Portadown Junction

[leslie10646]

Proof that not only is a model railway never finished, but in this case - barely started!

My model railway philosophy is exactly that of the late Drew Donaldson - have stock, run the trains to timetable and to heck with scenery. I like to run trains and over the last quarter century I have built up a considerable loco fleet (mainly steam, although I have supported others in their diesel activities), about twenty GNR mahogany coaches and (I have no idea really) about a hundred Irish goods wagons - the reason I started Provincial Wagons was that I needed goods stock. So, this is NOT for the lovers of layouts (believe me, I admire their work, but it's beyond me) - it's for running my trains! 

First its home - my loft - converted eight years ago - gives a whole new meaning to clutter (I still have hundreds of Star Wars figures belonging to my boys, endless suitcases, boxes of books I saved in case I ever got a chance to read them) and shows what a nightmare modern house roof beams are to the would-be modeller.

At the far end you can see the original Richhill GNR(I) cabin diagram with the station below it - well - the correct track layout is there. Portadown station (again, more or less the correct track layout and nothing else - not even platforms) is to the right under the eaves. There is a bit of running line on the left side with loops off each line and the actual Junction, roundhouse, goods yard are behind me.

You can see my desk in the middle of the floor - it should be for modelling, but apart from a couple of clamps, useful for cutting rail etc, that's the limit of activity there. The Provincial Wagons stock drawers just to the right of it.

I put this up in shame, in the hope that if I live through this dreadful virus, some progress will have been made.

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by leslie10646

[David Holman]

Think we've all been there (and indeed continue to revisit in my case), to a greater or lesser extent, Leslie. My own workshop is close to the limit in terms of storage and accessibility, so every so often, I force myself to have a tidy up and put things away. Trouble is, as soon as you start modelling again, the number of tools and material required grows exponentially in comparison to the task!

 I call it 'three pin plug syndrome'. After all the years these things have been around, you'd think we could buy one that required, at most, two tools to wire it up. But no. Two, perhaps three different screwdriver heads, wire stripers, pliers and, in my case, usually many rude words because getting the wires to sit neatly is an unbelievable faff!

 Enough already!

Maybe I'll start a thread on 'my workshop', or perhaps one exists already? Either way, we can show how we both empathise with your pain and share ideas of how to make our modelling areas (because by no means everyone has the luxury of a dedicated space) more user friendly.

[Galteemore]

I like the sound of that idea, David.  I have a corner of the dining room where Rosses Point sits, with cupboards for stock and tools underneath. Any serious work requires temporary possession of the table, and I don’t like cluttering it up for long hours (while I’m at work) with soldering kit whilst the family might want it for other purposes. My wife gets creativity (she works in a variety of mediums) and is very understanding but a soldering bench is not a pretty sight to inflict on her!!Working with plastic card is much easier as that’s much quicker to set up and take down. Much of my modelling requires a psychological self-kicking to get over the inertia of setting up the kit for a few hours work. I do draw comfort from Richard Chown who had similar issues. He’d go to the workshop even when he couldn’t be bothered - saying that he’d leave after twenty minutes if he couldn’t get motivated. Twenty minutes generally got him going!!  

[leslie10646]

Ah, the two Davids missed my point but they did hit a sore point - that you can never find what you want to do an apparently simple task. I have an ex HMSO Index book on my desk marked "Where things SHOULD be" - a source of much merriment to one visitor.

The reason for my shame which will be obvious when you watch the bit of video I'm about to put up - track down (VERY badly in some cases), absolutely no scenery, not even platforms or ballast!

Turn the sound right down, or you'll be deafened - that's me talking behind the (shaky) camera

I forgot to mention what the other bit of double track was - so listen on -

Finally (you'll be relieved to know) where the expensive stuff is kept - mainly hand made (by others) - and YES, it needs a building!

 

[Midland Man]

Lesslie 

lovely layout 

you say it is exactly like Drew Donaldson whitch is true.The only thing is that all of drew engines were in Cie green as he liked them liked them in that color.In my own mind you should do some scenery as drew engines were class but look better in a scene than on lots of track. To prove it would you want to sea some of his engines in a formation on his layout or on a scene like the Inchicore model up at Cultra but it's you layout not mine and the hobby is meant to be enjoyed.

MM 

[leslie10646]

Hi MM

Thanks for comment and encouragement to get my finger out. Ex digitate! Mea culpa.

As we say in the North - ye're dead right.

Working on it!

[Midland Man]

Thanks 

By the way I forgot to mention it but the stock is beutiful. All the engines have really good paint jobs on the them.If only I could do something like that.

[Galteemore]

You can only try - you’ll be amazed what you can actually achieve. Practice a few techniques and you’ll be well away. Have a look at Connoisseur Models website for O gauge kits. I learned how to solder and build brass kits from the advice there.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Galteemore

[leslie10646]

Well, for good or ill, I've made a start to scenery.

