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I tend to agree, use the standard 08 chassis and overlook the small dimensional differences. If IRM don't do a D class body, there would definitely be scope for a 3D printed body to fit an 08 chassis. Whilst there weren't many of them, I think they would be popular in the absence of other Irish shunters.

Yknow, with something as obscure as a D class. I don’t think most would mint a simple repaint with some tooling changes. Can’t have been to many of them around and all gone by the mid 1970s

The Ultrascale website has been offline for over a month due to webhost/server problem. It's not going to be resolved any time soon. You have to telephone David Rogers direct if you want to order anything. Sharman "B" profile wheels are almost the same overall width as the "A" profile, differing only in flange thickness and depth, and don't exceed 2.3mm. The sample B-type I have come out at 2.15mm, and I think it's possible to skim the backs of the tyres to reduce flange depth and height down to P4 profile, i.e. 2mm width. Markits are no longer available due to the death of the owner earlier this year. There had been talk of his widow trying to restart the business but I suspect that's unlikely - it was a considerable undertaking for a one-man band, and the knowledge to run it properly and develop the already extensive product range died with Mr. Arscott. The only place you'll get Romford/Markits wheels now is on eBay, and most of those will be very much secondhand, stripped from old models.

Interesting article!

The photos above are at Inchicore as the first D class was being built, hopefully one day the Accuragronk will spawn an Irish variant? https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/1540-d301-class/

