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Inspired by Crianlarich


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On 25/02/2020 at 18:16, pH said:

From Wikipedia:

 

"The name Crianlarich is derived probably from the Gaelic meaning either "the wasted site" or "the aspen site" (c.f. Gaelic critheann, "aspen")."

 

So you seem to have been leaning towards the first derivation, but now you've decided to continue, how about a name based on the second one? Aspen Grove as one possibility?

 

Interesting that - and food for thought.

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20 hours ago, gordon s said:

Glad to read you have decided which way to go. The turmoil of indecision can really be destructive where either you do nothing or tear up a potentially good layout.

 

Keep going, it will all be worth it, particularly if the standard of buildings is anything to go by...

 

Thanks Gordon.

 

Yes, each time the layout and the work I was doing moved further from the original prototype and my ideal I become a bit more, not down, that would be going too far, but certainly dispirited.  It was a choice - change the layout completely or change the ideal.  Given there was quite a bit that is good about what I have done so far it was the ideal that suffered.  I feel much more positive about the whole thing.  It has suddenly become rule 1 applies - but within the constraint of being recognisably West Highland Line. I'm quite happy to stick to that constraint.

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You've managed to capture virtually all of the essential elements that I'm looking to include in my own West Highland based layout in what you've shown us there......but you're a lot closer than I am as you've actually built the elements that make it work. Everything in these photos screams West Highland to me. Marvellous !

 

Looking forward to seeing further developments, have you considered 'Loch Linnie' as a possible name for the terminus station as it appears on the fishery building ?

 

Regards,

Ian.

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21 hours ago, Regularity said:

And you even paused to think of scrapping that lot?

:scratch_one-s_head_mini:

 

Yes, it does seem a bit daft, even to me, now that I've thought about it. 

I don't think I would ever have scrapped all of the buildings so it was either start something new based on the WHL or accept that what I had done was never going to be Crianlarich and just continue with this as a fictitious location - this is route that I have chosen.   

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A new toy bought at Model Rail Scotland.  A DCCconcepts Alpha meter...…..

 

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Do I need one? Probably not - but I like new toys and all things techy which explains why I computerised the whole thing when I didn't really need to do that either.  I was wondering how much current the whole thing was drawing anyway and it did show me that there was very little voltage drop across the layout.  

 

The 1.15 amps shown is with nothing running and all sound and lights turned off.   With several sound engines burbling away and a couple running it only ever gets up to about 2.5A.  I had thought I might be closer to the limit than that.  I haven't tried in full automatic mode yet when apart from the moving trains on the layout there could be shuffling in the fiddle yard and me manual shunting in the branch station. I will eventually spend some time looking at the draw of different loco and train combinations.  Again, probably no need but an interesting exercise.

 

The whole thing needs tidying up too, but a fascia and permanent shelving will be built in as the scenics are done and a mimic will be set up using LEDs (again DCCconcepts) to show routes and point setting.

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BoD, you are doing great things.  Keep going...

 

We had the same issue with Camel Quay.  The original plan was to copy the track diagram of Padstow but the dockside and sidings continued way too far forward for a narrow baseboard - but hey presto - turn the quayside lengthways; place on the opposite side of the Camel estuary; find a suitable nearby proposed railway way back in history and some industrial/farming links; re-create its own history, railway, and landscape based on the area; and it soon became a "real" railway, a scaled down "real" Padstow, and a "real" place  - at least some exhibition goers thought it was - they "recognised" it as they "had been there"!  And it was just as exacting, exciting and pleasing as if we had done Padstow itself.  More so, because we tried very hard to replicate the feeling of the North Cornwall Railway with a what if it was on the other side of the river, at the same time, making sure we were able to keep ourselves busy and entertained operating it - we did not want to be bored (let alone bore exhibition goers, in our case).

 

So keep the elements you want that reflect Crianlarich, such as your buildings, timetables, loco and rolling stock type, liveries, and numbers, etc, and keep in mind that Railway Companies had to build to fit the land they had available. OK, some had a lot more space than others.  In that respect, I guess we all may have to be prototypical!  Just watch out the government does not turn down your proposal, runs down your railway, or comes along with the Axe...unless intentional, of course!  :D  

 

And, if you want to keep the name, adding Road/Other to the station name and it could be a short distance up/down the line or on a branchline.  So many possibilities...  In the end, if it resembles Crianlarich, it is an achievement in itself.

 

Enjoy, BoD

(and excuse my ramblings!)

_________

Best wishes

Polly

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3 hours ago, southern42 said:

Enjoy, BoD

(and excuse my ramblings!)

_________

Best wishes

Polly

 

Keep rambling, Polly. What you say makes good sense.

 

As there was a Crianlarich (Lower) and a Crianlarich (Upper),  Crianlarich (Even Further Up) might work.

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Hi Warren,

 

Fantastic to see the terminus and all those other buildings appear. They really are top notch and capture the architecture of the area perfectly.

 

No problems when you start your viaduct ask away although seeing the rest of your buildings I don’t think you’ll have any trouble.

 

Cheers

Mark

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On 27/02/2020 at 18:15, BoD said:

The branch line was originally going to return to the fiddle yard too but I decided to run it to a terminus station along the lines of Ian Futer's  Lochside layouts. It would sit in front of the fiddle yard separated by a backscene.

