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The Stranraer Coleraine and Donaghadee Railway


colmflanagan

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The  "Caledonian Princess" has just arrived and the first vehicles are driving off the ramp.  It took from January 2010 when i first sent a message to Carl Fisher asking if he could build this, until now - but it has been well  worth the wait. There's still work to be done - people, more details etc., and I'll post updates here as and when these appear

 

As well as the pictures shown here more detailed "ship" views will be posted on the build thread "MV Caledonian Princess" which has all the  detailed stuff about the ship and its construction..

 

I have for now given up on the idea of a moving shelf and so my friend Ken spent a couple of hours putting up a "temporary" hand driven shelf -i.e. i take it off and put it underneath the layout when i want to work around the ship.- it's a bit narrow at this end. I never really believed I would actually GET a model like this! Someone made the flip comment about my previous layout (Harbour North) - something like "you should get a model ship for that". If only they knew what those words had started. 

 

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and then came the BIG moment

 

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I wanted to check out the linkspan and made it from Peco Plate Girder bridge sides cut down, with a balsa wood floor.  It is to be modelled after the one which was in place from 1939 - 1965 approximately. After that a much bigger newer one was installed.

 

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The "water" is just polyfilla scraped to create kind of "waves" then a thick coating of blue/green/brown acrylic paint then a spray of gloss varnish; it works well enough.

 

The rest of the shots will show the current state of construction based on about 1962 ish.  More to follow when i have a fiddle with photoshop to try and get reasonable backgrounds. .

 

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

Just a few more shots showing various trains and some parts of the layout where i have done a bit more. Coleraine, first of all.

 

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Coleraine signal cabin is now complete, this shot was taken before i added some more "bedding in" gravel round the base! It is based on a colour photo taken by a friend about 1968 - and the windows bowed out a bit too - actually, I have repaired that.

 

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A DE set pauses at Coleraine south end before setting off for Ballymoney. The elderly xNCC straight sided coaches lurking in the bay are conversions from the Bachmann USA "Thomas" range. The nearer one is made from two Bachmann HO "Annie" bodies on an old Hornby Dublo bogie under frame, the six wheeler behind it is an "Emily's coach".  With a wee bit of work these make up into a very passable "old irish 6 wheeler" - not strictly accurate but in my view capturing the "feel" of the era well. You can't usually buy them in the shops here - I got mine from Canada - but I have seen the odd few available on eBay. The snazzy Ford Zephyr makes them look even older...

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55 passes the cabin with an excursion from Portrush; the first coach is the North Atlantic brake.

 

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Another picture of Coleraine station building mid sixties. I've been building up my collection of cars etc that might have been on the road in the mid sixties -my father owned a blue Austin A60 Cambridge like the one shown.  There's my own first car in the background too - a 1967  Wolseley  1100. It is odd that the r-t-r people have never yet done a BMC 1100, yet have produced some cars that were not that common.  My two 1100s are made from the whitemetal kits produced by R. Parker. Two UTA buses in the older livery stand at the station, I am working on a bus in the later UTA eau de nil colour.

 

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55 passes the mechanical coaler as 7 takes water at the  shed.

 

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and just a couple more, showing the "platform" side of the station;

 

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I had not realized there is such a sag in the canopy valancing, time to get the maintenance teams out on the job before it falls down; I used a number of the Wills canopies and it was quite difficult getting such a long  span "lined up!" 

 

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Coleraine colour light signals

 

At last i have got round to doing the colour light signals which were situated at the north end of Coleraine Station for many years. They were a three aspect design, with attached little ground signals and "feathers" to indicate route. However, being typically irish,they were unlike any other signals I've ever seen in GB. I am open to correction, but I don't think there were even any quite like them on the rest of the NCC. ....

I've had a look at a photo of the actual signal heads at Coleraine, which was equipped with both two-aspect and three aspect heads. Click here - and here

 

They are not "typically Irish", but were made by Westinghouse and have the "pig's ears" repeater lights beside the main lens, for the use of drivers who had pulled up close to the signal. The three-light route indicator "feather" is also a giveaway clue. Westinghouse also made them in four-aspect as well.

