What I am doing it for

[tedp]

'Ariadne' is fetching an empty van from the carriage siding, and two loads of steel parts and scrap from the works. Jamie is looking on as the loco couples up. Note the sag in the roof - the van may be due for a spell in the works:





As the last mountain tram of the day departs up the hill at 6.20pm for passengers to brave the midges and view the sunset, the goods gets the right of way. It's a good idea to include a spare coach in the goods trains as this greatly enhances the service:





Arrival at Dunalistair, the best part of an hour later. Here a lot of shunting is to be done - the crew will barely manage to get away at 7.20pm. First we see the harbour shunter extracting the loaded stock from the sidings as the new arrivals still wait in the platform road. Note that 'Ariadne' has reversed the coach into the loco siding. Both coaches there will be attached to the rear of the train:





Next, after the new arrivals have been removed from the platform road and the up train is assembled in the harbour road on the left, 'Ariadne' has hauled the coaches from the loco siding and runs round the train to fetch water. Note that the coaches still have to exchange places as the third brake must be detached at Rae Bridge. That is a shunting challenge in itself:



As the harbour shunter busies itself with two wagons, one of which has to go to the Caledonia Foundry, the up goods waits in the platform. The second photo shows 'Ariadne' at the head of the heavy train snaking through the curves out of Dunalistair. This is a big-boilered 0-8-0 well up to the heavy job:





After the goods has gone, the Foundry shunter creeps along the coastal line with a load of cut steel plate, to fetch a wagon of scrap waiting on the harbour road. Despite its attractive livery applied by its previous owner, the Barclay is on its last legs. It badly needs overhaul but at the moment cannot be spared:



Note that the vertical boiler loco 'Jock' isn't there yet in this pre-WW1 time frame - it is supposed to arrive only in 1915!

Somehow the light isn't right in some of the Dunalistair photos - I think it is time to install a LED strip and remove the small fluorescent tubes. This will also do away with the shadows in the 'sky'.

More later!

[tedp]

Another instalment continuing where the last left off. 'Ariadne' works the heavy goods into Rae Bridge, where more shunting will be needed if I look at the 'waybills' or route markers on the goods stock:



Meanwhile a typical shunting move is underway at Dunalistair, where the foundry shunter drops one wagon on the main line to be picked up by the harbour shunter, then works onto the turntable and transfers to the harbour road where a load of scrap is waiting. This is then pushed to the foundry. Note the idler wagon made from an old GEM whitemetal kit, which has an Egger coupling at one end and an N gauge coupling at the other:









Now let's have another look at Rae Bridge, where the long goods (or mixed, if you like) has stopped way past the footbridge to bring the coaches alongside the short platform. The brake third has to come off, and some wagons will have to be exchanged:







The cattle truck is pushed beyond the loop point for coupling up to the front of the train. The train will be pushed forward to couple up, then drawn back into the loop. This is easier than having to draw the entire train clear of the other end of the loop. Something I learned soon enough when shunting long trains! Meanwhile, the down boat train which has left Craigcorrie at 7.40pm, is on its way to Rae Bridge over Inverlochan Moor:





The last instalment will be here soon!

[tedp]

In the gathering dusk, the boat train hurries through the shadows in the Glenclachan Gorge:



As the train arrives at Rae Bridge, it will be noted that the goods service it has to cross had to reverse to clear the loop points at the upper end of the station. This has moved the coach away from the short platform - inconvenient but unavoidable. The tail light and signal lights are starting to show up (Photoshop is my friend!) even though the hill tops are still in daylight:



Next, here is the long goods train being hauled through the gorge, with an orange sheen coming from the cab as the fireman works hard to keep up the pressure:



A short stop for shunting at Glenclachan siding where the sheep are being herded into the pen as the wagons in the siding are exchanged. Following that, the train draws forward to the tiny platform:





We're leaving the goods which soon will be on its way across the darkening moor. The boat train now rolls into Dunalistair, as the last reflections of the setting sun are in the sky:



Soon the train enters the gloomy station, at the end of which the steamer lies waiting, with steam up and navigation lights on. Soon the gangway will be hauled away and the passengers will be on their way to Oban and Fort William:





This concludes the tale of what I am doing it for, having operated the layout on and off since Christmas. Apart from being a modeller, I am also a railway operator - I like to see them run and solve the shunting puzzles along the way.

Thanks for your interest in reading this thread.

A note on the photos: these were all made using a video camera that makes passable stills. The mean shutter speed is about 1/25th second which needs me to take three or four images before I have one that isn't blurred. The last photos in the series were given a working over using Photoshop, since there was little time to set up the elaborate lighting arrangements needed for night photos as I have done in the past, and I would have had to use a different camera and a tripod. Tweaking the colours, the saturation and the brightness, as well as filling in the lights with brighter spots, resulted in passable dusk photos.

[tedp]

Final note:

Long after the boat train left up the line, darkness had fallen. Then a mournful whistle sounded from beyond the headland, requesting the home signal to be cleared. This was the last coal train of the day, hauled by 'Lyn'. Here the loco can just be made out against the dark ocean, lit up by a stray patch of moonlight...



And now I'm done!  ::)

[Krizzy]

Super! Thanks Ted for brightening up these dismal dark wet days we have endured over Christmas and New Year.

All the best, Roger

[tedp]

Thanks Roger. It must have been the wettest Christmas ever in your parts! I hope you kept your feet dry.

Glad I provided a bit of entertainment.

[andy1878]

Bravo, Bravo.
Your Modelling, Photography and Story telling are much appreciated.

[tedp]

Thanks for your reply, Andrew.

[Brian Mosby]

Very Nice Ted

[tedp]

Thanks, Brian. The last photo was really a case of a poor man's light studio, but it worked. I tried to photograph the train as a ray of light came in from a window in the door, but the backscene was too dark. So I put a lamp on the floor and the stray light just lit it up enough to succeed.

[gtmspyder]

Thank you Ted, beautiful story telling, and descriptive pictures, this is surely worth a Peco book Mr Pritchard?  and if it is ever in print, will be very quickly on every narrow gauge modellers book shelf, and well thumbed by any modeller looking for inspiration.

Kind regards,

BrianT.

[tedp]

Thanks all, for your interest and kind comments.

Regarding a book, Brian - I have written many pieces on the layout over the years, and I have many photos and drawings, but a book isn't something produced by simply throwing everything together. That's what is holding me back. Perhaps some time in the future, but not right now...   ;)