colmflanagan Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hi all, This month's (August) Railway Modeller contains an article on the "Northern Counties Group" layout based on Killagan station in the 1950s/60s. For those of you not familiar with this station (and that's just about everybody!- it wasn't exactly a major transport interchange) it was about halfway between Ballymena and Ballymoney and is long closed. NIR has a passing loop just to the north of the old station. There are some good photos in RM but here's a few more, including some of the earlier stages of it's life, when the scenery was evolving...the general view with the Scottish cottage dates from 2004, the red and white MPD shot from 2006. Colm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunslet 102 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Good to see another Irish layout being featured in the main modelling press. I have never seen this layout in the flesh,but the above photos and the various photos I have seen down through the years have always highlighted the detail and effort that has went in to this brilliant portrayal layout of an Irish railway scene that has long passed into the confines of history.Both scenery and models really capture the feel of the NCC. Thanks for sharing. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9-70 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 I've seen it close up seveal times and it's a very good layout to view. The destination on the Leyland Tiger bus says Newtownards, Guess he must be on a mystery tour then :-) K9-70 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckinneyc Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Love the layout, just read the article in Railway Modeller about it. Glad to see Irish/Northern Irish subject matter getting some focus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben racey Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Nice photos, thanks for sharing! The railcars in particular are really nice, will have to get RM this month to get more details on these! Regards Richard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colmflanagan Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 I've seen it close up seveal times and it's a very good layout to view. The destination on the Leyland Tiger bus says Newtownards, Guess he must be on a mystery tour then :-) K9-70 Indeed it does, this Leyland PS/1 bus is of course on temporary inter depot loan to Ballymena (or Ballymoney) and no-one has yet realized the sign is wrong. (The real reason is it normally operates on my home layout based near Newtownards!) Mind you, 1960's UTA buses did sometimes show the wrong destination on the front, and I well remember missing one because it said "private"! AS my dad was a UTA manager at the time he got a mouthful when he got home that night. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glover Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Well done Colum. I saw this at the show in the transport museum outside Belfast last year; nice piece of work. Two questions: 1. The photo of the MPD set on page 623 of RM: is the leading car in blue or green (and cream)? 2. You mention in the article that you are working on a layout based around Stranraer; did I not see a reference to you building a model of Coleraine? Glover Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glover Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Colm, My apologies for using the wrong spelling of your name! Glover Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colmflanagan Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 Well done Colum. I saw this at the show in the transport museum outside Belfast last year; nice piece of work. Two questions: 1. The photo of the MPD set on page 623 of RM: is the leading car in blue or green (and cream)? 2. You mention in the article that you are working on a layout based around Stranraer; did I not see a reference to you building a model of Coleraine? Glover The leading car is in the short lived "eau de nil" livery introduced in 1960; a number of MPDs appeared in this, and No 40 was one which was repainted. It quickly looked awful (we called it the "undercoat" livery!) and the UTA reverted to a darker green after about a year. If you take a look at my home layout topic on this group all is explained, briefly. I will be posting further pics of this layout as time permits, it'll never be exhibited as its firmly screwed to walls and floor.. Colm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colmflanagan Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 Well done Colum. I saw this at the show in the transport museum outside Belfast last year; nice piece of work. Two questions: 1. The photo of the MPD set on page 623 of RM: is the leading car in blue or green (and cream)? 2. You mention in the article that you are working on a layout based around Stranraer; did I not see a reference to you building a model of Coleraine? Glover I just realilzed that I got the page number wrong from your MPD query! The leading car in this picture is No 38 is in the original (1957) livery of Brunswick green with two small white/very pale green panels on the front cab. Around 1960 the cars would have received the yellow/black "wasp" warning panels instead. If you really want to get into the UTA railcar story then try for a secondhand copy of my book "Diesel Dawn" which is (though I say it myself) as comprehensive a treatment of the subject as is ever likely to be. It's out of print but there may be copies available here and there. Colm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glover Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Thanks Colm, Yes, I was wondering how to ask my question again, politely! I have your book, Diesel Dawn; an excellent resource. The reason I asked was that the railcar looked blue and I wondered if the regional UTA paint scemes,in this case the blue and cream used on the ex GNRI section, had been applied to an MPD set. I suspect not. Many thanks, Glover. