The Skebawn and Castleknox Light Railway and Tramway

hussra · Post by **hussra** » Fri May 20, 2011 7:32 am

Sounds good - are you able to post any pictures? Have a bit of a soft spot for any of the Irish narrow gauge lines. (My brother is Rector of four rural parishes in Co. Donegal, each of which was formerly served by a station on the CDRJC. Some gricing required this summer.)

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Fri May 20, 2011 7:48 am

Pitures will following in a day or two. I have a couple of hectic days coming up, but after that I should be at liberty to put together another picture page. Not much to see yet - just track and rolling stock.

My contribution to the small world syndrome is that I used to help out in the northwest Ireland when I lived in the UK. There are a couple of "House for Duty" holiday cottages up there where I could get a cheap holiday in return for celebrating Communion and preaching on a Sunday. I did that several times when I was first ordained and short of the readies.

Peter in AZ

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:37 am

The station at Skebawn has ended up as a cross between Ramsey (IOM) and Schull. The passenger platform is against the fence with the carriage shed siding behind it as these are the least difficult features to manage. The loco shed is served by a siding off the 'town' end of the loop, and the goods shed and cattle bank are on the side closest to the operator. I have also tried to improve the drainage so that I do not have to dig out the next time we have a gully-washer! I did not appreciate the amount of sand I had to dig out of the station area, neither the amount of ballast I has to replace further down the line.

The next two rolling stock projects are another goods van and a four wheel tram. There is also the matter of giving my two Ruby class locomotives new clothes. I think one will be decidedly Beyer Peacock looking tram loco, the other might owe something to Thos. Green's 2-4-2Ts for the Dublin and Blessington, though that was a Irish standard gauge line, and I prefer the one true faith (3'gauge!)

Peter in AZ

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 4:58 am

After getting flooded twice, the engineering team got out into the yard today and improved the station drainage. The first flood filled the station yard with sand (mixed blessing) resulting in a good deal of digging out of points, and track. I also had to reballast a 25 foot section of track where 15mm scale flash flooding had done its worst.

The second fllod was nowhere near as bad thanks to the work done after the first storm. The water off the drive washed harmlessly away under the track via a new bridge and drainage channel, but we still had sand in the station yard. As a result I have built a dyke around the station to funnel run off into the drain I cut after the last storm.

Unlike last time when it took me a couple of evenings to put right the damage, this time it took a little over an hour. Let's hope this works well!

I also found three small paving slabs which proved to be just the right size for starting the station platform.

Peter in AZ

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 4:40 am

With the amount of sand I had to dig out of everything and the dyke building I am beginning to think I ought to be modelling the RTM - the old 3'6" gauge railway that served Zeeland and the southwest suburbs of Rotterdam - in 1/24th scale!.

Anyway, we had another gully washer today and the flood defense works were a success, tho I will have to clear the accumulated sand tomorrow.

Peter in AZ

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:29 pm

I took the plunge last week and started building some long wheelbase 4-wh Dutch wagons based on some examples preserved at RTM-Ouddorp. So far I have an open, a covered and a brake van all at some stage of completion.

For the railway museum at Ouddrop see:

http://www.rtm-ouddorp.nl

In 1:24 scale they work out at roughly a foot long, and their wheelbase is 6 inches. The one thing I have discovered it that they punish rough trackwork so the PW department as been out the last two days leveling the track. As usual, the embankment at Hedgehog that is being the problem. It must have settled ever so slightly in the recent rains

Peter in AZ

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 3:52 pm

I have just got back from an all too brief trip to the Isle of Man that was appended to my annual visit to my surviving relatives in England. trip to the Island has rekindled my enthusiasm for 3' gauge and got me wondering how much of a physical size difference there is between my Irish and Dutch stock. Yesterday when I had some of my Irish stock out that its height and width is not that different to the Dutch stock, so I may invoke "Rule 8" and alter buffer heights to allow the two types to run together. At the moment the Irish stock is at 34mm and the Dutch at one inch, but if I use a coupler height akin to that of the NCC NG lines I would be able to use 28mm for everything.... Hmmm...

After the last lot of 'anti-flooding' changes the track layout at the station again resembles Castlederg with a small goods yard at the town end beyond the passenger platform. That seems to work better for shunting and reduces the risk of a size nine coming down on a building or a piece of rolling stock. I have also introduced my accustomed 'shunting headache' in this case a cattle dock that can only be accessed off the headshunt.

I am also going to alter the two reverse curves on the line - eliminating one altogether, and introducing a short piece of straight track into the other - so as to get rid of buffer interlocking.

Peter in AZ

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 5:37 am

The two reverse curves got the chop this morning and will not be missed. An ailing 'Ruby' was able to waltz four wagons along the gradients much better without the 'grind' of getting through the reverse curves.