The use of diesel traction in the United Kingdom as a viable and effective form of locomotive power really began in the early 1930s, with the London Midland and Scottish (LMS) being at the vanguard of progress. Prototypes manufactured by Paxman, Drewry, Hunslet, Hudswell-Clarke, Harland & Wolff, and Armstrong Whitworth were powered by Allen, MAN, McLaren, Brotherhood, Paxman, Mirrlees, and Armstrong-Sulzer engines, delivering between 150hp and 400hp. However, in 1934, a new manufacturer entered the arena with a design that was to set the standard for diesel shunting locomotives right up to the present day. In 1934, English Electric delivered Works No. 3816 to the LMS at Crewe South as LMS No. 7079. Designated as Class D3/6, the manufacture of this 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunter was subcontracted out to Hawthorn Leslie of Newcastle and was powered by the English Electric 350hp 6KT prime mover. It proved successful enough that a further ten examples were ordered, in the LMS number range 7069–7078 (albeit with a downgraded top speed of 22mph, against 7079’s 35mph). The word spread among the ‘Big Four’ and further similar examples were supplied to the Great Western Railway (GWR No. 2), the Southern Railway (SR Nos. 1–3), and the LNER (Nos. 8000–8003). The LMS continued to push ahead with its programme of diesel-electric shunter orders, especially so during the war years, with the design being slightly modified into a prototype that was to become the basis for the ubiquitous Class 08. One of the first priorities for the British Transport Commission, following Nationalisation of the United Kingdom’s railways in 1948, was to design and build a standard large shunting locomotive. With the former LMS fleet amounting to 106 examples of the English Electric 350hp type, much of the design was based on that locomotive, but there was also scope to include some of the best features from the remaining pre-Nationalisation types, as well as adding provision for other engine and generator manufacturers by including alternative engine mounting and equipment positions. The 1950 BTC plan for the standard shunter was based on a single cab locomotive 29’ 3” long, with an 0-6-0 wheelbase of 11’ 6”. With the Southern Region’s requirements in mind, and to enable better rail clearance, it was decided to increase the wheel diameter to 4’ 6” and the total weight was set at 49 tons, an axle loading of 16.33 tons. Tractive effort was 35,000 lbs, and the top speed was set at 20mph, with vacuum train braking and an air braking system for the locomotive deemed sufficient for traffic at the time. The first order for the new locomotive was placed during the Spring of 1950, with locomotive numbering set in the 13xxx series. The first of the new class, No. 13000, left BR’s Derby works on October 11, 1952, eventually heading to Tyseley as its home depot. 13000 was the first of what was to become a fleet of 1193 BR standard 0-6-0DE shunters, built over a 12-year period between 1950 and 1962 at BR’s Derby, Crewe, Darlington, Doncaster, and Horwich workshops. The ‘Gronks’, as they have become affectionately known, have since covered every part of the UK railway network, from Thurso to Holyhead, Felixstowe, Penzance, and Dover. There were three engine and generator pairing variations to the ‘standard’ English Electric combination during the production phase. The first of these paired a Blackstone engine with British Thompson Houston (BTH) electrics, and this applied to the batch built at Darlington between February and October 1955, covering Nos. 13137–13166. The second (and most successful of the test variants), combined a Blackstone engine with GEC electrics, and this was fitted to Nos. 13137–13157, D3439–D3453, D3473–D3502, D3612–D3651, and D4049–D4094 built between 1955 and 1962 at Darlington and Doncaster. The final combination, covering Nos. 13117 to 13126, was built at Derby between June and September 1955 and paired a Crossley engine with Crompton-Parkinson electrics (although 13125 and 13126 were delayed by two years, being built in June 1957). In addition to these variations, the Southern Region requested a version with revised gearing to enable a higher top speed, and these 25 ‘souped up’ locomotives were later to become the Class 09 locomotives. The last locomotive to roll off the production line was D4192, built at Darlington in August 1962, and it emerged with a very different look to that carried by 13000. In terms of numbering, the 13xxx series was carried by 363 vehicles, up until the Derby built batch of June 1957 that commenced with D3357. The majority of the 13xxx series carried a livery of plain British Railways Black, with red buffer beams, white lettering, and the early BR emblem until June 1956. From this point onwards, locomotives were ex-works in plain British Railways Green with the later crest being carried, although 13298 to 13328 from Darlington works during 1956 appear to have left the works in the older plain black livery. Visibility of shunting locomotives in yards was an increasing concern for the BTC, and the first experiments in testing a form of high-visibility front and rear ends were applied to the 13xxx series, with white and black horizontal bands first applied to 13297 in February 1957 as a test, followed by the application of a half wasp striped end to D3682 and D3683 in August 1958. Following the success of the experiment, full wasp stripe/yellow ends began to appear during 1959, and by 1962 the new look was gradually adopted across the fleet, along with white handrails and electrification