Leaderboard

Happy Christmas to all.

Sitting outside Patsy O’Donoghue’s bar at Dugort Harbour, just the sound of seagulls. Behind me, the smell of fish and seaweed, as it bobs up and down on the ebbing tide over the quay wall. Nearby, a fisherman tinkers with the engine of an antique Fordson Major which refuses to start. Anotherpint. Yes, I know, it’s an hour before opening, but there’s a “local arrangement” for the lobster men who have been out since dawn. The guy from the fishing tackle store approaches the potholed station approach road with his donkey and cart. He’s collecting something from the morning mixed train, which took a connection from the Tralee goods in Castletown. Turf smoke drifts from the two cottages across the road from from the station. Biddy and Sarah are opening up the paper shop. They’ve spent all their sixty-plus years in that shop, since the pair of them were born in the room above it. In the distance, we hear the unmistakable sound of a locomotive horn. That’ll be Tully gates he’s approaching. He’ll be here in under five minutes. It sounds like one of those new American ones, not the usual Crossley. You hear that? Very different sound, isn’t it? Probably the same one that was on yesterday. Let’s get the telephoto out and see what sort of picture we can get from here. Here we are! Got a snap of him just coming round the bend. Finish that pint and we’ll go over the road and watch him shunting. I think the two vans in the goods yard will be going. Something on the wireless about the President of America bring shot. Did you hear that? Sure he was only here a few weeks ago, in New Ross. We’ll have to get the paper tomorrow to read about it.

No sooner had we announced that our next locomotives for IRM would be the utterly distinctive and characterful NIR 101 Class "Hunslets", that we already had progressed to decorated samples and they have now landed with us for assessment! We have some minor amendments to make which we will go through below. But first, let's feast our eyes on some proper Hunnys! Quite tasty, right? We're so thankful to the Ulster Folk And Transport Museum for allowing us access to the Hunslet so we could scan and measure it up to bring you this model. If you haven't been to Cultra, make sure you put it in your diary. It's a great day out as explained by Clare Ablett, the Transport Curator at the museum. Of course, this is just the next step in the development process as we work toward creating the finished models you will receive. We have improvements to make at this point too, which include the following: Improve paint application on GSM aerials. Improve operation and alignment of sprung buffers. Factory fit drawhook, and separate couplings into accessory bag. Allocate accessory items to each SKU. Improve manufacturing process to eliminate ejection pin marks. Improve casting process on chassis block to eliminate odd areas of rough casting. Improve paint coverage on MU fittings. Want to know more about the project? Check out our video with Hunslet Project Manager, Paul Isles, below! Overall, we are very pleased with progress so far, and the above has been fed back to the factory already with these amendments now well under way. Production is due to begin just after the Chinese New Year break in spring 2025 with us still on course for a delivery date Q4 2025. Order Your NIR Hunslet Here! View the full article

Summer 1957, and there's still steam on the midday mixed. Soon, "C" class locomotives will take over for good, and the old GSWR six-wheelers will only be seen on GAA and pilgrimage days....

A smokebox for No.6. I don't think I've managed to make a smokebox the same way twice. The smokebox and saddle for this one were built as a single piece made from two matching formers, a front plate which is wider at the bottom than the saddle, a baseplate and a wrapper. In order to make as much room as possible for the DCC gubbins, the centres of the formers were cut away to keep an open space through the boiler and into the smokebox. The downside is that the smokebox can’t then be easily bolted to the front of the boiler. The wrapper is 10 thou brass, all the rest is 15 thou nickel silver. A captive nut inside the baseplate of the saddle will allow it all to be bolted down to the running plate, with peg into a hole in the cab front locating the firebox end. As is becoming standard with this build, it took a couple of goes, the first pass generating the mistakes to inform the learning process. Getting the wrapper on neatly was the hardest bit. !**!*!!? If at first you don't succeed, have a cup of tea before trying again. It keeps the big hammer at bay. The finished item was seam soldered to the front of the boiler. A few other details added and some holes drilled, mostly in the right places. We're getting towards the small bits and pieces now. Cab steps Alan

Swillybegs out of Fintonagh Guess it is about time I started a new thread for the conversion of Fintonagh to Swillybegs. The work isn’t too drastic [& certainly far less so than Arigna Town to Belmullet], but an explanation as to my rationale may be useful first. The idea is that the Famine wasn’t quite as severe in this part of Ireland, which then didn’t suffer the same population decline as other parts of the country. Hence there was scope for the sort of railway development seen in Brittany, France, where in addition to the main lines and metre gauge systems like the Reseau Breton, various other feeder lines were built, including some roadside tramways. Hence, when the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway arrived in Letterkenny in 1883, the County Donegal Railway came soon after [rather than in 1909]. The two companies then joined forces to construct a branch to the port of Swillybegs on the shore of Lough Swilly, somewhere near present day Rathmelton. Meanwhile, an independent roadside tramway, the North Donegal, was building a line from Downies [on the Atlantic coast], via Carrickart and Millport to Swillybegs. Downies was an important herring fishery in the 19th century [true], so there was a decent amount of traffic at first. However, this soon declined in the 20th century, so it is likely that the section beyond Millport gradually fell out of use. Indeed, both railways would have struggled from the 1930s onwards, but my assumption is that The Emergency [aka 2nd World War] kept them going. Redundant locos and stock from the Clogher Valley Railway found work on both lines during the fuel crisis, right up until the early 1950s, when both sections finally closed at the same time as the L&LS railway. The reasons for all this nonsense go back to the last Cultra Exhibition, when I took Fintonagh there and got several new books from the Donegal Society stand. From these, I learned about how Clogher Valley stock went to both the Donegal and the Swilly and with a long held admiration for both railways, the die was cast! However, both lines tended towards quite long trains and big locomotives, which made me think that the only way to do it would be a brand new layout. Equally, the smaller Donegal railcars and latter day trains on the Swilly – which could be as short as a couple of wagons and a bogie brake coach – gave food for thought that maybe Fintonagh could be adapted. Both the Barclay 4-6-0T and Kerr Stuart 4-6-2T would fit on the turntable, while from the CVR, Railcar No1 [Donegal No 10] and Phoenix diesel tractor were easily converted – little more than a repaint. CVR wagons went to both companies, but I still needed to find a role for my two 0-4-2T – hence the additional fiction of the North Donegal Tramway. Still with me? Well done! So what of the layout? The map below shows the geography, while the track plan shows how the two lines meet up at Swillybegs. If you haven’t clocked the name yet, it is of course a play on Killybegs, the actual Donegal terminus. There are no changes to the track plan of Fintonagh. All I’m doing is adapting the front edge of the layout to look like a quayside. The Donegal/Swilly line comes in, at the rear, behind the rebranded warehouse, while the Tramway enters at the front, squeezing between that warehouse and a new ‘flat’, complete with a bridge joining the two, which will also hide the exit to the fiddle yard. The Tramway is deemed to be where the goods yard is, so there is some transfer traffic, which will largely be in the hands of Phoenix. Swilly trains will most likely be short mixed ones, with a coach and a couple of vans, while Donegal ones will be railcars, one with a passenger trailer, the other with a couple of vans. There’s a temptation to enhance the layout wiring to enable two trains on the layout at once, but this will probably make the scene very crowded and also cause sight line problems for operators. So things will probably remain one train at a time, though [as on Fintonagh], a train loco can go to the turntable while Phoenix does the shunting. So, there we are – an introduction to my latest piece of nonsense. Most of the layout stays the same and the backscene is not entirely unlike the Rathmelton townscape anyway. The new and revised stock will partly set the scene, but presenting a convincing quayside will be the main challenge, especially with so little room to work with. The photos below show where I’ve got to and with this new thread to chart progress, more will follow in due course. Anyone invested in Fintonagh can find the whole story in the Layouts thread under Clogher Valley Project, while locos and stock are within David's Workbench in that section.

