Ox Mountain Railway

[mike]

good to know your up and running, like the enginue shed..

 

[trammayo]

Thanks for your comments. I just thought I`d post a few pics of Sunday`s outing with the alternative Ox Mountain Railway - the trailer. SWMBO`s busy making last minute additions to her overnight bag for the hospital visit. Phew! Minimalist (as per hosp. intructions?) probably not!

Anyway, streete is some eighty-odd miles from home but we got there before 10.00am. Nice spot, nice day, nice show. Some fantastic vintage vehicles (didn`t see them but heard them being described over the PA), including the oldest Ford commercial dating from 19th C.

Anyway, first pics of the trailer (once you have seen one you`ve seen them all) .....







Then a small basket weave from Newgrange (famous for its Neolithic tomb) ...



Then the model farm - we seem to follow each other around (although this was a show that he hadn`t displayed at before) .....



then something in 1/12th scale - a superb (working) model of a Garvie Thrasher. Puts my efforts to absolute shame .....



and the Forson Major (EN27) that provided the motive power ....



And finally, a tiny part of a huge diecast diorama that I meet at a lot of shows. The man has the largest collection in the whole of Ireland - and maybe the UK? ....



And I had no chance to visit or see anything else.

 

[KandNWLR]

I´ve said this before but your trailer is a Thing of Beauty

 

[trammayo]

I´ve said this before but your trailer is a Thing of Beauty

You're too kind Andrew. 'Tis said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder - sometimes it's the mote in my eye. The roof has a tiny (untraced) leak. Somewhere there is a tiny crack in the veneer. WBP ply - why on earth would I want to boil my trailer? Aluminium (aluminum) next if I have to replace the roof (and funds permitting).

 

[Dtsteam]

Were you able to manage OK and has the extended trailer lived up to expectations ? It certainly looks the part ....


PS I won't tell KandNWLR that you've built a spiffy double deck steam tram trailer if you don't :-X

 

[playmofire]

The new trailer looks very smart, Mick, and your layout stands well up to others there.

 

[trammayo]

Were you able to manage OK and has the extended trailer lived up to expectations ? It certainly looks the part ....


PS I won't tell KandNWLR that you've built a spiffy double deck steam tram trailer if you don't :-X

Hi David. I manage reasonably well, the concept of having it set up ready to put the trains on works as expected but, it seems, I don't! Muscle problems make opening the shutters hard work but, to be fair there is only one extra to before! I had toyed with the idea of fitting gas struts to assist the lifting. It isn't that they are very heavy, it's just my lack of strength!

In theory (and it's always the exception that proves the rule), not having to set up the end boards (inserting connecting tracks, electrical connections, securing the board, unpacking - or repacking - and setting out the buildings, telegraph poles or other scenic items, should have shaved nearly an hour off the previous setting up (or dismantling) time of 90 minutes. Reality proves otherwise - but it does take less time than before.

Towing isn't a problem - fuel consumption is around 20 to the gallon (as it was previously) - and manoeuvring is quite good.

And thanks for the compliments (trailer and trailer). I was going to reply to Trev about double deck trailers (but kept my fingers away from the keyboard)

 

[trammayo]

The new trailer looks very smart, Mick, and your layout stands well up to others there.

Thanks Gordon. It certainly has a physical presence if nothing else. Show organisers just see it as another attraction to add to their list and think that it would be a favourite with children. Truth is, adults are my biggest audience and there is good craic as they say here!

 

[playmofire]

To help with raising the shutters, have you thought of using something like the old fashioned window pole that used to be used for opening and closing high windows in, for example, classrooms? You'd need some means of attaching it temporarily to each shutter, but it would give you more leverage and make you, in effect, taller.

 

[trammayo]

Hi Gordon. Yes I agree with you but, as well as opening the shutters, I have to locate the metal stays to hold it up. Before the wife's arthritis got worse, she would locate the stays whilst I held the shutter up. I think gas struts would be the answer, but I would need 10 of them and would have to fabricate mounting points.

I was 59 when I built it but, six months after completion, I fell ill.

You never know what's around the corner (I certainly never expected or had even heard of what I ended up with).

Hard work was an ethos I lived up to. Now, even getting things out of the kitchen cupboards can be uncomfortable. But, hey oh - I am still here and try to find a way around little problems. I hope to be able to at least operate it for anothe four years

 

[trammayo]

Well, I went to three shows in a row this Bank Holiday - don`t which eejit talked himself into doing that1

Never get much chance to take any photos - let alone see anything (other than trains going round and round). I did manage one pic on Sunday looking out from the trailer. Not very interesting I suppose as the main theme at Dunmore (North Galway) was silage cutting! The show did manage to get a worldwide first in 2012 for the number of working machines in one field.

