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KILLAGAN


colmflanagan

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  • RMweb Gold

What made you choose Killagan for your model?

I don't much care what made him choose it, but am very grateful because your contribution is solid gold, Ma'am. Thankyou so much for this slice of real life in a rural railway community of a bygone age. Simply lovely.

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the choice of "Killagan" was a bit of an accident really.  None of us had any connection with the place, except passing through - and very occasionally stopping - on the trains, and I recall that in the 60s, when I lived in Coleraine, not many trains actually did stop there.

 

Ian Sinclair and I (who built it originally) wanted a simple passing station on the old LMSNCC main line to Londonderry. It had to be on the single track section north of Ballymena, and have enough about it to look interesting. Killagan and Glarryford had unusual buildings with the combined goods shed and station building, anda simple track plan with loop and siding,  and we wanted a "country" feel, so picked Klllagan. We were unable to find any photos of the actual station building (except for the goods shed bit which was still there.) I went there and photographed it and Glarryford which we reckoned was similar, and built the buildings from that. I am very pleased that you reckon we got it right. Was there actually a little dormer type window in the roof as i have put? If so, was it a small bedrooom or something like that? We had to move the "tin house" as there was no room in the "real" position. The layout is set in the 50/60s but we wanted to keep the sense of it being a "station" so kept the signal box as well...!

 

Colm Flanagan

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Hi Colm Thanks for replying. The dormer window is spot on.That was  Mum and Dads bedroom and there was another bedroom leading off it with a dormer looking onto the road. The phone box was between Gillespie's farmhouse and their barn just off the road.  There were ladders going up the pillars beside the gates to a flat plinth on top which is how my brother and I managed to climb to the top. Would it be possible to see the model  anywhere when we are over at Easter?  Many thanks  

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

Killagan has come a long way from it's earliest incarnation - literally. We took it to the Blackburn & East Lancs show last weekend, and i attach a few pics of the show just for interest. Some of the most interesting  (favourable) comments were along the lines of - "it looks a bit like our railways here, but not quite!  It's greener, for a start!"  How true - black UTA engines and green coaches, our well washed countryside - yep, that's Ireland as I knew/know it. For the first time we had fitted proper lighting and it really made a huge difference. We also had a series of information panels giving the background and for an English exhibition we felt this  was important; we noticed many folk studying it quite closely when looking at the layout. And there were some irish ex pats for whom it was a nostalgia trip.

 

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The effort of trying to model reasonably accurately our N I railways was well worth while - only a very few folk who peered closely at the trains were able to figure out what BR prototype had been altered to make most of  them.. A great but tiring (and somewhat expensive) experience.

 

Finally, for anyone who hasn't seen or heard of it, the 4mm model of the LMS station  Liverpool Lime Street is no less than 60' long - it is an amazing creation; I am sure there's stuff about it elsewhere.

 

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Colm

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Thanks for the pictures Colm.  Well done to you and your Crew for being model rail ambassadors to Lancashire and I'm sure a treat for the visitors to see 'something' different.  

With all those Trade Stands I'm sure it was difficult to come back empty handed.

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Looking as good as it ever did Colm, and good to see the level of interest shown! I wonder if you managed to initiate a few people into the secret, as it seems to be, at least for anyone who hasn't read 'Diesel Dawn', as to where BR got the ideas for its own DMUs, even tho your 70 Class is an example of a different direction in 'tech transfer'!

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  • 7 months later...

Hello Everyone,

 

"KIllagan" is coming out of storage in early May, on Monday 5th, as part of the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum at Cultra's fiftieth anniversary celebrations. It will be in a period house in the Folk Park part of the Museum, NOT in the the Transport Gallery.

At present I haven't any other details but as soon as I get them i will post them here. 

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Just an update; the layout will be at the "Ballycultra" village area between 10.00 and 17.00 on Monday.  The folk museum is open that day and entrance for adults in £9.50; student/senior £7.00 There are family tickets etc also available. 

 

Colm

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  • RMweb Gold

Colm

Good luck with the exhibit at Cultra.

