colmflanagan

Hi Everyone, The past six months have f gone in a bit of a blur but nevertheless Ken has found time to make progress on the S & D J R - which are described in this post and the next. But first, - a tranquil scene at the Quoile Junction. The dock remains unused as no ferry service has yet been attractedted to the area. Some of the work has been "behind the scenes" in an area where the two level storage sidings are, and I will posta picture of this complex area ind ue course; it is largely unwired. However, there has been considerable progress at Kilmore Junction (the main station) First of all, a couple of general views of the area; The station has three through platforms and a carriage siding/bay facing Strangford. The recently featured timeber yard is on the bottom right of the picture. The station layout is reminiscent of Ballynahinch Junction athough it wasn't on a curve!) with a single road running between two platform faces. Another picture from further back, the right hand line is running down to Quoile Junction, and Strangford Station, the next right hand one (off the double slip) is to Kilmore engine shed, and the central line is the upper circuit; the line on the far left leads to the goods yard. If the "bay" is in use, it is necessary to do a reversal on to the main running roads; but there was a layout like that at Limerick Junction! Two views of the station buildings from the road side; it is built from two Bachmann Scenecraft buildings with a new roof and an entrance archway/door

I seem to recall seeing somewhere that their "official" max speed was 45 but that was still of little use for passenger trains. Colm

Looks like your permanent way teams will be busy for a while! Colm

Over the past week or so I've been trying to reach the point where trains can run round the two main lines, (without falling off or stopping unexpectedly!) This has meant wiring up the lifting section. On my previous layout I had connected the various sections on it (there's a crossover with section breaks to contend with), and had run wiring down the layout legs, then along the carpet floor covered by a mat. As in this room I have a wooden laminate floor I decided I didn't want that approach. And also, much of the approach from the curves at the room ends would be behind a backscene so a mistake like running a train withe lifting section UP (yes, i did do it before!) would mean a disaster. Carpet helps in this situation of course but i didn't want it happening in the first place.. In the end I decided to use phsphor bronze/copper strips to pass current and also to provide a fail safe cutout which would stop trains approaching the open lifting section, about 4 feet from the edge. The two pictures below show the four strips for Up and Down lines The strip is very thin (it needs to be so that track height isn;t affected) - and how it will work in the long term is unknown; but it would be easy to replace. Top edge The next two show the cut out -wires run from either side of the break, the strip makes the contact when the lifting board is down. Very simple. The finished section, ready for testing. The first two passenger trains to operate - both steam and diesel are in early 1960s liveries - the models are well separated; the "Red Dragon" loco is a Hornby Dublo "Cardiff Castle " from a set i bought about 1964: The Bachmann Blue Pullman came out about 6 years ago, I think - nearly 50 years later! Both run beautifully and now i will move on the the branch platforms from Coleraine, these will face Portrush -something neither the LMSNCC, UTA, NIR, ever achieved.. And finally, to prove I can clutter a layout

Careful arrangement of all stuff before photo session!! Call in at random some day and you'll get a balanced picture. C

I think I will stick to hacking plastic....but hats off to Tony & Kieran. Like Nelson, I am surprised that it's necessary to cut away chunks of the cab floor to get the wheels to turn round! This may be because the cab front is moved forward (correct to prototype) and I had to do the same when I built the first Mogul. My Jeeps retained the original longer Fowler firebox and cab front and this means the cab itself is about 4/5mm shorter than it actually was. I then trimmed the front of the tanks so that the general proportions looked okay! It's the sort of thing you often need to do in a plastic conversion!. The attached pic of an early build shows what was done. When finished it looked okay.(I counted recently and I built 17 jeeps to dat,. by coincidence). I expect this present build will be a splendid and very accurate model when completed. Colm

