Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotland!

Discuss routes currently being created.
rjhowie
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Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotland!

Post by rjhowie »

Been plodding on with this one for a time now. So far have done the whole of...
1. Belfast-Bangor.
2. Belfast-Border.
3. Lisburn-Antrim (via Crumlin)
5. Belfast-Londonderry - working on it and approaching Ballymena.
6. Belfast-Larne - over halfway as beyond Carrickfergus to date.
7. Colerain-Portrush. Cannot start that until further up Londoderry Line.

All going well and although it is an Ulster scene I do hope to try and extend the Border Line all the way to Dublin with maybe less scenery as it the NIR I am doing. If I do I may well include the norther DART branch outside Dublin as it's off the Belfast-Dublin. This allows Enterprise Express working if I get to that. Meanwhile it is a long haul as the Londoery route is 90 miles and taking up much time as did the Border one. Just felt it was time we had some modern offering from across the Irish sea. With some NIR stock now on the DLS this helps things along nicely.
tjfrancis
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by tjfrancis »

wall this be on the dls
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stovepipe
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by stovepipe »

Sounds good! How about some screenshots?
rjhowie
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by rjhowie »

Sorry for delay tjfrancis and stovepipe had some intermittent health probs that surface regularily.

I am so long overdue in updating my Trainz NIR website so I must discipline myself to that (and me an ex-BB Captain too!). Must do that extremely soon as I basically have a page for each line and will have slideshows for each route as they are done. So having almost 3 out of the 6 another reason for that one!

As for the end game. It will be my definite intention to have it uploaded to the DLS. I have felt for so long that there is nothing from over there and a modern depiction at that. Ulster had the worst rail cutbacks in thwe whole UK falling from just under 900 miles to around 215/20 today. Sad. I have two choices. 1. When finished the NIR upload it. 2. Wait and continue the Border route to Newry all the way to Dublin (even with less scenery) as it is basically the NIR scene. Both the NIR and the IR share the Enterprise Express trains betwen Belfast-Dublin in a different livery from both. At prsent the scenery stops at Newry but that needs to be completed as the track had been laid to Dundalk over the Border. But it will go up.

When tinker shortly with the website (honest wil!) will give the link here and a chance to see what I am doing from across here in Glasgow. Awkward but trying!
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by tjfrancis »

hi rjhowie can you keep me up date with the routes thanks tjfrancis
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by rjhowie »

Hi tjfrancis,

I am well beyond Ballymena now and through Ballymoney and have just finished building the junction town of Coleraine. Off that I have completed the Portrush Branch including scenery as well. Now track has moved on to Castlerock and the long drag of 28 odd miles to Londonderry round the northern coastline has begun. The second half of the Larne route beyond Carrickfergus will be done as soon as I reach Londonderry. However everything else is complete. Track has been laid over the Border to where Dundalk would be. My intention is once I have completed the last parts of the NIR to continue the Border Line down to Dublin Connolly. Think as a wee break I will get round to the signals and cameras inbetween building.

I am aware there is a part of the NI scene set in steam days but I have spent a considerable time with modern perceptions. Every road, street, lane, house near a line has been put down. Many farmers crossing too so that it appers like the system as is. This applies not just to villages but towns like Lisburn, Lurgan, Portadown, (Newry is a bit distant from the station thankfully), Carrickergus, Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Portrush resort. And of course some of the suburbs going out of Belfast in three directions. Scores and scores of streets, roads massive numbers of farms, buildings, etc. Once I update my N. Ireland Trainz site I will linki it here so folk can see what is happening. At least we have some NIR stock on Trainz and maybe once I add the Border Line someone might be good enough to repaint something to run "Enterprise Expresses"?!
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by rjhowie »

Have reached Coleraine (junction) and built th town around the station, competed the whole of the Portrush Branch off it then continuing along the Londonderry line beyond Coleraine and reached the neat village of Castlerock and it's twoshort tunnels and station along with the houses, etc. Still a 28 mile or so meander around the coast before reaching Londonderry though.

I am giving myself extra effort as just about every farmer crossing is down and any building or farm within a reasonable distance of the track. Between that and building a whle phalamx of towns and villages not to mention bits of Belfast, all time consuming. Because things are there they have to be reproduced in this modern Ulster perception. Have now disciplined myself to have a break one night in the next day or two to go to the website after getting some pictures for slideshows of each of the 6 lines. Stovepipe in a nice way has made me feel guilty!
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by tjfrancis »

how is this route coming along with and your website
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rjhowie
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by rjhowie »

Firstly, apologies to stovepipe and tjfrancis!

In between some erratic and permanent ill-health as well as outside life interfering with trainz (!), I have gradually got back on track so to speak. The Londonderry Line eventually has now got well further on round the coast past Eglinton, etc. Track and Londonderry Station are down and the scenery has now reached the high road bridge crossing the River Foyle into Co Donegal in S. Ireland. So means I am approaching the suburbs of Londondery itself at long dashed last. Time to time, I have wondered if I had bitten off too much for my first rail project. All going well that 96 mile headache will be finsihed by next weekend.

Then I turn to the Larne route as it has to be completed past Carrickfergus (end of Belfast suburban service). There are some really fiddly bits befiore reaching Larne (Town) and Larne (Harbour) so another groan. Not sure how long that will take but again if I can have that out the way sometime in October would be good. When that is done and dusted that will be the 6 lines of the N. Ireland Railway Company finale. It will be tempting to have it uploaded but then I have the matter of the route to the Border. Scenery goes as far as Newry just short of it although I have rails down several miles south as I am still inclined to go right down to Dublin (Connolly) rather than have a main line stopping at nothing. In turn I have to decide whether to give folk the NIR and then later a second version with the Enterprise route fully shown. Once I complete Larne I can decide on that one.