I am now dealing with another 'Ruby' with worn out eccentrics, so it will be getting a rear axle transplant later this week. The original Ruby is already OOU awaiting the same repair, but at a pinch it is runnable.

The next locomotive may well be Roundhouse...

Peter in AZ

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 4:36 am

The Ruby repairs got rather convoluted, and ended up with Ruby II donating some bits to get Ruby I, which has the better underframe, back into action. So the S&CLR&T now has one loco in good condition and one non-runner. Shedman Finbarr "the Spanner" O'Reilly's devotion to St Jude has reached new heights, and he is saying a Novena that No.1 can keep going until reinforcements arrive.

Ruby II now needs a major overhaul to sort out a chassis that does not run at all true. I think it must have been a Monday morning engine for a start. For a start, one of the front wheels needs belting on to its axle properly, which will stop it binding on the left hand crosshead. She also needs a new rocker arm.

In the meantime I am going to order a Roundhouse 'Millie' as an early Xmas present to myself. Three engines should be enough to keep the Skebawn and Castleknox functional even on Market Days.

Today I managed to build a ballast wagon. With a bit of luck the 4-wheeler will have its couplings lowered before I go to bed tonight. I am bracing myself for doing another cattle van, which means I am thinking of all the other wagons and cariages I want to tackle first before doing another b-dash cattle van.

I'll see if I can get some pics up in the next few days.

Peter in AZ

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 2:11 am

Tweeked it again today - this must be version 11! Anyway coming into Skebawn, the line crosses a short bridge. On the right hand side will be the locomotive shed. The run-round loop goes off to the right and the short passenger platform is on the left. Beyond this a siding services the goods shed. There is a siding off the loop which is currently for carriages, but will end up being the cattle siding, whilst a carriage will eventually be sited behid the loco shed. It will be of the usual short sided Irish type. Hopefully that will be it in terms of tweeks, though I do still have to come up with a way of interchanging with the standard gauge at the other end of the line (Castleknox). At the moment, having the GSWR off stage and a siding disappearing through a bridge somewhere by the station appeals most.

The time is now upon me to think again about buildings. I suspect wood and simulated corrugated iron will be the order of the day. The knack will be making them (a) weatherproof and (b) insect-proof. The wood and iron approach comes from the fact that I tend to have the Cork and Muskerry Light Railway and the Isle of Man Railway in the back of my mind when making plans for buildings.

Peter in AZ

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 7:58 am

Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 6:48 am

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitures will following in a day or two.

I'm beginning to think that this Irish railway is actually "Irish Mist"

IrishPeter · Post by **IrishPeter** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 8:02 am

It is not 'Irish Mist' but I am not good with a camera. I also have the work schedule from hell, and I would rather play trains than take photos of same. However, if my luck is in I'll get a few pics taken tomorrow and get them online.

Peter in AZ

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 8:38 pm

A picture is worth a thousand words, and dear the bandwidth!

Cameras are easy! Point the round glass bit at the subject and press the little button on the top right hand corner (bottom left hand corner if the camera's upside down!)
DO NOT press the button on the top left (or bottom right if the camera's upside down), in this instance you'll be taking a close-up photo of yourself since the camera is back-to-front

I can totally sympathise with the "rather play than take photo's" comment, we all should get what we want from our leisure activities so please don't take offence - none intended, I'd just like to see your line 'cos it sounds interesting, my remark was meant as a light hearted tie-in with the theme

DWR · Post by **DWR** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:28 pm

Looks really good

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:05 pm

DWR:60480 wrote:Looks really good

laalratty · Post by **laalratty** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:26 pm

Narrow Minded:60485 wrote:
DWR:60480 wrote:Looks really good

May I direct you to the first post of this topic Greg, whilst also reminding you that DWR is a new member

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 1:12 am

laalratty:60488 wrote:
Narrow Minded:60485 wrote:
DWR:60480 wrote:Looks really good

May I direct you to the first post of this topic Greg, whilst also reminding you that DWR is a new member

DWR · Post by **DWR** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 8:04 pm

Narrow Minded:60515 wrote:
laalratty:60488 wrote:
Narrow Minded:60485 wrote:
DWR:60480 wrote:Looks really good

May I direct you to the first post of this topic Greg, whilst also reminding you that DWR is a new member

I dont get it haveI done something wrong? but the railway does look good though

Pretoria · Post by **Pretoria** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 8:13 pm

DWR:60531 wrote:
I dont get it haveI done something wrong? but the railway does look good though
Nope -- it was Narrow Minded being short-sighted. A visit to Mrs FC is warranted I believe (for DWR's benefit -- Mrs FC is an optician!)

DWR · Post by **DWR** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 8:56 pm

ah right thanks

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