It is quite a while since I last posted pictures on progress on the new railway. The main boards are now built and work has been proceeding steadily. I decided to work away from the Ardglass station section (which is virtually complete) although there is still some minor scenic works needed, and the narrow gauge track needs its own control system in due course. In this picture "Ardglass" is off to the right of the picture, the shot is taken from above what will be the Coleraine station forecourt. The big US engine on the right is one of my "gauging trains"- a Rivarossi "Big Boy" 4-8-8-4 , this, and Mk3 coaches, allow me to indulge in running some trains which certainly never got near Coleraine, Stranraer or Ardglass! I couldn't run the "Big Boy" over sections of the previous railway. Making track clearances about 4mm wider is enough to prevent contact on curves! This meant that I had to work out exactly the heights, clearances and gradients that would be involved in the design. On this board the line farthest away, just in front of the backscene, descends from Ardglass to the lower level, where it runs into the storage loops, connecting into the Up line only. In front of it is the rising incline from the Coleraine station area, to the Stranraer high level terminal station. I have decided (for now anyway) to refer to these stations as before, I will be re-using the Coleraine station buildings at one, and the presence of the ferry makes Stranraer seem reasonable for the other. Nearest the camera are the two low level “main lines”; at present trackwork is laid into the south end of the platforms; the rest has yet to be laid, and joined with the curves behind the ferry area. The loops run on cork underlay (as will most of the layout) 75mm below the level of the Stranraer station. No point ballasting or hiding point motors (Peco surface and old H&M - these seem to last for ever.) They'll be largely hidden by structures and scenery on the higher board.. The six storage loops at the low level behind the Stranraer board, are now fully operational, with power indication,(green LEDs) point position indication by means of small micro switches so the yellow LEDs actually tell me the tie bar has moved across. There is also a train detection system using All Components boards and light dependent resistors, (red LEDs) which I find very reliable as ,as long as you have decent lighting I saved a lot of time by being able to re-use the previous control panel with only minor alterations. The small extension on the right top is the point for the diverging line to Ardglass; on my previous layout this junction was much further away. Beyond the loops the main lines curve round behind the ferryport; these lines will have a backscene in front of them, and I've a small access "hatch" in one corner to deal with the inevitable (though hopefully very rare!) derailments. The Coleraine panel is under construction, and will have DC three way cab control as before; I understand it and enjoy working with it, so I decided to stay with DC. One controller is an oldish All Components MPC3 pro, with twin controls using centre off movement rather than a selection switch for direction. The third controller will be either a Gaugemaster or even older Codar controller, both of which have the DC based “simulation” which works very well and challenges one’s driving skills! So, the next few weeks will hopefully see this panel fully operational, and trains able to run round the complete layout and up to the yet-to-be-started upper terminal. More as it happens. Colm

Just a selection of general views - the atmosphere at this show is unique. If anyone has more detailed views of the Irish themed layouts let's see a selection of them. Judging by the full car park for much of the day it went well. Colm

Greetings everyone: This year, the bi-annual Model Railway Day at Cultras takes place on Saturday 10th November in the Railway gallery at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, from 10am - 5pm. The event is organised for the Museum by the Friends of Cultra with support from Ards and North Down Borough Council, P&O Ferries and Peco/Railway Modeller. There will be over 30 layouts and associated exhibits; amongst the Irish layouts will be Andy Cundick's Castlederg (OOn3), the Ulster Model Railway Club's Lisburn (OO gauge), another working model of Lisburn built out of Lego by Ian Marshall and complete with NIR trains, South Dublin Model Railway Society's Kildare Town (OO gauge), William Redpath's Portadown (OO gauge), Curracloe (N gauge) from the Model Railway Society of Ireland, Michael O'Connor's T-Trak Impressions of Ireland (N gauge), Tony Ragg's Stanfording (O gauge) and a display of Irish O gauge locomotives scratch-built by Phil Aspinwall, including a couple of proposed locomotives which were never built. The usual entrance fee is charged by the Museum and seeing fine models in among their real life counterparts is always a treat. Colm