I'm ballasting the Junction area and of course, you can only do a bit before you go crazy and in any event, it's best to leave each section to dry for a day or two. Soooo......

It so happens that the station at the North end of the house - Richhill - has had beautiful buildings for the past 5/6 years, but nothing else. The builder is a man of great renown on this site and I'll name him when I get the buildings planted.

A large area needs to be built up to platform level for the station yard facing the building entrance (on the level, no steps) and a goods "beach" (dock to most people who didn't hear the local stationmaster call it that). The building up has been done - photos later, but for now, that "Beach". No laughing at the first efforts for fifty-odd years of a one eyed (LEFT, by the way) right-handed 73 year old bloke, who was never any good at modelling anyway.

This is the side everyone would see and this other side is invisible, except you crawl under the board and view it from the suitcase storage area behind!

You can see my "method" - platform height batten with a Plasticard surface. The Plasticard embossed sides were painted and then stuck on with good oul' Rocket Cardboard glue. Those sides were given a "mortar" undercoat and then "dry-brushed to bring out the stones - to say that it's a slow process would be a fine piece of English understatement.

The gravel surface used a method championed by Gordon Gravett in his landscape modelling book - a thick coat of paint and then scatter the preferred surface material. I did it in small sections, scattering the material when the paint was barely off the brush. I have made an error in that the prototype had edging right down the ramp and the edging stones should be off-white.

You may wonder at the long wall with no surface. Just a feature of my design tactics - it WILL get a surface!

Final point - I first modelled this beach in 1970 (in the bedroom of my digs in Manchester) on the first Richhill - believe me, it was crude!

Edited April 16, 2020 by leslie10646

[Midland Man]

Lovely little platform 

No offense but a bit small for Portadown junction platforms but you've got the nack to build great looking platform.

MM

[leslie10646]

Hi MM

Thanks.

It probably got lost in my verbiage, but it's only a loading platform for goods and is part of the Richhill station on the layout.

[leslie10646]

Now, that box .....

Sort of a clue here?

Eh?

Ah, so that's what it is!

[leslie10646]

Fast forward twenty minutes, climb three flights of stairs, gently ease her out of the foam ......

Take note that Portadown Jct has now grown some grass, you could see it but for the loco......

All the way from Kiwiland and about to take its first wheelturn in the Northern Hemisphere

[leslie10646]

 

So, specially for Mr Mayne - Thanks by the way - he's probably asleep as I post this -

First Steps in the Northern Hemisphere - much more exciting than that on the Moon (Yep, saw that) or getting Americans to the ISS the other day (saw that too).

Here she runs even under the dubious gravity of Surrey - apologies that I haven't got David's skills with a video camera!

By the way, turn the sound up - REAL steam sounds - actually it's the fan, as it's sweltering up there today!

As Mr Ahrons said of the Midland - "The Most Irish of Railways". Hmm, now I need some six wheelers ....

Great stuff Mayner - thanks a Million.

Edited June 2, 2020 by leslie10646

[Edo]

Looks Fantastic Leslie - enjoy.

 

[Galteemore]

What a beautiful loco, Leslie! 

[Midland Man]

Mr Ahorn is quite right. Amazing locomotive you have there.

[Mayner]

It was an anxious moment whether she would run in the Northern Hemisphere & perform on a layout as we only had a temporary oval of Hornby  set track as a test track. Like all good mechanics/loco builders I still have to finish off a Midland 2-4-0 for myself.

[leslie10646]

7 hours ago, Mayner said:

It was an anxious moment whether she would run in the Northern Hemisphere & perform on a layout as we only had a temporary oval of Hornby  set track as a test track. Like all good mechanics/loco builders I still have to finish off a Midland 2-4-0 for myself.

Yes, it's an amusing thought that the Midland had locos which could run upside down!

John, now you're awake, I can thank you more personally. I hope to try her again today at the Richhill end of the railway - where she can have a longer run. At the moment, with platform building, ballasting, grass sowing etc, there are a lot of things over the track!

Enyoy your evening.

[DiveController]

Little beauty!

[leslie10646]

Anyway, getting back to the rail built buffer stops, mentioned as a "lesson" elsewhere.  I was so enthusiastic chucking ballast in the rear sidings that the stop wouldn't clip onto the ballasted track - so quick change of plan and put the two I had in stock before Lockdown on less-ballasted sidings and then played with static grass (a great toy).

Interesting how the close-up shows that my hand-held vacuum cleaner hasn't picked up all the spare blades of grass  - nor is the stop as well clipped down as it could be - but with my lighting, you'd never notice it - this is under an anglepoise lamp!.

The sandy area behind needs a bit of explaining - but that's for tomorrow.

Edited June 15, 2020 by leslie10646

[leslie10646]

Now, the sandy area .....

I was looking at Andy Cundick's Valentia Harbour and was admiring the rough road surface at the front of the layout - so I asked him how it was done. "PVC, playpit sand ant d Acrylic paint" was the answer.

