The Skebawn and Castleknox Light Railway and Tramway

[IrishPeter]

I got back from my annual vacation on Friday and went out on Saturday morning expecting a total disaster area on the railway. However, the drainage works stood up well to the heavy rains the first week I was away, and the weed growth was not too great. A little ballast where there had been settlement in the rains and a bit a weed pulling and we were good to go.

Right now I am serious considering 'flipping' the layout at Skebawn so the buildings are on the back side of the layout where the wife can see them, and my feet will not come into contact with them. The retaining wall I put across the front of the staton before I left for the UK did its job, and the only detritus in the station area was fallen pine needles.

I do need to get on with finishing some outstanding projects, and get my feet wet constructing station buildings. Despite my best attempts to keep the IMR out of things the Manx influence is growing, and seems to be strongest when it comes to structures.

I managed to visit a couple of SG lines in England - Peakrail and the Wensleydale Railway, and was very favourably impressed by the latter which is very much a minimum/light railway in signalling terms. I had three days on the Isle of Man Railway and did a bit of train timing. Nothing spectacular, as loads tend to be lightish in September, but 'Hutchinson' did a very creditable job with a late running 15.50 Port Erin-Douglas on Sept 21st. A protracted station stops at Castletown (picked up a large party of kids) and Ballasalla (SB train late) led to a pretty brisk run from the latter station into Douglas. From being almost 4 mins down at Ballasalla, we were only 1:38 down into Douglas. The net time was something like 54 minutes, and at no point did we exceed the 25mph speed limit. In the old days they would have push a little until the time was back in the bag, but these days making up time is more a matter of quick station stops and quick recoveries from temp. speed restrictions - such as the semi-permanent one at Meary Veg!

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[IrishPeter]

http://www.angelfire.com/ca7/ttac/SCTLRphotos9.html

Peter in AZ

[IrishPeter]

The top station was remodelled over the last few days. After dithering about for weeks I finally decided that if I have to put my big feet on the building I had rather have them land on the goods shed than on the main station building. So, the track layout at the "Top Station" has been flipped to put the station building on the fence side, and the goods yard on the operating side. At the town end of the station is the engine shed, and there will eventually be a small carriage shed behind the platform. The whole layout is somewhat reminescent of Southwold of all places. I had a little play with it this afternoon, and it seems to work well.

Aussolas got moved much closer to the Top Station as that was the only practical site coming as it does on the brief level-ish section between the long bank down from the Top, and the much gentler ascending gradient that gets the line through the boulders in the middle of the yard. The loop points are in, and there will be a siding on the northbound side. Longish "platforms" - i.e. lay some sleepers parallel to the track and backfill to just above rail level - on both sides will eventually be provided. The building is likely to be "Santon" style - two small wooden pavilions to house the stationmaster, and provide space for parcels with an open fronted passenger shelter between. This will be long and narrow, which will suit the site.

The original site of Aussolas is now called Curranhilty Road, and has a short siding on the down side, which will be moved to the 'up' side before long to discourage derailments. I am not expecting the passenger facilities to be much more than a short 'platform' and a open fronted shelter.

Bottom station is still lost in the realms of me scratching my head and wondering what will fit into the awkward triangle it needs to occupy. I have a feeling that the layout is going to be somewhat odd, as there need to be some way of exchanging with the standard gauge, which will mean a section of 3"gauge track running along the back edge of the site, and the NG passenger, goods and exchange facilities being jammed in as best they can. At the moment, something like the LSWR-L&B exchange Barnstaple Town, but with an end loading facility for transporter wagons, seems likely.

That's all folks!

Peter in AZ

[IrishPeter]

The 'S' bend between Rickety Bridge and Curranhilty Road got sorted out this afternoon.  I have been piddling about with it for a year, but nothing seems to have cured it.  Anyway, I finally decided that some drastic action was required.

