Tullygrainey

Good idea Patrick. That should work well.

I always felt the quayside at Loughan was a bit too pristine for a working harbour so it's been cluttered up a bit... The good ship Wild Rose seems to have drifted off. That'll teach them not to tie her up properly. A few more hidden corners round the back. Nobody about. Must be lunchtime. Alan

What a great little film! Absolutely full of interesting detail. Really enjoyed it. Many thanks

Go for it!

I've had one of these on pre-order with Hornby since it was first announced - June 2021. I despaired of ever seeing it so I built the Judith Edge kit in the meantime Alan

From what I've read, Number 29 was ordered from Beyer Peacock in 1922 and delivered to the BCDR in September 1923. By 1950, the Ulster Transport Authority was the custodian. They renumbered it 229 and it was finally withdrawn in June 1956.

Many thanks. I came across those yesterday while browsing. They'll be very useful.

It felt a bit that way

Thanks everyone. That's helpful. I've had a look at Manchester Science Museum website but found I was going round in circles a bit. There may be something there - there's definitely an index of drawings for the right period. I'll give Cultra a try too. Regards, Alan

Like most of us I imagine, I have a head full of ideas and potential projects, most of which will never get beyond the daydream stage. Some will though and this thread will be the sounding board for those that do, all being well. So, first up... Now that BCDR Diesel No. 2 is more or less signed off (the fitters are still arguing about how best to rig the brakes), my attention has been drawn to another County Down engine. This one... No. 29, an 0-6-4 tank locomotive, was delivered from Beyer Peacock in 1923 and spent most of its career shunting the Belfast harbour lines on the BCDR's side of the river. It lasted long enough to be renumbered 229 by the UTA and was withdrawn around 1955. As far as I know, it was the only loco in the County Down fleet ever to have this fairly unusual wheel arrangement. As yet, this project has only just passed the daydream stage because all that exists are these.. .. a set of coupling rods made to the wheelbase dimensions recorded in Desmond Coakham's BCDR book (Colourpoint, 2010) using a universal rods etch (4M92) from Alan Gibson. I made a jig from single-sided printed circuit board with short lengths of 1mm brass rod soldered in. So far, so good but a very long way to go yet! If anyone knows of a source of drawings for this one, I'd be grateful. Cheers Alan

I knew AJ couplings were tricky things to make and set up David but that looks seriously challenging! However you seem to be well on the way and the end result will be worth the effort. Most coupling systems look cumbersome so the idea of (almost) invisible ones is very appealing not to mention the clever delayed uncoupling action. It will look like magic to the uninitiated

Many thanks JBG. I used stuff from the Polycraft range which I bought on-line from MBFibreglass (www.mbfg.co.uk). They sell starter kits in various sizes with everything you need. I've no connection with the firm except as a satisfied customer. I found it fairly straightforward to use and it did what I needed it to. The components are mixed by weight which is easier that working with volumes. I used a small set of digital kitchen scales which were perfectly adequate for the job. Good luck if you have another go. Regards, Alan

Thank you Derek. Most of the figures on the layout are from the Monty's Models range sold by Dart Castings. The bloke leaning on the doorframe with the tea mug is MSV27: Worker (maybe he does work, sometimes. I've never seen it), the fellow with his hands in his pocket is MSV10: Porter (another busy individual) and the lad in the uniform is from one of those 'station staff' packs from Bachmann (I think) The signage was all done on the computer using a word processor, in my case 'Pages' on an Apple iMac. Regards, Alan

Nice one Patrick. The soundtrack is spot-on and really adds atmosphere to all the images. You've woven a totally convincing story around Brookhall Mill. So much so, I'm resisting the temptation to start looking for it on the OS map! Cheers, Alan

Wonderful stuff! Your attention to detail is a joy - the window displays and interiors really convince. Some very skilled modelling here. The bridge isn’t bad either

BCDR No.2 doing some work at last - placing empties on the quay, later running round and drawing the now loaded coal wagons away. (Still no brakes or sand pipes ) No2 coal.mp4

Enough!! Will yez quit horsin' around.

Took a while for the penny to drop here

No, that's the failed projects cupboard.

There was relief on the footplate when Mr Weaver relented and allowed a non-steam interloper to call at the mill. What may have swayed him was the order from the Slieve Donard Hotel for a significant quantity of the finest Brookhall Mill damask which we'd come to collect. Many thanks Patrick for the invitation to visit this exceptional location on the GNR(I) network. We had a grand day out. Looking forward to welcoming your UG, or one of those fine diesels, to Loughan Quay soon. Alan

I would absolutely encourage you to give it a go FS. We probably all have drawers (or bins) full of failed projects but by trying, we learn and by learning, we get better at it. That's been my experience anyway. Cheers, Alan

Thanks Patrick. I'd need to up my game a bit before I'd consider offering castings to anyone else. I'm still at the hit and miss stage with the process and my efforts so far have needed a lot of fettling to fit together properly. Some were unusable, either too thick or two thin (or both sometimes!). And the W Irons are a real faff. I remember thinking "Enough!" after the third van. I haven't done any more since that first batch so I need to go back to it again and practise a bit more. Watch this space

Some more info Patrick. Starting with the outside W Irons. I used MJT etches from Dart castings to make these. The one to choose is 2299 Compensating Wagon W Irons (RCH/GWR type) which has the horseshoe shaped bits needed. The pack comes with 4 of these etches if memory serves. Only some of the parts are used. Some delicate 'editing' of the required bits and a touch with a soldering iron gives you this... The open wagons were the easiest to do - a kitbash of the Slaters 4mm Midland Railways 3 plank dropside (Part no: 4029). Just glue the new bits on... The covered vans are based around resin casts from a master made with scribed plastic card, 1.0 x 1.5mm plastic strip (I used Evergreen 143) and 0.45 brass rod. The various brackets and strips are made from bits of sticky address label with rivets embossed. Here's the master for a side and the silicone mould made from it... And here are the resin casts for one wagon... For springs on these, some MJT white metal castings (MJT 2249: Midland Axlebox with spring); Everything attached with epoxy. The underpinnings are a bit primitive. Because of the dimensions I used for the ends, the standard 26mm pinpoint axle isn't long enough to reach the axleboxes. This is the brake van. No brakes yet, bit of an oversight in a brake van . On reflection, it might be better to make up longer axles from 2mm rod and grind pinpoints onto the ends. If I'm honest these guys look better than they run. Cheers Alan

Thanks John, that’s worth considering. Their Drewry, in OO was my introduction to etched chassis building. Didn’t make a great job of it at the time but learned a lot from doing it and gained confidence to try again.