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colmflanagan Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 Thanks Colm, Yes, I was wondering how to ask my question again, politely! I have your book, Diesel Dawn; an excellent resource. The reason I asked was that the railcar looked blue and I wondered if the regional UTA paint scemes,in this case the blue and cream used on the ex GNRI section, had been applied to an MPD set. I suspect not. Many thanks, Glover. No, I'd stick my neck out and say that none of the MPDs ever carried the blue/cream "GN" regional livery! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tractionman Posted July 23, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 23, 2011 If you really want to get into the UTA railcar story then try for a secondhand copy of my book "Diesel Dawn" which is (though I say it myself) as comprehensive a treatment of the subject as is ever likely to be. It's out of print but there may be copies available here and there. I can vouch for that! I bought a copy of Diesel Dawn (new) just this last week in Belfast from Queen's University Bookshop, sadly soon closing down but this gave me 30% off the cover price - an excellent book, and I for one would love to read more on the UTA and GNRI diesel locos featured in Chapter 10. Nice to see an NI line featured in RM this month - something a bit different. all the best, Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9-70 Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 No, I'd stick my neck out and say that none of the MPDs ever carried the blue/cream "GN" regional livery! I don't ever recall seeing the MPD or MED railcars in GNRI Oxford Blue/Cream livery, only the GNRI 600 & 9OO series railcars. The only MPD painted in the NIR Maroon/Blue livery was, 63, 541. 65. K9-70 Ps; Diesel Dawn is an excellent book,thank you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Colin_McLeod Posted August 15, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 15, 2011 Killagan is a brilliant layout. Despite the comments in the OP, I am very familiar with the station itself and recall spending time there in the late 1960s when exploring NIR on Rail Runabout tickets. I think it was at Cultra last year that I saw Killagan in the flesh. Love that 70 class set and would like to build a six car set myself. Are there any outline drawings available? and what coaches did you use as donor vehicles? PS Ten out of ten for "Diesel Dawn" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunslet 102 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Colin Worsley Works have just released etched sides and ends for a 3 car 70 class set. The driving trailer is based on 701 and they are designed to be used with a BR MK1 coach as a donor for the power car,with Hornby 57ft Stanier coaches as donors for the intermediate and driving trailer coaches,providing of course you are modelling in 00.Certainly a good aid for constructing one of these units. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Colin_McLeod Posted August 16, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 16, 2011 Thanks Andy I'll check Worsley Works site. As the 70 class originally ran with two power cars and four intermediates, one of which was a dining car, can anyone throw any light on what I would need to make the Worsley Works three car set up to a six? Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonman Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I'm sorry to rain on anybody's parade but I can't help feeling that Irish stock on 00 track looks seriously weird especially for older steam engines. There was a BRM Special some years ago on modelling Irish railways and I was particularly struck by a photo of a GNR 4-4-0 where the driving wheels were clearly visible behind the splashers. The wheels were inboard of where the frames should have been. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunslet 102 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Thanks Andy I'll check Worsley Works site. As the 70 class originally ran with two power cars and four intermediates, one of which was a dining car, can anyone throw any light on what I would need to make the Worsley Works three car set up to a six? Thanks Colin The best person to answer your query on the 6 coach formation 70 class would be Colm.The 6 coach 70 class in the above photo on the Killagan layout was the subject of an article by Colm in the May 2009 issue of New Irish Lines.If you dont subscribe to the newsletter,I could send you a copy of the article if you wish. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunslet 102 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I'm sorry to rain on anybody's parade but I can't help feeling that Irish stock on 00 track looks seriously weird especially for older steam engines. wagonman-each to their own.There has been much debate about this subject down through the years,with many points of view both for and against 00 Irish modelling.Most Irish modellers in 00,myself included,are happy to live with the so called "seriously weird look",which to be honest is not as bad as what some people make out.The above photos from the 00 scale Killagan layout certainly do not look weird to me,in fact they are a credit to the builders and certainly capture the feel of long since lost Irish railway stock.But as I said in my first comment,each to their own. