My Collection of Tralee & Dingle
and Other Irish Narrow Gauge Railway Models
in 1:48 Scale
(click here to skip straight down to the album)
I chose 1:48 scale (1/4" or 6.35 mm = 1 foot) for these models rather than the more commonly used 7mm scale because in 1:48 scale British EM Gauge track (18.25 mm) scales out to almost exactly 3' gauge, but by happy coincidence the 32 mm gauge of standard 'O' scale track works out to very nearly 5'3". In my opinion this makes 1:48 scale ideal for modeling Irish prototypes. Yes, I could have used 'American' On3 where the track gauge would be exact, but firstly there are no spoked wheels to suit Irish stock available in that gauge and secondly I live in a part of the world where 'British' scratch building supplies are (marginally!) more available than 'American'.
The models below are all scratch built from styrene. Although my intention is to ultimately run them on EM Gauge track the wheels on the models are set to 16.5mm gauge, but are capable of being moved out to the more appropriate gauge 'later'! Whilst none of the models are freelance (except in as much as certain dimensions or features are 'guestimates') all are painted in the livery of the freelance County Kerry Light Railway. This allows me to run virtually anything I like (even some Ravensglass & Eskdale vehicles are scheduled to make an appearance) without too much guilt about inappropriate mixes.
I put a lot of effort into getting the bodies of the models I build right. The chassis on the other hand are at best pragmatic. There is very little available locally in the way of wheels, axleboxes and what-not so I have opted to use mostly 'Ratio' Brand 'OO' scale plastic chassis kits fitted with metal wheels. I have evolved a couple of more-or-less standard CKLR chassis (vacuum braked and hand brake only) which live under most of the later bodies. I still try to capture something of the 'look' of the prototype chassis, but by no means are my models accurate below the solebar. Some of the non-Tralee & Dingle wagons should be on larger wheels, but in the interests of consistent coupling heights and that elusive corporate 'look' the CKLR sticks mostly to a standard 12mm eight spoke wheel.
Couplers are the venerable KD No5. I know they are not right, but they work with absolute reliability and are at least a single unit mounted in the centre. I knocked up some brass couplers early on, but wasn't all that happy with them either aesthetically or operationally.
The CKLR will have a complete history concocted for it, but in essence the line is an extension of the T&D branch to Castlegregory which serves a Brandon Bay region considerably more prosperous than other histories would have you believe. The town of Brandon itself (assuming Brandon station is ever modelled) will be a much larger place than it was in reality. The fiction is that the Brandon line managed to hang on to a tenuous independent existence well into the 1950's, eventually absorbing its nearest neighbour and collecting an eclectic mix of vehicles from other defunct lines along the way. Red Oxide?? Most if not all Irish three foot lines painted their freight stock grey, but I like red on railway wagons. It is a nice warm colour to use and it takes various weathering and ageing finishes very well. On reflection though I do wish that I had gone with grey, but it is a bit late to change now. EDIT: As of late 2005 newly built wagons are being turned out in grey and the best of the earlier wagons are being progressively repainted.)
Locomotives and a layout? Yes, there are plans, but I am a self-confessed wagon nut. Especially outside framed wooden vans. I love the things! I have a track plan fully prepared for a very small portable freelance terminal - it's all drawn out full size and fits the space I have available. The buildings are all planned (all T&D prototypes) and I will build it - eventually. Right after I build a couple of locos and some coaches. Which will be right after I build just one more wagon! A joint exhibition effort with a couple of other enthusiasts would be ideal - do you know of any Irish loco or scenery nuts living locally..? No, I thought not!
Here are a few photos to kick the gallery off.
As always, click the thumbs to see a larger picture...
One
of the earliest models built, I believe this van represents the T&D's
Bristol goods vans as built. It is likely that it is from a later batch
(1894), the earlier wagons lacking the diagonal frame member - possibly it is
the company's sole 1897 acquisition. The prototype
information was restricted to a single photo in D G Rowlands' book on the line
(Bradford Barton 1977 ISBN 0 85153 267 5) and all dimensions are
estimates. The brake detail is completely wrong.