So - Ferret and the gang have basically eased the curves from ~5' radius out to between 6' and 8' and dealt with some cross level issues.  A couple of buckets of earth and broken concrete were used to widen the embankment, and the curves were eased to the point where I had to take about three inches out of a couple of rails.  A lump hammer was liberally deployed on an outcrop of rock to eliminate a hard spot in the formation that has been causing derailments. The widened embankment between the Top S and the bridge might make it worth moving the site of Rickety Bridge Halt from north of the bridge to south to take advantage of what is a natural blow-up point.  

As a side effect of today's work,  Curranhilty Road siding has been relocated somewhat, and some more of the rubble from the hole that was dug in the drive will be going there in due course.  I am pleased to report that a certain long wheelbase 4 wheeler called the "Thriller from the Ziller(talbahn)" managed to get around the top 'S' without embracing Mother Earth, so the Irish stock should make it round no problem! The next big fix will be Aussolas station, which needs its loop and sidings laying.

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[IrishPeter]

Well, the next shower of rain, the levels changed, and the top 'S' bend was derailment heaven again.  Also the 1 in 24 gradient up from Aussolas was causing problems, mainly because it was easy to get a run away there if one did not succeed in connecting with the regulator taking an off balance swipe at it as it crested the worst part of the bank.  All things considered, it was time for a rethink.

I took another look at the lower route I used earlier on, and decided to go for it.  It is a bit heavier on the earthworks, as an awful lot of the railway is now on a low embankment, but it reduces the worst gradient to the 1 in 28 on the final stretch into Skebawn station, and the rest hovers in the 1 in 40/50 range - steep, but do-able.  

The route was moved over two weekends in February, and went very smoothly.  Even Ferret said so, and he is not prone to optimism!  Millie now descends with the regulator 'off the face' and ascends on about a third open.  Much less stressful.

Finnbar O'Toole has been engaged by the S&T department to make a distant for the loop Curranhilty Road.  He is none too happy about this, but was last seen with a plank, a lamp, and a length of old rail.  That all important member of Finnbar's staff St Jude is holding up his end of things as Nos. 1 and 3 are still functional, though they prefer to avoid No.1 if at all possible.  No. 2 is still at Inchicore, which is a cause for concern given what usually happens to small engines when they get to The Works!

Photos threatened.

Peter in AZ

[Andrew]

Photos threatened.

Yes please! Always nice to hear about the latest goings on...

Cheers,

Andrew.

[IrishPeter]

It might take me a day or two.  It is Lent so I am up to my neck in stuff anyway, and then there is the darned taxes.  My wife deals with the IRS forms, but it means I have to do my business expenses, etc..

The usual spring tidy up in the front yard is proceeding. The best description of this is a pre-emptive strike against the weed population, which will including giving the track a spray with a broad spectrum herbicide. It will then be time to do some spot ballasting, and get ready for the start of the tourist season over the Easter weekend.

The S&T inspector has been down "unofficially" and left us a list of stuff to get done before he comes down officially in May. The informed opinion from the Beast in the Bowler Hat is that we need a fixed distant on the approach to Curranhilty due to the curve. He knows the local drivers know to go slow there, but he is worried about visiting crews. Rumour has it that some comical genius in Cork has been making noises about training some mainline crews to work the S&CLR when the regulars are on holiday. Given that the last mainline crew that visited put No.3 on its side neither Ferret not Finnbar the Spanner is looking forward to a visitation from 'the Furriners.'

Chippy Norton is also busy repairing carriages. The bogie composite does not provide enough accommodation for summer trains, so it is imperative to get some of the four wheelers back into decent shape.

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[IrishPeter]

Now I really need to get the camera out as I have started with my first building - based on the long gone station at Union Mills on the Isle of Man Railway.  I was surprised at how fast the foam core structure went together, the slow bit is going to be planking it.  Plenty of paint and varnish to seal the structure and it should be OK against the weather here.  The building has three rooms - the stationmaster's office from whence the S&T is operated and tickets issued; an open fronted shelter for passengers; and the Porter's room.  The necessary facilities will be provided by a couple of 'long drops' out back.  It will serve as Aussolas station which is a simple loop and a siding for goods traffic, I am planning to leave space for a second siding should I desire to expand at some point.

