Another S & D J R

[colmflanagan]

Well, I suppose it had to happen.  Ken recently moved house and so there was no model railway for some time as other jobs had to be done before the authorities gave permission for the railway to occupy the garage. The new site is approximately 12' x 15' so the new line will be more of a branch feel than Cookstown Junction. It will also have gradients and everyone knows how much fun they are -if Bleach Green is anything to go by!

 

Some pics of the site back in march with work just beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As many of you  will know, some of us warped persons just love writing bogus histories and ken gives his layouts the initials S&D J R so what would this one be?  Well, see below for another slice of Northern Ireland's alternative railway past - the story of the Strangford & Downpatrick joint Railway.  All the places mentioned do/did in fact exist.

 

 

THE STRANGFORD & DOWNPATRICK JUNCTION RAILWAY

 

The Strangford &Downpatrick Junction Railway began life as a scheme to link the small port of Strangford, at the mouth of the fast flowing Strangford Lough in east County Down, with the county town Downpatrick, as well as Belfast and Dublin.

A local landowner in the Strangford area,  Edward Ward, 4th Viscount Bangor,  whose family seat was Castle Ward, promoted the scheme, and gathered substantial local support for it, as well as from prominent businessmen from the town of Downpatrick, eight miles away to the south west.  Not unusually, the plans included a halt to serve the Ward’s 18th century house, with trains stopping “on request”.  The plans involved a harbour station at Strangford itself; the railway then ran, with no intermediate stations except the halt at Castle Ward,  to a station which would be known as Strangford Junction, about 3 miles north of Downpatrick. The railway crossed the Quoile river by means of a seven arch stone bridge, the most significant structure on the line, which ran through marshy ground near the Quoile and then through relatively level gaps between the drumlins which abound in this part of the county.  Here the line met the Belfast & County Down Railway running north and south.  From there the promoters envisaged a doubling of this line through to Ballynahinch Junction station,  where a  chord to the south would then allow through running to Ballynahinch itself.  This station was planned to be a through station in 1858 and here the running powers for the S&DJR would end, but good connections were expected to Banbridge and further south to Dublin.  With this plan moving ahead the S&DJR was confident of success. Before the plans went to Parliament a branch to serve the lough side village of Killyleagh was added. This ensured the active support of another powerful and influential landowner in the area, the Hamilton family, with access to new funds.  With this level of backing the plan passed Parliament in 1870 .  The line presented no major difficulties though some issues were experienced with the marshy ground round the Quoile River.  It opened in 1872 and was to be worked throughout it’s independent existence by the B&CDR, whose engineers and surveyors oversaw the contractors carrying out the construction works.

Regrettably, despite the optimistic plans, the link west to Dromore or Banbridge was never built and as a result, the grandiose plan for making Strangford a cross channel terminus for shipping from Dublin or Belfast,  was always a long shot doomed to failure, like Donaghadee further north. The small port generated a certain amount of agricultural traffic outgoing and domestic coal incoming; but little else.  In the early years of the 20^th century, with coastal cruising becoming popular, the company experimented with a paddle steamer on Strangford Lough –this  served some of  the villages on its shores in winter, as well as summer pleasure cruises. However, the services did not resume after World War 1. The Killyleagh  branch never generated much traffic either, and had an increasingly sparse service during the 1920’s.

Although through train services to Belfast and Dublin had been envisaged this never really happened. Goods trains did run through, but passengers from both Killyleagh ( 3 trains a day) and Strangford (6 trains per day) had usually to change at the junction; the double track was never actually laid northwards.  For a while, under the LMS, the line was upgraded to take NCC Mogul engines and the “Narrows Express” ran non stop from Strangford to Belfast (the reference being to the fast flowing inlet which separated the south and north sides of the lough) - but this was a short lived experiment and Strangford was unable to emulate the success of Whitehead or Bangor as a seaside commuting line.  The BCDR and later managements ensured that there were reasonable connections at Kilmore both south and north. The junction was renamed “Kilmore Junction” after an irate lieutenant colonel had sued the company for damages and misleading advertising, when he alighted at “Downpatrick” Junction only to find himself stranded for the night!

During the Second World War, the area round the Quoile was used for commando training; this was conducted in great secrecy; and the troops were brought in by boat to a small jetty (a relic of  the paddle steamer days); an existing siding was used for occasional trains carrying supplies and regular troops to provide a smokescreen for what was really going on.. It was also given out that the area was being used for experiments in new marshland food growing techniques.