Progress over the last couple of months has been slow and steady; The new narrow gauge tracks at Ardglass station are now in, and temporarily operating I still have to finalize my plans for this line which will run to all three stations on the layout,rather than just two as in the previous one! But I've now got backscenes (ID) round some 30' of the planned distance. A general view of Ardglass Station looking from the platform ends. The station building - still standing but derelict today. Ardglass was rarely busy - i think many layouts look wrong because there are just far too many people and vehicles around, especially if the 50s/60s is the period. The man with the golf clubs was on his way to Newcastle, but has arrived at Ardglass by accident having wrongly changed trains at Downpatrick Loop platform. He may quite a wait and maybe the UTA bus will be a better bet. The signal box - it is actually based on Newcastle and this is it's third layout.. A while ago i repainted this (and the goods shed etc) in what i believe to be a reasonable approximation of BCDR colours. Sadly there is almost no information about buildings colour. - I know of no colour photos and the UTA quickly repainted those that were left. after takeover. BCDR Nos 4 & 14 at Ardglass. The County Down had four 0-6-0s and they were often used on passenger duties. A local about to leave Beyond the station the line curves round under a hill with a few dwellings(believe it or not, Tri-ang "real Estate" - they are on their sixth layout)! i plan a ruined monastery on the hill. Beneath it is a point where one line goes down to the main lines, the other stays at high level and will go to the ferry terminus. I've also laid in two gradients, the track running down from the Ardglass branch to the lower level main lines, and that rising from the end of "Coleraine" station to the new high level ferry terminal. This is not yet connected but I have doing some tests on haulage and all seems well, my NCC/UTA Moguls can manage 5/6 coaches up it which is plenty. Work has also begun on the six storage loops, again using Code 100 track salvaged from before - saving a good deal of money! and as the design is very similar to my previous railway, I am re-using the control panel, with a few minor alterations and additions. It uses stud and probe to switch points,a system i find both economical, reliable and easy to use. .I will still need the detector lights for points and trains as although there is no backscene in front of the loops, they are some 3" lower than the front half of the board and there'll be some buildings etc along the back of the terminal so they will be largely hidden. Next job is finishing the main boards and the main control panel to allow wiring and track laying to proceed round the main double track line. Trains running all the way round by New Year?

The "backscene" shown in the early pics on this thread is actually wallpaper such as sold for children's bedrooms! Current backscenes are by ID , (ID 42 Harvest Fields) who also do a "sky" as does Gaugemaster.

Some more pictures of the layout taken recently. There's further detailing, people etc., to go on a number of locations yet, and some electrical work needed to the turntable on the high level storage section (behind the backscene). The main area for development is now Kilmore Junction station -platforms, buildings, etc.. There was a blank area opposite the Kilmore station site which had been a bit of a debatable area - ken has finally decided to put a single siding in and create a timber year in the area. The large sheds are Ratio carriage shed mouldings, the smaller ones are HO models; Ken spent many "happy" hours cutting timber for the piles dotted around the yard. One area of particular operational "interest" is just beyond Quarry junction; this high level view shows various lines diverging climbing etc. 1. The line going from mid-right to bottom left is the track leading to Kilmore from the higher level Quarry Junction and the high level Quoile bridge .It crosses the road shown on the left by the level crossing at the back of Kilmore Engine shed. 2.Above it is the lower level line from Quoile Bridge & Junction. It's rising at approximately 1;40 which will still allow a reasonable length train to use it, and runs behind the engine shed where it joins the high level line. in the station. 3. is the line to the two lower storage reverse loops; this was the first track to be laid but is still not quite ready for traffic, due to the need for an automatic switch.....soon. 4, The line to the high level sidings and a Heljan turntable there, serving a number of loco sidings. 5 coach trains and a Mogul/Jeep can be accommodated here. Finally, for now, ken has retained another feature of "Cookstown Junction" - a ruinous cottage, now situated near Strangford having moved from Co. Antrim.... and another aspect of Strangford Station building (mainly Bachmann).

About two and a half years from March 2016 - but Ken has a lot of structures in use again from his previous layout, "Cookstown Junction". Though he does work very intensively at times! My own new layout will not match this speed, though I too will be recycling quite a few items on it.

A "drones eye view" of the layout.

