Leaderboard

The morning local, ten years apart; 1960 and 1970. Todd Andrews has retired now, but strangely he overlooked the Castletown West to Dugort Harbour branch, despite it only seeing twenty or so passengers per day, except fair days. Nothing, of course, to do with who the local TD is……

Preparations as almost complete for our upcoming show - list of exhibitors and traders attending will be shared shortly - this will be our biggest show to date. Looking forward to celebrating 50 years since the founding of the club during the weekend!

I heard today that David Parks passed away.He was a member here as "Derailed".I got to know him a number of years ago and loved his recollections of Irish Railways.I have included two of his photos that are my favourite.First one is the last ever train over the North Kerry line on 23rd May 1984 at Lixnaw,with the weed killer train.The second photo is of the weed killer train on Ballyvoyle viaduct near Dungarvan in 1985 I think. Condolences to his family and friends. RIP David.

Ex Midland & Great Western Railway at Broadstone today. 3 somewhat poor negatives and one copyright print where the negative has been destroyed. CIE 1959- CA Dublin Broadstone y001. CIE 1959- CA Dublin Broadstone y015. CIE 1959- CA Dublin Broadstone y002. CIE 1958-07-06 Broadstone shed B2a 401 coprint25j+067b

In an alternate timeline, A39 gets ready to depart with the Downpatrick-Platin cement empties.

My first SL wagon in many years. Scratch build from 1920s Manorhamilton drawings. Tiny compared to an H van ! Bit more weathering due when the enamels on the metalwork set. This one hasn’t too many miles left in it I think, and will soon be destined for the wagon scrapyard at Manorhamilton.

Casting around for something to do at the weekend. I'll need a few more bits of rolling stock for Kilmore. I made these moulds from plasticard and brass masters a few years ago. The trick is to pour just the right amount of resin into the mould so it's fully filled but doesn't rise above the level of the top of the mould. I haven't mastered that yet so these castings need a lot of work with files before they can even be glued together to make a reasonably square wagon body. Provincial Wagons this ain't! Making the body is just the start. Chassis are the next challenge. In the past I've used hacked Dapol kit chassis and sprung etched brass kits from Brassmasters. In the case of the BCDR stock, outside W irons are an added hurdle. Currently, I'm using bits from MJT wagon compensation etches to make these but it's challenging, very time consuming and uses only a few modified bits of the etch and not in the way intended. Also, what's left of the etch isn't much use for anything. There must be an easier way! Alan

Well that was fun - a day on NPQ at Aldershot. A few annoyances - the SG2 keeps shorting out, and there were one or two stock issues which I trace to dodgy back to backs or stray pickups. The PP, on examination at home, has a pickup now bent at a strange angle, which explains at least one derailment….The GN coach needs more finishing work, and the magnetic couplings, highly effective though they are, will get some tweaking, not least camouflage. What an enormously fun day it was all round though. Great company and what an absorbing layout to run. To please Leslie we even ran a through portion of the Bundoran Express! Unless I’m greatly mistaken, I think this is the first appearance of corridor stock on NPQ. The coach is also about a foot and a half long ! I also achieved two personal goals. One was to operate the traverser in turntable mode. This is quite a responsible task, given that the deck is loaded with Mr Holman’s years of effort and dedication and a false move on my part could send it floorwards… The second one was to have a train of my own stock occupying a fiddle yard road and working a full part of the NPQ roster. Lurganboy, which has lurked in her box for months after disgracing herself at Uckfield and Tolworth, ran as sweet as a nut, and hauled my coach 4 and H van quite happily. The van is vacuum braked of course…. Willing suspension of disbelief and all that…. splendid day and always a joy to spend time with David H. Lots of advice, help and general chat in the margins. Very pleasing to see Leslie and companion too!

Apologies for the brief interruption. We now resume normal programming. The engine shed was damaged during the flood, so we weren't allowed to access it or the locos inside. Work on repairing it is progressing fast, and last week we were able to remove 90 from the shed and moved to the workshop at the other side of the yard. Yesterday we had about a dozen volunteers working on the loco at one time, so we were able to do a huge amount of work in just one day: Cab front removed Cladding and lagging removed Boiler fittings removed We're now in contact with boiler contractors and are working on a fundraiser for 90's overhaul. Our volunteers come from across the island – from Dublin, Belfast, Kildare, Meath, and even Derry~Londonderry. If you want to learn new skills, meet new people, and play your part in preserving our shared industrial heritage, please send me a message to ask about getting involved.