As for the web site, I must discipline myself to get time one night to sort that out and take off the temporary pictures and then do a series of slideshows for each route - Newry - Crumlin - Londonderry - Portrush - Larne - Bangor. As soon as that is sorted I will mention it here for people to look at. It has been a challenge living in Glasgow but I am determined that we will have a proper contribution of rail across the Irish Sea and as I have visited Ulster so often for holidays and taking boys camps it was the ideal scenario to do what is tragically left of Ulster's railways (just a quarter left). If the line to Dublin is added, I would feel the DART Branch off it shoud be added and the goods line off Drogheda. If that was the case all sorts of possibilities from Dublin could be imagined in the future. It may not be perfect but there will be an extensive representation of Trainz in an area usually missed out in our hobby.

So thanks for the nudge on the website and for wanting news! Now back to plodding towards the Maiden city in the near distance........

Bobby
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by rjhowie »

I am now well along the last of the NIR lines and that being the Belfast- Larne Town and Harbour Stations route. At present, I am just beyond the halt at Ballycarry although track is laid all the way and Larne Town and Larne Harbour in place (with scenery to come). However, I am unsure about bits of the line ahead and can only do so much from Glasgow and Google Earth. My hope is that weather-wise, might get a long overdue break I am needing health-wise and a few days in Belfast. This would be early June and give me the chance for a trip along to Larne with a notebook and get more practical information I need. Now a more ambitious thought coming!

On the Border line through Newry, I have scenery and track for about a mile after the city however trackage is laid right down to Dublin and Dundalk and Drogheda stations done (again no scenery yet) . All the tracks approaching Dublin (Connolly) with subsidaries are there but no station or platforms yet. My hope is that if I get my wee break, I will then have the NIR finished shortly after. After much arguing with myself, I have decided to go further South to attempt the Dublin main line from Newry south. Having taken so much of an effort to do the NIR which was my main plan this is a bit of extra ambition and want to see how far I can stick to this and add this. The Howth and Tara branches will be included because they are off the route. This would allow IR passenger and goods working eventually. What it would also do is because of the route to Connolly there would be opportunity of yet further extensions although my effort may be exhausted by then. If I can persevere with times off it this would give a complete system in Ulster and a part of Irish rail too. Well I know that being so far on the Ulster thing that will be completed so we will see what happens when at the end of June I start trying for the Enterprise Express route. Here's hoping!
tjfrancis
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by tjfrancis »

keep up the good work how is the website.
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rjhowie
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by rjhowie »

Hello tj (and all!),

I have a couple of unsure parts of the Larne line to check on and can#t do it here in Glasgow which is frustrating, so I hope to get that break from Glasgowa nd fly over to Belfast and book a hotel then a jaunt along to Larne. I am in between Ballycarry and Magheramorne on that one. If I can get that finished in the not too distant future then I will get to seeing if I can keep up the effort on the line to Dublin. Apart from an afternoon solving my Larne queries, I hope to take a day trip down to Dublin (Connolly). Of course a day trip isn't going to be an indepth help but there are things down there I have to see. Dare say there are very few Trainzers who are doing what i am, namely travelling over to Ireland north and south for a project!

Although I have given myself quite a challenge doing the whole of the NIR in Ulster the temptation to try for Dublin is another big challenge. Seems I like to give myself mountains because there are two branches off the Enterprise route and will feel that they have to be included too! Thanks for your support. Although a number of people have looked at my contributions on 3 different places on the Net I haven't had much practical direct support. That notwithstanding, I will persevere in getting a modern Emerald isle overdue place in Ttrainz.
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by rjhowie »

until I solve those passing wee probs with the Larne route in N. Ireand, I will tinker with bits of the line to Dublin. Having put down Dundalk and Drogheda stations, I then spent a couple of nights with track approaches to Dublin (Connolly). The platforms are in with a little bit of track re the Tara and Howth branches. Depending on interrupting health matters I do need a short break from her and will hopefully get round to that and which will actually be a plane trip over to Belfast and a little bit of train hopping including to Connolly station down in the south.continually.
tjfrancis
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by tjfrancis »

can i have a update on the route and the website.
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rjhowie
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Re: Doing the whole of Northern Ireland railways (from Scotl

Post by rjhowie »

Hello tj,

I am now just past the halt at Glynn on the Larne route and all going well as I hope finish this by the end of June or maybe into the start of July. Have spent a bit of time on the scenery around the lines but when this one is done that is the whole of Northern Ireland Railways. As indicated, I will try and see how far I get beyond Newry over the Border to Dublin (Connolly). Apart from tracks down to Dublin and the stations pit in at Dundalk and Drogheda there will be much on that line to take a lot of time and perhaps not as much on the scenic background as my original project which is the NIR. Even have the approaching tracks into Connolly along with platforms but no roof or anything else. Also the other track lines around Connolly are in and the start of the Howth and Tara branches on the way to Dublin.

At times, I have though was biting off more than I could on this NIR project and now giving myself another mountain to climb heading south. However I will try and see how far on I get with that as it covers more of Ireland than anything else on Trainz. Unlike an earlier Trainz offering in steam, days, I have tried to replicate the actual situations and with a bigger track input. I do hope to get over still when my health gives me some stabilising time so I can fly over from Glasgow base in Belfast and take a day trip down to Dublin. For now, I am persevering with completing this 6th and last line to Larne Town and Harbour stations! As soon as Larne is done I will intimate it here and put another slide show up as for it as I have for the other NIR routes.
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