We know we say this every year, but 2024 has been our biggest yet. Our 2023 has been a year of growth, rivalry, intrigue, charity, taking on the great work of others and delivery. Indeed, so much has happened it's likely that we have missed something! However, there is plenty to reflect on as we build towards 2025 as we aim to grow even more! So, pour yourself a beverage of your choosing, crack open a selection box or the biscuit tin, and join us as we look back on 2024! Hattons Originals Join The Accurascale Range 2024 began in a rather negative mood for the hobby in general as one of the biggest names in the industry, Hattons, announced that they were to close. The news sent shockwaves throughout the hobby and industry, transcending into the mainstream news media who howled that it was the death of the hobby, along with the cancellation of the annual Warley show. Thankfully, us enthusiasts knew that this simply was not the case, but losing Hattons has been a sad loss with many fine people losing their jobs. Thankfully, many have found roles elsewhere in the industry since the closure, giving other businesses the benefit of their experience and expertise. Primarily known as a retailer, Hattons had also designed and produced a significant amount of models themselves in the years prior to their closure which had been very well received. Possibly the most famous was the Class 66, which had previously joined our range (more on that later!), but what of the other models? Following weeks of negotiations, and having built upon our already strong relationship with Hattons as a supplier and purchaser of their Class 66, a deal was struck between us to take on a significant portion of the "Hattons Originals" tooling. Already delivered are the OO gauge Warwells and Andrew Barclay tank locomotives, with the P Class about to commence delivery to modellers in January and the Beilhack snow ploughs due in 2025, along with the ICI hopper wagons. Further announcements from the old Hattons range will continue throughout 2025, so keep an eye out for those. You never know what might still be in our tooling bucket from Hattons! We Raise £35,000 For Two Wonderful Charities 2024 saw the delivery of our first production run of Class 66 locomotives in OO gauge, and with it our two charity special fundraisers for Prostate Cancer UK and Samaritans UK. We were delighted to work with both charities along with GBRf and Freightliner UK to raise these much needed funs for two brilliant causes. We were honoured that the CEO of Freightliner UK CEO, Tim Shoveller, could join us for the handing over of the cheque for £10,000 to Samaritans UK too, and very thankful to Freightliner UK for having 66415 present for the handover! Our first announced fundraiser was for Prostate Cancer UK with a model of 66769 in its unique livery. Modellers got behind both models, but one customer who wishes to remain anonymous was so inspired by our initiative that they donated £15,000 to Prostate Cancer UK by themselves. A huge thank you to them and all modellers who both both models! 2025 will see the delivery of our next charity locomotive, as we work with DB Cargo UK this time to deliver 66190 "Martin House" with the aim once again to raise £10,000. We will have an announcement of a further charity fundraiser or two in 2025, so make sure you keep an eye out for those! We Help Raise Funds For Railway Preservation Samaritans and Prostate Cancer UK weren't the only charities we worked with in 2024. Naturally, we work close with and support a number of railway preservation groups to ensure the wheels of our railway heritage keep rolling, and 2024 was no different. This year saw the delivery of our limited edition model of 37714 for the Heavy Tractor Group, as well as Deltics for our friends at the Deltic Preservation Society and Locomotion. These models help raise vital funds to keep these English Electric greats rolling, and benefit greatly from your purchases. You win by doing your bit to keep these amazing machines rolling, and you get a beautiful model for your collection. Everyone wins! In 2025 we will have further preservation fundraisers, including our special edition model of 37403 for our friends at the Scottish Railway Preservation Society to celebrate 60th birthday of the locomotive in 2025! We Introduce "AccuraCare" And Open Our Warranty Repair Facility We started 2024 with something that may well revolutionise the model railway industry, the introduction of our lifetime limited warranty! Not only did we announce it for new models, but also backdated it to cover previously released models too, including all locomotives, coaches, wagons and accessories. It certainly struck a chord with the public, as it picked up the "Innovation of The Year" award from Hornby Magazine, as voted for by the public! The introduction of our lifetime warranty coincided with the opening of our dedicated repair facility based in Darlington, which handles repairs for our growing range with our UK based customers. So, if you ever have a problem with your Accurascale model, hit that chat icon on the bottom right of the screen and you will go through to our warranty repair and customer service team! Speaking of awards.... Accurascale Wins Again, Thanks To YOUR Votes! We dont know quite how we manage it, but once again we retained the "Manufacturer of The Year" and "00 Wagon of The Year" across all the major industry awards this year. Simply amazing! We were especially delighted to see our Class 66 take the 00 Locomotive of The Year" crown in the recent Hornby Magazine Awards. It was a brilliant recognition of the improvements we made to the model to make it the model it always could be, and bring it into line with the rest of our range. Once again, a big thank you to everybody who voted for us. We're working harder than ever to try secure your vote for 2025 with the models that are on the way! We Take A Class 37 To A Show As mentioned earlier, the discontinuation of the annual Warley show at the NEC had even the mainstream media bemoaning the demise of the hobby along with the closure of Hattons. "Hogwash!" was our response. Not satisfied with taking on the Hattons toolings, we decided to throw our weight behind the TWO new NEC shows that took place this year. For Model World Live, we went big for the first edition of this new event, and teamed up with our mates at the Heavy Tractor Group and bring 37108 to NEC as the centrepiece. It certainly made an impact, and even ended up on the news! We also attended and sponsored the replacement event at the NEC for the Warley show in November. We brought along a smaller train for that show, but it was able to move under its own power and operate throughout the weekend! 