I have uploaded to Flickr, 10 Richard Casserley photos taken on 4 June 1964. Here are 3, there are over 50 Guinness images in this Album. The first image taken at an earlier date by A Ford, if you click on it is a link to the Album. 1964-06-04 Guinness Conv ags +No 2 RMC 20893 26A009. 1964-06-04 Guinness Conv ags +No 2 RMC20892 26A008. 1964-06-04 Guinness 2 RMC 20887 scan 26A002.

I was totally out of my comfort zone today as I had a go at adding handrails to The Countess - it was definitely worth the effort to remove the moulded ones and add these, which were once again generously provided by Alan @Tullygrainey so thanks again to Alan for this and for his ongoing guidance!

Hot wire cutter used to sculpt the polystyrene. Then we get plastered. The slope at the right hand end is too steep so I’ll re-profile it later. Re-profiled. Cheers Darius

Quarry road bridge constructed using hardboard, plywood offcuts and card stock. Cheers Darius

The Sweeney brothers watch the afternoon mixed amble across Carrowmore Bog one winter’s afternoon. Looks like snow in the sky… ”Y’know, Pat, the times I’ve sat here and watched that train go by, an’ not a blade of grass round the place. I wish yer man would stop talkin’ about scenery, and get it DONE!”

And some grass to finish. Cheers Darius

No busses on this bridge… Dump trucks are repainted Oxford Diecast. Cheers Darius

Making good progress with King House. It's interesting to compare its size to Ormond Castle, they were built 170 years apart. In that time the housing aspirations of the Irish aristocracy had certainly grown. And King House is a modest building compared to something like Castletown, in Kildare. Ironic that all of this opulence was being funded by the labour of little people who lived in thatched cottages and mud walled hovels. Model making is like any other craft, the more you do it the easier it gets. I had no plans for this building. It's all based on a photo survey, the OS maps (to get the footprint), and some drone footage I found on Youtube. A few years back it would have taken me maybe a week just to do the drawings, I got them done in a day.

Well it’s Fare Thee Well, Enniskillen……the layout now resides in an Oxfordshire skip. Joined by my model of Florencecourt station, which never really satisfied me. Recent rolling stock purchases meant that the layout/diorama just couldn’t work (see how big the bogie coach looks on Northport Quay). So out it goes as I just don’t have space to keep it. It was a valuable learning experience though. I tried to salvage some of the canopy columns but they broke apart. This means that the next project will be a complete fresh start. It’s still gestating and I will do a proper post soon. However, a trial effort was made tonight on the brickwork that will be required…….

Sunday proved to be interesting in lots of ways. First thing, a chap arrived and asked if he could film the layout. Never a problem, but wasn't expecting him to stay for two hours! Things were a bit sticky to begin with but hopefully when edited may prove interesting, so look out for Celtic Film on YouTube and please post if you see it before me. One of the other layouts at the show was Cadhay Sidings. P4, but many of the crew had been part of Richard Chown's Castle Rackrent, so during the day I had regular requests to display his WLW Shannon. Good job I didn't take it home on Saturday. Below are a couple more pictures of David's GN stock, plus view of my coaster, Acla. The main mast collapsed when setting up the layout on Saturday morning so the only option was to remove it, along with the crane boom and all the rigging...

The speed at which this layout, and all your other projects progress is just astonishing. Always something new on the go and it’s great to see!

Another High Level gearbox takes shape - a RoadRunner Plus this time. This one is destined for a GNR(I) AL Class 0-6-0 locomotive which Kieran Lagan is building in 4mm from a NorthStar kit acquired at the Bangor Show. IMG_3655.MOV

Fine work Alan. I think doing your own resin castings has lost out to 3D printing of late. Nothing wrong with the latter of course, but you don't need to know CAD to make a plasticard master, while materials to make the mould and the two part resin kit cost a lot less than a 3D printer. Add in the fact that a casting sets in well under an hour and if you want say, a rake. of wagons then taking the trouble to create masters for one side and one end has much to recommend it in terms of both time and money.

After a long delay waiting for concrete sleeper code 100 to be in stock and being able to afford it at the same time, we have all the flex and points we need to begin. So here is the initial rough layout. Might be slid round a bit for clearances etc, but not far off. Once all in right place, cork to be laid, sleepers spaced on flex, and wiring. Only realised looking back other day, it's 10 years since I have had a running layout of my own, so we are getting there.