flashes. By mid-1967, repaints into the new BR Rail Blue were being carried out with locomotives being grouped under the pre-TOPS numeric classification system that created the 08 Class for the majority of the production run, with the exceptions being the creation of the 09 Class for the uprated Southern Region locomotives and the Blackstone/GEC variants being classified as Class 10. By 1974, most of the fleet carried the full five-digit TOPS numbering, although the Class 10s were withdrawn before they could carry TOPS numbers. From the 1970s onwards, as air-braked trains became the normal, rather than the exception, those surviving members of the 08 Fleet were modified for dual braking. This coincided with a major refurbishment program that covered internal, external, and cab modifications, as well as the later application of high-intensity lighting and the eventual removal of vacuum braking equipment. Modifications even extended into the 1990s, with a major refurbishment plan to upgrade the fleet to Class 09 specification but which, in the end, was only applied to 12 locomotives, creating the 09/1 and 09/2 Classes. The need for dedicated shunting locomotives declined through the mid-to-late 1980s and into the 1990s, as freight yards were gradually closed and freight locomotives took over terminal shunting duties. BR ownership merged into shadow, then full privatisation, and by 1996 less than half the original fleet survived, with just 500 ‘Gronks’ left in traffic. Since then, the numbers have declined even further, with just 223 Class 08s, 22 Class 09s, and four Class 10s left in traffic, either in service, stored, or in Preservation. There is still a glimmer of tradition among those survivors of the Class; areas where the venerable ‘Gronk’ is still performing the tasks for which it was designed, nearly 75 years on from 13000 appearing in traffic, and nowhere is this more apparent than under the stewardship of the Freightliner Group, who still retain a fleet of eight Class 08s for depot and terminal shunting. But it is not just in the traditional areas where the Class 08 excels; the design, created with flexibility from the drawing board by English Electric, is now being used to create low-cost freight locomotives that can operate into the future, converted to be powered by green technologies such as Positive Traction’s Class 08e battery-powered conversion of 08308, which has shown that even the oldest of dogs can still learn new tricks. That core flexibility of design has been utilised before though, with two major variants being produced to suit very specific tasks within the United Kingdom’s railway network. In early 1965, six of the Darlington built locomotives; D3697, D3698, D4187, D4188, D4189, and D4190 were converted into three ‘Master and Slave’ Class 13 locomotives to serve the specific traffic requirements at Tinsley Marshalling Yards that required wagons to be shunted over ‘The Hump’. The three new locomotives were numbered as D4500, D4501, and D4502 and they were delivered to the yard in July 1965, the only location in which they worked. Renumbered as 13001/2/3 under TOPS, the first of the units to be withdrawn from traffic was 13002 in June 1981, and the last was 13003 in January 1985. In Wales, British Rail were required to maintain a fleet of reduced height locomotives to operate over the Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley (BP&GV) line, for operations between Llanelli and Cwm Maur. However, when the existing fleet of Class 03s were at the end of their operational life, it was decided to replace them with specially converted Class 08s. Originally, 08203, 08259, and 08592 were converted to Class 08/9 and renumbered and renamed as 08991 Kidwelly, 08992 Gwendraeth, and 08993 Ashburnham respectively, the conversions being carried out in January 1986 at Landore Depot. The conversion required the lowering of both the cab and the bonnet of the locomotives, with the cab roof being lowered and re-profiled to a much flatter, angular curve, whilst the bonnet was lowered by removing the bottom section. When 08991 and 08992 were withdrawn, a further two 08s; 08462 and 08687, were converted and renumbered as 08994 and 08995, and the names Kidwelly and Gwendraeth transferred over to the new locomotives. Initially appearing in BR Rail Blue, both with and without the white arrows, they passed through the sectorisation period of BR Railfreight and, once the BP&GV closed in 1996, into the West Wales general shunting fleet. Upon Privatisation, the three locomotives were absorbed into the ownership of EWS and allocated to the common user pool. Fortunately, for us at least, 08993 managed to evade the cutter’s torch and is currently preserved at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. With such a fleet of Class 08s, 09s, and 10s still surviving in service and preservation, we were spoilt for choice when it came to surveying examples of the locomotives, and this has been carried out around the country: from County Durham, North Yorkshire, and Derbyshire, to Kent, East Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and beyond. However, we must single out the help afforded to us by the Freightliner Group, who arranged for us to spend the day following operations at Southampton Terminal and to experience the ‘Gronk’ in its natural environment. Thanks to Freightliner, and all the other Heritage railways and charter companies, we look forward to bringing the modeller a variety of liveries and variations in the years ahead. Pre-Order Your AccuraGronk Here! View the full article