In the 1926 the BCDR board made approaches to the LMS railway, and as a result the BCDR was taken over and their network came under the control of that company’s  Northern Counties Committee.  Until after the 2^nd World War this organization carried out considerable  re-organizations, including upgrading  of track, and transfer of locos and stock - some LMS types began to run south of Belfast.  It was common to see a BCDR  4-4-2 tank on the Strangford branch train at Kilmore, while the main line saw regular services pulled regularly by the 4-4-0 types of the NCC.  Railcars were regular performers on the Killyleagh branch. When the GNR  got into financial difficulties in 1953, their routes were divided up and the northern routes were worked by British Railways, the railways of the north then coming under unified control known as BR(NI) region. The NCC operated lines were retained under BR control after nationalization in 1948  As a result GNRI types were occasionally to be seen, in particular the “U” class 4-4-0s which were regular performers on the Strangford line, as it was generally known.

The end of the second World War saw the LMS had begun to consider the situation in the light of changing patterns for transport, and gradually under BR the system was cut back, with the Killyleagh branch being first to succumb, in 1957, followed by the Strangford line in 1963, when Kilmore Junction was also downgraded to a halt – it had had extensive facilities having been the hub of the SDJR and a village had grown up around it – but the railway facilities had in any case been progressively abandoned after the war.

The 1960s saw further retrenchment, with the closure of the BCDR’s Ballynahinch and Ardglass branches. The system as left with the BCDR “main line” to Newcastle, the branch to Donaghadee, saved by the growth in commuting to the seaside areas of North Down, and of course the branch to Bangor – the main “earner” of the county Down railways. Services were dieselized with the new railcars developed in York Road and the famous “Blue Pullman” project even saw this once prestigious train on driver familiarization runs, though they did not enter revenue service on this line, being reserved for the exNCC main line to Londonderry.  Sadly, the privatisation of BR in the nineties meant that the entire railway system in Northern Ireland came under threat. No private company came forward to operate any of the network, and as a result the combination of an unsympathetic civil service and apathetic ministers from England meant that the writing was on the wall for all except the busiest lines. The County Down lines were all closed in early 2000 as the money for new trains to operate simply was not available, indeed  the Dublin line was the only one to emerged unscathed - after financial intervention by the Dublin government. The Bangor line was also spared, but the old NCC lines fared badly, the “main line” being closed north of  Ballymena, and the Larne line terminated at Carrickfergus. In the event the “new” trains turned out to be redundant BR Class 41 railbus type vehicles, and some refurbished Class 101 railcars,  which did little to attract traffic on the remaining routes.  By 2016 only the Dublin line retained any local services at all, and through trains were operated by Dublin based  3 car  “Inter city” railcars.  A leaked government document envisaged complete closure in two years and at time of writing (2016) there seems little reason to believe otherwise.

 

....And there'll be more pictures of the actual railway in due course.!!!

Edited September 26, 2016 by colmflanagan

[kirley]

At last some pictures of Ken's layout, it 's been a long time coming but knowing what's to come makes it even more exciting.

[colmflanagan]

Well, here are a few pics of the early days of construction - the layout is DC controlled, and is NOT portable!

 

 I'll post a track  plan in due course but the control panel is a mimic diagram so you'll see it isn't a simple circuit....We started with the reversing loops and soon this area will be capable of a level of automated working - this is one area where DC is a bit complicated as we need both local and remote control of sorts in this area.  Only small locos (0-6-0s, 4-4-0s)  and trains (2-3 coach max) will come down here as it's in theory the Killyleagh branch. For simplicity and space Ken is using Hornby radius 2/3 curves and points; the flap lifted in the picture is going to be storage sidings and a Heljan turntable for the upper main line.  This small area will have two local controllers so that on a running night with up to 3 operators this will be one of the operating positions. It'll be interesting as you can't actually see most of the layout from in here!

 

 

A picture of the control panel - which gives a clue to the layout design -. there are two continuous "runs" , and a number of branches, (Killyleagh, Strangford), sidings to a  mill (Shrigley) and a little pier area.(see history)  - plus  5 storage loops and the turntable/sidings area (Downpatrick and Belfast)

 

The panel gives an indication of which controller "cab" is selected on the sections, and the 30 odd points will be operated on the main panel by stud and probe, with passing contact levels elsewhere - there are also two auxiliary panels to go in,as well as the loops area... Some parts will have levers and the plan is to have the layout pretty well fully signalled.

