Galteemore

Leslie - I don’t have a dog in this fight but I know from UK outline 7mm that kit building is probably on the wane as RTR from Minerva and Dapol etc ramps up. Many people cannot (or more likely feel they cannot) produce items from kits that will look good enough beside the crisply detailed stuff fresh out of the box.

Thanks Angus - you’ll hopefully learn from my mistakes! From what I can see, Florencecourt and Dromahair were initially identical buildings in layout. Dromahair had a second floor added at some point. The courtyard area at the end seems to have gone through various iterations and was mostly demolished by 1957. The likeness between the buildings is not overly obvious at first as Florencecourt was largely rendered whilst Dromahair kept the bare stone at ground floor level. The canopies are also slightly different. For my purposes, Dromahair is a more useful prototype hence this effort.Not to mention that Dromahair was my family railhead !

Some basic steps in station building...usual modus operandi - Alphagraphix kit as the inspiration. This time using single storey Florencecourt card kit as a source for two storey Dromahair .... you’ll notice the back wall is completely featureless. That’s because it will be invisible on the layout - a John Ahern idea I think..no point modelling it if you can’t see it

Inauthentic authenticity. The Rosses Point portion of the Sligo mail. A complete MGWR train as it might have appeared in the 1950s if a single wheeler had lasted in service.

Wonderful stuff -thanks for posting

Thanks David. Bit of an accident really - the acrylic varnish left a rather odd effect of white patches which I hadn’t expected. Frantic coats of dirty thinners and some gentle dusting with powders and talc helped restore things a bit!

Nice work - can really see it taking shape.

And that’s about it. Just the couplings to fit. Despite the decrepit appearance there’s mailbags in the windows so all ready for attachment to the Sligo mail tonight ! Also attached are some pics of the original in GSR days.

Not sure if I meant the varnish to come out like this ...but I’ll try to live with it! Looks rather apt for an ancient vehicle at the end of its career. That’s what I keep telling myself...Roof and windows still to be fitted. I may get her done tomorrow.

That’s what I do for loco axles - order the wheelsets but specify Irish axles.

They certainly supply them in 7mm standard gauge - 5’3” just to clarify!

I may be missing something but it seems to be the same on both sides in your pics. Here’s a passenger version - seems to bear out your theory...as you can see right through the back with doors apparently opposite each other... If you want to be absolutely sure, just buy the Alphagraphix kit of the van!

A few sneak peeks through the windows of the TPO interior before the roof goes on and all goes dark - toilet compartment and sorting rack....the daggers on the window bars are of course mail bag hooks...

Going postal....my first ever scratch built coach. I should really have gone for something simple. But no - it had to be a TPO for some reason. In fairness, the drawing did look simple. But then I saw a pic in Des Coakham’s book - and my prototype still had all the TPO bag and bracket gubbins which would have to be cobbled together .....Almost done now - just lower footboards to fabricate from brass, and I can prime her. Built from Alphagraphix drawing using David Jenkinson’s principles from ‘carriage building made easy’. More pics when the painting’s done....

Good plan. The kits are cheap so even if you don’t make something you’re happy with it’s not a big issue!

Not as yet. I have actually built more of his brass stuff than card. But I have building kits in store.for my project David Holman, an esteemed member here, has employed them, using them as a pattern. His layout Belmullet is on here and shows what he has achieved. It’s impressive.

That’s the business. I’ll post a list of what you might be interested in to get you started...o I should add that I was lucky enough to see his stall at a show. Here are some buildings he produced as samples.....

Thanks! A lot of the squishing was due to my mangling of the kit...hence my new technique of using plastic! But it was a good test bed for starting out in 36.75mm gauge...check out ‘Arigna Town’ for a master class in using these kits from someone who does know what they are doing!

I’m working on one of their rolling stock kits right now, using it as a drawing to cut out my own plastic parts. I will hopefully post the results later this week. They are a great starting point. Here’s my first Irish wagon which I made from an Alphagraphix card kit - what I would do if making it now is use the kit as a template for plasticard scratch building. But it got me started! Thoroughly recommended.

Hello! Sorry can’t help on this one, although others here will know. I’ve had a look at the Alphagraphix catalogue, which includes a number of coloured card kits which make very useful drawings for scratchbuilders. Unfortunately he only has a Schull and Skibbereen steam loco available - with lots of railcars though from Clare and Donegal.

Had a look in my Alphagraphix catalogue and all I can see is a standard GNR cabin as pictured.....it’s 7mm scale but you could adjust on a photocopier and use the parts to build a larger cabin....

Price may be a shock but the maths do make sense for such a small batch built to order in brass and w/m.

Outstanding work !

Some good tips there: I have a Trumpeter hold and fold, whilst my bending bars for longer folds are from...https://www.vgibson.co.uk/ usual disclaimer - merely a satisfied customer and not the business owner .. Wouldn’t be without either tool, btw. I also lightly score along all folds with an engineer’s scribe before bending, which helps give a crisp fold. See also this very helpful guide on various aspects of kit construction, which got me started in brass... http://www.jimmcgeown.com/Print Off FAQ Booklet pdf.pdf

Love your paint shelves!