I have to say who ever is doing your announcement videos is doing a smashing job! As always its very enjoyable to watch

"Where on earth are we going to fit the Accurathrash speaker in here?"

We've heard the cries, felt the anticipation, and now, the time has come. We're incredibly proud to announce our latest venture into the heart of British Rail diesel locomotives: the legendary Class 08, Class 10, and the unique, reduced-height Class 08/9 diesel shunting locomotives in 00 gauge! Welcome to "Accuragronk"! "Why an 08?" we hear you say... Well, since we begun our journey into the world of British outline model railway production, it's been one of our most requested locomotives at shows and online. Every range should have an 08 in it, and, as you will see below, we will do our own take on it! Watch! We reveal our 08 family and look at the real locos! We'll be bringing interesting variants never done before in ready-to-run models, alongside the more familiar members of the 350hp diesel shunter family. We will be adding in our blend of technology under the hood including lights, stay alive, sound suites and of course, our excellent value for money too! Let's see what we've got in store for you... The Shunter with a Twist: The Class 08/9 Story While the standard 'Gronk' is a railway icon, there's a fascinating chapter of its history rooted in Wales that we simply had to capture. On the Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley (BP&GV) line, connecting Llanelli and Cwm Maur, British Rail was required to maintain a fleet of low-profile locomotives due to height restrictions. When the existing Class 03 shunters reached the end of the line, a special solution was engineered: the conversion of standard Class 08s into the characterful Class 08/9. The conversion, carried out in January 1986 at Landore Depot, was extensive: The cab roof was lowered and reprofiled to a much flatter, angular curve. The bonnet was dramatically lowered by removing the bottom section. The Cutdown Fleet Initially, three locomotives were converted and renumbered as Class 08/9s: Original Number New Number Name 08203 08991 Kidwelly 08259 08992 Gwendraeth 08592 08993 Ashburnham When 08991 and 08992 were withdrawn, a further two 08s (08462 and 08687) were converted, renumbered 08994 and 08995, and the names Kidwelly and Gwendraeth were transferred. These unique machines initially sported BR Rail Blue and survived sectorisation into BR Railfreight. They continued their work until the BP&GV closure in 1996, eventually being absorbed into EWS ownership. Under EWS they escaped the Welsh valleys and could be seen around the country, from locations like Doncaster to Westbury. They are also just funky, and as our sample shows, looks great in model form too. From Cut Downs To Perfect 10s... Do we just stop at the oddness that is the 08/9, or do we go further? Well, the "Accurascale Way" dictates that we fill the gaps, and with our Gronk family we will be doing just that in this run and beyond. An oft forgotten chapter in the BR shunter story is the Class 10, featuring a Blackstone power unit and GEC electrical gear. A total of 146 Class 10s were built before being deemed "Non Standard" in BRs traction programme, so they were withdrawn earlier in their careers. Finding use in industrial service post BR, 4 survive today and our model will be the first to capture the rather loud and unique thrash of these diminutive powerhouses in a ready-to-run model. Surveying the Shunters: Thanks to Our Partners With such a resilient fleet of Class 08s, 09s, and 10s still surviving in service and preservation, we were spoilt for choice when it came to gathering the necessary data. Our comprehensive survey work has taken us across the country—from County Durham and North Yorkshire to Derbyshire, and all the way to Kent, East Sussex, Hampshire, and Wiltshire. A special thank you must go to the Freightliner Group, who afforded us invaluable access to follow operations at Southampton Terminal. This experience allowed us to witness the 'Gronk' in its natural environment, ensuring every detail of its operation is faithfully recreated. Thanks to Freightliner and all the heritage lines, we look forward to bringing you a huge variety of liveries and variations! The Accurascale Feature List: Power, Detail, and Precision Our new 08 family isn't just about accuracy; it's engineered for superb shunting performance and packed with latest features that we have become renowned for. The Chassis & Running Gear Die-cast metal chassis and underframe for maximum weight and tractive effort. Operating over a minimum radius of 2nd radius set-track. Wheels profiled to RP25-110 standard, set into brass bearings. High quality, large diameter coreless motor paired with a helical gearbox. Extreme slow speed running capability. Gearing arranged to achieve realistic shunting speeds with smooth power delivery. All-wheel pickup for reliable operation. Detail & Variation ABS plastic body and cab with separate metal/wire detailing components. Era and version specific tooling, covering differing cab types, doors, buffer beams, couplings, and more. One-piece cab unit with poseable opening doors and a sliding roof hatch (where applicable). DCC, Sound & Lighting DCC ready with a 21-pin decoder interface accessible via a magnetic, removable upper engine compartment section. Fitted with a PowerPack/Stay-Alive capacitor for uninterrupted running—a must for shunters! Designed around the LokSound 5 DCC/MM/SX/M4 ESU Decoder. Supplied DCC Sound Ready, permanently fitted with twin ‘sugar cube’ speakers. Full sound suite with different engine type options. Fully directional fibre optic and LED lighting, with a full range of light options for marker lights, high-intensity lights, and flashing beacons. Separate cab lighting configurations. Two 2-pin accessory sockets to enable the use of DCC auto-couplers (available separately). Whether you’re a fan of the standard 'Gronk' in a modern freight yard, or the unique low-profile operation of the BP&GV, our new model will bring this iconic shunter to life on your layout. Prices, Delivery And Ordering Info So, you have had your first look at the Accuragronk range, and you are wondering "How much?" and "When?" Well, in keeping with our mantra of "realistic models at realistic prices", our shunters will be priced at £159.95 DC/DCC Ready variants and £249.95 DCC Sound Fitted with our suite of ESU Loksound 5, twin sugarcube speakers, stay alive powerbank, full lighting suite including cab and desk lights and configurations depending on era, and easy access hatch through the roof of the model. Delivery will be in Q1 2027. With a vast range to get through, our first run is pretty extensive so we can ensure there is something for everyone as much as possible. You can browse the range in the link below, and place your pre-order with no money down, or indeed spread the payments with our flexible terms at no extra cost, and avail of 3% cash back in loyalty points and free UK postage and packaging below! Browse The Range And Pre-Order Your Accuragronk Here! View the full article

3 Beutiful EX-CIE PAL Vans. The frame is actually in decent nick in these so somone could have had a go at restoring them into sheds. Unfortunately as far as I know, they’ve since been lost to history

I was just looking at that first photo you sent about to send it in. the other side of the wagon is in much better nick. Unfortunately it’s completely inaccessible. Though for the fun of it I might try again some evening it would be unusual to me to buy a cattle wagon body as a pose to a covered wagon body. What could possibly be the use? Yes maybe animal storage but at that stage it’s a bit ineffective. in the last days of the west cork. These wagons were parked in Albert quay. I wonder if one of these wagons is the one that ended up in crossbarry. The other again itself is only about 200 meters from a LC https://flic.kr/p/2pwjsTY

The end framing is early GSWR in style, with a single vertical timber rib on the upper half, then a horizontal iron bar and a horizontal timber, then two vertical ribs on the lower half. This arrangement was used on both covered vans and cattle wagons: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53508875896 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53507783407 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511622704 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53499200135 The sides are confusing, partly because of their poor condition. Looking at the timbers it's had to tell what has vanished, and what was never there in the first place. And indeed what may have been added/modified during its life on the ground. However, the presence of a vertical rib as highlighted in your last photo suggests it's not a cattle wagon.

