Mayner

Interesting I once saw an O Gauge model of a large NZR diesel electric loco with the superstructure printed in 2 sections and glued together. The designer used a 3D print bureau to produce the FDM prints. What design software, print processes do you use.?

I don't know if they are interchangeble but both the DG and B&B couplings (Derek Bunting) appear to be based on the Rivorossi (hook and loop) coupling the B&B using an etched loop rather than the user having to form the loop from wire. I successfully used B&B couplings under exhibition conditions on a EM gauge layout over 20 years ago, seldom experiencing problems coupling up or magnetic uncoupling, my wagon stock had loops at both ends locos with hooks only, while a friend who used a mixture of B&B, Rivorossi , and Bemo couplings fitted a loop at only one end. The friend's father (an Irish Railway Clearing House employee) used Rivorossi couplers on his OO gauge GWR layout during the 50s and 60s, his son continuing to model the GWR this time in EM. Whether B&B couplings are available in S or 7mm is another question.

Finally found the motivation to replace the loco release turnout with a crossover and extend the run round loop into a siding to serve a dry goods store, also used the opportunity to tidy up the 'long siding" which had been on a temporary alignment since I added the mill in 2023! Beforehand! New turnout/crossover positioned for marking cuts in existing run-round loop, 'long siding" lifted. Total stock of straight/flexible OO track 1 section of Peco Streamline, 1 section of Hornby. Section of loop removed slot formed in baseboard for peco point motor. I cut the rails with a fine tooted Razor saw. Formed the slot by first removing the foam underlay and chain drilling theough the ply baseboard top (10mm) and tidying up with a chisel. Trackwork is laid on pva (office or school glue) lightly pinned in place and Woodland Scenic ballast scattered on top. Trial fitting turnout before finally fitting rail joiners. Rails slid back and molded chairs/railfixings removed on two sleepers. Track was originally laid in pva bed across baseboard joint before cutting rails when I originally laid the track in 2021-2?. Hardwood strip used to protect underlay and track along baseboard edge. Pre-wired point motor (not reachable after installation!) I had removed most of the excess ballast in this area. PVA bed. I first came across this method being used on a large EM gauge UK club layout using a combination of flexible and hand laid track and pointwork during the 1990s Point installed fishplated in place, loose ballast tamped in beds (areas beteeen sleepers) with an artish mop brush. (excess glue on top of sleepers removed when dry.) Drystore Road following removal of excess ballast 24hrs later section re-connected to layout and cut of vans on Dry Store Road. At this stage I am considering a post 1900 corrugated and concrete drygood store similar to thosee at Ranks Clara as backround buildings, and moving the brick maltings building towards the centre of the layout and the Tower Building (both inspired by Grand Canal Dock) The other major change planned is to add a loco release/storage module to the staging, so that a 5 wagon train can arrive in the staging.

The loco appears to be similar to that used in a cheap G gauge train set widely available (Australasia & United States) about 18-20 years ago. The set was popular with large scale modellers loco had basic but effective radio control, and locos/stock good basis for kit bashing into something less toy like. Main differrence between Australiaian and US versions was the placement of the batteries, cab of local version and tender in United States.

Two recently restored GSRPS coaches including a Buffet Car ran in the excursion to Youghal, possiby the only time GSRPS stock were used in passenger service. At the time I was an (armchair) GSRPS member had hoped to travel but unaable possibly work. Later David Parks told me that the paintwork on the recently restored coaches was damaged by overhanging vegitation on the branch, the coaches entered service without a final coat of varnish/lacquer and CIE had ceased trimming back overhanging vegitation on the branch.

Although I have visited in July, I managed to make time to have a decent look-around on todays operating day just over two years since my original post. A local Morris owners group had shown up for a Sunday afternoon scenic tour of the district, I ended up behind a Morris later in the afternoon doing very well on one of our steep and winding country roads (2lr light SUV vs 1950s 1lr light saloon w rear wheel drive! Although the Pukemiro Pecket was in steam in its usual place today was a ' Diesel Day" seemed a quiet day with relatively few visitor around possibly the good weather. The Pecket was originally owned by the Pukemiro Coal Company used to haul trains to and from the mine and the Junction and only capable of hauling one coach on the steeply graded ex NZR (New Zealand Railways) branch line. The "Price E Class" was a New Zealand design of geared locomotive for Bush (Logging) Lines basically a cross between a Climax Locomotive with its angled cylinders and a Heisler with coupling rod drive to the driving wheels. Both types operated in NZ before Price develoiped the E Class! Loco is cosmetically restored! Train was made up of 2 coaches topped and tailed by a pair of Drewry 0-4-0 locos (similar in outline and desighn to a scaled down Drewry 04!) The pair originally operated at a local coal fired power station. A curiosity recently (ish) installed 1/2 round sleepers on a siding, rectangular sleepers on main line and loop. Recently restored Climax 1650 in the loco shed, yellow loco is a Battery Electric once used at a Hamilton dairy plant, restored with a cab extended to carry passengers. On busy Operating Days various 'jiggers" and or the Battery Loco are sometimes used to provide rides up and down the yard.

