Galteemore

Oh how exciting!! Just be careful - O gauge is highly enticing….seriously I’ve never looked back since dabbling in English O a few years ago. The gauge disparity from true 5’3” in hard numbers is pretty much exactly the same as in OO - 4.75 mm vs 4.5 mm - but in O it’s much, much less obvious. The rolling stock has a mass and presence all of its own in 7mm. A single wagon on a piece of track looks like something significant. And scale for price, it’s not really any more expensive. Wear well. Before you know it, you’ll be turning out a GN wagon in plasticard….and modelling is an excellent adjunct to the loving service that is the carer’s lot.

Trialling some dummy fishplates…..

Thought you only worked on St Stephen’s Day anyway ..,isn’t that when the Wrenn Boys come out ?

That’s brilliant Eoin - both concept and worked example. I have a rather knotty metal problem to solve but will now try a plastic version first…..

Looks well JB.

Excellent. It’s amazing how much you learn, not only about modelling, but also the prototype, when doing a subject like this.

I have had a few similar reactions - both chemical and verbal ! I understand that the solvents in enamel can take well over a week to clear. Enamel over acrylic is ok, but I know the reverse can be problematic.

Is it possibly Ballymacarrett Junction? That was regular Baltic territory.

It’s how it goes for the scratch builder isn’t ? So frustrating and so annoying when progress has been good, as yours has on this. I once had to take a slice out of the middle of a nicely rolled boiler. I’ve recently discovered that I will have to desolder the chassis extension on another loco and re-fabricate Sometimes you have to walk away for a while otherwise it’s tempting to chuck it at the wall. It will all be worth it in the end, and this will be a super loco.

The number of people in North Leitrim c 1950 who had any spatial awareness beyond 1 mile of their patch of bog was limited. Anyone who knew the road from Manorhamilton to Dowra couldn’t simply be dispensed with….

And one occasion stuck on a mountain, in 1948. The driver and a boon companion went drinking in Manorhamilton one day after a sporting fixture, and, after heading on a joyride for Blacklion, took the bus on a wrong turn up a hillside track. The inevitable happened and the bus stuck. Next day it was unavailable for duty, and an inquiry commenced. Mr Egan was advised that a large glittering object was visible on Ballyboy mountain. Mr Egan took his field glasses to a suitable viewpoint and identified his lost bus, which was eventually recovered. The driver concluded his SLNC career as a conductor….

Although interestingly Berehaven did have something going for it. In 1898 the Admiralty upped the ante on the fortifications on Bere Island, which did become a significant military asset. A rail connection to Castletownbere could have proved useful perhaps in WW1, when the western naval bases were at full blast. But I suspect the 30s would have seen closure. On a related note, I wonder how the Berehaven, Swilly and Cobh treaty ports were supplied until 1938 and the final British withdrawal. The garrison troops may have been moved by sea, or possibly travelled by train in mufti. Some of the bulk stores may well have arrived by train, especially for the Cobh area. For those unaware of this little byway of Irish history, three UK garrisons were permitted to exist in the south between 1922 to 38 manning British naval bases. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_Ports_(Ireland)

I think government cash was the hallucinatory substance most such imagineers favoured at the time….

Yes, my brother had a complete 009 layout built and operating in the time it took me to build one engine!

Had the plans for Germania come to fruition, it was destined to be a swimming pool, replaced by an even grander station.

Thanks for the explanation- sounds great !

Any more details on the rolling stock please ?

One of the simplest things you can do on a layout is light it. But the effect is immense - as seen here. Great work Patrick

Dear old Bob Symes! I don’t actually disagree with you, John, but would be interested in further comment from you on what you say….

Don’t rule it out at all. You can probably do more than you think. Look at typical instructions here: looks eminently doable…. And the pricing is very keen - amazing value. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/7855/5456/files/BMGW_GWR_Box_Vans.pdf?v=1619788802

Spectacular US derailment just popped up on BBC….https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64063945

When Guinness was delivered to the western part of Ireland by waterway, the barrels were overfilled by a biscuit tin sized quantity, different brands of biscuit per type of barrel. This was to account for what the bargemen would take in the normal manner of things, but avoid fiddling the end customer. On cold nights out in the canal, a hot poker was required in the bung hole to get the black liquidation flowing into the tins. Source is the travel writer the late Eric Newby.

Not advertising as such, Andreas. But branded, yes. https://www.steamtrainsireland.com/rpsi-collection/52/504-guinness-grain-van

Except if the livery is wrong, JHB…..

Sad twist to the story Leslie. But the origin of Provincial Wagons is now clear !