Yknow, I was thinking exactly that looking at it….but then I thought “nah couldn’t be”. Now that is an interesting find! the key to identifying is the fittings, and matching that to something in the IRRS or something

It’s hard enough to come across colour photos of CIE green in actual use. A rare livery but I do think it’s a shame it was not adopted wider due to its impracticality. Fry’s model of 670 I think show how it looked ex works. 2 types of locos got this livery. Tank engines on the DSER doing the commuter work. Or Cork-Dublin Express locos. And even then not all of these were repainted green. Express locos 406 in weathered green (credit unclear) This unidentified mogul shows the extent of identifying being a problem. The loco is black but the tender shows it must be green beneath the grime! DSE area locos 455 at bray head 467 was moved to Albert quay after Dublin and retained its green under layers and layers of muck. after all these years of course. 800 was never repainted when it was received from CIE in 1964.While the paint has no doubt faded a little over the years. It’s a nice example none the less

On closer inspection, is it actually the long-lost last surviving cattle wagon in Ireland? (all pics from Ernie). @jhb171achill, are you looking for another retirement project? This would look grand at Cultra! There were also covered vans with those tiebars, but the side framing of the grounded body looks more like the cattle wagon variant. Here are a couple of the covered vans:

1976-11-xx Ballysodare yj065. CIE 1964-xx CA Waterford shed yj060. IR 1985-04CA Westport yj061. 1976-11ca Bord na Mona where yj062.

Many thanks for the advice, John. It's good to know of the pitfalls with certain makes of wheel. I've had a look at Ultrascale, but their website is currently down and there doesn't even seem to be a way of getting on the waiting list. Even the GW quartering jig is only available on back-order with a considerable lead time! Fortunately, quartering a 4-coupled loco is easier than a 6-coupled one. Phoenix do seem to have the right sizes, which is a good start. That seems to be the best available option. Having spent 20 years modelling in 7mm scale, with the ready availability of Slaters wheels having all those advantages, I have been really surprised to find that in the much more popular 4mm scale, getting hold of decent wheels is such a challenge. I see that Scale Link are retiring in March 2026 and their range of Romford/Markits types is also being run down with many sizes unavailable. The wheel/rail standards I'm working with are 21.0mm gauge, 19.2mm back-to-back, 19mm across checkrail faces. On the wagons and loco I've built so far, I'm using EM profile wheels with a 2.3mm tyre width (compared to 2.8mm on the IRM wagon wheels). This seems to work. With a steam loco I've got the old challenge of the overscale tyre width in the splashers. When looking at the wheels available online it's often unclear what the tyre width is. But it looks like the Sharman ones are reasonably fine. Thanks to all for your advice. I'll get there eventually!

That's an old one! The horizontal metal tiebars would suggest around 1900, I think.

The Cork and Macroom railway is one Irelands most underlooked railway companies. So much so that I used to joke at every announcement “I hope it’s a CMDR inspection van”. It’s been over 60 years now since the last publication about the railway. I’d love to tackle it someday if no one wants to get there before me. most photos of CMDR stock that’s findable on the IRRS archive is of passenger coaches in use for other stuff (per way, peat wagons, one even ended up as an ambulance). The policy at the time being to keep the MGWR and GSWR ones going to make the 6 wheel range a bit more standard. Even so the CMDR’s coaches were on average already ancient at the time of amalgamation. But they did seem to travel. I beleive the two Macroom coaches in Dungarvan had been transferred to tramore at some stage

What's left of Sharman wheels are available from Phoenix Paints. Stocks are being sold to exhaustion, as the tooling is mostly worn out and Phoenix have no intention of producing more.

Went to check it out and it’s barley recognisable as anything!