The next building - for Skebawn - is likely to be a simple rendered structure.  I am already doodling and seeing what I comes out.  It should be have the same facilities as an Isle of Man Railway second class building - stationmaster's office, waiting room, porter's room, ladies' waiting room, with men's in an open air annex outside.  Flat upstairs for the stationmaster?  Maybe I should build some sheds first.

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Splendid stuff. Will the station have a raised platform or is it a ground level, clamber aboard type affair? What are you doing for window frames (That's one of the bits I'm not very good at)

[IrishPeter]

This time around I found some old Plastistruct half-inch scale window frames in the bit box, and I will probably get in a couple of cast metal doors from one of my favourite suppliers, though I have laminated panelled doors out of plywood before.  We are fairly well provided for when it comes to 15mm scale here, though of course, we do borrow from other scales - mainly 1:18 which is beginning to come back as a doll's house scale - and 1.24 which is the model car scale par excellence in the USA.

As the Skebawn and Castleknox started out poor and got poorer, I favour low platforms - either rail height, or about 10mm above rail level - just enough to give the 1:20th scale punters a boost on to the lowest step, and the driver something to aim at when bring his train to a stand!  If you Google Santon Station on the Isle of Man Railway, both before and after the low platforms were added in 2002, that will give you an idea of the look I am after - except in its modern incarnation it is a bit too tidy!  

One oddity of both Union Mills and Port Soderick on the Isle of Man was that they had platforms on the down side only, though both loops were in regular use until the 1950s, the up sides of both stations had ground level platforms.  Both stations handled pretty large numbers of day trippers at one time in their history.  In the case of Port Soderick, short workings to Douglas used to depart 'bang road' from the station which saved shunting a full train into the (usually) occupied section ahead, and it also saved having to reverse the weighted points at the Douglas end.

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[laalratty]

As well as some photos it would be nice to see a trackplan of your line, just to get an idea of where everything is in relation to each other.

[IrishPeter]

Plan drawn, and submitted to 'Her Indoors' for transformation into something I can post - like a .pdf or a .jpg. Same goes for a few piccies of Aussolas station, and the building thereof.

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[Andrew]

Excellent - looking forward to 'em!

[IrishPeter]

What surprised me the last time I was working on 'Aussolas' was the degree to which the addition of a top layer of decomposed granite, & the half built station building begins to make the scene.  I am considering altering the approach at both ends so that the main runs in a station straight, then "turns-in" at the departure end of the station as is the case at Ballasalla and Castletown on the IOM, but without trailable weighted levers on the points that may well be a PITA.*

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

* - as indeed proved to be the case!

[IrishPeter]

I have made some major strides with the track work on the S&CLR the last couple of days.

I decided a few weeks ago to shorten the line by about 25 feet to give me a chance to keep up with the maintenance.  This put the southern terminus on a flat area at the bottom of the rockery, and I decided that I would take that.  The loop, loco shed line points, and goods siding points for Castleknox went in today.  The track layout is somewhat reminiscent of Coachford. However, there will eventually be a broad gauge side.

The track at the halfway station - Aussolas - has been almost complete for a month.  Just needed to cut an irritating piece of rail to close the loop and I was done.  Well looking in the off-cuts box for something else, dug deep, and found a shot end that was close enough, and it was job jobbed.

The top station - Skebawn - has acquired its platform line, the goods yard points, the loco shed road, and a temporary r/r loop.  That leaves a second goods siding and carriage shed to go in.  The building will be based on the original at Douglas - maybe. The Cork and Muskerry seemed to like wooden buildings, so the Skebawn and Castleknox is following suit.  

With loops at both ends (and in the middle) I can now operate the line - which is end to end - without having to "crane shunt" at one end or the other.