 

Quite common on the old BR Southern Region, as well as being the standard surface line design for London Underground, which still has them in service on Piccadilly, District, Circle, Metropolitan, Bakerloo and Hammersmith & City Lines. They were all over the place on the Northern Line as well, but are steadily being removed as the new automated TBTC signalling system takes over. At present, the last working Northern Line ones are between Golders Green and Edgware, but will be taken out of service by the end of 2014. LU does use the four-aspect head, but in home-and-distant form (i.e green/red + green/yellow)

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I've had a look at a photo of the actual signal heads at Coleraine, which was equipped with both two-aspect and three aspect heads. Click here - and here

 

They are not "typically Irish", but were made by Westinghouse and have the "pig's ears" repeater lights beside the main lens, for the use of drivers who had pulled up close to the signal. The three-light route indicator "feather" is also a giveaway clue. Westinghouse also made them in four-aspect as well.

 

Quite common on the old BR Southern Region, as well as being the standard surface line design for London Underground, which still has them in service on Piccadilly, District, Circle, Metropolitan, Bakerloo and Hammersmith & City Lines. They were all over the place on the Northern Line as well, but are steadily being removed as the new automated TBTC signalling system takes over. At present, the last working Northern Line ones are between Golders Green and Edgware, but will be taken out of service by the end of 2014. LU does use the four-aspect head, but in home-and-distant form (i.e green/red + green/yellow)

That's most interesting info.  Signalling's never been my strong point!   I don;t suppose you know if there is anyone producing 4mm fully working versions? I have a suspicion they would be pricey and complex, event eh switches to operate them?

 

Colm

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... Signalling's never been my strong point! ....

I've had a look at your models of the Coleraine starters by the level crossing again - they look as though they should be two-aspect rather than three. Here's the back view of them

 

The photos I've seen suggest that the three aspect heads were at the other end of the platforms.

 

.... I don;t suppose you know if there is anyone producing 4mm fully working versions? I have a suspicion they would be pricey and complex, event eh switches to operate them?

 

If you can find an old copy of Model Railway Journal, issue 12 (I think), there is an exquisite scratchbuilt 4mm model (complete with working shunting disc) built by Chris Croome(?). It was based on a 2-aspect head which used to serve as one of the starters at White City (Central Line) before replacement by the current ATP system.

 

The text underneath the photo suggested that it would be one of the masters for a range of London Underground signals. Unfortunately nothing came of it, and nobody has ever produced kits or RTR models of Westinghouse signal heads.

 

Nothing stopping you having a go, though...... :) ;) - in fact, here's a collection of photos to start you off....

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I've had a look at your models of the Coleraine starters by the level crossing again - they look as though they should be two-aspect rather than three. Here's the back view of them

 

The photos I've seen suggest that the three aspect heads were at the other end of the platforms.

 

 

If you can find an old copy of Model Railway Journal, issue 12 (I think), there is an exquisite scratchbuilt 4mm model (complete with working shunting disc) built by Chris Croome(?). It was based on a 2-aspect head which used to serve as one of the starters at White City (Central Line) before replacement by the current ATP system.

 

The text underneath the photo suggested that it would be one of the masters for a range of London Underground signals. Unfortunately nothing came of it, and nobody has ever produced kits or RTR models of Westinghouse signal heads.

 

Nothing stopping you having a go, though...... :) ;) - in fact, here's a collection of photos to start you off....

 

After checking my pictures of Coleraine before the level crossing was rebuilt, I have to agree with Horsetan that the signals at the crossing were indeed of the two aspect type, and those at the Belfast end were of the three aspect type. 

As for scratchbuilding, with today's LED technology and some plasticard, it would be a piece of cake. Even using parts from Eckon signals suitably modified with plasticard would be relatively easy. 

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The ones at the other end are three aspect too,. My track layout is quite different from the "real" Coleraine anyway and what i wanted to achieve was something that looked representative of the place, If the signals were altered to relate to correspond to the actual model track plan, they'd have to look look different anyway. We all have limits at some point and I'm quite happy with it as it is - and anyway, I've other projects waiting in the wings...

 

Colm.

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  • 3 months later...

It's just possible that some folk may be wondering what happened to the "Donaghadee" bit of my railway's "official" title. Well, the two spurs of line leading to the site have been down for some years now, and this provides a tri-angle (and a right headache if you want DC cab control over it -but I managed).

 

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By 2011 I'd got round to placing a BCDR cabin, engine shed (Airfix!) and goods shed (all from the previous layout; the goods shed is based on Ballynoe near Downpatrick, and the signal box on Donaghadee/Newcastle. I put down the platform and that was it. Needless to say, the Hornby Dublo Engine Shed was only temporary.  At this time I was thinking in terms of doing the D'dee train shed.