Swilybegs/Fintonagh, though 7mm scale has always used 4mm finescale clearances, ie 1mm flangeways through the points. My b2b are 19.2mm (ish), which chimes well with what John is saying. The rail is code 82 FB. Have found that anything more than 0.2mm variation in b2b can cause problems. Can only echo what he says about Gibson wheels: quality can be mixed. My main issue though has been around drivers coming loose on the axles. Once on, the fewer times you have to remove them during construction the better! Needless to say, a loose driver destroys both b2b and quartering. Give me Slaters wheels any day. Square, shouldered axle ends that automatically sort b2b and quartering, plus a strong brass centre too. MUCH simpler.

Please Note! Currently, this is a work in progress; there are still a few locomotives without information, which will hopefully be added over time. Any additional info would be greatly appreciated. 1991 15/08/91: 191 was the first 181 to be withdrawn, having suffered severe damage after a runaway incident from North Wall that ended in Clonsilla on the 15th August. It was then recovered and brought into Inchicore where it was gradually stripped of spares. It was in service for (roughly) 35 years before withdrawal. 1993 05/10/93: 174 was the first 141 to be withdrawn from service, being stopped for a body overhaul, but instead was cannibalised for spares. 1996 May: 161 was withdrawn from service. 1999 22/03/99: 158 sustained a bent frame following a shunting mishap at Limerick and was subsequently withdrawn on the same day. 2002 December: Nine years after its withdrawal, 174 was scrapped at some point during that month. Month unknown: 148 and 155 were both withdrawn sometime in 2002. 2003 May: 150 was stopped. July: 157 was also stopped. November: 188 was (again) stopped. Month unknown: 158 was scrapped in the same year. 2004 November: 150, 157 and 188 were withdrawn. 2005 Month unknown: 183 was scrapped. 2006 September: 148 was scrapped on the 9th, while 186 and 159 were scrapped during the same month. 06/10/06: 172 was withdrawn from service. 2007 January: 181 was withdrawn from service, and 172 was scrapped. June: 168 and 151 were stopped entirely, while 153, 154 and 181 were eventually scrapped. Month unknown: 170 suffered a fire in Limerick and was then moved to Inchicore for repairs. 2008 31/03/08: 154 was withdrawn. April: 149, 166 and 184 were stopped on the 4th, while 151 and 189 were scrapped on the 25th and 29th of the same month. June: 165 was withdrawn completely. 06/08/08: 160 had been scrapped. 13/08/08: A week later, 165 was also scrapped. 29/07/08: 184 was scrapped. 06/08/08: 160 was scrapped. 13/08/08: 165 was scrapped. 19/08/08: 149 was scrapped. 20/08/08: A day later, 170 was scrapped. 25/08/08: 169 was scrapped. 28/08/08: 185 and 173 were stopped. 10/11/08: 192 was scrapped. 13/11/08: 173 was also scrapped, having been withdrawn earlier in the month. 27/11/08: 185 was scrapped just under three months after withdrawal from service. 12/12/08: 163 was both stopped and withdrawn on the same day. 17/12/08: Five days after, 163 was scrapped. 2009 24/02/09: 187 was scrapped. 20/04/09: 167 was withdrawn from service. By the 22nd of April 2009, 141, 142, 144, 146, 147, 152, 162, 171, 175 and 177 were the remaining 141s in service, while 190 was the sole survivor of the 181 Class after 187 was scrapped in February of that year. 21/08/09: 141 was withdrawn from service. 07/11/09: 190 was the last member of the 181 Class to be withdrawn. Working for exactly 42 years, 10 months and 10 days. Thanks to the efforts of the ITG, 190 was purchased for preservation and subsequently moved to the West Clare Railway for storage. *2010 and 2011 will be added soon*

Hi John, many thanks. I probably did it somewhat arseways, first using a rolling pin to get the 'main' curve in the roof. Then, for the curve down to meet the sides, I used a jig not dissimilar to what you recommend for forming tumblehomes, but with a smaller radius curve. Marked the start of the curve on the roof against the coach ends and then bent it. Some fettling was required, but I'm happy enough with it. Looking back, it may have made more sense to do the ends curves first? Thin brass strip (gutters?) helps mask some of the imperfections. Still unsure as to what to number the G2! I wonder if anyone knows which ones were stationed at Mullingar? There were several of them at Mullingar when Clements made his visit in 56, but I'm unsure as to which ones were stationed vs which were visitors.

Hi Harry Nice to see progress building your 1950s passenger train & 650 Class. how did you form the Laminate roof it looks the part?