2024 was our biggest year for shows, doing 5 of the biggest shows around the country, beginning with Glasgow in February and ending with the NEC in November, with specialist and regional shows such as the Darlington show, DEMU Showcase and Irish shows such as Dublin and Wexford thrown in for good measure. We'll see you at a show in 2025! We Hit The Road And Visit Our Retailers Supporting our retail network and meeting our customers who purchase our models via their local model shop. This year we paid a visit to our friends at Rails of Sheffield, Malcs Models, among others! Thank you to all the model shops who hosted us this year, and to everyone who came out to see us when we were in your local area. We plan to visit more retailers in 2025, so if you want us at your local model shop, let them and us know! New Models Announced Class 60 Back in June we caused quite a stir when we announced our latest diesel locomotive project; the Class 60. Why the Class 60? It fits our range beautifully and we explain more in our launch video! These will roll onto your layouts in 2025, with sound recordings including doing what the Class 60s do best; hauling heavy loads (in this case 2500 tons) at 60mph on the mainline... A big thank you to the folks at DCR and DB Cargo for their assistance with our Class 60s! Pre-Order Your Class 60 Here! Hunslet Austerity Saddle Tanks Our final locomotive announcement of 2024 was another essential part of our "Powering Britain" range along with the Class 60, the Hunslet Austerity tank engines in OO. We have just received the decorated samples of these over the Christmas holidays, so keep an eye out for some rather lovely images of those in January when we return to work! Also, it was not the only Hunslet locomotive we announced in 2024... Pre-Order Your Hunslet Austerity Here NIR Hunslets October saw the latest diesel locomotive announced, and one that is both a bit niche and a bit quirky; The NIR Hunslet locomotives. Announced under our IRM brand which covers models of the Emerald Isle, they will mark a closer synergy between IRM and Accurascale which will become clearer to modellers in 2025. Exciting times! Pre-order Your NIR Hunslet Here Class 37/9 Although the Class 37 has been a part of our range for a couple of years now, the Class 37/9s are such different beasts to the mainstream tractors we felt they deserved a mention all of their own. We are covering the Mirrlees variants in our first production run of these interesting machines, with their much modified roof sections and detail differences between each other, not to mention the other Class 37s. A variant of the iconic EE Type 3 story that has been on our radar since day one, we are delighted to bring these to you (along with the original 37/4s of course!) in 2025! Pre-Order Your Class 37 Here BR 21 Ton Hoppers HTO HTV As you probably know, we love our wagons here at Accurascale, and 2024 saw us announce some much needed "missing links" in OO wagons. First up was the humble BR 21 hopper and their rebodied stablemates, TOPS codes HTO and HTV, along with engineering ZDVs! We still don't quite know how these stalwarts of BR coal operations have never been produced in model form before, and were a must on our large list of projects from day one. Fitting perfectly into our "Powering Britain" range and complimenting our 16 tonners, 21 ton MDO and MDVs and of course our HUOs, these will be a large slice of our 2025 wagon range and currently are in production. Pre-order Your 21 Ton Hoppers Here! FCA Family of Container Wagons Another large "missing link" in the 00 gauge wagon world are the FCA container flats and their variants. Again, we're a bit astonished that there has not been a "Binliner" or MOD traffic train offered in ready-to-run model form to date, so we set out to rectify that with our first run consisting of MOD containers and 20ft waste containers. Perfect for our Class 60 and 66 too, these are due in 2025 with decorated samples to be revealed in the new year. Pre-order Your FCAs Here! IRM H Vans, Grain Wagons and Bulleid Tankers All new wagon announcements weren't just confined to Accurascale, as IRM announced and delivered some rather tasty models on the common Bulleid triangulated chassis. These included the announcement and delivery of some rather smart fuel oil tankers, which sold out in a blink of an eye. We have also announced grain wagons converted from H Vans and the fitted H Vans which will arrive with us in early 2025! Keep an eye out for them. Speaking of IRM and tank wagons... IRM Teams Up With Heljan To Cover The Esso Tank Wagons We're delighted to have been approached by our friends at Heljan to collaborate on a wagon project covering the BR A and B tanks as they were sold and repurposed for use in Ireland in the late 1960s. With the distinctive additional bracing tooled and added, these quad packs allow modellers to build an authentic "Sligo Oil" train. These are on the high seas and due in stock in early 2025! Pre-order Your Esso Tankers Here So, that's what we announced. But what matters most is what we delivered. Let's have a look at what we landed in 2024! Delivered Models Class 66 It has been very much a "Type 5" sort of year for us as our first run of Class 66s arrived in the summer just ahead of our Class 60 launch. Our sheds have gone down very well indeed and are already winning awards, picking up the "OO Gauge Locomotive of The Year" gong in the Hornby Magazine awards. Indeed, our first run proved so popular that they virtually sold out just after arrival direct and with retailers so we announced batch 2 which is now in production. Batch two includes "Euro" Class 66 for the first time, featuring machines built for use on the Continent which have since been brought to the UK and modified for UK operations. Look out for their delivery next year! Pre-Order Your Class 66 Here! Class 37 Run 2 Autumn saw the arrival of our second production run of our beloved Class 37s! We offered a variety of eras from BR Green through to current day operations and once again they sold out rather quickly indeed direct, and are becoming scarce on retailers shelves too. Following on from delivery of this batch we announced run 3, which consists of the classic Class 37/4s and the Class 37/9s as mentioned earlier. Look forward to these in 2025! Pre-order Your Class 37 Here! Class 31 Autumn was really busy for us as it saw the long awaited arrival of the first batch of our Class 31s! Our BR Blue locos arrived to much fanfare and positive feedback, with favourable feedback on the performance, shape, sound and decoration. Once again they have become scarce, but never fear! The second batch from the first run in BR Green and our 80S/90s era liveries such as Dutch and Railfreight land in about 2 weeks' time! We will also see the announcement of an all-new production run after the final deliveries of our Exclusives and Retailer/Magazine limited editions in 2025. Andrew Barclay Tank Locomotives With the Andrew Barclay tanks already in production when we took on the project, we were able to deliver this production run in 2025. It has come to our attention that the pre-existing inner packaging design was not adequate enough to protect some of these models, particularly the open-backed cab variants. We have also noted that there was a design flaw with the clip that holds the motor in place which can become dislodged if jolted in shipping. We can now confirm that all the packaging clamshell casings and motor clips have been re-engineered and replaced on the remaining stock to rectify these issues and we will have replacements for both available to existing customers should they want them in the new year. Watch out for further updates. Order Your Andrew Barclay Here! Class 55 Deltics Our