This model represents pretty much the 'standard' T & D 4 wheel Bristol goods
van as rebuilt and running in the later years. Originally built in 1890
and/or 1894 they were (probably) rebuilt into this more familiar form sometime
in the mid 1920's. The oversize end beams on a couple of the early
wagons was an attempt to get the couplers through the end beam, which for
reasons I can't remember seemed important at the time. Now I just hang the
couplers underneath. And yes, applying the brake lever releases the brake...it was a
long time ago! The variations played on these vans in the Company's shops were
endless - you could probably build a dozen models and have no two the same.
Tralee and Dingle No17, another Bristol - this one was fitted with ventilation
louvers for the conveyance of
butter. There should also be bonnet ventilators in the two outer side
panels and in the ends. This model has suffered considerably less 'wear and tear' on the
paintwork than most of my models - I assume a butter van would have been kept in
reasonable condition. It still has those oversize end beams and the brake
gear is best not even mentioned!
Cattle traffic was the mainstay of the T & D, as it was on many other Irish
lines. These cattle wagons are shown only part way through the 'paint shop' - the basic painting,
lettering and final matt varnish are applied, but they are yet to be
weathered. The van on the left is modelled after No 46T, a Bristol
Carriage and Wagon Co product of 1897, whilst the van on the right is No 76T,
from the Midland C & W Co in 1907. Neither model is portrayed in the
wagon's original form, both represent the rebuilt versions of the
prototype. Rebuilding changed the appearance of the wagons - especially
the Bristols - considerably. It is not evident in the photos,
but the Midland van has suffered considerably more distressing of the plastic
body and will be finished in a fairly decrepit state, whilst the other van has
barely a hint of 'wood grain' applied and will be finished in 'near-new'
condition.
Here's another view of 46T - click on the thumb for a larger-than-life
full-screen (800 x 600) view. To see it full size in Internet Explorer hit
the 'F11' key to get rid of your toolbars and other clutter. The axle
boxes on the 'Ratio'
plastic chassis are a bit too fine: on the prototype they are great big chunky
things and the springs need beefing up a bit. The tissue on the roof is just
a bit too textured, and the 'wood' probably wanted a bit of distressing
even though I wanted to represent a near-new van. I was pretty sure I had
the Bristol brake details right at this stage, but it turns out that the
vacuum cylinder should be on the other side of the brake cross-rod, almost between the
wheels. Also I just worked out that there should be a fifth shoe for the handbrake,
which solves the problem I have been trying to nut out of how the linkage
between the hand brake lever and the main cross-rod worked - there isn't one!
Number 76T is finished in a condition more reminiscent of the original!
There will be a better picture soon. Believe it
or not it took exactly five years and one week to complete the two cattle vans -
at that rate
I'll have enough for a layout in about forty years!
Number 46T as repainted to reflect the original more accurately. There is
a heck of a lot of red I missed - it is not nearly so apparent in real
life. The quality of the photo is not all that hot either - it is one of
the first pictures out of a brand new digital camera I have acquired. Bear
with me till I get the hang of this new-fangled technology :~)
76T has also been repainted, and again there is a lot of red left.
The T&D ran horribly short of rail-worthy cattle wagons late in its life as
purpose-built wagons literally rotted away,
and many 'standard' Bristol vans were converted. Some like 9T simply had a
couple of planks knocked out and one nailed back in the centre of the gap...
... but others were more extensively modified with the addition of drop
ventilators in the outer pannels.
Tralee and Dingle Number 1, the horsebox. Again all dimensions are gleaned
from photos but at least I had a couple of good clear photos to work from, a
nice three-quarters view devoid of distractions and a very nice straight-on end view
- thank you DGR! I guess an album would be
visually boring if all the photos were dead square to a side - but I'd buy it!