 

 

Finally, some  shots taken a couple of weeks ago as work progresses.

 

 

Kilmore Junction site - the main station.  Gaugemaster twin controllers with simulation. The reversing loop position is behind the backscene on the right.

 

 

Looking towards the storage loops - these are on the left of the control panel diagram - the reversing loops and turntable, which aren't on that panel in detail, are on the right, the other end of the layout.

 

 

Site for Strangford Station

 

 

The entry to the reversing loops

 

 

Kilmore Junction control panel in situ - but a lot of connections still to be made - fortunately it lifts up!

 

 

The river crossing area - the Strangford branch in the foreground, the main line to Belfast etc., behind and  higher up - it will be a girder bridge of some sort.

 

More will follow as we make progress..

 

 

 

 

 

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[kirley]

Thanks again for posting these pictures.  It's great to see someones ideas developing from 'theory' to actual rails.  Please keep the pictures coming.

[citadel12003]

Great to see pictures of this layout under construction.  I have been talking to Ken about what he's up to and have been mightily impressed with what I've heard so far.  Kieran, I too am looking forward to seeing, and hearing, more of the fascinating "history" of this little known railway line.  Sounds like Colm has been overdoing those mushrooms again    

 

Looking forward to meeting up with you guys when Bleach Green goes overseas again in November.

 

Tom

[colmflanagan]

Work has been progressing steadily on the layout, though much of the work is wiring which is mostly hidden from view; being DC each section has it's own cab control  selector so we are moving slowly and steadily making sure each one does what we want it  to before moving on; there's still a lot to do!

 

Meantime, some pictures of  track work at Strangford station (as it will be eventually); the station can run round a train of 3 57' coaches though the platform can hold up to five at a pinch - any longer "excursions" can be shunted by the branch engine which will be shedded here.(the engine shed will be at lower left hand corner of the top picture).  A short bay allows railcars to come and go without fouling the run round area.. Local industries will include a small distillery and a quayside allows cargoes to be landed or goods exported by sea to Scotland -  (maybe) from a "puffer"!

 

 

In the background of this pic  you can see where the "main line" storage loops will be situated;a test NCC Class Y is on a materials working.  The line appearing from underneath is the "Killyleagh" branch and to the far  left is the Quoile estuary 

 

 

An overhead view of the track

[kirley]

Thanks for the update, steady progress.

[Mike 84C]

Thanks for posting, the track flows beautifully.

[colmflanagan]

There's been quite a bit of activity at Strangford and Kilmore Junction on the County Down SDJR over the last few weeks.

 

First of all, the mill has moved!  

 

 

 

It looked much too dominating where it was (see previous postings) and so has been moved nearer to Strangford station; in the former mill corner site Ken is working on a quarry type setup, with a loop and some sidings (closer to the very first plan he showed me!).

 

 

Strangford station itself is now operational, with all sections wired up and points motorized; the layout uses 3 way cab control and controller "C" is on the small panel here  -this allows a single operator to urn the Strangford - reverse loops as a virtually separate small out and back layout.  (A and B) are on the main panel at Kilmore.  All are Gaugemaster controllers.

 

 

Meanwhile, the 5 storage loops have been laid in and powered up, with their own small auxiliary control panel. -this allows some decent length (up to 5 coach) trains to be held here.  They are behind the mill in the first picture.

 

 

We've had a rethink about the small pier opposite Strangford: originally intended as a sort of  fishing port, this is now morphing into a small passenger/goods ferry landing place; the small platform (with hut) you can see in the  second picture has been displaced and this will now be a triangular platform with a "proper" station building. The pier will probably be based on a small Scottish loch style wooden structure but that's all still to be finalized.

 

 

There's been much activity at Kilmore Junction too with the  through tracks being connected up (though only the outer loop is operational at present) 

 

 

A complex station throat area installed; this has yet to be wired - double slips and diamond crossings in close proximity make a bit of head scratching necessary to make sure we wire them right; (I'd have bottled out and gone for insulfrogs but Ken wants "proper" ones...so lots of micro switches and things underneath....!).

