Galteemore

Too far north for me sadly. @jhb171achilldoes other expressions too. His face when someone mentions the first and last trains on the Achill line carrying the dead is a classic.

Excellent work. Always good to see people tackling brass stuff. Great result.

The top one is especially lovely. Can almost hear that blower cracked open and the engine gently simmering

David - I think you’d best prepare for a GNRI takeover at NPQ next time…..although this distraction from the SLNC is rather disturbing. I think it’s a case of Dundalktivitis which will no doubt pass…..I’m genetically predisposed to it. As a child I daily saw a GNR carriage crest on the wall at home, and a Joe Magill painting of a PP. Not to mention boxes and boxes of photographs and every Mac Arnold book (Galteemore senior had worked with Mac in the Northern Bank in the very early 60s and in later life was something of a liaison between Mac and his publishers/printers on occasion). As you know from taking over Richard Chown’s stock, it’s always a privilege to handle someone else’s work in what is rather a niche field. You might have noticed that I posed one of your vans with the new acquisitions. A rather crude M’ton is now chalked on it to give that definite SLNC connection! Rambling on here but what tipped me over the edge to bid on the van was the fact that my dad and his friend used to work the Antrim branch goods on a Saturday. The guard, who has long gone to his reward, found that visiting the Lisburn hostelries somewhat reduced his capacity. The wonderful Irish police court expression ‘drink was taken’ sums it up - a state of being somewhere between sobriety and intoxication. Two Belfast teenagers filled the breach and happily shunted the train at its various stops - including use of the shunter’s pole.

Now that’s very nice indeed. The U is very well done - all those key features like tablet catcher and tender numberplate really make a difference. Although as it’s carrying the lamp code for a stopping passenger I think the coaches might still be in Magherafelt

I think that’s a wise lesson @Mol_PMB- grab it when it’s there if you think it will be useful. Thanks for your eBay hints this past week!

Absolutely David. First thing I do when building a kit or a scratch loco is buy the wheels and axles just to have them laid by - everything else can be bodged after a fashion. This guy, it turns out,used to build locos on commission for people but the Irish models were his own pride and joy. These two items were the very last of the collection. One wonders what else was there ! The quality is outstanding. Although the motion is dummy, I think, is beautifully done. Once I get rid of that silicon appendage I’ll give it a run….it’s got jointed rods and hornblocks aplenty so should float along nicely. The brake van has working sprung axleboxes ….

Well @leslie10646you were correct of course. That GN brake van does look good at Enniskillen…..and look what brought it in….same seller was offering a 36.75mm SG. It needs some TLC but it’s built to an incredible standard with springs and plungers and goodness knows what. It may need a repaint but will try a clean first…..

Isn’t that your ‘someone has just shown me a wagon with an underframe painted black’ look JHB?

All Irish loco performance seems to have been measured by stopwatch and standard water/coal calculations. Nock doesn’t seem to mention any such vehicle. Had there been one it would have assuredly appeared in photos of the 800s when on trial.

That’s beautiful Leslie. Would look very much at home behind a GN blue loco.

Excellent- Hunslet cabside ones look tricky!

And it’s the manufacturer who’s selling it!

Thanks Paul. The roof outline seems similar to the Y motor van, and it’s got that classic GNRI panelling effect. Interesting how many variations there are on that basic design.

Very nice GNR van with lettering still evident !

This is rather wonderful and you do buildings very well Patrick. As @Mol_PMBsays, hard to do this sort of snow scene without it looking twee. This is very good indeed. I suddenly feel rather cold…

Here’s one fresh from the fight….

Don’t know what you mean - always found @Patrick Davey very composed…..

Fabulous David. That’s a mightily impressive van! Vote for Plastic Magic from me too - useful stuff

Agreed - all Irish modellers owe you a huge debt Leslie !

Thanks David. A PP on the Burma Road - what’s not to like? They were called ‘the wee bouncers’ by GN crews because of their springing - can just imagine a PP bouncing along near Tubbercurry…..

There are two main hazards with buying a half built kit off the web. One is that it may be incomplete. The other is that work done so far will be badly done. This PP arrived as a box of half-used etches and a few made up body parts. The chassis did look good in the eBay pics, and so it proved in real life. The body was mounted on a wooden block, which is a combat indicator that the builder knew their business. Having gone through the boxes, most of it seemed to be there, bar the tender chassis. It took longer than I would have liked to make this from scratch , but it’s more or less done now. Several attempts were required to get it right and I will fine tune it before final assembly. It will be sprung - albeit crudely - and the weight will be transferred to the loco as per Mike Sharman’s recommendations for 4-4-0s. The tender body carcass had been very competently assembled and just needed detail work such as lamp irons and water filler. The arrival of tender toolboxes from Laurie Griffin today mean that the tender is basically done. The loco needs a little more work….some of the cab parts were distorted by the time in storage - and horribly tarnished - but 74 is coming together. I had to desolder some of the existing work as the parts had not been assembled as per the kit instructions. Adrian’s very clear on the order in which things should be done and it’s not wise to ignore that. As you can see, the cab area is now more or less on track after some careful cleaning, metal bending/squeezing, and not a little soldering. I am a little alarmed to find that this is my fourth GN model in a row and I haven’t touched anything SLNC for a year…..I blame @leslie10646…. As an historian by training , it’s been fascinating to discover from the paperwork accompanying it that this was one of the first kits to be bought - the builder was on Adrian’s ‘expression of interest’ list, and this kit dates from 2001/2.

Fabulous to see a body shell which could so easily have been binned resurrected so successfully

It’s incredible. A must for any Irish modeller I’d suggest - esp if you model the pre 70s era.

Gordon Gravett also recommends a coating of scatter crumb before static application. This adds body and depth to the grass.