Tullygrainey

Evenwood is a total joy. Not just a fine example of master model making, it has real presence and atmosphere and is a perfect demonstration of the principle that less can be more - no gimmicks, no clichés, just careful observation of a chosen landscape and subtle modelling of it. A brilliant achievement. Many thanks for the opportunity to see it close up. Alan

Yes, it’s time for a digital extraction procedure

A very enjoyable 2 days at the NDMRS Bangor Show. Good atmosphere, lots of variety and some epically good modelling on display - I've posted a few pics in the 'What's On: Bangor 2024' thread. Great to see so many familiar faces and also meet some on-line acquaintances in person for the first time. The Stone Yard behaved itself impeccably all weekend and also hosted a few guest engine drivers in the age 5 - 10 group. Budding railway modellers every one! No locos were harmed in the process. Thanks to NDMRS, to everyone who stopped to talk and to Kieran Lagan for sharing loco superintendent duties. Alan

Many thanks to NDMRS for a fine show and to everyone who stopped to chat over the 2 days. Enjoyed it very much. Some pics... Alan

Correction- the open wagon in the first pic is a resin kit. The second one is the coffee stirrer special

Yes, recycled timber from the Costa Coffee Company

Speaking as someone who never feels quite in control of weathering, I’m watching this with interest. Thanks Chris Alan

Masterpieces every one. Beautiful work Kevin. Good luck with the exhibition. Alan

Keep your fingers crossed I don't drop it getting it out of the back of the car

Be sure to come and say hello

G617's chassis is quite an engineering feat John. You've packed a lot into a tiny space! Nice one.

A diverse bunch! Thanks David

All being well,The Stone Yard will have an outing to the NDMRS Bangor show on 12 & 13 April at Bangor Grammar School. The fitters are busy prepping the locos.

...but just be careful where you eat them! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20x5x0g3kqo

@Dunluce Castle Nelson's W-irons in 20 thou plastic are masterpieces. I always reckoned that was impossible!

As a modeller of the BCDR, I’m always on the lookout for RTR models or kits that could be hacked into something approximating County Down stock and I have to say the pickings are pretty slim both for locomotives and rolling stock. Honourable mention must be made here of @leslie10646's Dapol conversions of BCDR opens and EDSS coal wagons which were/are beacons of hope in an otherwise empty space. More often than not, scratch building is the better option. Even that Kernow brake van will need a fair bit of work. As regards rolling stock, one of the most prominent features but also one of the biggest modelling challenges is the outside W-irons commonly seen on BCDR stock. If these are present on a model, it’s already well on the way to being convincingly BCDR to the extent that other inaccuracies can become less noticeable. I have used an etch from Dart Castings’ MJT range to model W-irons but it requires a tedious amount of cutting and soldering to produce something convincing yet even then not quite accurate. I have searched in vain for ready made etches that might make the job a bit easier. To end on a less pessimistic note, a Midland Railways 8 ton 3 plank drop side wagon from Slater's 4mm range of plastic kits provides a reasonable basis for a BCDR 8 ton open. Alan

Most decoders are built to a common standard and as such will work ok with your NCE Powercab. I use the NCE system and have never encountered incompatibilities with any decoder. Most decoders also come with some variety of plug attached but as you're planning to hard wire it - and given the limited space you have to work in that's probably the most compact way to do it - it doesn't matter what sort you buy as you'll be cutting the plug off anyway. However, avoid the ones described as 'direct'. These need a socket to plug into which would take up space. My first criterion when buying decoders has always been size because I'm usually cramming them into small spaces. The range from DCC Concepts contains some of the smallest I've come across. Alan

Excellent! Great start JB. There's one thing you should know though. About this brass kit building malarkey. It's addictive

The majority of the fiddly bits are now done. Buffers, safety valves and vacuum pipes from Alan Gibson. The footplate steps are a Mainly Trains etch from Wizard Models. I made the chimney in the now traditional manner with brass tube, a washer and lots of solder. The dome is wooden dowel with a plasticard flange and filler to blend the two together. Still a bit of work to do on this before I cut away the surplus plastic and glue it on. Alan

It's a tricky job finding places to stow all of that but it's looking very neat so far. Despite my best efforts, my DCC installations always end up looking like multicoloured spaghetti.

Looking forward to watching this develop. I've hacked a fair few of those Hornby 0-4-0s but probably not quite as extensively as you're planning. A few suggestions for parts: Buffers: Alan Gibson (workshop) : Part No 4908 Early GWR Dean buffers. I've found these a good match for some Irish locos. http://www.alangibsonworkshop.com/ Hooks: Brassmasters etched hooks and chain https://www.brassmasters.co.uk/3-link_couplings.htm Smokebox door wheels : Wizard Models MT260 https://www.wizardmodels.ltd/shop/buildings/mt260/ Gearboxes You'd do no better than something from the High Level range but I suspect the difficulty would be fitting one of these into the Hornby chassis https://www.highlevelkits.co.uk/gearboxes I've also used Hornby outside cylinder spares from Peter's Spares to sort the lack of crossheads on the Hornby 0-4-0 chassis https://www.petersspares.com/p/hornby-x8834w-class-28xx-2-8-0-loco-valve-gear-set-weathered Alan

Now that is very fine indeed!

That landscaping is a delight JB. Just perfect!

Hi Jamie, Welcome to the forum. It's good to hear from someone else who shares my affection for the narrow gauge Peckett at Cultra. I've sent you a message with some photos and measurements which I hope will be helpful for your project. Alan

In the cold hard light of day this morning, I could see the boiler was too long (still!) More butchery careful fettling dispensed with an unnecessary 6 scale inches of boiler. Still a bit long but then, so's the chassis but it looks better now, to my eye at least. Alan School of 'measure once, cut as many times as necessary'