final loco delivery of 2025 (not accounting for our P Class tank engines, which have arrived too!) was the second production run of our mighty Class 55 Deltics. They arrived just in time for Christmas and have been finding favour with modellers around the world. Usually the first production run of any new model is the biggest, with subsequent deliveries always a bit smaller, but due to the popularity of Vulcan Foundry's favourite beasts, our second production was actually larger than the first. We are sold out direct, but you may still find the locos you desire with your local retailer. We must do another run of these soon.... SR Banana Vans Our major wagon arrival for 2024 was the SR D1478 and D1479 Diagram Banana Vans in OO/4mm. These distinctive vans were very much another "missing link" in the OO gauge ready-to-run wagon market so we are delighted to plug yet another gap! We still have some available direct and via retailers, with all eras covered including departmental "Tadpole" variants. Another award winner for "Best OO wagon" in the wagon of the year voting with Hornby magazine! Thank you to everyone who voted for them. Order Your Banana Vans Here! Mark 2b Coaches It was very much the year of the coach for us as we delivered our long awaited and highly anticipated Mark 2b coaches. From our exclusive RTC pack above to the bog standard Blue Grey and NSE variants, along with West Coast and Provincial, they have gone down a treat with modellers and plugged a much needed gap in the Mark 2 story. Sold out on arrival, we will be looking to do another production run soon, so keep an eye out for that. Mark 1 Suburban Coaches It's been a bit of an Eastern Region flavour to our arrivals in 2024, with Deltics and of course our Class 31s in Blue and the matching Mark 1 suburban coaches arriving in stock together. Although a humdrum prototype, we have gone to town on the detail, with the interiors being a particular highlight, along with a fully diecast chassis to provide the smoothest running and of course, full interior lighting! Some of our blue coaches have no sold out, and the others are shifting fast. The carmine variants have just arrived with us too, and will begin shipping out to customers in the new year. Order Your Mark 1 Subs Here! OO Warwells Our first arrival of 2024 was a surprise to many as we delivered the production run of Hattons warwell wagons in OO. These were finished production when we agreed to take on the production costs and tooling for these superb wagons and we then delivered them to Hattons pre-order customers. They sold out rather quickly, so perhaps we need to consider another production run of them in the near future? Let us know! IRM Bulleid Open Wagons IRM saw delivery of a plethora of new wagon models built on the famously versatile Bulleid triangulated underframe. The first arrival was the iconic corrugated open wagons, which are a must for anyone modelling from the 1950s to the 1980s, particularly on beet traffic. Order Your Bulleid Opens Here! IRM Bulleid Flat Wagons Hot on the heels of the Bulleid opens was their flat wagon counterparts. Perfect for mixed goods trains carrying anything from rails to cars, these wagons again were part of the Irish scene for decades. Probably the quickest selling Irish wagons since we did our Bell Liner container wagon sets, these CIE tanks went in record time. Looking at them though, it's easy to see why as they turned out rather cute! NIR "Enterprise" Mark 2 Coaches Rolled in as part of our Mark 2 project, our Enterprise Mark 2 coaches did feature unique tooling to cover the generator, grille and driving cars which were ordered by NIR to form the premier train to Dublin. We did put the "cart before the horse" with these a little bit, releasing them before the NIR Hunslet locomotives in two liveries, but they proved so successful it made our Hunslet project a "no brainer". We now must get on with that iconic maroon and blue livery to match the early Hunslet liveries... IR and IE Mark 2C Coaches Our final arrival for 2024 for IRM was the first lot of our Mark 2c tooling in the iconic orange and black livery with IR and IE markings. Capturing the refurbished coaches bought from Vic Berry's scrap yard in exchange for withdrawn C Class locos. Once again, the exquisite detail and package of full interior detail, decoration and lighting, coupled to a museum quality finish, set the tone for 2025 arrivals such as the Park Royals and ICRs! New Team Member We made a further addition to our growing team in 2024 with Andrew Faulkner joining us as Operations and Logistics Manager. Andrew brings a wealth of experience with him and is familiar with him, having been our account manager in his previous job, and was tasked with bringing our models from the far east to the UK and Ireland. We have now brought that role in house, while Andrew also works to streamline and improve our warehousing and dispatching operations to customers. And A Fond Farewell... The end of 2024 sees the retirement of Graham Hubbard, who has been a Development Consultant to us for a number of years now. Graham's wealth of experience from building the Bachmann brand in the UK for over 25 years, and of course revitalising Graham Farish. Graham is now taking a well earned rest as he retires from the industry, but will still be present in the railway preservation scene as a member of the Heavy Tractor Group. We wish Graham all the very best for the future and thank him for all his help in our growth and development into the business we are today. It's been invaluable! We're sure he will still keep in touch with ideas and assistance when we need it too! And Finally... If you've made it this far, then well done! We had a lot to pack in this year, and there is plenty we left out too! It's been our busiest yet, but 2025 is already shaping up to be even bigger for us. In the coming weeks alone we will see the arrival of our first O gauge loco, the Ruston 88DS (and our first loco delivered on time. See? We're learning!) the Mark 2c coaches, the Mark 1 subs in carmine livery, the second batch of the Class 31s, the 16 ton mineral wagons, the Wainwright P Class locos and the CDA wagons. Just behind that little lot we have the Class 50s, the Class 89, The 3rd part of the Class 31 deliveries, The Class 60, The Buckjumpers, The Panniers and Class 66 run 2, NER hoppers and not to mention the blue HYAs and the grain wagons and H vans for IRM. In fact, we are about to deliver so much stuff in the next few weeks and couple of months, that we wont have many outstanding announcements left to fulfil and our backlog will be cleared. With that in mind, expect to see some rather juicy announcements in 2025 as our record investment in new toolings made in 2023 and again this year begin to come on stream. We will be kicking off with a brand new wagon announcement in early January. Exciting times! We will sign off by thanking you all so very much for your continued support and custom, as well as votes in awards and well wishes via social media, RMWeb or in person at shows. We could never do all this without your support, so thank you! We would like to wish you all a very happy and peaceful new year and here's to a mega 2025 for us all. View the full article

