Now got back to my original attempt across in Ulster and border crossing

rjhowie

Active member
Have been associated with Trainz for a while and as I had visited Ulster on family connection holidays then some of my home - plus youth organisation camps I ran decided to have a bash at Northern Ireland Rlys. Over there was the worst of the 4 places in Gt Britain to have savage cuts losing two thirds. Anyway I have done the following routes

1. Belfast - Bangor.
2. Belfast - Larne.
3. Belfast - Londonderry.
4. Belfast - Newry (at Border).
5. Coleraine - Portrush.
6. Lisburn - Antrim. (closed since early 2000 period but still there used for driver training and people wanting it back.

In addition I had extended over the Border at Newry and did track all the way to Dublin (Connolly station). Did something really odd in starting scenery from centre of Dublin and things in to about a mile north of Drogheda. scenery gap until Dundalk then everything in to the Border. To try getting back to my scenery gap between Drogheda and Dundalk I am narrowing boards to help get my mind back on it. A passing help is a member who designed the Irish Rail station signs and another who did the NIRail station boards. Unfortunately things that came to my mind fast for scenery items got knackered as I had been off things due to health. My groan was that off tings for a while I would instantly use items recalled but now like starting from scratch! South of the Border line to Dublin there are 2 routes off the Belfast-Dublin "Enterprise Express" service but I have only included one of them and that is the suburban electric passenger line just north of Dublin to the village of Howth all complete but I have not extended the branch off Drogheda as passenger services closed years ago and only a large commercial plant using it.

So although my intention was just the NIRly ages ago reaching Newry and the Border I got a bit ambitious! My scenery between Drogheda and Dundalk will be less extensive etc so I can get towards getting this done. One lucky Belfast fan has my NIR attempt sent so I will see what I can catch up on between those two southern towns on a reduced scale as I have been very ambitious! I do get niggled that things that came to immediate mind on my build before I have a moan! I temporarily delayed things so I have to get into action again.
 
All the best in finally getting it completed. Route building is always a lengthy ordeal, I don't even want to think about the time/effort needed to complete my route!
 
Nice to hear from you again FiachraIR!

I did put a lot of effort into my build of the long savaged NI Railway and scenery aspects. I smile at myself when I extended south and started doing scenery from Connolly back north! Apart from some health issues the restrictions of the virus bored me to tears and as I stretched into the IR having spent so much time on Ulster scenery was becoming a stressed level distraction although will say that working north from Dublin continued my wide scenery right up to Drogheda and a distance beyond it. Did the same with that electric branch to Howth as well getting scenery and stations a determination! So must get back to my gap a bit north of Drogheda to the Dundalk point.

I do hope there will hope there will be wider interest but personally my thanks for your interest and will keep in touch from distant Glasgow :D

Bobby
 
I must admit that crossing the border in my extension to Dublin I admitted to doing something odd and that was starting the Irish Rail extension I commenced the scenery at Dublin instead of from the Border! Thinking back it was a time when I mused I was getting too stretched after the N.Ireland Railways routes. When whilst doing the scenery etc when I got to the junction with the passenger line to Howth fully built that (electric route) then plodded or crawled all the way to Drogheda and then a scenery portion north of that. It was due to the size of what I had done over there from here (Glasgow!) I was getting a bit put out being too ambitious and why I narrowed boards north of Drogheda towards Dundalk and I am frankly wondering if even with the narrow scenery stretch it is an awful lot of miles. Being over 30 miles it is detracting me a lot but I am going to see how far I get or be tempted to leave a scenery gap which I know not very clever.

Living myself these days I will have to challenge myself to see if i can stop from giving up when I have full scenery from a distance north of Drogheda south and right into Dublin Connolly station! Meanwhile I have brought back groaning for now!
:eek:
 
Looked at my southern extension having a long sigh and groan (!). Maybe I should have just stuck to my original aim to produce NIRailways. My to ponder n going further then put tracks in all the wy down to Dublin Connolly and it's buildings around it. Mused again and oddly started doing scenry from the centre of Dublin heading north! Got to a branch junction that ran a suburban line to Howth. So scenery, electric poles etc all in back to the main line and everything to just north of Drogheda and an issue as there wa a branch from the station to a distant town around 18 miles away but let track stop at edge of the board as the passenger service long gone and only occasional freight trains thought would try sticking to the main line so that "Enterprise Express"between Belfast-Dublin can be run the route to Dublin so I'm not Caesar but did get ambitious........ that folk could run it. Thinking I eventually got too ambitious I am going to try continuing on scenery north of Drogheda and Dundalk to a minimum and so if I can get something positive in what I started to feel was too much of a project. :confused:
 
RJ,

It was quite an ambitious project but there has to be credit given to the amount old work you put into it over the past few years. I too have a ton of scenery to mark out and I haven't worked on my route as I also made a ton of models that need to be finished which I want to get done first before continuing my route building, it'll be a while till my route is complete.
 
My apologies my friend for my absence but whilst in a McDonald regular staff noticed I was not well for my second day and insisted on phoning for an ambulance and I ended up there 11 days. Had some discomfort and whilst in the hospital got three different scanners. Had been a bit strained and a bind although felt better in a really good place. Whilst in the hospital was told I had had a light stroke. Was taken aback although better relaxing there. Got out on Monday. Friends cannot believe I got that health matter having been very active for years in the Boys' Brigade organisation. Was strange had 2 uncomfortable days. but in hospital better Good thing about the Queen Elizabeth Hospital was not wards but individual rooms with tv on toilet including shower, etc must get back to my extension south of the the NIR.
RJH
 
Hope you get feeling better for the holidays! Be sure to take plenty of breaks to wind down, Walks can be real relaxers as well as helping the constitution. The route will wait while you recover! Take care!
 
hope you have restfull break to recover.
I've almost completed my WP & Y Railroad (skagway to whitehorse) and know how arduous and time consuming it is.
keep up the good work.

one thing though thats some hospital with TV in the toilet. :hehe:
 
Nice one Tony and made me smile!

I was glad that I did not have a lot of discomfort in the hospital and was actually surprised when in the daily routine I was informed that I had got a very light version of the stroke and had been feeling worse before the ambulance came. As FiachraIR said my project has been an extensive one and at a point wondered if I would get the NIR done but did have a long history of being in N. Ireland from a wee boy on family holidays taking a lot of youths in the BB to an excellent camp building in the coastal village of Castlerock (was less than a minute from the station!). Also did personal breaks over there too so these aspects leaned me on being ambitious and for a change across the Irish Sea. Extending into the Irish Rail did spend a lot of time working from Dublin north and as said did the branch to Howth so myt efforts from Dublin Connolly to scenery north of Drogheda was a considerable thing and due to the size of my project I am doing a bit less scenery between north of Drogheda to approaching Dundalk then much scenery to the border and the NIR.

One Trainzer from Belfast southern suburbs has a copy of my NIR and surprised initially that someone spent so much effort in the NIR (I'll whisper....offered me a meal if I am back in Belfast!!).Get out for walks etc so right thing to do. So thanks for concern and support for my Irish Sea ambitions and keep you posted!
:D
 
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