The idea is that a small seaside terminus has been built in the cleft in the land that has been formed by the River Blackwater as it reaches the sea and forms the harbour that gives the town its name (there are two large Blackwaters in Ireland, and many smaller ones, so we’re not fixed in location). The viewing side of the layout is “in” the river/harbour. The station borrows a bit from Warrenpoint, from Larne and from the Portrush setting, maybe a hint of Wexford…
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It’ll be based on Northern Ireland Railways in the mid-70s to early-80s, but assumed to be near enough the border and/or a CIE through-freight route to see some visitors from the South. I’ll also assume that the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) wasn’t as dogmatically anti-rail freight as it was in reality and thus a bit of freight traffic clings on into NIR days.

The main stock will be railcar units (what DMUs and DEMUs are called in Ireland). I’m going to have to kitbash and scratchbuild those. I have a couple of Murphys Models’ superb locos and there are various companies that do kits and aids to scratchbuilding.

It will be 4mm scale but on 16.5mm track; that’s not right for the 5’3” gauge, I know, but I think I’ll have enough to do to make sensible stock to a reasonable quality without having to start building track too. I am currently both excited and daunted by the challenge of having to make stuff and not just open a box. However, I’ve been encouraged by the efforts of other modellers of Irish railways and their ability to turn various items of British-outline stock into very good representations of stuff that I remember.

Oh and I’m going to switch to DCC as well for this layout.