Robert Shrives

NIR 903, glazed with the vacc formed Eastern finecast units - not totally convinced so any body got contacts for getting lazer cut ones? The ends- a small conundrum. I have seen a pic of 547 nee M1800 with black ends in the Intercity stripe livery - I guess a hang over from BR import. Did the other coaches follow suit ? The Lima detail in ends stops getting a flush fit transfer - loads of microsol and it is only average - I can scrape off end details of course and add hadnrails - you know proper modelling but being the impatient soul I was wondering if the black paint brush would give a work around. Needless to say even searching "Belfast CSD" in flikr has only found later timeframe pics , coach searches show lovely train shots but not enough to say 903 got black ends. Also Kadee straightened. little project used to hold up coach !

Tease ! enjoy the festives.

Have to say I thought the same but some hyperactive Elves on overtime or something at Hattons... and postie with wings ! delivered yesterday 124 and 132 . Fully intact and in a stout box with 3 km of bubble wrap ! Contents checked and nothing amiss all vac pipes, handrails, horns intact and a little bag of add ons. Comments and thanks sent to Hattons for pulling out all the stops. I will thank postie crew when seeing them next but they take a big bow at this time of system overload. Will save for 25th to show willing . Robert

Yes indeed. The work of a small business Pop up designs and the son of -for the 3D print of Rogart box. Pop up do a range of tourist items that are slot together lazer cut ply and are based near to Inverness. - well worth a look https://www.popupdesigns.co.uk/ While not in the super detail lazer cut models these are a fraction of the price and are a fun build and paint well. May well have some crossover for Irish layouts . The layout they are on is a simple 4 foot by 2 foot affair - extended test track I suppose but a picture of it at Warley club has attracted offers! Robert

3D print from Shapeways with Parkside Dundas underframe, farish wheels and dapol NEM coupler mounts and coupler . added walkways, ladders fillercap and a fanciful representation of the pipework on the deck with brass wire for vac pipes. Transfers and grot required. The rough nature of the prints could be thought to match overspill but they pass the 2 foot rule if viewer looks the otherway with pint in hand.

A quick look shows Railtec do N gauge / 2mm scale black CIE roundels suitable for the bubbles - anybody got 12 going spare ? Robert

As an N gauge CIE aside just wheel and painted 6 N gauge cement bubbles ! very small compared to the 4mm brothers. will try to take a pic later.

The MIR resin 121 got a bit of the black on - go round with a band and will use the IRM ends to fashion spray masks . The 104 got 4mm loco numbers but closer checking of pics show much smaller numbers used - the look coach sized numbers so I will scrape off first efforts, in back ground of 121 pic a case of two steps back, ho hum.

Bells on the way - I guess festive modelling you could say ! Wagons for them to sit on - SSM bogies on the way The To "spoil it all" a first pic of some seasonal build goodies from Leslie - 10 spoils to make a Hunslet sized train. Really sharp resin castings, next to no flash on main body parts. You can see the lead shot let into resin on chassis - it all adds weight. Selection of finer castings to slice out of carrier film and selection of rod and buffer heads chain and 6 pages of A5 instructions make a comprehensive package. As they are to run in a rake I will fashion couplings of a simple nature and only have kaydee gear on the ends - well that is the plan anyway. A quick book search showed the wagons most easily photoed from non door side ! But one found of the wagon in ballast use so a bit more to do to get my little grey cells around the door locks and operating gear to go along with the instructions. I guess more to follow..

Update 16/12 - got some transfers on . The Mk 1 got white stripes and glazed oneside. The two NIR coaches are the blue stripe and stripe with white edges - the Blue stripe is on MIR tinlet of NIR grey and the blue/white is on audi Ibis white which reflect images in research in books and web - open to comments. Top blue stripe decals a big thanks to Darius, test application as you can see Lima rib not fully removed and lower from Steve at Railtec.

price of progress , you cannot keep everything or the globe will top heavy and topple over ! A good find nevertheless and if the tatters do try hope the tranny flat bed can cope ...but unlikely.

I bet moving the stone block it was bolted on to was no fun. The internal crane in Minffordd goods shed/ exchange shed had top beaing block affixed to a roof truss lower member and a trunion block at floor level with a castiron shaft between the two, what as not expected was it was almost 4 feet longer running in hole in a stone block - which turned out to be two halves clamped around the shaft and were perhaps 5 X 3 X 3 foot - it took a five tone site loader to extract them. This took the reaction load of the crane and the top took bearing just a fraction. I would think the crane here was mounted on a good sized stone block. - If crane is going to preserved compared to being conserved the block is part of the story.

