Tullygrainey

Onwards and upwards in small steps.. (and sand boxes and a few rivets) Alan

Enjoyed your piece on Brookhall Mill in New Irish Lines, Patrick

Yes! Mind you, the "if in doubt, whack one in" overuse of the apostrophe is possibly even worse. On a recent holiday in Cumbria, I came across this sign in a shop window. I assume that if you go in, the staff will lick your face. Or maybe bite your ankle? Alan

Brilliant! Wonderful atmosphere. Alan

Thanks David. I have equally baffling experiences in Currys . I browse there every few months or so in a gradually failing attempt to guess what all those black boxes do. Maybe it doesn't really matter

Some detail added to the frames. These bits are probably perfect candidates for CAD and 3D printing but since I haven’t plotted even the first point on that particular learning curve, it’s had to be old tech for this one. A rummage in my garage turned up some brass tacks (no, really ) with domed heads which, filed down a bit, could be soldered inside some short lengths of brass tubing to make the basis of the axleboxes. Plastic card and slices of plastic tubing did the rest. The springs were made using cut down MJT white metal castings (MJT 2258, GWR Spring Axlebox), 0.45mm brass rod and slivers of fine wire insulation. None of this is precisely accurate but close enough to convey a sense of the thing, I think. Onwards with superglued fingers, Alan

Frames separated and some details added before they got soldered into the running plate. Alan

Beautiful. A really fine bit of modelling. Alan

Piercing saw in play again. Outside frames cut as a pair. Some tricky stuff coming up soon - wheel hubs, springs and brakes Alan

Predictive text at its mischief again I see, David

This is wonderful! A really fine piece of modelling at every level from research through to implementation. You deserve medal for the points rodding alone Looking forward to seeing it continue to develop. Alan

Well, we have some louvres at last. The Archer 3D resin transfers were tricky little brutes, very delicate and easy to break. One of the larger ones rolled up on me and had to be refloated to unroll it again. Then, eyesight being what it is, I couldn't quite make out which way up and which way round it was meant to go The narrow strips on the engine casing are actually 2mm scale and had to be doubled up to get near the correct width - a total of 40 separate transfers in the end. Not ideal, but passable under the two foot rule. All in all, it was a bit of an ordeal, given that I barely had enough of some of the sizes and little chance of getting more. Archer is closing down at the end of this month, the owner is retiring and attempts to order direct from the US via PayPal fell over at the last hurdle, every time I tried. I'm reasonably happy with the results but anyway, I think it's beyond me to improve on this, whatever the method. So, onwards with a gently muttered "Phew" Alan

Lovely work Patrick. The layout looks terrific and the low light stuff is really atmospheric. Those paving stones shining in the reflected light of the wall lamps really do suggest one of those misty, slightly damp Irish evenings. Alan

Thanks everyone!

Thank you. Me too! But don't hold your breath

... and solder on this

Ah Patrick, the blue one is just for photographs This is the one I cut on

No idea. I ordered mine directly from Hornby on their website. I've just checked and the order is still outstanding with no indication of delivery times. Alan

Time to say goodbye to all that nice shiny brass. Halfords Etch Primer. The chimney is a brass casting from Alan Gibson (4M711, 'County' double chimney, early type), gently chastised with needle files. I'm experimenting with these Archer 3D transfers. We'll see how this goes Onwards with trepidation Alan

Still waiting for a Ruston & Hornsby 88DS from Hornby, 18 months

Love the way the light is catching the carriage windows

A few small but time-comsuming details added - handles and lamp irons mainly. Also a support for the cab roof. The roof itself, in 0.010" brass, is held down with a 12BA countersunk bolt which screws into a nut soldered underneath the support. It's curved slightly tighter than needed so that when the bolt draws it down, it spreads and seats nicely all round. The bolt will be covered by a ventilation hatch eventually. Don't know if the original had one of these but this one does Onwards by small increments Alan

That's a heck of an undertaking David! Looking forward to seeing Fintonagh and saying hello at Cultra on Saturday. Wishing you a safe journey. Alan

Thanks everyone Yes! Yet another steam reference alongside the chimney, bunker and tanks. Ah the louvres, the elephant in the room! Still pondering but I'll have to confront it soon No plans for a new layout as yet but Ballynahinch terminus would make a good subject wouldn't it. Nice track plan and opportunities for shunting Alan

What a fine bit of modelling - subtle, detailed and perfectly proportioned. Inspirational! Best wishes, Alan