I like horse boxes, they simply ooze character and the various Irish
narrow gauge railways had lots of them - does anybody know if any of the INGR's
had a carriage truck? There are several more horseboxes to be built -
goodness knows how I will justify running them all.
This model of T&D bogie bolster No 77T was built from a
single picture in the Bradford Barton album showing the wagon derelict at Tralee
after closure. A much better picture - in the Plateway book - has come to
light since and shows a lot more detail. I have absolutely no idea how the brakes were
arranged on this wagon. I assume it was
fully fitted - everything
else was - but whether the brakes were hung outside the wheels or between, I
have no idea. Nor have I been able to discover how the hand brake was
arranged nor the location of the vacuum cylinder. I assume there is a
hand brake lever (or wheel?) on the other side, but all that is visible on either photo is
the central cross-rod, so till better info comes to light
that is all that is modelled. The original was built in
the Tralee shops in 1911. Being timber framed I assume it was built from the ground up and
was not a conversion of an old coach
chassis as are most Irish 3 foot gauge bogie wagons - the arch bar bogies certainly never lived
under a coach. According to Rowland's book
it was 32ft 2ins long, everything else is guestimated. Bogies are
Bachmann's On30 arch bars (lovely mouldings, but not quite the right arrangement) fitted with 12mm spoked
wheels; queenposts
are from Grandt and the rest is styrene - including the bent truss rods. The model is numbered 53 - there
wasn't a single '7' left on the decal sheets and the local shop was out of
stock! I probably should have waited.
The deck on the Bolster is modelled using 'Evergreen'
scribed styrene sheet which has been worked over with a fairly coarse abrasive paper and
'distressed' farther with the point of a modelling knife. Unpainted wood
weathers to a silvery grey, but I think models look better where the
wood is 'wood' colour. The woodgrain effect is drastically over scale,
but the model is built to be viewed from a distance of at least a couple of feet
and this has to be taken into account - I constantly fight an internal battle
between the engineer and the artist - a model has to look right as well
as be right. Anyway the effect here is an enamel base coat with
roughly half the boards worked over with various brown, grey and reddish toned
colour pencils, then a dark oil wash to tone things down and pick out the
grooves and 'grain', then more enamels dry brushed over the top to put back just
a bit of 'life'. It's probably a bit too clean, but the area round the
bolsters is gunged up a bit more!
The bogie flat wagon has also been repainted, and also re-numbered to where it
should always have been - 77T.
Broadside view of the repainted flat.
The prototype for this brake van has a long and checkered history.
Originally a passenger coach, it was built as a Brake
Third in 1890 by the Bristol Carriage and Wagon Co for the T&D where it carried the number
2, later 2T. After the demise of passenger traffic it was
converted at Tralee to a goods brake in 1940, although not in this form.
At that stage it acquired the sliding door, but still retained it's outer
cladding and most of its windows. After closure of its home
line it ran on the West Clare as 52C where it was rebuilt as seen here. Later it became number 22L on the Cavan & Leitrim
where it lasted until 1960. But the story does not end there - it was sold
for preservation and followed so many other natives of its homeland across the
Atlantic to the USA. The model is based on a drawing which appeared in an old
"Model Railway Constructor" magazine which shows it as running on the C&L. The model carries
the number 5 - it was
built before the practice of using the prototype's running number on
the model was adopted.
Speaking of the C & L, that lines ventilated goods vans cry out to be
modelled! These were 'convertible' vans, used either for cattle traffic
with the roof open, or for general freight with the open roof tarp'd over.
Like the T&D vans, variations on the theme are endless. Lettering on all
my wagons is waterslide
decals taken from a stock sans-serif alphabet sheet made by a local manufacturer. The carrier film is beautifully thin and
virtually vanishes with a coat or two of 'Solvaset'. I use a dry-brush painting technique a lot and
nothing is more frustrating than a 'thick' decal which catches the colour and
finishes up with a neat highlighted square around each letter. On all my
vehicles I try to
capture something of the character of the prototype company's lettering within the confines
of a consistent overall CKLR style.