The free versions of Fusion 360 or Onshape https://www.ptc.com/en/products/onshape both relatively simple to use and excellent for designing 3D printed models. Free Version of 360 users are limited to 10 editabe documents, designs produced on Onshape free plan are treated as open source freely available on line. Most of the JM Design wagons were originally designed by a freelance 3D modeller using the Onshape (commerical license) about 4-5 years ago, I successfully revised/updated several of the models using Fusion 360 during the past 3 years. Its feasible to design finely detailed models using 3D modelling software, the real challenge in the smaller scale is in selecting a printer/print technology capable of reproducing fine detail and surface finish. It was necessary to outsource the printing of the JM Design wagons to commerical 3D print shops with full sized printing machines capable of printing in an engineering resin as available desktop printers & resins could not achieve acceptable results. I successfully printed the axleguard.spring assembly in the rendering using a desktop printer and a Tensile Resin produced by Monocure an Australian supplier of 3D printing resins. Ironically FDM may be a better option to resin for printing models in 7mm scale and larger; Woko a regular RM Web contributor appears to produce really fine models of 7mm locos and stock using FDM technology https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/172854-wokos-bench/

I changed to N scale many years ago out of frustration trying to build a OO gauge layout in the box room of my parents house and after a few false starts probabably built what was my most satisfying layout, which lasted several years until a house move. One of the main lessons was not to scrimp on price and only buy locos with high quality mechanisms (at the time mainly of German manufacture (Minitrix & Arnold) ), at the time other manufacturers budget priced locos (Bachmann, Lima, Life Like (Mehano) were best described as disposible ran ok for a week or so. I originally intended to run locos and stock un-modified out of the box, but gradually started painting locos and stock in CIE colours and eventually modified locos to resemble CIE diesels even scratchbuilding loco bodies. I found that the general standard of models had improved significantly when I began modelling American outline N gauge during the late 80s with the advent of high quality (but durable) Japanese manufactured locos and the availability of Kadee N scale magnetic uncouplers. Its possible that similar developments may take place in T Gauge over the next 10 years or so, interestingly the current T Gauge coupler appears similar to the almost universal Rapido coupler once commonly used in N scale. Another alternative would be to consider T Gauge as a practical option for modelling a contemporary main line layout with long trains running at main line speed in a restricted space. The Model Railway Club (London) pioneered the modelling of a railway in a landscape in N scale with it Chiltern Green layout during the late 70s, included a station and viaduct on the 4 track Midland Main Line in N gauge and a fine scale branch line passing through the scene at a lower level. In an Irish context a realistic model of the 4 tracked section of the Cork Line (Hazlehatch one of my favourite places) or the Belfast line at Gormanstown would be achievable in a medium sized room or garage.

Acetylene gas appears to have been widely used form of carriage lighting on minor railways in Ulster from the late Victorian era onwards. Both the Clogher Valley and Cavan and Leitrim converted to acetylene lighting at an early stage, and possibly the Donegal & Swilly (similar roof mounted lamps and boxes possibly for housing acetylene generators on carriage ends in photos of CDJR & LLSR carriage stock). My old man used an Acetylene Generator (similar to the Rexarc 50PS https://rexarc.com/products/model-50ps/) as part of his set up for fabricating tubular steel furniture in the back garden our house in Dublin during the 1960s. Dad carried out the welding in a paved area of the garden out of sight of the neighbours so no complaints.

CK Prints are planning to produce an ammended OO gauge version of the JM Design GSR Grain wagon under license. I expect Enda will release information on the release of the wagon when he is ready.

Generally a service of 3-4 passenger/mixed trains operated daily on short feeder branch lines (like Loughrea, Birr) on the GSR system up to the fuel restrictions of the Emergency, CIE attempted to restore a similar service frequency following the end of the Emergency until hit by the Fuel Crisis of 1947 following which remaining branch line services were cut back to two trains daily, usually one scheduled as passenger one as mixed. Main line passenger services tended to be similarily infrequent even into the midlate 60s. There were a number of exceptions to the two mixed/passenger rule. In the 1960 timetable the 'morning' Farranfore Valencia train was scheduled as a "Goods" between Tralee and Killorglin, then working as a "Mixed" to Valencia, returning in the evening as a "Perishable" to Farranfore and Tralee. In practice a single 6w coach appears to have been coupled to the loco of the Goods between Tralee & Killorglin. In diesel days morning train from Valencia and its opposite afternoon working were classed as passenger both working to and from Tralee. Traditionally the morning train form a country or provincial terminal and its opposite evening workings were classed as the most important workings.

