Galteemore

Here’s one taken that day….https://www.geograph.ie/photo/3320318 yes, Mullan’s is long gone. Quality shop. It was the 800th anniversary in 1980, and I remember it well. I was 9 and my dad was at that point both RPSI treasurer and treasurer for the church in Carrick which was also 800 that year; I was almost certainly on that train! I certainly recall the 800 anniversary keyrings and mugs I was tasked with flogging.

Having studied BP SLNC drawings, Ken, ad nauseam, the side tanks were connected via the back tank, so theoretically filling on one side would be possible. The rivet pattern (again, long study involved here!) doesn’t indicate a dividing baffle. As an aside, the ‘Large Tanks’ originally had filler openings on the bunker tanks - see below - which were later removed or remained unused. As far as I know, no bunker filler was installed on the Lough class.

Nice work David / great to see it coming together. And lovely turning job on the gauge!

This is great - good work. Simple tank extension, chop off the cylinders, take off the excess handrails, paint big yellow numbers on the tanks and you’re away!

Thanks everyone. I’m prone to over analysis myself. In fact sometimes modelling seems like some kind of esoteric ceremony requiring all kinds of elaborate mental preparations before anything gets done! I have to say that having this forum is a great help in keeping me focused on producing work….. I think it will be the pastiche version of Blacklion, John, as the images mostly date after 1928. And yes, David, there’s lots to build - would be nice to find more evidence on the 0-6-2Ts too…. There’s a drawing - a basic one - in Norman Johnston’s GNR loco book, Angus. It’s roughly to scale, having checked out key dimensions. Having played around with a scale ruler and calculator, I have had it blown up to some odd percentage by a local copy shop and the result is a 7mm drawing giving key placements for wheels etc. You can see it in photos above. But photo analysis will be critical and Alan O’Rourke has been helpful here. Having been brought up with a wealth of Irish railway books, I knew that a UG was like a U, an SG like an S and so on. Perhaps a JT might be like a J….analysis of Norman’s book confirmed this suspicion, so I cheekily asked Roger Crombleholme if he’d let me see a JT drawing from his kit when I ordered stuff recently. This he kindly did, and we have a front elevation of cab and smokebox as a result. The cab isn’t exactly the same, but the roof profile is very similar, so that’s a huge help.

Having acquired a considerable amount of machinery to build ‘Enniskillen’, it seemed rude not to build another engine. The only question was what to build. I had long thought of a D19 Kerry bogie. However, I have also been doing much soul searching on my modelling future - more on that anon. Suffice to say I have ditched - or am attempting to - all my CIE stuff and going SLNC all out. But I still felt I should build a 4-4-0 - as @leslie10646and @jhb171achillknow, I was brought up to respect the GNRI and all its works! I have long had an affection for the GN locos, especially the smaller and more ancient types such as the Ps and PP. As many of you know, the SLNC had two J class 4-4-0s, bought 2nd hand off the GNR. Expecting these two elderly ladies to cope with the vagaries of SL gradients and curves was cruel really - like subjecting your granny to an assault course. Because they had been so short lived and unsuccessful, I’d always written them off, until last year I saw a photo of one gleaming in black. The rods and plates would have been red - what a picture ! And that ridiculous chimney….I was just captivated by the idea of this little old thing heading a smart new clerestory on ‘the mail’. The locos were also the first 4-4-0s acquired by the GN - so the direct ancestor of all the blue beauties that came later. Anyway, weeks of filing and cutting and measuring later, we have a free rolling chassis. Loads to do but this is a milestone. Doesn’t look much but this has taken a long time. The foundation is really the 4 oblongs of metal which are drilled together to make rods and frame blanks. Saw to shape, solder up and with baited breath stick the wheels on…so at least she should run. Careers across the floor like a Hot Wheels car so hopefully a good sign. Her plates as ‘Black Lion’ - as two words rather than the normal spelling, oddly, are on order and the design came through from the makers today. So I’d better get a move on..,,

Know what you mean. Years ago I was captivated by the SECR D class at NRM York. Caledonian livery is quite attractive too! Trevor Nunn’s layout is something else