Silage cutting ....



I managed to get a couple of shots of the two Annie`s that are new to me .....







and before the weekend in the garden .....









I have two shows next week (Tues and Weds) so the trailer is undercover at the moment. I`ll get it out again at the weekend and do some work on the track - I think some rail bonding needs to take place!

 

[beavercreek]

They will do you nicely Mick!

 

[playmofire]

Excellent photos, Mick.

 

[trammayo]

Thanks both. Well Tuesday and Wednesday went by.

The first show was Bellmullet`s Heritage Day in the centre of town  (and the three principle roads in and out!). I didn`t manage to take and pics. Wednesday I was at the Tubbercurry OLd Fair Day - again in the town centre and the (old) main road through town. Extremely busy.

I got some pics early on before most people were out and about. Managed to get some (poor) pics of a vintage display of pedal cars. The chap has some three hundred or so in his collection - the oldest was over 100 years old (a Dion) - and there were a few variations. Although invited to view the collection a few years back, I have never managed to find the time so this gave me a chance to renew an aquaintance.

First, some pics of the pedal vehicles ....

These two shots of the bespoke MG - it was built by someone at Harland & Wolfe, Belfast ...





The areoplane ....



The petrol pump ....



general shots ...





and this workable crane and grab...



My trailer (and the view from inside looking out) ...





... and the object that captured my attention ....

A US built traction engine (posted more pics in Coffee Lounge) ....



continued in next post .....

 

[trammayo]

... there were some stationary engines next to me ( the owner kindly moved his exhibits to accommodate my car and trailer) ....




then the tractors .....




And finally, the military (giving children free access to the turret ) - the kids loved it!


And that was it - no more time!

The following Sunday I was at Ballinamuck in County Longford. Ballinamuck`s place in history is attributed to the British routing the combined French and Irish forces at the end of the 18th century.


I always tell organisers, when they invite me, that I need a level spot and that my display takes up a large(ish) space. Well the back end of the trailer grounded when entering the field for a start.

Having explained it was the Ox Mountain Railway and not a mountain railway and tried the allocated plot, I was directed elsewhere. Still steep, I was across the slope and it was difficult to level it. It was managed but at the expense of young children (unless they were lifted up!

A picture speaks a thousand words ....






There wasn`t much else to photograph at this early stage although this Fiat 500 (filled with balloons) was around from the start ..... and a couple of unidentified gilts..





All the other vintage displays arrived after 12.30 and I remained busy all afternoon. Quite an enjoyable day and a great bunch of people who helped me set up.

 

[playmofire]

An interesting selection of events and pictures, Mick.

The blue pedal car in the sixth picture reminds me of one I had as a youngster.

 

[KandNWLR]

Three shows!!! You deserve a medal

I only managed one last weekend and that was all organised by someone else :-\

 

[trammayo]

Well I get the odd plaque now and then (polished brass but no real gold) 

Yesterday I went up North - the journey up crosses the border three times! Main reason was to deliver a freezer for No.2 son (and collect the stuff I had delivered to his house) or was the main reason to collect the stuff?

Anyway I was keen to unite the six ET&WNC coaches (I had bought from Daveyb) with my ET&WNC Annie - the latter purchased from Stuart (Marshman). David had previously applied numerals and names and I will do the same.

Here`s some pics running this morning .....











It was nice consist and I was well pleased. However, the running session was very brief! When I went to get the loco out of the trailer, the boxes were saturated with water!

I thought I`d rectified a problem yesterday morning which I had but .....

The trailer is parked on the drive and the nose end is lowered on the jockey wheel to as low as the brake gear will allow. The drive falls about a foot or so towards the hedge, so whilst giving an impression that the trailer is level, it is not quite so. I can test trains inside the trailer but there is also a cross fall towards the workshop. Thursday night it rained - and we are talking really heavy.

The gist of the problem is that the rebate into which the shutter/canopy closes, was acting as a gutter -  collecting generous amounts of rainwater. Not a problem if the trailer is vertical but, when its leaning 4.5" out of plumb, something had to happen.

Because there were six large boxes hiding the water yesterday, I thought that they were OK and only sorted out those that I knew were wet forward of the wheelarch. And we all know what thought did!

Problems now sorted - extra sealant applied above (and at) the plimsole line, dried and painted with the help of an hot air gun.

Now all I have to do is make some numerals (I`m only taking three coaches with me tomorrow - a 10.5 feet plus loco and tender it looks a little bit long on a 21ft layout :

So back to the grind stone ...

 

[tramcar trev]

You maintain a cracking pace for someone who cant have brown sugar on their oats......

 

[trammayo]

You maintain a cracking pace for someone who cant have brown sugar on their oats......

..... and that's the only oats I can have .....