Galteemore

Agreed Leslie. Fabulous set of pics and some especially good GNRI ones.

Love it Darius. Always had a soft spot for fire stations - spent a fair amount of time in them 45 years ago as my dad was a part-time fireman in NI. Mind you I do prefer the old school appliances they had to modern machines…. These ‘set piece’ scenes are attractive for modellers but often look as if they have just been planted without context. This looks very well indeed, and the scene hangs together as a whole.

Braver man than me! My Irish locos, crude though they are, will only leave the house under strictly controlled conditions…..

Fair price folks. If you want something that’s nicely finished off and looks ‘Irish’ it’s a no-brainer. Plus, for the especially devout, having been once owned by JHB, they count as a secondary relic.

What if they do a VS, Leslie? Will you buy 5? Heresy I know, but I think the UTA livery would have suited both V and VS.

Nonsense JB. You’ll be building a fleet of D16s in no time at all. That yellow yoke seems square and free of creases. That’s a basic skill well mastered already. But this does bring home a lesson. If you see a brass kit you like - and can afford it - buy it. The supply line is generally one person deep and all it can take is a bad winter or a car collision and your supplier is out of the picture - possibly permanently. It’s also a fair argument for keeping your modelling focus reasonably narrow - limits the amount of temptation!

Great stuff JB. Well done indeed. Brass 6w coach next. And I bet it’s felt really satisfying to see something you’ve made yourself !

Please do Leslie. Make sure it’s prior to 30 Sep 1957 ….

Looks great Leslie and a degree of undulation is normal. Can’t wait to see 207 running through !

Agreed. I think a lot of people would snap these up.

All modelling is a compromise Fran Key thing is actually consistency. As long as everything on the layout is of a similar standard it works. Judging by the quality you are churning out you won’t have an issue. And it is always far more satisfying to look at a model and think ‘I made that’.

There’s been an upsurge in small O gauge layouts driven by the availability of small RTR locos such as the Minerva Manning Wardle - pic below. Indeed, I actually had one of these on pre-order before I threw away all my GB outline ideas and went 5’3”. A lot of people in GB have have ‘light railway’ style layouts to allow a variety of stock. Such a small tank would probably sell well to this market.

Hi Fran. That’s very fine work! Depends what the item is. If you are making, for instance, working level crossing gates to be motorised, then making them able to move is important, and may involve some compromise of scale to make it robust. Generally though, the emphasis in a railway model is scale fidelity. This is where physics comes in and some materials such as plastic have limitations - they are simply too fragile when very thin. The sunburst gate you have so beautifully drawn would work best as an etching on brass, which would be thin enough to get the right definition but also strong enough to stand up by itself.

Lovely to see a sequence and know the story of what was happening ! Big Ds normally had very few passenger turns.

Great plan and fair enough! Prob lots of top tips on RMWeb on the chassis. It’s not implausible to suggest that 101, which never actually left Swindon in reality, was regauged and transferred to Rosslare as part of the GW’s pre WW1 commitment to cross channel traffic. Come the GSR, the loco gets an Inchicore makeover….

First thing to think about is - what is the very nearest Irish loco it looks like? Or look at a company eg MGWR or GSWR and identify the ‘house style’. Key thing here is probably the cab, which would be a nice little plasticard exercise. Add a bunker while you’re at it. Chimney off a Dean Goods or similar will give a GSR look. NE or GC locos in UK had a door wheel, just like Irish locos, so you may find a 3d printer who can knock some of that stuff up for you. Many Irish locos had heavily riveted smoke boxes, so do look at sorting that. In terms of chassis, an ideal opportunity to make your own, with some simple suspension. Not that hard to do and will give you immense satisfaction

Lots! Depends on what you’re interested in. Most recent books are effectively albums of photographs, with some commentary atttached- the era of text-heavy historical books really peaked in the 1970s. If you tell us what interests you most we can use the ‘hive mind’ of the forum to help. Michael McMahon’s intelligent photo books are probably a definite for you.

Wow ! What a treat. Absolutely wonderful looking loco!!

Only guaranteed in this case

Pulled Mk2s in various liveries. All sold out now I believe but give it time and they will pop up occasionally. Livery changed from maroon to grey/blue c1980. Never worked on Larne line except for ballast. We probably lived in Carrick at same time: I spent the 70s living in Downshire Gardens.

Delightful and sad simultaneously! Interesting to see nameplates have gone.

I believe so

They had it but was never installed. Presumably an pre-Ailsa plan that didn’t come off.

Unterburg in Germany. Also had them in Bournemouth and Huddersfield

Looks like the forecourt of the place Mrs G and I rented in D6 about 25 years ago. Could have done with a yoke like that !