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Colin_McLeod Posted August 19, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 19, 2011 To get the scale guage correct for Irish models using RTR stock you either need 21mm track (e.g. Adavoyle) or go to 3mm scale on 16.5mm, or 3.5mm on EM or P4 track. The 3mm or 3.5mm route means no RTR Irish models (that I know of). There is so much more available in 4mm, most use that, and for the sake of both simplicity, and to enable non Irish models to run on my layout, I stick with 16.5mm gauge. I don't really see the "narrow gauge" look as I rarely look at my models end on. Andy (Hunslet 102) you have a PM Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colmflanagan Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 The 6 car set was built using Hornby coach sides chopped into "panels" to get the (almost) correct spacing and number. The power car under frame was a Lima DMU one. I recently did a 3 car set from the WW etches, using again a Lima under frame and this time Mainline LMS coaches as the base for the trailers. They look well but the project involved quite a lot of work _ found that the ends were too wide for the profile I was using, the trailer end I was able to trim but I cut new a new end from plasticard for the power car. Colm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colmflanagan Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Here's a picture of it. Colm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colmflanagan Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 For anyone living in the North West of Northern Ireland, or who fancies a run to the north coast, "Killagan" will be making its (only) outling locally this year on Saturday 23rd March at the Castlerock "Railfest" - i gather the venue is the Peter Thompson Hall near the railway station.. We hope to make a few minor alterations to "tidy" some aspects up. Opening time is 10am-5pm. I don't know if there is an admission charge. (This event is to celebrate the re-opening of the Coleraine- Londonderry line after a long closure for work to be carried out on the line.) Colm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanettewatson Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Hi Colm I found your layout completely by accident and my son signed me up so I could contact you. My family lived in the Station House at Killagan from 1961 - 1969 and my brother, sister and I had an idyllic childhood living there (most of the time) - poor but happy! We have so many memories and our dogs are buried on the slopes of the Portrush platform. I was opening the gates once - would never be allowed now for a small child and probably was'nt then either- about 1964 and only got one gate open and the Ballymena train smashed through the other one before I got it open. I had taken the phone call from Dunloy and still dont remember what happend although I do remember turning round to see the train smash through.. Is there any time/place where we can see your layout other than 23rd March? I live in London but will be visiting Mum with my sons in Antrim from 27th March - 2nd April. I have taken my sons (14 and 20) back to Killagan many times but sadly the house was torn down before they were born. We do have stones from Killagan over here. They - and I - would love to see the model. The trains did not stop usually except the mail train in the morning when Sarah Murray came to collect the mail and they also stopped to pick Mum and us up on Saturday to take us to Ballymena to do the shopping and drop us off on the way back! Again that would never happen today!. There were summer Sunday School excursion steam trains to Portrush that stopped as well. Some of my happiest memories was going on the bogey in the school holidays with the permanent way men, Charlie Dillon, Tom Wylie and Fred Given for a day out repairing the track. I can probably still describe how to take out a sleeper. They made tea in an old tin can and my brother sister and I loved it. Then there was the time I painted a railway inspectors car with lead paint that was being used to redecorate the station. The model is really accurate. How did you get the station house so accurate? There were 3 pine trees on the Ballymena platform and a lilac tree on the path to our front door where I would go and sit when I had tried Mum's patience to the limit. There was a big brick house in the goods yard- adjacent to the road about midway in the goods yard - where Dad kept pigs. We had 2 pet pigs Sugar and Pinky. There was also a large water pump in the goods yard. The back door of the house led onto an enclosed yard with a pump and an outside toilet. The signal box was not there from 1957 as it went in the civil disturbances in 1957. There was one lever at the end of the Ballymena platform (infront of a tin hut) which operated the signals - I assume it operated both signals as there was only one lever. , My Dad filled up the signal parrafin lamps every Saturday and took them down and cllimbed the ladder on the signals and put them in, one signal after the siding - towards Dunloy and the other up towards Glarryford. We went with him. My brother sister and I each had our own patch of garden on the slopes which Dad would regularly inspect and criticise. He grew all our vegetables on the slopes ands we were more into flowers. The pillars at the end of the gates were high and had a flat top. My brother and I dared each other to climb to the top of each one and of course once we got to the top we sat on the flat top and could not get down. Mum had a 3 year old and had to talk us both down. What made you choose Killagan for your model? Regards Nanette Watson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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