 

As this is not a model railway exhibition and a lot of the people seeing the layout may not fully appreciate the work and cost that goes into such a model, I hope you have made adequate precautions to ensure that there is no damage and that the museum agree in advance to adequately compensate you if there is.

 

Just in case you have not read the thread about the unfortunate experience of Darren with his model "Torrington", it contains some good lessons and advice. See link below.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/84938-layout-damaged-at-open-day/page-1

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There will be two or three of us in attendance at all times and as it is a UFTM official event there'll be insurance in case of significant accidents.   We see it as an opportunity to take an historical model railway where it will likely be seen by folk who wouldn't normally go to a "train" exhibition. Spreading the word you could call it... 

 

Colm

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 8 months later...

Killagan hasn't been out since last august at Carrickfergus, and there are no plans to show it again, as we are now concentrating on "Bleach Green".  No decision has been taken about what to do with it though, There's always the possibility of a revamp or even a new small layout which we can transport and operate using our cars and less people. But for now, for anyone  who never got across to N. I. to see it during the last ten years. Here's a final video of it in operation, with the working somersault signals which it has had for the last year or two.

Colm
 

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  • 1 year later...

Killagan continues to give us a lot of pleasure -and others as well it seems.   At the North Down show 9see separate thread)  this year we ran some more modern (NIR) stock and some unusual UTA things as well - there was even a CIE train with two green Pullman coaches.

 

I'll post some stills later when I get them them edited, in the meantime here's the 20 wagon spoil train running

 

  https://youtu.be/yzVkbL0iHwY

 

 

 

.

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Some more photographs of Killagan recently. Some trains slipped past our cameras as we hadn't planned a photoshoot - (eg a De Dietrich "Enterprise" set and the "intercity" and maroon& blue NIR liveries - and a  CAF - but maybe some day again they'll get "copped" We just enjoyed running the trains!

 

Anyway, here are a few

 

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The 20 wagon spoil train again; it's taken us about two years to get to this stage but we've collected enough wagons, fiddled and fettled them (replaced endless Dapol coupling hooks - these appear to have an in built "drop off" feature. Some have been semi permanently coupled using the links Bachmann provide with their coaches- these work very well.

 

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Harlandic No 28 had to put in an appearance, though it is far from its original turf in County Down in this shot - the blurry vehicle next to the loco is the mystery heating van!

 

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An NIR 111 class  at Killagan -though how a train of Shelton Abbey wagons got to Northern County Antrim we leave you to conjecture....112 still carrries the Irish Rail lamp surrounds fitted during a protracted stay in the South.

 

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And an ex MGWR  "Woolwich" mogul makes her way south....

 

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An ex GNR "VS" class rushes through Killagan with a high class institute of directors  excursion with first class and buffet.  These heavy engines wouldn't have normally been allowed here in UTA days but now we have relaid the layout with new flat bottom track there is no problem.

 

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And finally, No 4 railcar lurks in the goods road on a relief service. the guy sitting in the front seat is the guard The driver has remained in his little cupola / turret, hoping that he will get the "go" soon. It gets a bit teamy in there on warm days.

 

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  • 1 year later...

"Killagan" made another appearance at the Ulster Model Railway club show at Methody School Belfast, over the weekend. We ran  some different stuff, as well as UTA, there was BCDR (including a Baltic!) , GNR and NIR (up to 1970);

 

The Hunslet set put in an appearance with thanks to; SilverFox & Bachmann - and Anthony Smith who painted it!

 

PS despite rumours to the contrary we have NOT retired "Killagan" - yet.

 

Colm

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvVQFGqqPXo

 

 

 

 

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  • 7 months later...

A couple of photos from the North Down show, of Kieran's NIR stock - we extended our "final date" to 1974 to allow these running powers, and both performed excellently all weekend.

 

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"Killagan" will be at the Ulster Model Railway Club show in August later this year.. Perhaps we will have a few "surprise" items running.

 

Will this be it's final outing after 14 years "on the circuit" in its present form? No final decision has been taken.

 

Colm

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