Clagmeister

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

Wow! Excellent stuff. Probably a bit wasted on Caolisport. There are only 8 departures a day. Would be great on somewhere busy like Llanbourne.

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

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

That footbridge looks excellent. Your take on Rannoch is magic, can just imagine sitting around with a freight waiting to cross the Up sleepers. Keep it up.

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

Hi peter, the 08 I was running about halfway through the Caolisport thread was DCC sound. It was hired in from a friend. I can get the gen on it if you like. Speaker placement etc etc. Great shots. Not surprisingly I like your train reporting numbers adds realism. cheerio Claggy

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

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

Hebridean Isles visited Caolisport for the first time. Finally the railway has a reason for existing. To say that Carl has done a fantastic job on her would be understatment. Some pics of her at the linkspan and at the spare Caolisport berth. The first pic is the sight that greets passengers as they get off the trian at Caolisport. Thanks Carl you have brought my railway to life, something which I will always be extremely grateful for. Claggy

As Carls post shows the sleepers in the 1980's could be quite long. 37/0 ETHEL DAY COACH MK1 DAY COACH MK1 THRU COACH MK2 Part Brake THRU COACH MK2 THRU COACH MK2 SLEEPER SLEEPER Not an unsubstantial load for a 37/0 over the County March! Loadings varied greatly depending on the time of year too! cheerio Claggy

Thanks shortliner, great poster. The Islands do indeed belong to Macbraynes. 3 Days to ferry launch Bad news Dave(Waverley West) not sure when you did your mapping on Islay but if it was before 2001 then chances are it was Claymore you saw. Hebridean Isles up to that point was at Caolisport sorry I mean Uig triangle. cheerio Claggy

20226 should be fairly busy. The chemical plant will now be taking double the amount of bulk powder and there are plenty of shunt moves between the old and new yards. The Lochgilphead and Cambletown trips could easily go to the class 20 in the event of a failure. A unidentified 37/4 prepares to go on to the stabling point late on a still February night 1986. The loco lights refelect off the surface of Achahoish Water! cheerio Claggy

The ferry should be in service at Caolisport by the end of February 1986! Some slight delays whilst the sea trials were completed and the Caolisport linkspan finished. Eastfield (Waverley West) have given in and agreed to try a class 20 out at caolisport. It will probably be dragged up dead in train on a speedlink working in the next week or two. 37401 in its new mailine livery will now be delayed a little while. It is expected though that 37423 in metals livery will arrive very soon. I'll keep them in the box until I reach 1988, NOT!!! cheerio Claggy

Carl, Absoulutely fantastic. Will be in touch. Oban you say! I'm sure heb could call in there if you'd like. Like I said a few posts ago, one chance remark leads to so much. cheerio Mike

Wow! Large logo tractors, ferrys, Islands, Mountains, Lochs and harbour towns! Why would you not model the West Coast of Scotland? Ships crew ready to go. When I asked the question. Does anybody know where I'd get a Cal mac ferry from? a year ago, never in a million years was I thinking of something so good. Just hope now that Caolisport provides a suitable and fitting home. cheerio Claggy Will be in touch!

Hi Peter, Thanks for that. Very interesting when I compare those times to the ones I have for 1986/7. Reporting numbers very different and times of the alumina and slks also very different. Good excuse to keep varying my freight diagrams for interest. I have a friend who has a sound chipped 20, will hire it in and see how I get on. cheerio Claggy

Thanks Gary. 20 idea growing in strength. Be nice to have a change of sound. You can get sick of seagulls and EEV16's. Nice pick of 37414, where was that taken, hoovered? cheerio Claggy

Its going to fit the harbour like a glove then!

End of linkspan to the wall is 128 cm. ITS GOING T BE TIGHT. My clearance by the wall ie available height is 16cm. How high is the bow? The linkspan can be shortened though with a bit of jiggery pockery. Claggy

A few phots for you. 37410 arrives at Caolisport with the afternoon SLK from Mossend. 37409 waits in platform 2 for the arrival from Cambletown before departing to Glasgow. 37407 at Camusfearna again with a train from Cambletown. Also a quiet Druimdrishaig between trains. cheerio Claggy

Ha ha ha ha Your as bonkers as me. Very good though, should improve the operation no end. Next you'll be making a start on the Waverley drivers links . As you have been away, the Calisport links and loco diagrams have been done for your interest. Click the links. Also PCM has a fantastic loco hauled book from 1986 with headcodes and diagrams, which he kindly scanned for me. May also be of use to you. Assume you have now done the climb out of Beddgelert with Garratt power Did you catch the midland interloper on the Cambrian Coast then? cheerio Claggy

New breakwater. I think it looks better Sorry about the focus, need more light. Linkspan slopes up so any height should be ok. cheerio Claggy

The pink granite breakwater is coming out. It looks silly. All that trouble taking it from the railway and humping into the loft Going to be replaced with 20mm limestone, much better I hope. I'll put a pathway on the top and some lights too. cheerio Claggy