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A bit more scenic work done on the approach area.by 2012. Keen followers of our "Bleach Green"  layout may recognize the first edition "Eden Cottage" - whch is now on a new site on my home railway having been bumped to make way for a more prototypical version.

 

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Then earlier this year I built a "BCDR" train for the Downpatrick Railway museum and decided to do a bit more. The more I thought about it the less I liked the idea of Donagadee Station building - all you'd see is just a shed with a wall facing the viewer. Boring. And awkward to work when uncoupling etc.. So I went in search of a more interesting BCDR location and visited Ardglass. In the meantime, while I do plans etc., and work out exactly how to fit it on my site (a mirror image will be needed) here's a few pics of the area in April.

 

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Further progress has been made and I will post some more pics as further things get done; the engine shed has been cut back in size as it seemed too big for the station, this leaves a bit more space round the signal box and makes it look more natural.  Most BCDR stations seemed to sprawl quite a bit.

 

 

 

No 12 is based on a Craftsman chassis built for me by David Temple in Darlington, with a plasticard body.  I have another, BCDR 4-4-2 tank.   No 30 is based on an ancient K's kit built in the early 1980's.  I would like a third - they are a very appealing little locomotive. Wouldn't it be nice to see the real No 30 at Downpatrick some day?

 

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By the way, the loco at the siding buffer stop is/will be  a second attempt at BCDR goods engine No4 - my first one appears on some of the others pics; it was made in 1969 -70 (!) from a Tri-ang 3F and has now scale wheels etc.. She's an attractive engine but I think 4 was a "heavier" beast, and the recent Bachmann Robinson GC "pom pom" seemed about right, this one has a 3F tender. No other work has yet been done on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 6 months later...

There hasn't been much activity in terms of "new" building on the SCDR now, for some months, though I have been doing other things like building locos and such.

 

 

However, here are a few images and little videos I have taken, some showing bird's eye views of the layout as a whole and others showing

"visitors" which haven't featured on this thread yet.

 

The Stranraer end: back to the 60s as ex caledoniann "jumbo" 57375 approaches with a local, while the narrow gauge "boat train" pulled by the "other" No4 also arrives

 

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fast forward to 1984 and 47 059 passes the revamped signal box with a "Sealink" liveried train. At that time I recall it being described as "garish". I reckon that now it would be considered quite "conservative" compared to many of today's liveries. The narrow gauge line has acquired a signal cabin here, based loosely on some on the Londonderry & Lough Swilly line.

 

 

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And a visitor: a short film of GNRI "VS" No 207 "Boyne" on test; I doubt if any of these ever actually ran through Coleraine. The model is a heavily modified Hornby railroad "Schools". It actually looks quite well pulling BR Mk1s in blue and grey. This video gives a kind of tour round the layout- eagled eyed folk will note work in progress here and there at the time! (the signal box, part complete, appears to be sitting in the middle of the Bushmills road.)

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

For those of you who haven't been following the construction thread on this forum group, here's my latest Irish loco creation, , Harland & Wolff diesel loco  No 28  BCDR/LMSNCC/GNR/UTA/NIR creation doing a run round the layout from Coleraine to Stranraer.  The camera has allowed a few angles on the layout not normally seen, even by me! It sounds quite buzzy but this is not so noticeable in "real life", the camera mic seems to accentuate it. And my, can she fly when let rip!   Lots of lovely Hornby Dublo on the layout these days, too.


 
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  • 4 months later...

Just posting a little video of two of my "alternative history" type projects,   A Bachmann L&Y 2-4-2 "UTA-ized" in lined black. Some BCDR loos did in fact receive this livery, and looked rather well in it,  although their 2-4-2 tanks didn't.. The work involved (other than painting, lining and number plate) was just new cab cutouts, and a wheel on the smokebox.

 

https://youtu.be/f5iSl43I2Ng

 

The second is, most will guess,a Hornby Fowler 4P 2-6-4 also in UTA livery. As these locos were the basis for the NCC Moguls and later Jeeps, this one, with its later outside steam pipes etc., suits the UTA livery  also.  Again she's got a hand wheel on the smokebox and the whistle is moved to the roof, but nothing else much done. A previous owner had done quite a bit of super detailing, light weathering and fitted Romford driver wheels, I hadn't the heart to hack ti up, but decided to keep it instead. . Watch out for 89 on Bleach Green this August at the UMRC show in Carrickfergus.

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