what i found", then promptly forget what I was looking for.

 

Good luck with it.

[David Holman]

It's been a while, but the workshop makeover is getting there at last. Decided to repaint the walls and ceilings, so it was a real Chinese puzzle to move the various elements around without [much] stuff invading living area of the house. Though not a great deal has changed, hopefully what has been done will make life easier:

• Shelving has been tidied up and now is mostly at the same height around the whole workshop
• Lighting has been changed to LEDs - both on the layout and the workbench, so in future I'll be painting under the same light as I display/exhibit
• What's on the shelves has been moved round, to improve access, while all the bits and pieces, tools etc have been likewise re-organised for the same purpose.
• Electrics for Belmullet have similarly been improved, with the control panel now on the shelf above and track/magnet/lighting transformers grouped at one end.
• There is now a better back scene to Belmullet, with 'skyboards' added, behind the land and sea back scene.
• Fintonagh has swapped places with the magazines/book shelves, so the latter are all together for reference purposes
• Still some more tidying up to do, not least getting the layout running again, but hopefully can get back to some modelling again soon.
• Hopefully the photos will enable changes to be seen - but no prizes for spotting anything I've not mentioned!