The building for Aussolas is coming along nicely.  The outer shell is covered with siding and painted, the roof is cut to size and needs covering with corrugated, and I am working on the interior of the passenger waiting area using coffee stirrers to pass as T&G.  I am thinking 'basic interior' - table and a couple of chairs in the stationmaster's office; bench in the shelter; and some shelves in the porter's room-cum-office.  I suspect that the Porter would have spent most of his time in the main office and only retreated to his layer to retrieve things when folks came to collect parcels, etc..  A couple of boards advertising the wares of the GNR(I), LMS and the GWR would be in order.  The GSR would not have had that much space for advertising its own services - maybe one board strategically close to the ticket window, and that's that.

Peter in AZ

[IrishPeter]

Ferret Sweeney and the lads have been out the last few days making track repairs, and they have made good progress on the worst bits.  Skebawn station has been seriously tidied up ahead of the anticipated (dreaded) visit from the District Superintendent Al "Misery" Mahon, who does not like the NG sections - he calls them 'inefficient relics of the past.'  Ferret is hoping that the BG section down from Cork will keep him busy most of the week giving the Lads a breathing space to complete repairs.

There does need to be an all out effort on the embankment either side of Rickety Bridge.  The bridge survived the winter well enough, but the embankment on either side of it experienced some slippage.  Ferret described it as being "more holy than righteous" and has had a 3mph slack on it since the first of the year, and most passenger trains have consisted of the little Black Diesel and brake-compo No.8. However, if it isn't fettled before Misery gets down here the S&C can expect to be sanctioned, which is bad enough, but when the repairs are finished we can expect another visit from Mr. Mahon. Ferret has decided on an all out attempt on Monday and Tuesday.

Finbarr "the Spanner" O'Toole is busy repairing wagons with Chippy Norton, and has also given the two bogie composites the once over ready for the summer timetable. He would also like to get one of the older coaches back on its feet by Easter, when traffic is usually pretty brisk with folks coming down for the long weekend.

Malachy Cruise has been seen around the loco shed checking out a new arrival - a German built tank locomotive that has been bought from the Ardnacrusha Dam project to help shore up the motive power side of things now that the old mines at Curranhilty are showing signs of life again. His conclusion was that she looks powerful enough, but she is as ugly as sin. Being 900mm gauge she has banged a few check rails, but Ferret has an idea for a cure, as he was explaining at length in Maggie's Shibbeen.

Peter in AZ

[IrishPeter]

Rickety Bridge was patched up enough last Monday and Tuesday to withstand Misery Mahon's visit as - much to Ferret's relief - they were able to push an open balcony carriage over it with a steam locomotive without mishap.

Spot re-ballasting to overcome the worst effects of the winter has continued, and the line is now in pretty good shape. Aussolas to Shebawn needs some attention, but is basically OK. Aussolas to Curranhilty is in good shape, though the points at the south end of Aussolas have been realigned.

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[IrishPeter]

One train working is still the rule, as the points at the south end of Aussolas Station are clamped pending the completion of work on the passing loop.  Misery Mahon's annual visit passed off with only a mild rollocking, but cold weather (and the usual Triduum exhaustion) meant that the Easter weekend train service was the little black diesel and the brake compo with no steam to be seen

Goods stock is still a bit lacking.  The covereds are in reasonable shape, but there is only one open available at the moment.  Chippy Norton is having a happy time trying to empty the RIP siding.

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[Soar Valley Light]

Hi Peter,

Sounds like a busy time for the SCLRT! Good to hear the progress and the success of the visit from the 'officials'!

Andrew

[IrishPeter]

The staff had a bit of a celebration at the "Buffer and Bog Chain" - aka 'The Tramway Bar' - last night as the wagon repair programme has been completed. Two coal wagons, a ballast wagon, and the loco coal wagon have all been repaired. Due to the intermittent non availability of chopper couplings over here, the good stock has been fitted with a centre "bumper" and I am using coupling chains, whilst the choppers are going to be used for passenger stock in the main.

The next objective is to get the bottom station into some sort of shape.

Peter in AZ