The County Kerry Light needed some opens, and one of the pictures in Michael Baker's
"Irish Narrow Gauge Railways: A View from the Past" (Ian Allen
1999 ISBN 0 7110 2680 7) has always struck my fancy. (Click
here
to see a copy of the picture) To me the utter dis-similarity of the two wagons
entirely captures the charm of the Irish narrow gauge. Anyway this is my
interpretation of an Oldbury Carriage And Wagon Company 5 plank
open, the Cork & Muskerry Light Railway's #47. There is a T & D connection, apart from being near
neighbours, at least three ex-C&M wagons found their way onto the Dingle line,
including the identical No 46 which became 82T on the T&D. I chopped a Ratio
underframe about and managed to get the springs inside the 'W' irons, but the
irons themselves are still mounted inside the solebar, not outside - which on
reflection is a less than credible arrangement. I want
to do a couple of County Donegal tranship wagons, so I will need to work out
something better for the 'spring inside' arrangement. Unlike T&D stock they were hand brake
only - does
anyone know if they were 'fitted' (or just piped maybe) when they moved to Tralee? I put 13 mm
wheels under this wagon to try to capture the 'up in the air' look of the
prototype - 14 mm would have been better, but there isn't enough
clearance. I wish I lived somewhere that I could wander down to the local
shop and get a packet of coach-style axle box castings.
Cork & Muskerry three plank drop-side wagon Number 10 is a tiny wagon by
comparison, built in 1887 it had a capacity of only 4 tons. Although small
it covered a lot of ground, moving to the West Clare between 1941 and 1957 where
it carried number 172 after which it was transferred again, this time to the
C&L. Thanks to the West Clare website for the information - but they
seem to have missed it's stint on the CKLR!
A shot of the inside of the drop-side open, finished in the same manner as that
set out for the bogie bolster above. Should there be knees supporting the
outside of the ends where the
drop sides latch? Just once I want a really good drawing that shows everything!
Building from a single photo is a lot of fun, but it leaves so many questions
unanswered.
The prototype for this model of a Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway
brake van also found its way on to the C & L. The model is built from a single photo
in Patrick Flannagan's book on the line (David and Charles 1966 ISBN 0 330
0294208) where it is described as '...long high and narrow...', and from that
base I guessed
the rest. The doors are sheer conjecture - I suspect that the original had
inside sliding doors, but they are not visible in the photo. I found three
out of a set of four doors I had built for an aborted 7mm Scale Midland Railway Kirtley Brake
in the 'scrap' box - they just happened to fit the space available so they were pressed into service
here.
I have since been sent a scale drawing of one of these vans filched
from an old magazine. The other side of the model has
windows in both doors, which turns out to be exactly the arrangement on the
prototype - sheer luck - although on the prototype the doors are a bit wider,
extending almost to the end of the van and they are hinged to swing outwards not
inwards. The overall dimensions are pretty
close though! Click on the thumbnail for a full-screen (800 x 600)
view! All my
models are painted with the same base color, Humbrol 133 Satin Brown. The
satin finish is smooth enough to take waterslide decals really well, but
finishes dead flat with a very thin overspray of matt varnish. Although there are variations
in the 'ageing' process the final colour on all the wagons is essentially the
same. It is
interesting to see the variations in the photos caused by different film and
lighting conditions, which is food for thought when interpreting old colour photographs.
And now for something completely different...
Hmmm, not the best of pictures of a tricky subject, but it does prove that some
progress has been made on something other than a wagon. The subject is the
Bristol brake composite No 13T, or one side of it anyway, laminated in styrene
sheet and strip and nearly complete apart from ventilators and door
detail. Not apparent in the pic is the presence of all window detail
including bollection mouldings on the fixed window panes. The other side
is underway with all window openings cut, but there is a long way to go on this
one...
© Andrew Turnbull 2004-07