The Cultra loco and the USA loco are of the same 4-4-0T class, with subtle distinctions. ‘Nancy’ is an 0-6-0T which actually never worked in Ireland at all in her ‘normal’ life. There was a small cluster of 3’ gauge lines in the English Midlands and she worked there until the 60s. Another survivor, ‘Scaldwell’ has been acquired by the Southwold preservation group, which aims to rebuild part of one of the few English 3’ passenger lines: https://www.southwoldrailway.co.uk/trust-projects/scaldwell-3/

They have proved quite attractive to Irish modellers as the overall profile has much in common with many local types- the square Beyer Peacock cab and tanks help (the first batch were built by BP). A number of BCDR and other company types are possible. This wider BP likeness is not surprising of course, but nonetheless intriguing. I came across this 7 mm model recently of an MGN type, which has clear likenesses in many places to various Irish types, including early NCC 2-4-0s and 4-4-0s around the cab area especially. Photo credits to John Hobden and Mike Morant. As @Westcorkrailwayintends, a few plasticard additions to the Adams tank will help disguise the overtly English bits! At least one modeller has pressed one into service as an SLNC ‘neverwazza’ - a halfway house between ‘Hazlewood’ and ‘Sir Henry’? Although a 4-4-2T would seem to be a good fit for SLNC needs, they only ever had one, ‘Erne’ - a 4-4-0T which was retrofitted as a 4-4-2T. Drivers were not keen as she had a tendency to go off-road - apparently she was out of balance. This may explain why they stuck with the tried and tested 0-6-4T style.

Good effort. Actually getting hands on a model and making it your own can be so satisfying.

Or an NIR 4k in 80 class style maroon and blue….

A fault of some locos, sadly - the handsome ex MGW D6 4-4-0s could shake your teeth out. Bill McDonnell highlighted a few faults on the B4 ‘Bandon tank’ such as the wheel splasher adjacent to the cab doors which caused many a nasty fall. The locos were also prone to jump out of gear in reverse - drivers used to purloin signal box lever collars to lock them in place. The cramped nature of the cab was down in large part to the lack of stowage - which meant that the loco consumables such as oil were jostling for room with the crew’s personal effects.

Yes please do: we must be about the same age. I used to get a few 111 class cab rides on the Enterprise back in the day. I well recall the swaying over the points and the acceleration noise…. The crews were ex GN men, and with semaphores at Poyntzpass still, you got at least a little of the sense of how it was….

Yes, bet these Victorian Royal Mail guys didn’t just throw your parcel over the fence…..but I do look forward to David turning out some more colourful 0-6-0s!

That’s a nice job. Always good to have a solid foundation laid down, and to get that arduous grunt work out of the way !

In fairness to Rice, too, one elderly Irish 0-6-0 can look much like another, especially with rebuilds, Z class boilers etc factored in. In some variations, there’s not a lot between a J15 and a J18/19, as seen below …..After all, how many of us can identify the various nuances of GWR panniers ?!

Yes, looks a bit like a Y5 van

That’s brilliant. Those Tangis screaming along the street are the sound track to much of my childhood. They were petrol rather than diesel, for obvious speed and acceleration purposes - goodness knows what the MPG was. Strictly speaking, of course, the RUC man should have his hands up by the shoulder gussets of the flak jacket, hooked on by the thumbs That’s how I always remember them standing ! A few years ago at work, a retired British soldier who’d served in NI heard my accent and said ‘who’s this then’ and demonstrated the pose …I got it instantly ! He was ex-Royal Military Police and found the default RUC stance most amusing.

Not at all. Simply my elderly fingers mixing up ‘angry’ and ‘like’ on the iPhone…..sorry! I really liked the image of 142 - reminded me of the glory days of 80s CIE….

Use something like 12v car leads, or choc block terminals

Kirley has built one….https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/93496-kirleys-workbench/page/13/#comment-2750461

I’ve always admired mounted military bands who can play whilst riding a horse but if you can perform that whilst operating a layout and filming it…. that’s just another level

Nice work Darius. Still remember the wonderful growling noise ours used to make!

Lovely stuff Patrick. That early shot of it gliding to a halt at the platform is sublime! Good music too- I have come to associate Máire Ní Chathasaigh & Chris Newman’s version of ‘Lord Inchiquin’ with the SLNC as it was on a loop when I was finishing ‘Enniskillen’!

Lovely model - look forward to seeing what you can do with one!