Good to see another 121 re-homed and settling in well! Really hope foot works out in the end - I guess you were hoping mad at one point, take care and stay safe.

Getting there - bogies and tank got black today just need to sort couplings, numbers and fixing body to the chassis and I might actually finish it.

Air brush set up today for NIR blue on two and black for 4 CIE coaches. As well as can be expected. Airfix, filler and grills, slight touch on left end and ends to sort but much better from 6 years ago. Silver Fox DBSO , when yellow on front done an MM headlight to add. The MIR blue looks ok on the Ibis white but lighter than 8911 on a ford ivory. I will have to re do the middle coaches to match the ivory - currently in BR Intercity beige. This one of the EGV shown earlier The etched grills are over size but now better placed, I will do in the super train livery as it will not emphasise the grills but black has gone on well. all the bobbly details of hinges and handles to add plus now got some roevac roof vents to glue on - hopefully a bit of exhaust grot will tone down the roof. Bill Bedford GSV based on the BCK batch with offset van doors.Based around a Triang overlength BG and will get Southern Pride B5 bogies but no rush it got the black today after perhaps a decade in a box.. A coach that was part done and of course inspired Mr Murphy to bring out rtr version ! This too has sat in a box for donkeys years but got a flashover of orange rattle a few days back and black gloss from airbrush after lunch today. Based on two airfix coaches and will benefit from correct roof vent positons and wheels ! but no rush is there.

Or the O71! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lima-L149437-Irish-Class-201-Train-Pack-with-3-MK3-Coaches-CIE-Black-amp-Orange-/224177372782?nma=true&si ....recently on sale but looks like withdrawn from sale.

Crikey start the froth pumps !

On a better note 4 boxes of spoils turned up minutes ago from Parcel force - met the handler for first time of a least 6 IRM deliveries - wonders never cease. And to report a much better box and tightly packed with bubble sheet and card filler - Normal service from warehouse restored thanks to all involved after the ballasts and gypsums arrived in lacklustre packing. Good news in that the beet boxes and Bells containers from the wagons build now have wheels ! thanks Gents.

Sorry !! Just amazed at suddenly getting paperwork from the bunker ! Stay calm and drink tea ( other stronger beverages obvs available.)

That clears it up then ! Shopify info ahead of its self as it notes it is being packed - in China then !! I can calm down - if you want to cull this thread then do so to stop boiling of the froth ! Robert

Hi Well just in time to haul the Gypsums notice this morning from the Bunker that A class going to dispatch. Well a pleasant surprise and as always a big thanks to all involved. Robert

My N version took a lot of filling and a second one sits haunting me or perhaps taunting would be better. A fun build of something seen widely on the notwork. I look forward to progress.

Looking good - a slow correcting build can be more fun that a drops together. The gun should scare the local ducks on the pond! Not sure the research book will help much with this one. The wine should help iron out defects after a couple of glasses..

Well I realised with a bit of cleaning the etched Worsley bodies were heading towards painting - underframes need more to get ride height couplings and under gubbins fitted , bogies to be on the trailers some Bachmann spared B4 bogies I found in Cheltenham models last year - erratic supplies mean I do tend to buy to horde - not sure if it counts as panic buying! couple pics they had Precision paints single pack etch paint dusted over and the a coat of Halford`s Ford Ivory rattle can as a basis for doing the as delivered livery. I admit to having some plastic sides from Bratchell models to do another but they are still flat pack.

The MIR barrier wagon kit proved to have a generic ISO container and not the type on the Ammonia trains so I had what I thought would be redundant and built to use up a couple of hours between other jobs - you have to make your own domed ends but a dapol tank end or a resin / 3D print options out there. They sat unpainted until a few days ago when a chance viewing of some older footage on Utube I saw a bit of footage of the Foynes- Sligo fuel train and to my eye - a bingo moment so out came the matt black can. Given the coal container cannot be that hard a model ... If Mr Richard Roache is reading !! Another use for a 20 foot chassis.. 127 as back drop and a Dutch EGV that is in the thinking pot siding/ naught step pending grills Upside down chassis is a Mk2 EGV with MTK castings hopefully glued on .