CAOLISPORT (1980's railway operations)

[Clagmeister]

A big thanks must also go out to RM Web, without which I wouldn't have been able to do this project properly. I certainly wouldn't have found one of Scotlands last ferry builders!

 

Good to see the Couper Angus ship yard still has plenty of orders.

 

Sorry i prefer Irish Whisky So I poured half a can of Tennants Extra over it and said something like "aye its dandy wee man"

 

Off to Oban in a month or so to complete my sound project. I currently have background recordings of maryport seagulls, but they have the wrong accent. Hoping to get some back ground ferry sounds at Oban and some genuine West Highland seagulls.

 

Now! Does anyone have a spare 100 plastic people? It can't always be 3am in the morning.

 

cheerio

 

Claggy

[Clagmeister]

Not sure if I've posted these before or not. But here are the rosters for Hebridean Isles and Pioneer.

 

Caolisport to Port Ellen

 

 

Dep Caolisport 0900 1500 2130

 

Arr Port Ellen(Islay) 1100 1700 2330

 

 

 

Dep Port Ellen(Islay) 0600 1200 1745

 

Arr Caolisport 0800 1400 1945

 

 

Caolisport to Islay, Colonsay and Mull

 

 

 

Dep Caolisport 0745

 

Arr Port Askaig(for Jura) 0900

 

Dep Port Askaig(for Jura) 0930

 

Arr Scalasaig 1030

 

Dep Scalasaig 1100

 

Arr Fionnphort 1215

 

Dep Fionnphort 1345

 

Arr Scalasaig 1500

 

Dep Scalasaig 1530

 

Arr Port Askaig(for Jura) 1630

 

Dep Port Askaig(for Jura) 1700

 

Arr Caolisport 1810

 

Now for building that fiddle yard for ferrys

 

 

[sixteen 12by 10s]

Off to Oban in a month or so to complete my sound project.  I currently have background recordings of maryport seagulls, but they have the wrong accent.  Hoping to get some back ground ferry sounds at Oban and some genuine West Highland seagulls.

 

Claggy

 

Love the humor

 

I'm off to Oban next Saturday, can't wait.

 

DCC sound fitted seagulls, now thats going to be something to see and hear.

 

Gary

[Frank S.]

Hi Guys,

Thank you Claggy & Carl for replying to my query - Great info!

Apologies for delay in acknowledging replies, but just at the moment I'm away from home during the week recieving cancer treatment, only getting back to my computer at the weekends.

Ta muchly,

Frank Savery,

Tasmania

[Clagmeister]

No problem Frank. If you need anymore info don't hesitate. Hope the treatment works out ok.

 

Now I have had a bit more time to get in the loft and look at this ferry. Everytime I look at it i see something different.

 

First pic just shows you the level of detail on the bridge. Computers, controls, panels etc etc. I have run out of superlatives!

And those famous seats with their first paying passenger. Thats a cracking view over the bow from there. Will be quite windy doing 15Kts though.

 

And here is the picture that I always wanted to create. 37406 has arrived on the sleeper from Euston at 0830 in platform 1. Hebridean Isles waits to depart with 0900 sailing to Islay! Also in the picture is the West Coast motors bus service to Tayvallich. My take on the West Highland right there, joy of joys.

 

cheerio

 

Claggy

[Clagmeister]

As promised 20226 has arrived at Caolisport thanks to Dave of Waverley West. Not much time today so just managed one shot of it. Here it draws the sleeper stock seen arriving in the previous picture out of the platform.

 

 

Apparantly control are allowing the 20 trial to run for a month or so. I remain to be convinced that Caolisport warrants a shunt loco.

 

cheerio

 

Claggy

[P.C.M]

Hi Claggy,

20226 looks pretty at home to me.

 

Cheers Peter.

[45156]

Hi Claggy

 

I've not dropped by before, as I have probably spent far too much time lurking in W&S and not enough on looking at layouts. Just got round to visiting your thread, and it really is a marvellous model of a West Highland ferry port with rail activity - it would be unfair of me to say it's a railway with a ferry port attached. Your work is to the West Highland mid 1980s what Dave's is to Waverley! Not my era TBH, but I really can and do appreciate what you've achieved in that loft of yours. The atmosphere is really authentic.

 

I've bookmarked the thread and will revisit from time to time to see how you're progressing.

 

I can just about smell the distillery fumes from Campbeltown now - Longrow is one of my malts of choice, and I presume that some of your traffic to/from Campeltown includes some of that excellent product!?

['CHARD]

Claggy is another RMWeb alchemist, 45156

 

Aided and abetted by Carl with his master boatbuilder abilities, I reckon he's just about nailed it here, when it comes to the West Highland. And he's not afraid of his railway's backstory either, which gets me very feisty

 

Can't wait to see where your layout-building hunger takes you now - all this fervour over Scottish prototypes has booted my backside into cracking-on - great stuff mate!

 

And Claggy - the Type 1 fae Fife looks every bit at home

[GaryHN]

Hope I can get out from my berth on the sleeper in time to make the ferry, Need to stock up on some more Laphroaig!!!

Awesome Layout, When is the special from Llanbourne arriving??? 40122 on a railtour????

Gary

[Clagmeister]

Thanks guys that really means a lot. I'm trying really hard to capture that.... thing that makes the West Highlands, not sure what it is though. I look at my layout and think it looks like a heath robinson, thrown up railway. I concentrate on panorama and atmosphere rather than super detail. I think it works best from high above. Its a nice place to spend an hour or two with only a couple of trains and the sounds of seagulls for company.

