All Activity

Into the last 16 hours of the Black Friday Sale weekend for anybody who missed it. Ten points per Pound Sterling spent, to be redeemed off future orders. Worth highlighting that due to some very odd configuration, you can’t redeem points against an order already placed, BUT, you can, as I have done, contact support and ask them to cancel and then re-place said order using the discount code generated with your points… So anybody with PalVans or Park Royals due in stock soon enough would benefit from doing so.

Certainly looks like 20 could only be turned in one direction. Nice collection of fishing boats too. Something else to add to the list.

Excellent. And is so encouraging to see food retailers taking an interest

A fine ensemble. There is something rather nice about a mixed take of vehicles and certainly more interesting than a fixed unit railcard set...

Lovely stuff and coming on a treat.

After the boring F1 decided to do more boring stuff! I wanted to add in a viewpoint of the gorge and waterfall so needed a bridge to the viewing area. Lots of grocers get up their too. The spares box was raided and came up with this. Probably overkill and you could run a panzer 4 over it rather than the odd solo hiker.

Andy maybe coach 30 acting as observation coach on a summer special to Ballyshannon?

The corrugated carriage shed based on Kenmare is in the August 1970 edition of Railway Modeller

"...And we've a tender full of round coal the like of I havent seen in ages and the train isnt too heavy.." "...Peter curls up on his box and has a sleep and for once I can fire in real comfort. She's burning next to nothing, the injectors are good, it's on the old tender with the flat tank so you throw down instead of lifting, the night is fine - in fact it's the sort of thing that never happens these days." Excerpt from the IRRS Journal no.203, Clements on the Midland.

Another clue, a bit late for me but nevertheless a useful angle. From an article on Quartertown Mill in the Mallow Field Club Journal No 09 - 1991, which also contains some useful history. https://digital.corkpastandpresent.com/Documents/Detail/mallow-field-club-journal-no-09-991/35856?item=36556 And this image from the same source has already highlighted two errors in what I've built so far (not too serious), but also provides some very useful extra information for the next stages. Note also, just partly visible on the right above the car, a CIE bitumen tank container.

I'll have to dig up that IRRS journal now. Needless to say I won't be modelling Clements on the footplate in his jocks!

Fab work Harry. And a large cab for Bob to dry off in if required. On one infamous occasion a CIE crew picked him up soaked to the skin. He proceeded to strip to the skin and dried himself off at the firebox as the loco bowled along through the midlands……

And so it was, in 1956 Bob Clements delighted himself in the arrival of no.800 Maedbh hauling the Up Mail on trial on the Midland, having been evicted from her working on the Cork line by the new diesels. Having made her connection with both the Up and Down Galway Mail, G2 no. 664, prepares to depart with her train, with one of the new tin van TPOs, to Sligo. Duly ordered!

Maybe that's his 'doctor' with him. He's like a modern day version of The Six Million Dollar Man. He should really consider donating his body to medical science when he finally kicks the bucket.

Marklin are a separate system working off 3-rail, so their products are generally incompatible with other marques. Historically, German manufactured model trains were significantly better than their UK counterparts- and correspondingly expensive! As a one time collector I always felt Fleischmann and Trix were a little bit above Roco and Liliput in quality, but that’s probably changed !

I have a few of Roco’s 319 Retales, the Spanish GM locos, and they are fabulous. If their ICE is similar, happy days:

Progress on the old mill. The structural carcass is assembled and I've painted the window frames red. I've used matte medium to add some texture to the front wall, then applied an initial coat of grey on the stonework and bauxite on the brickwork. There's more stages to do on this, but I want these layers to dry properly first. I had some successful experiments with laser-cutting window frames from thick red paper. These are ready to be fitted to the structural carcass. The next stage is to think about the roof and how best to represent the slates. Perhaps more laser-cut paper. But there are some other jobs on the list for this evening (nothing to do with the trainset) and I have quite a busy week ahead at work. So there may be a pause for a few days.

During a recent visit to Germany I was impressed with DBs ICE trains. Initially the ICE 1&2 were locomotive hauled, replaced now decades later by Siemens Velaro EMUs. As a fringe interest (hopefully not to develop into a mainstream hobby interest ), I planned to get myself a decent quality prototypical ICE with 7-9 units. As a newbie to manufacturers of Euro trains would appreciate any recommendations of Roco vs. Trix , Fleischmann, Marklin products etc.

So easy now - plasticard sheet!

Sorry if going a bit off topic here but would anyone know the number IDs for the Irish routes on the UKTS Archive?

Coach No30 away from its normal haunts on the Letterkenny branch along with trailer No2.Andy

Last Saturday saw a trio of DCDR Munster-based members visit the railway for a day of volunteering (some of whom are on this site but I'll let them expose their secret identities if they wish ) Find out about what they got up to here: https://www.downrail.co.uk/2025/11/munster-members-visit/

Great photos especially of Ballyshanpon The small size of Killybegs turntable is clear coverted from the frame of Class 5 Letterkenny. Have been its nameplate is for sale in a railway auction?