Barl

Event being held next month in Naas if anyone is interested. http://www.heritageweek.ie/whats-on/event-details?EventID=270

Great resource kirley and fair play for doing it. One to add to the list could be the closure of the Sallins to Tullow branch in 1959.

I'm thinking about repainting some MM mk2d (or AC stock if you prefer) Supertrain coaches to match the 'orange roof' IÉ livery. As far as I can tell there were 9 composites originally and 5 were converted to standards after some time. My question is, did composites often run in IÉ livery (black and orange roofed) mk2 rakes or was this rare?

You're right the RPA only look after the Luas and proposed metro lines, apologies I've had the RPA on the brain a lot lately. Maybe there will be inner-city freight transported by Luas trams in the future ha

Looks great so far and a nice mix of colours .

True that it could be bettered but the same can probably be said for lots of routes throughout Ireland. In contrast (and on a positive note) I can get from Heuston to Sallins in about 16 minutes on certain services, try beating that by car! I have never travelled by rail in the UK so I cannot comment on the comfort of the refurbished stock but, based on what others who have done have said previously on this forum, the 22ks are quite favorable and comfortable in comparison and I don't think having travelled one journey on them is enough to make the assumption that other stock is 'way better'. Rail freight in the UK is increasing due to the fact that heavy industry is still prevalent there, something that is not the case here and is not the fault of IE. The refurbishment of the 071's, the presence of the DFDS and IWT liners, IE's new emphasis on attracting freight contracts among others would suggest that there is a future for rail freight in Ireland. The fact that the NRA and the RPA are now, in essence, the same organisation would lead you to hope that there would be more cooperation in the future with regards to combining rail and road freight also.

The Phoenix Park tunnel is in the pipeline to open to Kildare commuter traffic at some stage next year. I don't see any point in improving speeds on non-main line routes as these are mostly short hop journeys. I have travelled by rail almost every day for the past 9 years or so and the quality of the service provided by IE in that time has increased significantly so its not all doom and gloom. We have one of the newest rail fleets in Europe while many parts of the UK are using 80's stock and as for the increased passenger numbers; surely this has something to do with the increase in the population around areas like London?

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I was just wondering if anyone knows what the issues are with the Elite and Hattons decoders? I have a few 201's and 071's to fit decoders to and I was thinking of trying these decoders (I can live with the lack of cab lights) but I'm also currently using the Hornby Elite controller. Is there a similar alternative that people on here have experience with?

Apparently the sand causes increased erosion on the rails although you would think restricting its use to times of 'fallen leaves' would make sense. I'm not sure if the current Luas trams use sanding but the new LCC Broombridge depot will contain a sanding facility for the trams.

The layout is looking great and the trackwork and scenery seem to blended together excellently. Looking forward to seeing some greenery

Hi TDR, its been years since I read it so sorry can't remember the number but I do remember there was a seaside scene in the front cover. There's a few pics which show the river on my layout thread which may be of use; http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/1043-Barls-Layout

To create a small river on my layout I borrowed an idea from an old Railway Modeller and used clear silicone to simulate flowing water. I found putting a layer of PVA on top of the river 'bed' and then covering it with the silicone sealant to work best. Not ideal in cramped locations due to the odour though!

Excellent video Heirflick Anyone know if the stop in Sallins was scheduled? I'm raging I missed it!

Thought as much. I was walking up that way to Platform 1 to get the 17.55.

Great pics Kieran. Were you the one standing, camera in hand, on platform 2 in Heuston today around 17.45 by any chance?

My condolences for your loss JHB. As a young civil engineer myself your father seems like a source of great inspiration to anyone in the profession.

Its been far too long since I posted any update here. I needed an engine shed for my dockyard/loco stabling area so I decided to scratchbuild one. I've made a start on the frame and included a few pics below. The roof will be the most difficult part I imagine.

That looks great so far and thanks for putting up the pics, I have one of these to build and these will be very helpful

That is just stunning, the level of detail is unbelievable!

Shouldn't they be the same? I always thought the only change to Craven's from the B&T livery to the IR/IE livery was the addition of the 2 white 3-inch strips above and below the black band. As far as I'm aware the mk3's and possibly the Galway mk2's were the only coaches to carry the brighter 'orange' livery but I could be very wrong there!

It would have to be a 121 or an A Class for me too. A 121 with a Mk3 Push-Pull set would be brilliant One of the main issues I can see with this is that; if the main delay in MM producing a 121 is the lack of funds due to unsold stock, there is the dilemma that a new model may attract more sales away from models already on the shelves.

Definitely Newbridge alright. The new ticket office just doesn't fit in with the existing buildings. I also used to travel to and from school in Newbridge so this station has mixed feelings. Before that my father used to bring us down to watch the trains on a regular basis. I remember the station master at the time (about 20 years ago) was a gentleman and used to show us around the buildings because he knew my grandfather from the Sallins signal box.

Great job as usual Anthony. The passengers inside the Park Royals really add to it too.

The layout looks great and what a fantastic collection of stock too