Galteemore

Amazing how all that worked out. UTA considered buying 85 but went for 207 instead. Merlin disappeared to Inchicore for scrapping whilst 207 enjoyed a few more years in traffic. Interesting that it was actually 85 which survived rather than the possibly more iconic Boyne, which was the last of the big GN 4-4-0s to steam. Had I been alive and a betting man in 1965, I’ve a fair idea which of the two I’d have predicted surviving! After closure of Adelaide until transfer to Witham St so 1966-69

Excellent. I’m not a big fan of making up external pull rods. You’ve made nice work of these

One of my own memories of visiting my grandparents in Eire/the Republic/or as we still called it ‘the Free State’ was the age and condition of vehicles compared to NI. Back then there was no NCT (MoT in GBP) IIRC, so all kinds of things crawled the indifferent roads. If your layout is populated with 1950s British trucks in poor nick you’ll capture the look. There also needs to be an ancient tractor crouching somewhere. They seemed to be everywhere. Now, if you were setting your layout in the 80s, you’d need at least one Hi-Ace van……;)

What a lovely scene - well done !

Great that’s being commemorated. What really annoys me is the metal sculpture. They have gone to the time and trouble of getting a proper 5’3 track panel laid- a proper GN silhouette would have been an easy win instead of taking what looks like a child’s toy as a model - detracts from the honour being paid to the dead

Would have been a fairly efficient way of doing business, saving Sligo crew a lodging turn to Dublin.

Fabulous - the little tank looks so at home in its shed !

Wow that’s fabulous. I find guitar band clamps are great for holding boilers together whilst soldering. Know what you mean re cutting out / lots of careful measurements! Something mesmerising about watching those huge drivers !

Excellent. Will be a really interesting mix of buildings!

Also look live frog. Great turnouts

Fab work: always worth a dry run before getting soldering iron fired up !

At least we should see a blue 4-4-0 in Dublin before the end of the year ….

It might also explain an historical oddity. Would have made far more sense for the SLNC’s infamous putative loco to be a Beyer-Garrett rather than Garratt - much more in their line I’d have thought

Coming together really well David: and the techniques you’re demonstrating are widely applicable

Those splashers were hard enough in 7mm never mind 4! Great work

Great stuff - well done! Something very satisfying about a brass model

Fabulous, but you can see why artists are getting a bit worried about AI !

Agreed John. I used that weathered black on an F6 (now sold) I built a few years ago.

That’s a great close up. For brass workers like me, it’s also a reassuring proof that platework on the real thing could also be shonky. Check out that front splasher on 655, and as for the gap in the boiler cladding….

What’s you modus operandi for construction, Darius? Given your background, I’m imagining you guesstimate unknown dimensions based on proportion to known or likely sizes, and then make up a drawing ?

Sea was warmer than BRA pool IIRC!

Esp in its original form as an outdoor pool

Nice work. Is that designed to fit a proprietary chassis ? I figured you’d have to make one.

Totally captures the place. Having visited there pretty much weekly growing up, you’ve nailed its distinctive look. Just need 171 or 4 crawling past the Station Bar with Portrush Flyer ECS……

That’s great Alan. Interestingly I had to do similar surgery to clear the heat wheel on the 7mm version….Dremel used in my case !