Galteemore

Cheers Angus. This was what made me pause the build for a long time before starting it. I thought about building it from brass and putting the sides through my rivet press. But that wouldn’t sort the bolt heads running along the ribs. The only thing was to get red microstrip (so I could see it!) and cut off individual bolt heads one by one...the Limonene is a great find as it doesn’t dissolve tiny parts like that. When each bolt head turned translucent with solvent, I knew it was stuck on. This layout will have only 1 H van!! If I was clever, I’d have simply made one side and one end and made a resin casting.....

Thanks MM. Chassis is from a kit but body is plastic sheet and strip with a brass roof. A pic of the build is a few posts above.

One of my favourite SLNC pics hangs on my wall at work - it shows a ‘Holy Well’ or ‘Garland Sunday’ excursion at Glenfarne. Lurking on a siding is an H van, which although only in traffic since 1953, made regular appearances on the Sligo Leitrim up to closure. So I had to have one. As pics above show, basic plastic structure on an Alphagraphix chassis. A card kit from that source gave the dimensions, and one of @Irishswissernie ‘s excellent pics gave useful info. Pics below illustrate various of the themes above - including my attempt at a tribute to the original picture! Also a shot alongside my SLNC van shows how small traditional Irish vans are by comparison. And if @leslie10646 can have a consignment clip on his 4mm H van - I had to try and include one! Sorry the images are all over the shop and not in order, taken at various stages in the finishing process. And just for @jhb171achill, no black ironwork in sight ! Few useful learning tips from this including use of Limonene solvent, and a real fabric roof, ‘doped’ with PVA to seal the nap. It’s not perfect by any means, but given that I almost reduced the underframe to scrap during construction, it could have turned out worse! https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/6593632857/in/album-72157628618688939/

Nice signals. May we see photos of it in action, please ?

I’m assuming that’s why Noel’s waiting for winter Leslie - to have time to Dremel off that taper and insert a parallel tube..and you can hear 4 scream here.... That’s always struck me as one of the frustrations about the WT as a model - from smokebox to tank it’s largely Fowler - after that it’s Ivatt/Fairbairn!

Nice Noel, although the LMS hooter will have to go! I never liked No 4’s whistle which always sounded like a scream. The GNRI version was more melodious.

Nice job!

Spent the day with my soldering iron, in a challenge to finish this loco. Main construction now complete. The etches are now empty! What slowed things down was my decision to replicate the smokebox door clips as used on my prototype 42. This took some trial and error to work out a way of fabricating from 2 brass strips with high-temp solder, sticking on with 145. It’s a messy finish as lots of fettling was required to make it all fit - thanks to my mistakes earlier in the build. Rather than find nasty surprises at the end, I have also regularly tested the fit of the body and chassis, which means a bit of reworking at times. Thus the boiler unit was on and off several times today alone. I also like to solder on my white metal castings, which is more solid but can be a bit solder-heavy. This caused some angst when I realised that my first effort on the chimney needed fixed...So lots of tidying up and filling in gaps to come. But it’s progress....already spotted that ejector pipe on fireman’s side is wrong for 42 - that’s going to go!

Mayner - that’s fantastic work. You’ve really captured the grace of the original.

Reading about it or seeing it happen?

Forced myself back to the brass tonight. Bunker extension and footplate valances fitted plus some minor bits such as steps and front handrail on tanks - paying due heed to the the form these took on 42, my chosen loco. Having looked carefully at the loco in recent days, it was clear that much of the roof was wrong, not matching the side profile. Most of the evening was thus spent with the large 80w iron out, using its brute power in unsoldering the cab and then rebending to better achieve the Inchicore profile. I also discovered a dry joint on the front end which led to the entire buffer beam falling off, with other sundry bits and pieces also falling off as I put things right. On more than one occasion I was ready to ring the Hammond Lane Foundry to see if they still accept steam locomotives for disposal.....

That beige livery was applied for the movie, ‘Darling Lili’, starring Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, and 184, which limped asthmatically among in its cameo role, shoved by A16 disguised as a luggage van! 184 still wore remains of that livery when it was first overhauled in 1977/8 for RPSI service : the hasty overhaul was occasioned by a much more famous role for 184 in the First Great Train Robbery - also famously starring Moate station - hard to imagine now. Rather like the Quiet Man, it’s a lovely example of really professional film-making capturing the Irish railway scene. Cruelly cosmetically mutilated 184 might have been but those aerial shots of her thumping along are still thrilling!

Indeed I did Leslie, although it was more the common street Greek of the first century than the high classical style.

Thanks Noel - Cliff is a top bloke. A few years ahead of me at college. Amen to what Leslie said!

Ernie - loving the latest SLNC uploads - thanks. The rear of train shots are fascinating - they show parts of the line never featured in classic lineside shots. I’m pretty sure that the most recent two depict the Manorhamilton to Dromahair section, which rarely gets snapped beyond Cleen crossing. The curvature suggests somewhere near Lisgorman, which the engineer Mr Egan regarded as one of the most taxing parts of the line. Just off the phone to my dad who pointed me to a pic in ‘Fermanagh’s Railways’ which may help identify what he was up to! Some pics were possibly taken on the afternoon goods out of Enniskillen hauled by ‘Lough Erne’ - hence the two steam locos crossing at Belcoo. The train had stopped in mid-Fermanagh to unload ballast by the trackside en route - no point wasting money on a special PW working!

.....and in traffic!!

Magritte clearly hadn’t resolved operating issues such as fiddle yards in his painting....Link to image.....https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Transfixed

This is excellent stuff. I think one of the biggest mistakes we can fall into is over-compression of track plans - over- tight curves etc. This has huge effects on how ‘natural’ everything looks. I had to have a serious think about this for my tiny layout, and have tried to avoid it looking too track-heavy. I followed the advice about parallel track by gently curving my front siding and it makes a huge difference. I have miserably failed on the train length though - I’ll need one of these to do that ! (Image from Transports of Delight, SmugMug). A fairly limited palette of colours helps a layout blend in together and appear part of one big scene, rather than track and stock planked on a scenic board with no real connection to their surroundings. David is too modest - have a good look at his stuff, but also Gordon Gravett’s ‘Pempoul’.

Looks nice Noel! Very convincing patina. Reminds me of Dundalk c1985....

Some interesting points, MM. Don’t forget too, that the LBSC electrification was a different system - overhead. The Southern Electric was all 3rd rail.

Don’t forget, too, MM, that the Southern spent its pennies more on rapidly expanding electrification, thus doing away with the need for large fleets of suburban and medium haul locos.....

Not sure if this is a close relation but here’s a Hunslet from Alphagraphix ...I think it may simply be his Irish one rebranded to attract the Col Stephens modellers !!

You could always try some rivet counting....here’s one to get you started

Roger of Alphagraphix used to make a kit of this I think as part of his CBSC selection. Not sure it’s in his current range though. The wheels do look rather Manning Wardle.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/88181-how-to-make-a-home-made-spray-booth/