All orders were shipped last week, several packages have already arrived in the UK Bulleid 4w Van assembly. Georgeconna published a thread on asseembling a Tin Van on Pages 3-5 of his Workbench Thread during Jan & Feb 2014 (hard to believe I first released thes kits over 10 years ago) David Malone assembled both a Heating and Luggage (Tin Vans) and a Luggage Van (Hooded Van) to P4 standards on 21mm gauge both with detailed interiors with the body and chassis as separate sub assemblies. "Heating Van Update" New Irish Lines Vol 7 No4 Nov 2015 Outlines assembling van with body separate from chassis. screw fixing or water and fueltanks from inside, heating boiler cut from hypodermic syringes and plasticard detaiing. Photo from back cover May 2016 New Irish Lines. David provided several photos of 4w Bulleid Vans in the late 60 which I used in designing the original 2013 kits and 2021 variations. MGW Vans and coach side overlays. I covered the assembly of the MGW Vans & the use of coach side overlays from page 2 of my Tales from the Carriage Shops thread onwards onwards

Your CVR coach and van appear nicely modelled. I assembled a pair of Branchlines (Andrew Mullins) CVR 3rd Class Coaches and a CVR Horse Box about 30 years ago but never got around to building a matching Van (passenger brake) or loco to complet the train, must do while I am still able.

My one and only journey over the Larne line was on a IRRS outing to Larne during the early 80s out via the Enterprise to Belfast Central, bus transfer to York Road 2 car special to Larne and Antrim worked by River Maine and driving trailer car, out non-stop to Larne, visit to Whitehead and lunch in hotel with train crew!. Reversed at Bleach Green Junction (points apparrently operated by hand) and stopped at every level crossing to Antrim where we transferred to a Derry-Belfast service changing to the up evening Enterprise at Lisburn. Apart from Whitehead one of the highlights was gricing outs of service stock including some MPD cars from the Motorway ramp at York Rd. Too late to see a working MED or MPD but Whiterock certainly brings back memories of a 'Great day out" of over 40 years ago.

Little activity on the garden railway during Sept and Nov mainly as a result of unpredicatble (high winds & heavy rain) weather on most weekends. Although forecast was not great Sunday was dry and I needed to move the Large Scale stock out of the garage/workshop to get some work done. A bit like the prototype I tend to run a series of trains out from one terminus (earlyish) in the morning to return to their starting point by supper time! All all tracks occupied in the yard at Jackson City, with almost all locos and every piece of freight stock. K27 #464 had earlier worked a mixed freight to Jackson City droping its train of Box & Tank cars & Caboose on the Freight House (goods shed) spur before returning light to pick up a train of flats and gondolas. Another K27 463 waits on the far side of the water tower with a mixed freight, while a C16 2-8-0 masquerading as C19 349 waits to work a stock train to Arboles a small wayside depot qand stock loading point. #464 passes the storck train at Arboles (should change to Arboles as one of several dwarf conifers planted no longer appears to be a dwarf species) In its final years the Colorado narrow gauge mainly hung on (ealy-mid 60) by transporting steel pipes used in the construction of pipelines from local oil fields. To handle this traffic the DRGW used a mixture of converted gondolas (open cars) and Idler Cars (flats) often cut down from old box cars. Someday hopefully (finances comitting) the Jackson County will pick up some "Pipe Gondolas" (Gons with ends removed and handbrake wheels re-located) I am not going to butcher my existing Gondolas into Pipe cars! With the Pipe and Stock trains out of the way "Works Goose" RGS #6 got out for a run. Interestingly although bodged together from used automobile parts almost 90 years ago the entire RGS Goose fleet of 7 "Motors" survives mainly in operating condition in Museums & Tourist railroads in the West. Managed to turn #348 between photos and place her train on a spur line ready for departure. One of the drawbacks with knuckle couplers on the loco pilots are derailments with the loco pushing stock through No4 (medium radius (Peco speak) turnouts. So I basically avoid pushing stock through No4 points used in a number of place on the railroad. Had planned to use our oldest loco a battery RC conversion of a Bachmann "Connie" 2-8-0 purchased almost 18 years ago to help work our trains home to our garage staging at the end of the day, but like the Drumm battery trains and todays EVs her batteries seem to have reached the end of their life after 4-5 years, charged up ok but only managed one lap of the circuit!