 

The 20 is great, one problem though, I have spent the last 10 years working the things all over the place and THAT whistle really gets on my nerves. I think the gentle hum of an 08 will be much better.

 

A few jobs to be done shortly. Improve the linkspan, finish Druimdrishaig village and start the street scene at Caolisport. All very costly:(

 

cheerio

 

Claggy

[pilkko]

can't agree with the 20 comment, but i do think this is a great layout!!!

[Clagmeister]

Hope I can get out from my berth on the sleeper in time to make the ferry, Need to stock up on some more Laphroaig!!!

Awesome Layout, When is the special from Llanbourne arriving??? 40122 on a railtour????

Gary

 

Yes the berths have to be vacated by 0845. Just enough time to stroll over the road to the Cal Mac office.

 

No class 40's up here. Route RA5 due to some of the structures in the Inverary area. Shame, but a whistling 40 is almost as irritating as a whistling 20.

 

Re Cambletwon Whisky traffic. Most of this comes from the large Springbank company, although I'm sure they sub contract carriage for the other ones. You can't tell anyway, its all in VGAs.

 

Claggy

[P.C.M]

Hi Claggy,

An 08 would be alright, but if you want something slightly bigger and not English Electric, what about a class 26 with that lovely Sulzer rattle. Dundee used to use one as station pilot.

 

The pic below shows 26034 on the Dundee shunt. 1986. I am actually going to do a model of this loco but don't tell anyone.

 

Cheers Peter.

[ianwales]

Hi Claggy

 

Great layout, among the top 3 or 4 on RMWeb, came by this layout via Carl's Clamac ferry thread, glad to see there is someone other than me who is wanting to get the operational side of the layout right, I've even gone as far as setting up a TOPS system using a spreadsheet to randomly work the wagons to different locations.

 

Ian

[carl1967]

Hi Claggy

 

Great layout, among the top 3 or 4 on RMWeb, came by this layout via Carl's Clamac ferry thread, glad to see there is someone other than me who is wanting to get the operational side of the layout right, I've even gone as far as setting up a TOPS system using a spreadsheet to randomly work the wagons to different locations.

 

Ian

 

 

hi Ian

 

have you got any pictures of your layout m8?

['CHARD]

I've even gone as far as setting up a TOPS system using a spreadsheet to randomly work the wagons to different locations.

 

Over 'ere lads - we've got another live one

 

 

(spreadsheet hey... hmmm, back here in the sixties we're finessing the card and blackboard technique, but don't tell anyone)

[ianwales]

hi Ian

 

have you got any pictures of your layout m8?

 

Hi carl

 

Have a look at = http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/16690-1970s-pre-tops-diesels-and-electrics/page__view__findpost__p__158158__fromsearch__1 - it shows how little I have actually done.

 

Ian

[rander25]

Looking good, Mike. Very nice.

 

Eliot

[Clagmeister]

Have been working on Druimdrishaig crossing now the ferry fever is passing.

 

Have put the STOP board in at the end of the platform in the up direction. The stop board reads:- Stop, press plunger obtain white light and whistle before proceeding

 

This is a regular feature on the railway where AOCL crossings are adjacent to platforms. This is because of the variation in trains and the proximity of the platform. No such restrictions apply in the down (to Cambletown) direction.

 

Sorry about the fuzz, taken with an 8sec exposure. Thats how dark that side of the loft is:angry:

 

Whilst I was there 37409 went through on the 1030 MWFO SLK 6T22 Caolisport New Yard-Cambletown train consisting of three VGAs for the Springbank distillery.

 

 

cheerio again

 

Claggy

[Clagmeister]

Some night shots of Caolisport stabling point and New Yard. My first lighting on the railway courtesy of a second hand tower from Waverley West.

 

37406 stands ready to work that evenings sleeper and behind 37407 has just dropped onto the old fuelling point having worked 6S67 in from Mossend.

 

 

A closer shot of 37407 before the 2 fitters on back shift give her the once over.

 

 

Finally 37409 departs New Yard in the dark at 1650 (its February 1986) with 7K44 to Mossend.

 

 

cheerio again

 

Claggy

[rander25]

Do I even want to know why you have a painting of Iggesund from Siddick (aka Red Baron Crossing) in the background of that last shot?!

[Clagmeister]

Shhhh, that bits a secret. I couldn't get shots of Corpach paper mill someone has knocked it down, so I had to make do with Siddick.

 

By the way 'Red Baron' has flown away somewhere. With 'Colemans kink' gone and the north station following shortly, the shuttle will be just a distant memory.

[rander25]

Shame about the Red Baron - though wasn't it a Pink Baron with a Santa Claus by the end of the six months?

 

There'll still be the bridge of course... at least, until it falls down. And the pie shop. Mmm, especially the pie shop.

[Scott]

 

Thinking of possibly putting a motor rail ramp in. Havn't seen many pics of motor rail vans at FW although I know they did run, what years did they try that? I assume that was an early 90's thing because the only pics I have seen include 403 in green with the wrong name and Intercity Livery coaches.

 

Thanks again chaps

 

Claggy

 

Fantastic layout! I have been reading through your thread and your post above reminded me of a video on YouTube I saw a few days ago. Shot in September 1991 it appears to have 2 Motorail van's on the rear visable from 1min 40secs onwards.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlY1cMrV3DE