I was thinking in November that my Flickr site total hits since I started in a small way in 2009 with the demise of fotopic would reach 65 million by the end of 2024 but this figure was reached on friday. There has been the usual upsurge in daily hits pre Christmas which normally continues until the New Year, viewing the site probably acts as a relaxation from the hectic festive season plus the lack of much of interest on the TV! I don't close for Christmas so watch out for more images over the next fortnight. Have a good Christmas and New Year everyone! GNRI today. GNRI 1959-05-12 Londonderry,Foyle Rd. U 202 JGD590814. GNRI 1957-06-07 Omagh 204 LN1045. GNRI 1957-06-05 Belturbet station interior. LN999.

A wee bit more has been done... I've mainly focused on detailing work on the station model itself. I have a new baseboard cut and ready for assembly, so Mullingar will be relocated and linked up to Abbey Street. Truly a glacial pace...

Some small stuff for No.6. Step this way… A nice little hand wheel etch from Wizard Models (51L CWSHB)... Smokebox door casting also from Wizard (MT329)... Slight flaw in this one. Never mind. Scrap etch for a reverser lever... Some cut down wagon springs from Dart Castings (MJT 2284) plus 0.45mm brass rod Over time I have gathered a small collection of chimney and dome castings, none of which were right for No.6 of course so it was back to cobbling together bits of brass tube, washers and dowel. The old Black and Decker earned its keep yet again. Trial fitting of some of the bits. Fussy little blighter isn't it. Back to the tender now, I think. Alan

Hi everyone, The team here at IRM/Accurascale was very sorry to hear of the untimely passing of Chris Dyer over the weekend. As anyone familiar with the Irish modelling scene would know, Chris ran toy fairs, commissioned reworked models and sold model trains, both new and secondhand at various shows across the island of Ireland for many years. He also ran a brilliant toy fair in Stillorgan with his good buddy, Dave Bracken for many years before COVID lockdowns and Brexit put a spanner in the works. He was also an early supporter of IRM and what we set out to do, with him being only one of our very select few trade partners. He also gave us space at the Stillorgan fair to promote and sell our models and meet the public. He will be greatly missed by those in the hobby, but not as much as he will be by his wonderful family and friends. Thanks very much for all your help and support, Chris, and the odd bargain too. Ar Dheis De go Raibh aHainm Dhilis. Thanks, Fran

Not much time for modelling of late but the decision I took a year ago to build this has been vindicated. I can just switch it on and do some gentle shunting- and play around with the camera. Tonight I took Enniskillen out of her box and gave her some volts. And took a little snap.

We love a good collaboration here at IRM, and we are delighted to team up with our Danish friends at Heljan to bring you a run of the former BR Oil tankers bought by CIE in the late 1960s and modified for Irish operations. Synonymous on the "Sligo Oil" trains, these B Class tank wagons were modified with additional bracing between the tank barrel and chassis which we have tooled up to make these authentic for the Irish variants of these distinct wagons. Operating in block trains until 2003, and as part of the Sligo liner for a couple more years, the Sligo oil train operated from North Wall to Sligo at a steady pace of just 35 miles per hour. To replicate these workings, we have commissioned Heljan to produce 3 packs of four wagons for the Esso train in block formation. Using photos and other historical data, we have developed a block train formation of these characterful wagons, so you can replicate these iconic workings that were very much an everyday scene of Irish railfreight for many, many years. Coming in 3 packs of 4 wagons, there are 12 differently numbered tankers available in this strictly limited, one off run. Each pack is priced at €169.99 per 4 wagons with 10% off when you buy two or more. As these are a commission from Heljan, they are only available direct via the IRM and Accurascale website. The tank wagons are now manufactured and will be in stock with us in Q1 2025. Pre-order yours today via the link below! Pre-order Your Esso Tank Wagons Here! View the full article

CIE 1956-04-26 Youghal A17 yj140. CB&SC 1958-05-xx Courtmacsherry C232 Excursion from Cork yj122. CIE 1987-06-28 Tullamore yj147 DATE EDITED (twice!)

A little taster:- Early days yet, 25mm gauge for S Scale (1:64). Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro, Elegoo PLA filament, 0.4mm nozzle Peco code 75 rail Wagon by Paul Greene Rob

Considering we are not far off the end of another year, I thought the time was right to finally draw a line under this thread and put it to bed. Unfortunately, for reasons completely out of my control, my plans for this layout never materialised. I don't normally discuss issues like this publicly, but I feel it's needed to properly explain the absence of any updates since 2020. Let me rewind back to 2019. I had invested in a large shed and now had the space required for a layout of my own. The problem was, I just couldn't find the spare time to tackle the build myself. So, I decided to contact a well known baseboard and layout builder. He called out in September 2019 as promised, and a plan was drawn up. Baseboards and track were to be supplied and fitted, along with the electrics, point motors and control panel. The price quoted was agreed and I gave him the go ahead. I was told to expect delivery sometime in 2020. The impression I was given, was this would be straightforward build. It wasn't. I won't go into the details of what was said across the many conversations that were had between then and 2024, but what I will say is, this period was filled with nothing but broken promises and in my opinion, lies. After numerous delivery dates were missed, I was assured in January of this year that I would have my layout in April. I knew deep down this date would not be met as promised. April came and went, and as expected, nothing. Finally, I was told at the beginning of December that I would not be getting the layout I had ordered four years previously. If I'm honest, it didn't come as a surprise, and in a way I was relieved that the whole sorry mess had at least, come to an end. Our railway community is quite small, and you'd like to think you can trust the individuals operating within it. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. The most annoying part about all of this is, if I had tackled the baseboards myself back in 2020, I'd now have a layout. The last four years have been a complete waste of time. It's very frustrating. The whole experience has had a negative impact on my interest in the hobby, resulting in very little modelling on my part over the last couple of years. I really do hope this isn't the end of this thread. I'd like to to think at some stage I'll get a chance to revisit it. When, I just don't know.

Christmas at Mullingar comes with a Special from Abbey Street. Happy Christmas to one and all!