 

 

  We're waiting for a visit from the line signalling and electrical engineer to finalize this. Many of the other points have been wired up, terminations to the main panel and now top of the list..

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kirley]

Ken, things are really starting to take shape with the feel of the layout becoming more apparent.  It's great to see the plan changing as 'on the ground' decisions are easier to make despite those long though out plans.  Once Ian has visited and imparted his electrical expertise perhaps a short video giving a 360 degree look at the layouts progress? 

[colmflanagan]

Once the Board of Trade have given their approval, and all safety checks and due diligence has been carried out, we will see what can be done....

[colmflanagan]

Greetings all,

 

Following some correspondence from a confused observer of this thread, I am posting a sketch track plan. It's a complex layout in a relatively small space (15' x 12' approx.)  with different levels and so on, So this hopefully will help those of you who haven't seen it (most of you!) to make more sense of where everything fits in; there may still be some small inaccuracies  but it is essentially correct.

 

Colm

 

 

 

[Hunslet 102]

Looking good,certainly plenty of operational potential. Look forward to future updates.

[colmflanagan]

Ken has been away for a bit but on return has once again exploded into life, and hence the progress on the railway.   I've been wiriing up sections and  point motors (as has he) but this is not terribly interesting from a visual point of view, However, there's now a continuous run round the layout and the back has been broken of the trackplan.  This suits ken who's always been a scenery man! 

 

 

 

the two pictures above are an embankment with bridge on the far side of the layout, opposite Kilmore Junction; it shows the method of land forming employed by ken as well as some headlines from the past you may have missed..

 

But the "big ticket" item is the quarry which has replaced the proposed factory in a corner of the railway. . The factory was simply too big and too tall for this site, and has been moved to Strangford. A loop and two sidings will provide more operating interest too, and there's a small halt for workmen's trains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kirley]

Wow that 3rd picture from the end is fantastic.

[Hunslet 102]

Agreed Kieran,very realistic,shaping up to be a fantastic layout

[colmflanagan]

Some more pictures of developments on the SDJR, chiefly around the corner where the quarry is,(see plan above)  and at the small harbour station (now referred to as Quoile Pier - by me anyway!) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The station building here is in fact the Bachmann "Oakworth" which certainly looks the part, and has further detailing to follow. ken built the signal box and signal(s) from ratio kits tweaked to suit the location.  Whether there will ever be a ferry is a moot point; "Caledonian Princess" might be a tad big for the pier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scenery to Ken's usual (very high!) standard. No official date has been announced for the first through services but points are all now wired and sections in and tested so watch this space; meantime the little recently introduced Hornby industrial 0-4-0 tanks are looking the part as contractors engines! The coaches of the workman's train are Bachmann HO "Emilys" painted in GNR (I) livery.

[Hunslet 102]

Superb modelling and superb scenery. Agreed about the station,from it to the signals everything just ouces Irish.

 

One question Colm, the GN ballast wagons,are they scratch built or modified?

[kirley]

Breathtakingly beautiful, Ken has an exceptional ability to recreate the natural landscape.

[Nearholmer]

Excellent!

 

I knew it was going to be good as soon as I saw the robust baseboards and liberal applications of grey primer.

 

Kevin

[Baldwin30762]

Hi Guys looking at the first photo I see you have used the American style of baseboard building, can you confirm that the big timber section inthe middle of the photo is in fact a Tee section and not a box.

 

This is one of the first non American layouts I have seen constructed in this way and it looks terrific. I also like the idea of using grey primer as well

 

Final question for now is the quarry building from a kit or have they been scratch built?

 

Great looking railway. 

[NoelG]

Looking superb. Great progress and great atmosphere.

[colmflanagan]

hello folks, A couple of you have queries and Ken is currently unable to access RM Web but he's emailed me the following:

 

First:- The ballast wagons are all mainline items resprayed with Halfords grey primer, G N transfers applied and then the whole lot weathered.

 

The other questions are answered as follows:- The baseboard does utilise quite a bit of 'tee girder' construction, In respect of the quarry buildings they are a mix of Townstreet, Ratio coaling plant and scratch building using Wills corrugated perspex sheets on a card frame

 

hope that helps

 

Colm

[Hunslet 102]

Thanks Colm,they look good. Some were still around in early NIR days,think a couple won't go amiss

[Mike 84C]

Kens tweaking of the signals is excellent and really worthy of an explanation please?