Leslie The H&M Powermaster has got to be one of the best controllers ever. Running it close is the one made by All Components about 15 years ago, the MPC3-PRO, which also has a high (2amp) output perfect for some of the heavy Hornby Dublo trains I run from time to time! I do also have a 1963/4 version of the Powermaster, still working though seems a bit down on power/speed output from before. It powered Stranraer station on my previous layout but I will replace it on this layout - it will still have more than enough oomph for points and lights etc.. Things would be a lot slower without ken's input.

Yes, Alan Gibson does a good range of detailing parts; Chimney was I think an Ivatt/Fairburn pattern very similar to the smaller 2-6-0 by that engineer. I have left the original Fowler ones on my Jeeps but that isn't strictly correct. Dome is I think as per Fowler Top feed - I have used that for the Black Five, I think it was a standard design across a large number of LMS locos.

Some details of AGW would be helpful for those of us who aren't familiar with him/them.....a Google search turned up nothing for me. 247 Developments also do some useful Fowler/Ivatt castings, and Comet models (now wizard I think) did suitable strap type steps in lost wax, which are much more sturdy than the plastic ones I tried at first when building my jeeps. I'll be most interested to see how other folk use these etches. My focus at present is getting a layout up and running. Colm

And just to bring the story up to date; I have been testing various trains on a length of 1;42 gradient, and found that with a fair amount of lead (about 60grams) over the power bogie of MPD 64, (rear car of set) it can start two passenger trailers without much stress or spin. Certainly at least as much as a real one could do in their heyday. The mogul or jeep can manage 5 coaches, and it would only be in an emergency that anything will stop on this section, trains will be coming off a long piece of straight tack and a 5' radius point, so will have reasonable momentum at the foot of the grade. where the line curves round the corner of the room. The other pictures show the completed trackwork for Ardglass (NG) with No 1 in charge of a short local train, just to show the relationship in size with a standard gauge MPD set.

Some of the more recent work The work bench in place, with the ardglass board behind; this is the area not shown on the plan. We tookt he opportunity of creating as much storage under the layout boards as possible -I'd seen this on Ken's layouts and was most impressed - now, with just one room at my disposal rather than a top floor with three rooms before, I need "a place for everything and everything in its place"! : After replacing some wiring and finding the Ardglass H&M Powermaster controller (thank goodness I labelled all the boxes!) I thought it fitting that Hornby Dublo 0-6-2 tank 69550 should be the first loco to run, (my first loco in 1956 was one of these though a three rail version). A train of 3 Dublo 1950's tinplate carriages all testify to my enduring love for Hornby Dublo! Taken in late June And, about the same time, a general view of the railway (so far!), the bench and the door end of the garage. A view from the end of Ardglass station over the layout so far. The area to the left never was completed on the SCDR and I decided to have a station area there, with engine shed, transfer siding, a loop and carriage siding. I decided that the narrow gauge should extend to this station. The rough plans and track are laid out ready to begin..... A narrow gauge coach beside a UTA/NIR MPD set, of which more anon. The n/g line runs in beside the standard gauge bay platform. reversing is necessary to run round a train, but this allows the original access road to the station to be left a sensible width. The track is lifted so that the platform heights are more or less the same. to be continued...

