paul greene

Hello David, Good to see you again at York and get my first look at your brilliant layout in the flesh! It looks very good indeed and I just love the Irish scene you have created and the great variety of authentic trains and credible 'might have beens'. Everything seemed to run very well indeed, grub screws or no. I hope you and your operating crew had an enjoyable weekend at the show. I took Kilbrandon last year and they really do look after the operators very well indeed. It was a very good show overall and I thought that Arigna Town was the best layout there, but I may be biased!? Cheers, Paul

I was over in Dublin for the weekend just gone and went to the MRSI exhibition in Raheny and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a wide range of layouts, demo and trade stands, but most of all there were a lot of people and a great atmosphere! There is a temptation to compare it to shows over in the UK (I live in Yorkshire) and the main difference was that the Dublin show was not just about railways, but also about modelling in general and the prototype. For example there were stands devoted to scenics, car and bus modelling and there was the Irish Railway Record Society (of which I am a member) stand. But the most important thing was the turnout which looked to be very good and must point to a healthy and developing hobby in Ireland. Particular favourites were Stanfording, a 7mm layout from Northern Ireland and the Studio Scale Models and Murphy Models stands. But I enjoyed it all.

Hi David, These types of traverser/turntable fiddle yards have become a bit of a S Scale standard! I think its John Coulter who started it off with his Llanfair Cambrian layout. Then me and Robin Fielding built them for Kilbrandon and Grove Ferry Junction. The great thing about them is that they are a great space saver and reduce the amount of handling of the models. You look to have built a really neat travtable David! Cheers, Paul

Although I got my New Irish Lines a few weeks ago, this is my first opportunity to say a huge well done to Alan O'Rourke and Patrick Conboy. The new layout and colour is simply superb and lifts what has always been a great publication into the 'wow' class! It was well worth the wait and I really do look forward to the next one. There's not a bad article in there, but my favouries have to be Arigna Town and Alan Edgar's beautiful NCC 'Whippet' which is an outstanding model. But it is all good and shows just how vibrant the Irish modelling scene is.

That cover looks absolutely first rate and whets my appetite for what's inside! Looks to be well worth the wait - congratulations to to you and Alan. Best regards, Paul

Hello David, So glad to hear that the layout ran well at Chatham. It is looking truly superb and, from the Neil Sprinks books, you really have captured the atmosphere of the SLNCR. I am stunned at the amount of stock you have managed to build, including the 2 railbuses, neither of which are easy models! I note an invite to York next year or the year after? I look forward to seeing it then and reading more about its progress. What also strikes me is the care you put into making it work, as well as looking great - the 2 main attributes of a successful exhibition layout! For Kilbrandon I could improve in both senses! Thanks again and well done, Paul

Sorry David - that seemed to go before I had finished it! I meant to add that I now use a VW Touran to transport Kilbrandon and it is kinder to the layout and means I get there and back at car speeds. I also get 45mpg as opposed to 25mpg with the SAAB and trailer! Good luck at Chatham - I'm sure Arigna Town will rum as well as it looks, and that is superb! Best wishes, Paul

Hello David, I am very interested in layout transportation as I consider it to be a neglected aspect of layout design and building. Most modellers, including myself, spend a lot of time designing a layout to fit the house and forget that one day it need to be taken to a show. I think that this partly because people just used to hire a van, but in my hard-won experience, that is not a great option as it costs for the Club and adds time collecting and delivering back the vehicle - who feels like that after a long weekend away? For a long time my vehicle of choice was a Saab 900 Convertible (I still have it) and I brought a trailer for moving layouts and garden waste, heavy items etc.

Absolutely brilliant David and very inspiring. You have shown how to pack in scenic detail and get a sense of depth with the blending in to that marvellously evocative background. It looks like a real railway in a real landscape with authentic trains to match. Best wishes, Paul.

Hi Des, Am spending Christmas here in Dublin with the In-Laws and having a grand time. Hope to be back in the Spring when I may get the time to get to Ennis - no chance this time with all the relatives to see! I did though manage to see Eamon the other day and he is a very busy man and an inspiration! Hope you and yours have a great Christmas and a brilliant 2014. Best wishes, Paul, Angela and Sarah. ps Did you get an invite to York?

David, I will have to leave a longer reply soon but I am getting my layout, KIlbrandon Junction, GSWR in S Scale, ready for the Manchester show this weekend. But just to say that we had a holiday in Sligo a few years ago and I explored much of the SLNCR; it is a beautiful area and you have made a very fine model! Kind regards, Paul

A superb model on a beautiful layout. Well done David. Paul Greene (Kilbrandon Junction, GSWR in S Scale).