Madame has spent the nignt at Daugter No 3's house looking after one of the 3 month old twins who has a cold so as has had little sleep I have suggested that she has a nap whilst I amuse myself in my 'den' . I normally upload to Flickr on Christmas Morning at 6 am whilst the rest of the house; ie Annie and the Dogs are still fast asleep (Not like the old days when our 5 kids thought the ideal time was to wake up at about 2 am and start clamouring for their presents.) Here is the Irish section of the upload. GNRI 1956-04-28 Clones 202 on 9.00 Dublin- Enniskillen yj136. CIE 1970 's Dublin Connolly 019 131 046 142 yj096. Ballina, 087 Ca 2000 justa076. CDRJC 1956-04-xx Donegal Town WACS2619. GNRI 1962-03-17 Cork Glanmire Rd 207 IRRS Spl. JGD620232. Now this is done what the xxxx am I going to do tomorrow at 6am!

Cavan & Leitrim today. C&L 1959-CA Mohill 6T y021. C&L 1959-03-14 Ballinamore shed 10L ex CB&P & 4L. C&L 1957-05-27 Arigna 4L JGD570125

I'm still awaiting the remainder of these slides plus the details so in the meantime here are some Dia Dema negatives taken in the early 1960's x217 GNRI 1960 -xx -CA Lurgan WT 50. x237GNRI 1965-08 Belfast Maysfield from train hauled by UG 48 going to Belfast Queens Quay. x250 NCC 1964-06-28 Coleraine WT 10 on 6.35 ECS ex Londonderry.

NCC 1965-10-xx Larne Harbour 50 yj085. CIE 1961-06-07 Loughrea yj234. CIE 1961-06-04 Mallow 174 green H van on right. yj226.

I have now managed to construct a yard length of track on my layout Broomebridge Junction using Rob's 3D printed track bases and Peco Code 75 rail. I picked a section of track on a 4' radius curve and as the photos show, it looks great. I took my time and learned on the job, but I like that aspect of modelling. I'm really pleased with it and think it looks the part from every angle and is the closest I've come to getting that Irish Broad Gauge spiked FB look - hitherto all my track has lacked spikes and has looked a bit 'naked'! I picked the Liffey Branch from Liffey Junction which in my Broomebridge Junction layout is single track because I dont have the width for the full double track. As I have said it is 4' radius as this an oval continuous run layout. First of all I test glued a length of Rob's sleeper base on the cork using Gorilla woodwork glue and left it overnight. Success, it was glued solid. Secondly I then got enough bases and cut the webs on one side and threaded a yard length of Code 75 rail through before curving and then glueing it down on the cork underlay. Then I weighted it down overnight with loads of tool steel to hold it while it set. I checked the curve against a 4'radius curve I have and made a few adjustments before the glue set. Thirdly, next day I removed the weights then threaded the second rail through. This took some time because the spikes really do hold the rail which is what you want really! Fourthly, I ran some stock up and down and found that at 25.1mm gauge it was a bit tight because you need some gauge widening. I therefore very carefully used a 25.3mm gauge and my soldering iron on a low heat to heat the rail and very gently shift the outer rail outwards by 0.2mm or until the gauge dropped between the rails. Success, all my stock moves through the curve successfully. And the track looks great. Excuse the layout building chaos btw! In future I'll probably thread both rails through before glueing down what would be in effect a length of flexi track. It would also make it easier to curve. These bases are great and the track, even before painting and ballasting, looks really great. Thanks Rob, this a definite game-changer. My problem now is to make sure my pointwork looks as good!

Having cleared the scenics on the front edge of the baseboard, a thin layer of DAS was applied and then once dry, the laborious process of scribing in all the stones began. Decided to use small setts for the road surfaces [including the tramway section leading off scene under the new warehouse bridge. It turned out to be not as tedious as I'd thought: scribing straight lines for one axis and then doing the individual setts by hand, including rounding the edges and ensuring there was a decent amount of mortar space between each one. I was a bit concerned about the painting, because photos often show a wide range of colours and I really didn't fancy having to pick out individual setts with a small brush... Began with a wash of a fairly light stone colour, using acrylics, then, once dry went over this with a wash of dark grey, which toned down the top colour and went nicely into the mortar lines. Then remembered my [many] crayons - pastels, various pencil ones and, in particular, a set of much prized Berol Karismas. These are water colour pencils and can be blended nicely with each other. So, using various shades from yellow to brown, it was a much simpler matter to touch in various setts with these, rather than using a paint brush. Further titivation is needed, but am quite pleased with the effect thus far, as shown below. Only this corner has made significant progress, but have also scribed in the larger stone blocks on the quayside itself, which now await painting. Meanwhile, couldn't resist doing a few trial scenes with the initial corner. I've added a few weeds along the base of the warehouse and posed the lorry and donkey cart for effect too. The main action on this section will be either Phoenix transferring wagons to/from the off scene goods yard and tramway traffic, so there are also a few posed shots of this too.

“Ye put a SHILLING on that thing? Sure it’s as lame as hell! It came second last at Ascot, did ye know that?” ”Listen, Sally’s brother says it’s a guaranteed winner, an’ I only had a shilling - I’d have put a pound on it if I could!” ”Jaysus. Lucky the Grand National’s only once a year. Have you the sandwiches from Bridie?” ”Yes, they’re in the van here. And there’s tea in the two red flasks. But we can’t leave till Gerry comes back with the messages….”

Cab Control The cab for No.6 is quite complicated - certainly trickier to do than the BCDR tank locos. Time for the piercing saw and the needle files. The cab flatpack, this time in 15 thou nickel silver rather than brass. I find it easier to solder. Roof is 10 thou brass. Grab handles are 0.45mm brass rod. Cab beading is n/s strip cut wider than needed then filed back after soldering into place. Lots of burnt fingers doing this. Splashers for the rear driving wheels are part of the cab front. These needed a few goes and half the evening to get them right. Like the cab beading, made over-wide and filed back. More charred fingertips. What an ugly duckling! It'll look better once it gets a boiler. I hope that motor fits inside. Alan

My Guards journal from 2001…..

Very sorry to hear about the passing of Chris Dyer, as per the Ulster Model Railway Club Facebook page. I’m sure many of us have spent many happy hours chatting with Chris at model shows or browsing through his always-excellent selection of rolling stock for sale.

Happy Christmas from the management and staff of Tara junction.

