Galteemore

Fab. Reminds me of 1979-1980 when 186 could be seen around Whitehead still in its Great Train Robbery livery !

Worth joining IRRS for access to photo archive. I did a quick search and there are a few pics of North City Mills in there.

Was big excitement in NI at one time about lignite on the old Antrim branch and I think exploratory plans were made for rail use, the old C class locos were acquired by NIR with this in mind - freight flow being down to Kilroot power station. I suppose there is still theoretical potential for this to happen if the economics and environmental impacts ever balance. Having looked up the old thread here on it, the plan even involved relaying the Monkstown-Greenisland chord.

I have a vague memory that there were ‘regional’ colours on the GN. What colours would have been used on the INW section for signal boxes, canopies and station window frames? For instance, Belturbet seems to have brown window frames on the station rather than the expected white. Fintona junction cabin seems to have a brown and cream theme rather than the green one sees elsewhere. Understandably - if frustratingly - colour photographs tend to focus on the stock rather than the stations, so it’s hard to get a clear picture of what was painted regionally. Just interested in case, say, one happened to be planning to build a model based west of Omagh…..am guessing @jhb171achill or @seagoeboxmay know….

Early colour shots of the 1948 Us suggest that Beyer delivered them in a fairly dark blue. That pic of 203 seems to bear it out

Fab work Patrick. Have you thought of putting a few slivers of red painted plastic bar between the frames of the UG? Would be a nice little hint at valve gear…..

Excellent work Patrick, and I think actually shows off lines of loco better

You’d be surprised who has managed it. Small loco with a few wagons and a traverser gives you a nice little layout. This is Colin French’s layout that I snapped a few years ago at Kettering Gauge O Guild show.

Another vote for O gauge. Can acquire small locos for a reasonable price nowadays - not that much more than OO. A Dapol Sentinel or Minerva Peckett will look well and have a real presence. You can use Slaters kits as a way to acquire some generic vans - just stick a big G S on the doors!

How exciting and interesting! Welcome aboard. Some really good work there. Would love to get my head around Silhouette cutting.

Most interesting. I was out running about 0600 this am near the GWR main line, and a lengthy passing freight brought this to mind. Several times a week I pass a metal recycling centre in Swindon which has its own siding and you will often see a class 66 in with scrap wagons. Destination is a steel facility inCardiff, about 60 miles away, with excellent motorway links, so an alternative option exists. But the simplicity of the loading process, and the sheer amounts involved, make it viable for rail. The Tara traffic just doesn’t seem to be in that space. Having used the Dublin-Drogheda road regularly in 1999-02, I was staggered upon returning to Ireland for a visit in 2018 to see how road-friendly the place is now. Rail traffic has an uphill struggle in the circumstances @Broithe outlines above - it was viable in 70s-80s Ireland but no longer, unless the distance and bulk is overwhelming.

Opportunity knocks @Wheelslip….

Go to local shows/swapmeets like Bray (assuming you’re Dublin based). EBay and adverts.ie are another one. Look around online and you’ll get an idea of what’s a fair price.

Rapido SECR 0-6-0 in grey might work - only need repaint smokebox !

Hornby Peckett is also a very small and characterful loco. Not far off one that the GSR had, either.

Hornby J15 isn’t far off. Stick a smokebox wheel on it and flying snail on tender and you’re well away. It will pass for a generic Irish 0-6-0. Try and get one in LNER livery as that won’t have a smokebox numberplate.

Let’s hope so, but I suspect it’s only because of the pruning that we have as much left as we do. I well recall Sligo in the 80s - Sligo Leitrim crews could still have brought a train in under semaphores, shunted down the quays, and then turned the loco and put it in the shed. All that infrastructure was still there. It was glorious, but it couldn’t last. Thanks to Ernie for this 1987 pic.

Fabulous livery and so iconically Irish. For some reason, when I was growing up it put me in mind of a liquorice all sorts…

Those Midland 4-4-0s, unsatisfactory performers as they arguably were, have a real presence. There’s almost something of a Prussian S6 or LNWR George V about them.

Great stuff Darius. Are you switching frogs and if so, how? I used w-i-t on a layout once and used separate rockers, but I know there are various ways…

It’s so long ago, that the VS never mind the Sligo tanks had never even touched Irish metals yet. But what a design the Jeep was. Still the RPSI’s most operationally effective loco - even if 171 is the most attractive!

And a little touch of a red fine-liner would do the trick …

It’s not 100% right. Should be shaded red. I have an ancient 7mm set from North Star - see below But it’s very close and will look fine !

Numbers 145-149 is your range of choice I think Patrick, as the model is of the 1948 batch rather than 1937 (you can tell as it has 3 plugs on the firebox). You’ve made a great job of that. I’d probably use a small amount of Humbrol ‘metalcote’ gunmetal on the handrails which will relieve the colour scheme a little.

Yes, quick smear of PVA on a fingertip should sort. Looks a great setup and some nice atmospheric shots by @LNERW1 show it off nicely