Greetings All, I am just starting a new layout thread as a result of my recent marriage and move to Bangor, which involved me moving from my home in Ballywalter and the dismantling of the Stranraer, Coleraine and Donaghadee/Ardglass line, which has featured here since 2011 or so. The layout will be built in the garage of our new home in the Ballycrochan area (for those who know, this is the southern edge of the town). hence the title. Work actually began in a very cold January 2018, in insulating the garage walls, ceiling, and floor before storing all the stock and other items which I salvaged from the SCDR. ken Gillen masterminded it (and did virtually all the work, including new light fittings.) An electrical supply already existed. The "Caledonian Princess" ferry model will feature in the new layout - it has gone to a temporary home until the heavy construction work is done, it can't easily be boxed and is therefore very vulnerable to getting knocked about. Some stock was sold off but as I have been in model railways since 1956 there is still a lot to store - and rearrange in due course. I did a lot of doodling and deciding what I wanted from a new layout. The space available is similar to that of the SCDR, a bit narrower but longer at 20'6" by 11'6". And I have ended up with a design which I hope will meet my main running requirement; viz A double track mainline suitable for fast running of heavy trains, both passenger and goods. A passing station with access to a harbour terminus on a single track branch line. A second, smaller terminus also on a branch. The ability to run a sequence timetable with two or three operators, linking all three stations. A narrow gauge (9mm) line joining at least two of the stations. Utilizing as much as possible of the SCDR infrastructure (buildings etc.), though the stations may not be based on specific prototypes this time. The railway may well have a "joint GSWR/LMSNCC" feel though final buildings have to be decided upon for the harbour terminus as I will need a different quayside layout from Stranraer. The positioning of the ship, while prototypical, was dangerous and it stuck out into the operating well of the previous layout too much - my heart was in my mouth if anyone moved quickly in the area!. The new berth will be at right angles to the tracks - more like at Larne. But Larne had a singularly ugly station structure and I fancy something more attractive - maybe one of Berkeley Deane Wise's. Eventually I devised this plan: it involves gradients of approximately 1:48/40 which are similar to those on "Bleach Green" . - the steeper one being to the smaller n branch station (let's just call it "Ardglass") but this has a run rounds which can only hold 4 bogies max., so should be OK. But I will conduct trials to check before finalizing this.. This plan doesn't show Ardglass, the work bench, a "utility" area for washing machine and workbench but see pics later. Most of the stuff moved in on the 4th April and was stored in a multitude of cardboard boxes. Things have got a bit more complicated as our exhibition layout, "Killagan" has come to roost until the UMRC show in Belfast In August; it will then be sold or scrapped, as we have decided to "retire" it. But nevertheless a start has been made. The 7' x 2' board for "Ardglass" had not been scrapped like all the rest, and was brought complete with track, points, motors and 90% of wiring. So, Ken began work on my new workbench. The Ardglass board will fit behind the bench, with a 90 degree left hand curve on to the layout and the window will be boarded up to the small opening one height. More updates will follow shortly as work progresses. Colm Flanagan

How about an "N" gauge turntable with a wide "deck" -(will needa bit of bashing) Worth a look anyway - it's just about 6"/150mm long which would accommodate a small 00 tank loco, though not the Swilly's famous 4-8-0 tender engines! Colm

they might have, if they'd got it cheap enough....at the moment this is the only vehicle they have! Colm

And some more pictures as Ken has been busy this weekend. Scenic work has now arrived at both ends of Kilmore Junction and platforms will probably be next thing to appear (after ballasting and so on, I expect). They will begin to the right of the picture below. The crossing gates bear a certain similarity to those at Cookstown Junction. Some more pictures of the tram depot and the view from it's open doors. the track passing in front of it, is the passenger boarding/alighting area. The small office will suffice for business. There is as yet no sign of any other vehicles running on the line. Let's hope the Belfast tram keeps running....it's a long walk to Castlewellan.

Another Corner Ken is continuing work on the approaches to Kilmore from the storage loops section (see the plan earlier). And a new form of traction has made an appearance. The Kilmore & Castlewellan Tram Company had ambitions to rival those of Mr. Trail on the North Coast but the tram has not yet reached Castlewellan (in fact the line stops where it disappears behind the trees in one picture! Built to standard gauge, a vehicle was purchased secondhand from Belfast Corporation to inaugurate a service while waiting for their own stock to arrive - hence the nameboard still proclaiming it's destination to be "Ardoyne"! The actual tram is a motorized Corgi model - Ken does not know who the creator was. "Standard gauge" here means 16.5mm of course! A depot is under construction and will feature in due course.

Two more pictures; I mentioned that scenery was closing in on Kilmore from both directions, the pervious pics are of the loco/goods shed end of the station. The two below show the recently developed area on the other side of the station, approaching from the high level storage loops and where the line from Strangford Junction climbs up, passing the small control panel for the loops. And finally (for now) the wagon seen below was captured on film passing through the outskirts of Kilmore. Could there be a 3' gauge line being constructed in the area? Or is it just a loco "passing through" en route to Douglas, IOM? We shall see More anon. Colm