A boiler for No.6 The Belpaire firebox needed two goes. By the time I'd finished hacking away at Version 1, it was too battle scarred to be useable. With lessons learned, the second one went together a bit better. The top and sides were bent up from 10 thou brass. Straps are from a Mainly Trains etch (Wizard Models MT570, etched brass strips). The front is a separate piece, soldered on and filed back flush round the edges. It needed cutting away to clear the motor. 1.5mm square brass rod soldered inside the joins makes it possible to radius the edges using a file without breaking through into open space. The boiler was rolled in 10 thou brass with boiler bands added from the same Mainly Trains etch. Firebox and boiler soldered together. The firebox has a peg at the back which locates into a hole in the cab front. The modelling of the washout plugs is pretty rudimentary but... 2 foot rule and all that. Splashers needed inside the cab. I might chicken out and make em from plasticard. Alan

Splashers! Half way through making these, the word became a term of abuse but after few false starts, I got them done and attached to the running plate. Much solder to fill the gaps in the joins. There's probably an easier way to do this. It will undoubtedly occur to me tomorrow. Sides are 15 thou nickel silver with 10 thou n/s strips for the tops. Since my last post, Tony Ragg kindly provided me with some very useful drawings and measurements for No6. These will help enormously. However, the first thing that became apparent was that my running plate was about 3mm too long. That's what you get for estimating dimensions from photographs. Nothing for it but to saw 3mm off the front, then reattach the buffer beam. The chassis frames needed shortening too. Took a while and of course the bits making up the running plate started coming apart in the process. Ah, the joys of scratch building. Still, I got there in the end. Forwards, backwards and forwards again. Alan

We're back to normal now, as the Crossley's back the next day. Here it arrives with empty wagons. There's a consignment of turf to be loaded, to go to Abbeyfeale or somewhere up there, so Pat says.

Guess who's back? Sorry about the break there- I know all of ye have better layouts keeping you entertained but I like to think I'm at least almost able to hold interest in something. Long story short a relative died- at a good age and peacefully, but it was still a bit of a shock. I decided to take a break from modelling and while away from the layout I've realised something. I'm not trying to make a fun layout, or an interesting layout, or even one that is visually that attention-grabbing, even though that's what I want. There are so many things I want in a layout and the one I'm building has none of them. With the benefit of hindsight, I think I've spent ten months trying to emulate the work and mentality of other, more experienced, modellers and enthusiasts, and trying to impress everyone with my grand ideas of a realistic layout set in the middle of a beautiful but fairly empty bit of Ireland, in a fascinating but depressing era that I'm nowhere near old enough to remember and don't properly understand. Ardree has a future, but as a scaled-down layout that I can finish, learning something in the process. This is my first layout. I don't need to emulate masterpieces made by modellers five times my age. I am literally legally a child- most of my collection is made up of parts from trainsets that I got not a decade ago. Of the five baseboards built for Ardree, I'll probably be using three- the station, a countryside area, and a fiddle yard. That means station scenics and field scenics- and that's it. That's enough. It's still 12ft long- that's big, but way more manageable. I'm sorry for backpedalling and revising things, but please understand- I'm still working out so much about modelling in real time as I do this. Oh, and I'll see if I can find a use for the other two boards- I have railway interests other than Irish- British, North American, Australian, French, Japanese, I could go on. And perhaps I will, in future. One last thing- stepping away from modelling gave me a fresh perspective on my garden railway, too- shameless thread plug, but I have some plans for it. There are a few kinks to iron out yet, but expect something on there in the next few days. Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of me and my projects, and my heartfelt apologies to those who I may have disappointed by backpedalling, changing and revising every day of the week. I hope a happy and prosperous 2025 awaits you all. My kindest regards, LNERW1

The structural work for the quayside is now largely complete, though much titivation and detailing is still required and orders are going in for some fish boxes [Langley] and some rather nice 3D printed lobster/crab pots I've found on the web. Maybe a couple of figures and some luggage too, while fencing along the back of the tram platform is also needed. The latter has been made from basswood, scored to represent planking, while more basswood strip has been used to make the large posts protecting the quay wall. Am tempted by the Langley fishing boat, though this would need a baseboard extension to sit on and at nearly £150 ain't cheap, so this is in the maybe file at the moment. Over Christmas, had to content myself with drawing out some coaches and a wagon on to plastic sheet. We were away at my mother's and it was suggested that taking the soldering iron, solvents etc might not be a good idea. Can't think why... Anyway, at least now have some basic 'kits' that can be made up when the Muse takes me: two Schull & Skibbereen 4 wheel tram coaches, a Swilly Brake 3rd, also a bogie fish van, plus one of the Donegal red wagons. The latter has already been made up and awaits painting.

“Ye working over the Christmas?” ”Yeah, I’m on the 8.25 in the morning, then up to Margaret’s for the dinner…” ”Who’s on the afternoon train?” ”Mikey’s driving, and I think Pat’s firing….” Happy Christmas & New Year from the CIE staff and others in Castletown West and Dugort Harbour….

Several weeks with much ado about very little! Far too much faffing around with NPQ after Tolworth, but most of it has been fettled & I suspect I will just have to live with the foibles of the track work - that or put in an order to Marcway for two new Y points, but I really want to get on with something new. Testing NPQ threw up a fresh issue with the Deutz G class shunter which suddenly lost traction. Traced the problem to the Delrin gear train, where both spur gears had worked loose on the axles - probably a result of too much oil. Fixing it was a pain, requiring the chassis to be completely stripped down and cleaned before reassembly. Fingers crossed, it seems ok now. This morning, wasted a couple of hours trying to get the signal mechanism repaired, but looks like it will required a complete rebuild, for which I need to send off for some more piano wire for the wire in tube linkage. Still, need some more for my narrow gauge couplings, so all is not lost. After all that, NPQ is back on the top shelf with Fintonagh's baseboards on the main beams so I can get back to new stuff. Sod's Law struck again though when I discovered the turntable wasn't working. Similar problem to the Deutz, but this time the motor had worked loose from its housing. Turned out it was only glued in place, so with a bit of Evostick, it didn't take long to fix. Having considered Ramelton and several other options for the Donegalisation of Fintonagh, the name 'Swillybegs' is currently favourite, being a direct crib of Killybegs, but sited on Lough Swilly, somewhere in the Rathmelton area. Rather than mess around with the back scene, have decided to work on the front edge of the layout. By adding some more 6mm ply to the front framework, I can create a short section of quayside [similar to NPQ], while the front siding will be cut short and a tramway platform installed in its place. This will represent a line from Downies and Carrigart using my two CVR tank engines and coaches based on the Schull and Skibbereen.