I made notes, lost them (naturally) but vaguely remembered the method when I came to simulate roads / loading areas between the sidings at the Portadown Goods. I bought playsand, dried it out and then put it in a bag for a couple of years. That bit wasn't intentional, but when Lockdown began, I started to add "scenery"  to the layout and the first thing I tried was that road. It went well until I applied the paint - I used a water-based sample pot from B&Q (remember, it should have been Acrylic) and guess what - the sand lost contact with the PVC and moved all over the place - result a very messy "road". I e-mailed Andy who put me straight!

Now, instead of PVC, Gordon Gravett (Grass and Scenery book) likes to use Gloss Paint (Admiralty Gloss, Humbrol No.5), then scatter Talcum powder scattered through an old stocking. Tried it - couldn't make any sense of it. I tried the gloss paint and scattered the playpit sand on it to simulate gravel surfaces on my platforms and I liked the result - hence the sandy area in the previous post.

Ah, now that's a bit too much - I usually just blow it off - but it's 18 inches away and I can't bend that far ....

So that's what this thing was for - stolen from a wardrobe - quick blast and

there's a lot less of it. Leave 24 hours and let it  dry - I did remember that bit of Andy's advice.

You're probably wondering about the hammer beside the hair-dryer - for banging in an earth for the static grass thingy - I have a pet nail which has more grass adherring to it than on the layout.

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by leslie10646

[leslie10646]

Despite all this, I am making a bit of progress!

[Galteemore]

Good progress, Leslie. Nice to see an SLNC van - Manorhamilton button factory exporting to the drapers of Portadown? 

[leslie10646]

So, back to the sad tale of the SAND!

When you apply Humbrol 66 (described as "Olive Drab") to a surface of sand on Gloss No.5,  you should get a nice black-ish colour, as on my platforms -

But instead, it came out quite a light GREY, look right at the back of the yard, please .....

Now how did that happen? Same combination of paints (No.5)/ sand (from Andy's sandpit)  / paint (No.66) which should come up a nice tarmac-y black. Back to Mr Gravett to see what I'd done wrong.

Easy (and very boring) the platforms have a Plasticard surface, on which was painted the Gloss No.5, the sand scattered on that and finally, after 24 hours a coat of No.66. However, Mr G remarked (and I IGNORED) that if you were putting a road, or whatever on a porous surface - to give it a coat of Shellac (whatever that is, especially in Lockdown). The observant among you will have noticed that the Goods Yard has surface of cork right across the place, so, guess what - a very different result! I found a tin of Black and sloshed on a sample, didn't look too bad, so continued.....

and ran out of paint, just as I covered the last bit (for now).  When does Kernow, Guildford open again?

LESSON - read everything the experts tell you, not just the bits that YOU think are important!

That's that for 24 hours while it dries.

Edited June 16, 2020 by leslie10646

[popeye]

Could you not have used dark grey paint?

[Old Blarney]

Leslie,  Why not make your own mixtures? 

https://www.faspaints.com/fas-paints-blog/basic-primary-colour-combinations-worksheet

It is a great deal less expensive and you get what you desire.

Happy Birthday.

[Old Blarney]

7 minutes ago, popeye said:

Could you not have used dark grey paint?

Don't be mentioning Green to him, he's from the North. You know the type, they want orange grass as supplied by a well know seed-merchants in Armagh - William Hannover Boyne, Battlefield Road, Armagh BT16 9O

[Galteemore]

The address is incomplete though, OB - it’s White Horse House on Battlefield Road! 

[leslie10646]

Popeye, yes, I could, indeed, have used dark grey paint - however, as I liked the result with the dodgy combination which had worked on the platforms, I tried it again.

Frankly, that part of the yard will see so little light you would be hard-pressed to determine the colour - my photos are lit by an anglepoise lamp which gives a false impression.

Now..... I wonder if that black has dried yet ........

[leslie10646]

GUINNESS at RICHHILL:

First a short clip (obviously hand held) of No.53 on an unlikely train. Richhill is still under construction and the position makes it very difficult to film - I must get my photographer son in to do it.

Mr Glenderg, Architect of this Parish, built the buildings - the platforms etc are mine (the difference is obvious.

However, it's a clip of his new train, hauled by a loco which would NEVER have been there, pulling wagons which didn't appear until 10 years after the station closed.

Then, for those with two minutes to spare, two IRM trains cross, turn up the SOUND!

Edited June 19, 2020 by leslie10646

[jhb171achill]

Can I have a pint of Guinness? Please?

[leslie10646]

 

2 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Can I have a pint of Guinness? Please?

Sorry, Jon, the whole lot is for the Armagh District Master's Twelfth Night Party at the Armagh Temperance Hall on 12 July 2020.

[Midland Man]

Yes please!

Love the card buildings. Can not wait to sea Portadown.

[jhb171achill]

7 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

 

Sorry, Jon, the whole lot is for the Armagh District Master's Twelfth Night Party at the Armagh Temperance Hall on 12 July 2020.

Ah! They didn't invite me.........