 

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It would of course need a distillery - well it is Scotland.  Unfortunately the first expression is due in 12 years - and will, of course, only available as miniatures

 

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Of course there will have to be a fishery

 

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And if you have a fishery there has to be a quayside to land fish and take out some the whisky in the early years.

 

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I have yet to pluck up the courage to finish it off and do the water.  Something I'm not looking forward to.

 

There are various facilities to fit

 

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Totally following rule 1 now, the railway buildings are based on those on the Mallaig extension.  When I lose the plot I don't do it half measure!!

 

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Like I said earlier I feel I've enough to be working with and no need to start again

DSC_4349.jpg

Great Photos. How did you make the dock edge?

 

Thanks

 

Rhys

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Apologies - bit off topic but seeing this reminded me of the 60s.  As a student I was on my way north up to Oban and appeared just as a car crashed into the bridge over the road just before Crainlarich.  I stopped to help - no injuries and they were able to use a 'jemmy' to pull the mudguard out so that they could drive it.  I noticed that some of the bridge stones were on the track and said that they needed to report it ... they were not interested and drove away.  I continued to the police station in Crainlarich to report - the policemen got straight onto the railway to stop trains until investigated.  The interesting thing here is that the week after I was on my way home, saw an oldish man walking with a bag and offered him a lift.  It turned out that he was a stonemason and was on his way to repair the bridge so I found out the whole story after reporting the incident.

 

Like the look of the layout and the buildings are top class - hopefully will now follow although I notice that my 'content I follow' does not come up properly.

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8 hours ago, Rhysb said:

Great Photos. How did you make the dock edge?

 

Thanks for that,  Rhys.

 

The docks are a combination of Balsa and Slaters plasticard.

The grey stones along the top is a balsa strip scribed regularly, painted grey and then toned down with a dirty black wash. The bollards I picked up at a stand at a model railway exhibition and I can't remember which one, sorry.  I often just pick things up when at exhibitions if I think they will be useful later.  I'm sure this stall will be at York at Easter and I can find the name if you are interested.

I used one of Slaters dressed stone sheets for the wall and the wooden beams are again balsa, this time of a square section and distressed with a wire brush before painting.

Anything I have missed please ask.

 

p.s. I'm dreading doing the actual water.  Any suggestions anyone?

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9 hours ago, Regularity said:

I am reminded of the rather lovely Glenuig when looking at the terminus.


Damn, I’ve been rumbled.

 

When I decided to take the branch to a terminus rather than the fiddle yard I made a list of what I would like to see there.  A quayside, possibly with a Clyde Puffer and a distillery were high on the list, sentimental old fool that I am.

 

I looked at a few track plans from real locations and other layouts - and you know what - Glenuig ticked many of the boxes and could,with a few changes, fit the space available.  And as you say it is rather lovely..  I know it’s wrong to model a model but after much deliberation, and given that this was a purely fictional location anyway, I decided to adapt the track plan and some of the features of Glenluig.  I hope to end up with something that is discernibly different to Glenluig but has that West Highland (in this case extension) flavour.  I hope I don’t offend anyone with this approach.

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Hi Warren, great to see things progressing and some beautiful buildings there!

 

I popped up to Loch Linnhe last weekend - we’d planned to ski at Glencoe on Saturday but the weather put paid to that. We stayed at the Holly Tree Inn at Kentallen, which my fiancée had booked without realising it was a former station on the Ballachulish spur of the Callander and Oban railway. I only realised when I walked down the hotel’s main corridor and noticed two large bay windows similar to the architecture of stations like Arrochar and Tarbet.

 

Kentallen station had a steamer pier too. Sadly the building doesn’t look that photogenic now but it could definitely fit for the station name and location for your Loch Linnhe fisheries...

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Just as an afterthought, I went to look in my bookcase. Julian Holland’s Discovering Scotland’s Lost Railways has a section on the line between Connel Ferry and Ballachulish including a nice shot of Kentallen, as well as the terminus at Ballachulish. 

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Thanks Mike. That's an interesting thought.

I've a similar book, Lost Lines Scotland by Nigel Welbourn which has languished on my bookshelf for I don't know how long and after your post I dug it out.   It has a section on that line and whilst it doesn't have any photos of Kentallen,  there are photos of the stations at Benderloch and Duror.  As indicated in your second photo above these were to the same design.

 

Benderloch, now there's an interesting name.

 

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17 hours ago, sixoh8sixoh said:

Just as an afterthought, I went to look in my bookcase. Julian Holland’s Discovering Scotland’s Lost Railways has a section on the line between Connel Ferry and Ballachulish including a nice shot of Kentallen, as well as the terminus at Ballachulish. 

Hi,

 another excellent book on the Ballachulish branch is "The Birth and Death of a Highland Railway" by Duncan Kennedy.  Well worth reading, especially regarding the practises of the contractors and men building the branch.

 

Roja

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On 11/03/2020 at 18:10, Regularity said:

Lots of varnish, or pva (white glue) with gloss varnish on top.


Thanks. I’ve experimented with that but never seem to get a convincing base colour. I would also like to depict some movement in the water as it would be a sea loch.  I think more research and experimentation is needed.

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