Galteemore

How Des Coakham would have loved this! Top image is a wonderful display of stock. Middle image has also nicely captured the docks background with a group of workers heading across the bridge. A vanished world now.

Can always imagine him writing a Fry- inspired verse for his famous poem… When the brass is cut Yet the loco you’ve made Looks nothing like the plan, There’s still a way to redeem the work - a pint of plain is your only man.

Like many an Irishman, I have only discovered the depth of my culture when exiled from it. I have recently taken to reading O’Brien, and discovered that he published a notable series of railway related articles as part of his humourous column. The articles are fascinating as they reveal a real knowledge - or at least acquaintance with - railway terminology, such as cutoff workings and Walschaerts. Quite what Irish Times readers made of it is not clear. Anyone else come across it? He even describes the DSER as ‘the most ruffianly railroad concern ever to exist in any country’ ….sorry @KMCE!

Sad to see it go but I can empathise. Kato track is great - avoids many of the problems with other set track types.

Belated Happy Birthday David ! I came across this loco years ago and thought it was a genius idea. A relatively modern loco with a much more classical appearance than the chunky Austerity look so typical of UK preservation in the 80s when a saddle tank with a Mk1 was pretty standard fare.

Yes. Headcodes went about 5 years after TOPs came in. BR was fairly simple in terms of its livery range during the Deltics’ lifespan - green then blue; the ‘regional’ and ‘sector’ liveries such as NSE came later. AFAIK TOPs came c1971, five years after BR Blue came in, so you can find blue locos with preTOPs numbers. The only big livery variant among the class as a whole, I think, was that locos allocated to Finsbury Park after 1979 had white cabs. There are doubtless subtle variations I have missed - and such fittings as train heating will indicate if a loco is modelled as being preserved and in a retro livery, rather than being presented as in built condition. When I travelled the ECML from 89-93, you could still see the old Deltic depot at FP, abandoned and growing full of weeds.

Thanks @Broithe- the refurb prog started in 2008 but probably took time, as you say, to work through - think they went over to Caterpillar plant instead throughout the fleet. With all the lagging, and sound baffles that a ships decks and bulkheads imposes, I suppose the marine diesel noise is often much less clear than on a loco. I think that the new models will sound fab being put through their paces on some of the great ECML layouts out there.

The power unit was so effective (it was a marine diesel) that the Royal Navy was still using it in front line service until 2008. I saw one being started up in 1989 on an RN minesweeper. Not sure how the rail version was started but the marine version used shotgun type cartridges to initiate the combustion sequence. The Northern Ireland patrol ship (usually a Ton class) was Napier powered, so Deltic engines could be heard around the Irish coast from Lough Foyle to Carlingford. The locos were classic engines, worthy successors on the ECML to the A3s and A4s - great to see Accurascale producing such a fine model.

They are also one of the key names in high end 7mm scale -models - along with L H Loveless, Lee Marsh etc.

No problem to a man of your skills Mr H ….

This may refer to a c1900 state, but E L Ahrons, who saw the locos in the flesh c1890, explicitly says that the frames were green. (Ahrons, Locomotive and Train Working in the Nineteenth Century, Vol 6, p.57). The GNRI, prior to 1914, certainly did have a livery scheme with lined green uppers and darker coloured frames - described by Ahrons as ‘claret’ (p.70).

Lovely project - although I think most accounts seem to suggest the green was all enveloping: frames and all ! Not that I have a vested interest or anything, having recently done painted green frames on an MGW model ….

If Nelson had won the Battle Of Santa Cruz in 1797 the Canaries might now fall under eBay UK!

Excellent. As you say, a real Co Antrim style here.

I think a change of diet too if it’s making noises like that !

And a most useful development for Irish modellers seeking to do 4 mm scale 3’ gauge …..will be loads of useful bits and pieces now….as a former 3mm scale modeller I thoroughly recommend 3mm Society membership btw….

Also bear in mind that many sidings and lesser lines were ballasted with ash rather than stone. Chris Nevard has a good technique worth googling.

Excellent stuff. Loads of variety in the Scandinavian scene - have enjoyed some trips in that region.

Very nice indeed. Adding a smokebox door wheel might help the illusion further.

Great stuff - looks like Enniskillen cleaners have been at 101! Think it’s 41, though, as she has brackets on tank front that 42 didn’t have. See this image from Mike Morant https://mikemorant.smugmug.com/Trains-Railways-British-Isles/Irish-railways/Irish-railway-archive-3/i-76RJTpt

Well, quite. That last photo is simply fabulous.

I have seen a few round Cardiff and the Greater London area in recent months on ‘company’ duty.

Brilliant. On the whole, CIE narrow gauge locos seem to have been kept quite clean up until those last few years. 12 looked very different in 1959

I did a bit of trial and error here. I made the main structure from card, used quoins from plasticard and then gave the quoins a little skim over with a thin layer of DAS to give texture. But there’s a number of ways to skin this particular cat….as you’re finding out. Looking good though.

Nicely sets the scene at that end David. Subtle work as ever.