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That’s an amazing amount of space for running trains!!! And for filming whatever amateur projects you like! The FREMO modules are about €40-ish each, I think. @Jack_Dunboyne had negotiated a 10% discount for forum members at one stage, but I’m not sure if that still stands. How many modules will you need? About 25?

The garden room was a significant investment, so the baseboards on top of that won’t be a huge cost comparatively. The room also needs to be available as a spare room from the start since we’re hosting family soon, so a semi permanent solution won’t work. As for running out of enthusiasm or getting distracted, I’m not particularly concerned about that. I’m going to be putting a lot of very careful thought into the track plan so it doesn’t get boring, and as far as prototype goes, I don’t really have one in mind- not even a particular country, so changing interests shouldnt be an issue. Most of it will be open main line anyway so anything Irish and most things British will look fine on it. And keep in mind, it’s FREMO. I can swap modules out easily and quickly if I want to put in a new one. I also need the space for filming something- before you say anything DJ, it’s NOT amateur porn, I have a long term film project I want to release around 2029 or 2030, but I don’t entirely trust myself to follow through and it’s not super relevant here so I’m saying nothing about it. Anyway, here’s the garden room: 78549905606__CABDA52A-C508-4D28-8059-B2B9DB442E84.MOV

216 sitting in York Road this morning

I confess I had my tongue in cheek with the 0-6-4+4-6-0 Garratt suggestion - I was thinking along the lines of using common parts with the conventional Beyer Peacock locos on the SLNCR. I hadn't realised there actually was an SLNCR Garratt design sketched out. A 2-6-0+0-6-2 would make a lot more sense technically, but undoubtedly more powerful than was needed. That's made me wonder whether a wide-firebox Garratt would have have been a better bet than Bulleid's design, for the turf-burner brief. Anyway, better get back to East Anglia. Sorry for the digression.

Running a single loop of track on temporary boards made from free offcuts while building up the FREMO boards over time would stave off the frustration to some extent. He’s going to be putting a grand or two into the “proper” boards, I’d say, plus the same again on the track. That kind of money may be difficult to get together at that age. Hopefully today we’ll see some daylight pictures of the space.

The proposed Sligo Garrett would have been a 2-6-6-2 if I remember rightly. Have a copy of the outline drawing somewhere and the axle loading was only about twelve and a half tons. Somebody actually built one in 7mm scale, but certainly wasn't me as the thing would have been too long for Arigna Town's headshunt. As for a traction engine on the Sligo, I fear coal and water capacity would have been a problem! Ragstone Models were going to do a Sirapite type a few years ago, but don't think anything came of it, while Giles Favell (radio controlled 7mm road vehicles guru) certainly did a traction engine.

I am very much looking forward to the Manchester show. I’ll keep an eye out for it.

Colour wise, everything from pale grey onwards, it seems - all down to what is going on, on site. Gordon Gravett's new layout in in this month's Continental Modeller by the way - and debuts at Manchester next month. Back to French metre gauge, very simple but (as you'd expect) very, very good.

Many thanks John, that’s very comprehensive and helpful. I shall joint my concrete panels accordingly. Going off at a tangent, do you know what that little tank wagon 254A carried?

I was responsible for concrete paving on housing and commercial projects down the years! Concrete paving practice changed significantly down the years (a) originally concrete paving/hardstanding was laid in bays up to 6-8' square 6'' mixed and placed by hand. Concrete bays on roads/footpaths and large areas tended to be cast in alternate bays to counteract shrinkage. Rebates (gen 1'X1") were formed at joints in road paving and filled with bitumen to prevent water seeping through to the sub-base and damaging the road. (b) Bay width increased to a max of approx 12' from the 1920s onwards with longitudinal joints every 15-20', rebates again formed in joints in roads and filled with bitumen, typical Dublin Corporation road of the 20s-80s era. Roads had a tamped finish (improve traction/skid resistance), with a smooth (bullnosed) trowel finish at joint. In Ireland and the UK footpaths and paved areas where people were walking received a brush finish, joints barely noticeable in the smaller scales. The length of bay that could be physically be placed by a (4 man) gang in one day increased significantly 60'+ plus with the arrival of readymix concrete during the 1960s During the 90s we received a particular "brushed finish" spec for the floors in the Masonite Plant to overcome issues with wood dust and the adhesives used. (c) Significant change in practice occurred form the late 80s onwards with the widespread use of the power screed and the machine cutting of joints post placing. What does this mean to the modeller? Square/retangular bays up to 8' in bays placed up to the 1920s. Max 12' wide bays with longitudinal joints every 15-20' (bitumen filled joints in roads) concrete placed 20s-80s, barely noticeable joints concrete placed late 80s onwards. Relatively smooth non-slip finish in paved areas where people were walking/working, tamped finish on roadways. The main advantage over concrete over tarmac or stone/gravel paving is its duarbility & restistance to oils/chemicals and can be power washed Photos from Inchacore revealed some interesting points. 2'X2' paving slabs used on running shed apron during 80s/90s. Concrete paving with non-slip (oil/chemical resistant) floor paint finish inside Diesel No1 Mid 90s Deisel No2 /Ramps area tidied up with (fine) stone fill to rail level for Inchacore 150. Interestingly paving slabs apparrently in use of walking routes through Ramps area. Before the clean up! late 70s ballast/fines in in Ramps area filled rail level to allow access for maintence and repair work. Whenever visited the 'surface" in the Ramps area was very slippy with oil grease and water! It basically looks like anything goes in a loco yard from a concrete slab, to paving slabs or ballast brought up to rail level I seem to use 3-4mm mdf coated with fine dark grey scatter on the paved areas (roads and loading banks) of my 1950 ish rural Irish layout.

This whole layout look so realistic!

Pure white when new, but white does tend to age, and it's there some 65 years now!

Maedbh is as good as it gets for CIE green. I was looking at her lining when I was up in Cultra, the white definitely has a yellow/cream tinge to it, rather than being brilliant.

Some funny business going on there. Those lads are up to no good.

800 is exact, and fresh, as CIE gave it a repaint in standard green (which was still being used on buses and lorries) before it was sent to Belfast. A myth grew up in Belfast that it was (is) in GSR green in the museum….but this is obviously nonsense!

Work started on the Meat Van. As she comes. First thing was some rivetting. Some of these had been half etched on both sides. The result Folded up Ends added and soldered.

I couldn't agree more. As one who has been there the odd time to do a talk, I'm always delighted to go. Good to catch up with the Irish contingent living over there too - you know who you are!

@DJ Dangerous Reminder there are two Qashqui's so no reg swapping required!!

Indeed. I can picture a modified traction engine pottering along the SLNCR with a few cattle trucks much more easily that I can visualise an 0-6-4+4-6-0 articulated monster!

It might also explain an historical oddity. Would have made far more sense for the SLNC’s infamous putative loco to be a Beyer-Garrett rather than Garratt - much more in their line I’d have thought

I never knew the origin of the name. Fascinating! The advantage of a Garrett locomotive over a Garratt locomotive is the much smaller size of layout required.

An excellent talk, thanks to Leslie for publicising and Roger for the talk itself. Sorry I wasn’t there in person, but rest assured I do attend my local Manchester meetings and I may even have had my arm twisted to give a talk next year.

Sounds like an amazing space! Speaking as someone who has started a lot of overambitious layouts and finished few, I would recommend building a module at a time to start with, whilst keeping a grand plan in mind that they will eventually fit into. Don’t try and build 20 baseboards at the start.

That’s a whopping area to run trains in! Glad it’s not @Dave Lindfield, that could get messy.

Late report 3002+3003 worked 1050 allegedly on Wednesday