All aboard….the Santa express from Maam cross station….this Sunday.

A few things from my Hunslet file.... 1) spec page from Hunslet. 2), a fanciful colour advert featuring 102 on a Bell Liner train under the little used gantry at Adelaide 3), a page from a 1970 BREL publicity brochure. Railway Magazine July and September 1970 featured the Hunslets in a couple of articles.

IR 1990-05-23 Drogheda 164 in goods bay rf 249020. CDRJC 1964-06-04 Strabane, after 4 years closure. JGD640517. CIE 1957-04-20 Inchicore F6, 42 + A4 KCorig 249004

Speed limits/in service modifications. The ESSO tank wagons were introduced into service with their original UK style tank mounting and ESSO shield, and included Class A, the Class B with shorter barrel and Bitumen tankers all on the same chassis. I have a photo of a Bitumen tanker complete with ESSO logo stored/dumped at the Point in the early 80s. Although initially allowed to run at 50mph speed for these tankers was gradually reduced to 35mph as a result of a series of de-railments of empty tank wagons during the late 70s-80s. Donomon Co Roscommon date un-known, Moyvalley 21 Aug 83 (up Sligo Oil). North Wall-Oranmore-Claremorris-North Wall ESSO Oil trains The North Wall-Oranmore-Claremorris-North Wall oil train appears to be a short lived twice weekly service which appears to have started in the Mid-70s and ceased late 70s-early 80s. The ESSO Oranmore terminal was served by a new loop off the main line disconnected by early 80s, possibly as a result of a re-organisation of ESSO distribution in Ireland Claremorris Traffic. This traffic ran attached to the Claremorris Liner which would have been routed via Tullamore and Portarlington from the late 70s, when the Up Asahi became the only freight scheduled over the Mullingar-Athlone section of the Midland Line. 6 ESSO tanks were attached to the rear of the (mainly Guinness' Liner when I last saw the train in July 2005. The ESSO trains ceased to carry petrol & highly flammabe (Class A) products as a result of updates in Hazardous Substance legislation as a result of which they basically became obsolete. 21mm Gauge conversion. Converting the Heljan tank wagons to 21mm gauge is likely to involve widening the existing chassis to provide sufficient width (26mm) between inside face of axleguards to accommodate 21mm EMF profile wheelsets. These days a completely new 3D printed chassis in an engineering resin with ABS properties or printed in metal such as aluminium would be a better option than trying to widen a plastic injection molded chassis cast in a material that is difficult to glue. About 25 years ago I assembled a rake of 21mm gauge 'ESSO' Tank wagons from Dapol kits principal modifications involved moving the kit solebars out 1mm on each side and extending the barrel at each end. Main issue was that the difficulty in achieving a reliable glued joint between solebar-packer-chassis lead to un-reliable running and failures. Ironically the steadiest running wagon used a 'standard' OO/EM profile wheelset on a 26mm axle with the wheels pushed out to 21mm gauge, running on MJT inside bearing compensation units. Using 3D printing as an option printing should ideally be carried out on a high format full size machine capable of printing in an engineering resin or metal, I have found out from bitter experience that a desktop printer may not be up to such work. I used a freelance 3D modeler and a New Zealand based printer for the design and prototyping of the 20T Brake van and other models, but ended up using Far Eastern printers because the business that successfully produced our prototypes considered printing small scale models not worth the hassle and other businesses (overseas and local) struggled to achieve an acceptable print quality.

CDRJC 1958 CA Killybegs 19 on turntable 249001. CIE 1959- CA Dublin Broadstone y014. CIE 1960's Dublin Broadstone (3). IE CA2005 Drogheda Railcar Depot RefJu194

Winter sunset, Castletown West, Christmas Eve, December 1964. Stock for Tomorrow’s Christmas Day service, which CIE still had until 1965, awaits at the platform. One coach is plenty - it’s not going to be busy. As usual, a C or a B141 will provide haulage.

Old colour pic from 1958 showing the branch set during shunting at Dugort Harbour. The last surviving Bandon saddle tank was put out to grass at Dugort Harbour for its last fifteen years.

Time to pull out the Christmas Elf again

Looking forward to playing with these over Christmas. Much disruption swapping the two layouts around. Looking forward to playing trains again. Storage is no place for my favourite toys. They are for Running and driving.

“So will you be back to help me with the cows?” ”I’m back on the 8.30 in the morning. Whos buyin’ them?” ”Yer man up in Listowel who comes to the mart” ”Big fella with the red face?” ”Yeah, that’s him. Looks like Jackie’s brother but he’s fatter….”

A quiet day at Dugort Harbour in spring 1963. One of the last three passenger-carrying six-wheelers has but one week to go before withdrawal, while the bogie composite will soldier on for another year or so. A12 arrives with the midday connection off the Tralee train. The stock is shunted off the platform line as a ballast train is arriving before the afternoon mixed departs….

Today is the centenary of the Great Southern Railways being established…

Been working on the front edge of Fintonagh/Swillybegs, stripping off the foliage & beginning the change to a quayside. Much of the work involves the application of DAS modelling clay. A bit like doing a building, you first put down a layer of PVA, then press on pea sized balls of the clay, smoothing them out so there is an overall depth of about one millimetre. Once dry, this is then sanded level, after which comes the laborious process of scribing in all the setts and stonework. Sanding creates a lot of fine dust & this is not something you want to use your domestic vacuum clean on. For years, I've used cordless car vac, but the motor bearings were sounding extremely knackered, so was pleased to find a replacement in a basic Goblin hand held model. Mains powered, at just £25 from Asda it is less than half the price of rechargeable models and a lot more powerful. Even if it only lasts a couple of years, it will be worth it. Have also finally got round to finishing the first Schull & Skibbereen coach, which is shown below sitting by the mock up of the new tramway platform.

Tried a little tenderness. I had a go at making a tender chassis for No6 with a fixed axle at the rear and the other two mounted in a free-floating compensated bogie, the intention being to make the tender weight bear on the drawbar to help the loco’s traction and balance. Far too Fancy Dan. Couldn’t make it work. With too many moving parts all moving in different directions, it just kept derailing. Gave it up but I’ll come back to the idea. Not immediately. In any case, the loco chassis seems to track ok without help and probably doesn’t need the tender touch so I’ve built a much simpler one with all the axles running in fixed bearings. It will happily trundle along behind the loco minding its own business and keeping out of the way. My Movie.MOV I love me tender. Alan