Scenic element made from expanded polystyrene packaging and card stock for the roadway. I’ll let the glue set overnight and then sculpt it with a hot wire cutter. Cheers Darius

have been building up a ditch tonight I was hoping the horse bush effect would be more prominent. probabaly chalk it down to the randomness of nature Also some flowers in the garden! starting to feel a bit like finishing touches

What is often strange about the Fry collection is the omissions. His daughter, now about 90, retains ownership of about half a dozen of his models, but there’s no Bandon tank anywhere - yet, he made a single Wisht Caark model; a coach. In CBSCR livery, too (though the green is far too light). IMG_3674.mov IMG_3676.mov IMG_3673.mov

A few images taken today. IMG_3678.mov IMG_3677.mov

Having reflected on the fun I had operating @Metrovik’s Beagnach End at the recent Dunshaughlin show, I decided it would be worthwhile to add a bit of interest in the form of an additional siding along the quayside. Using a non-isolating point, what is for now the “peat siding” has been laid. I also took the chance to mechanise the point. So without further ado, here I present an updated photo of the layout: Only a small update really, but given how long youve often gone with the mild momentary annoyance of realising that prick hasn’t posted again every time you go on the forum for several months straight, I think I do owe a bit of progress, no? In all seriousness, I do hope to get a bit more consistent as I settle back into routine after summer (I know it’s October, I work slowly!), and hopefully will soon have a dedicated railway room. All the best, LNERW1

Kilmore up.mov

Not sure about the livery details. Probably a black chassis out of shot..? At least the picture is the right way up. I think.

Ballycastle Railway 0-6-0st No. 2 ‘Countess of Antrim’ looking very neat after a few light coats of primer. With light sanding in between coats, I’m taking this slowly, so I don’t remove any of the important detail from the superb 3D print which was generously provided by Jamie @J-Mo Arts. I am however gradually removing the name plates and builder’s plates to make way for etched replacements, which I have ordered. The handrails are also being replaced with separately fitted ones. She looks great, sitting on the chassis, which was also generously provided by Alan @Tullygrainey. I’m researching all available information about the locomotive and constantly studying all available photographs, so with a bit of luck, the final product will do justice to the prototype. With many thanks once again to Jamie and Alan for making this easy for me!

Bridge painted and weathered. Cheers Darius

IMG_2839.mp4 Sometimes prototypical runnning of modern trains is possible these ballast wagons would not go around before because the coupling hook would bind up. Ive since relaid the curves a couple of times and was pleasantly surprised to see these starting to go around without issue. 2 packs of cement bubbles will now be nessesary!

Working now on the Ballycastle Railway's 'Countess of Antrim' - specifically preparing the superb 3D print from @J-Mo Arts for painting. I have decided to remove the moulded handrails and replace them with separate fittings, and there will also be etched nameplates added to finish off the locomotive. The chimney has also been filed out. The resin is quite brittle but files off easily. A spray of Halford's grey primer shows up areas that require further attention. As always, continued thanks to Alan @Tullygrainey for his ongoing assistance!

Dugort Branch back in the day - tank loco 472 heads “up to town” in July 1956, and A30 pulls into the goods yard in 1959. The branch train awaits at the platform behind it. A wheezing Crossley “C” will do the honours today.

Shame in a way as it was a fine looking diorama. However, needs must and the new idea you shared on Sunday will have much better operational use for the burgeoning GNR collection.

Added doors, CIE posters and GSR signage. I’ll probobly call it day after installing some period windows.

H-Bomb dropped on the puns yesterday!

An excerpt from the Locomotive Magazine, 1934, relating to the Guinness system, one detail that jumped out at me as new information was the green livery for the Hudswell locos at the time rather than the blue we are more familiar with now

IRRS headboard…looks to scale (it looked like that on 90)

Base colours applied. Once this is dry, rather a lot of spoil and gravel needs to be affixed. Cheers Darius

Now running on the new (under construction) layout. Cheers Darius

The weathering on the A is A mazing. See what I did there?

Scenery painted and rocks painted base black. Slowly coming together. This is a lovely outline to work with. Small play while waiting for paint to dry. VID_20251009_233542.mp4 VID_20251009_233028.mp4

Coming on well, Patrick. Final details are what make a model and very few in my experience are completed without a bit of filler and a lot of sanding. Make haste slowly!

Very nice indeed ... there's something about convertibles: rugged, utilitarian but totally charming!

019 being evaluated for wheel turning on the lathe on Tara junction this evening.

More from Malahide Railway Museum. The Mk 4 for Cork has a fault in its satnav, so it’s heading for Wicklow instead…. IMG_3671.mov Also crossing the Liffey…. IMG_3670.mov

Come on IRM - where are those Jeeps? Cheers Darius