PorkyP

I certainly wouldn't object to the 32 mm gauge business, like you say it's only a mm each side..! As it's a bit of a rogue model anyway I'd be tweaking the build to suit as it progresses.. I've had a look at Slater's wheels, there's nothing that obviously fits with ten spokes, calculating up from 7mm you'd be looking at wheels quoted to be maybe 4ft 2ins or something, (in 7mm) pity they don't just give a straight mm size as well. These locos have inside frames and the wheels are quite visible. I'll probably experiment with my mad idea of making wheels, I'll try a couple, if I make a pig's ear of it, then I've only lost a few slices of steel...! I hadn't thought of a layout particularly, this big loco build idea came about accidentally like I mentioned at the start!...I was planning a 'little' 7mm Cavan & Leitrim set up and have an Alphagrapix Ballyconnell station which I was thinking of maybe butchering into a Ballinamore template !

Nice one Richie, this drawing you'd say was a better start point then?...I'm pretty sure Inchicore changed the chimneys for taller ones at some point on these locos, so perhaps the drawing is of an earlier incarnation, no excuse for dodgy measurement tho !...I've not cut anything out as yet so it's all possible to change, a cardboard mock up is a brilliant idea btw !

On a bit of a tangent I just purchased the 1890s original of this, it's the arrangement drawing of the 2-6-2 loco, its apparently 11" x 14" so a nice big piece, maybe this one will be the next build after the 2-6-0 ! For 8 GBP for a nice drawing of a classic Irish loco I thought it'd be rude not to grab it, will be goin straight on me wall !

Detail, again sorry about blurry focus..

This is the best I could do with the camera on this tablet thing of the other drawing...

Richie, that's brilliant ! ...I had a bit of a measure of the alleged dimensions and as you rightly say the drawing has to be a bit off..the only other diagram of this seems to be a tiny one in the very old Whitehouse Tralee & Dingle book, I'll try and photograph it but I never have much luck getting em in focus !...there doesn't seem to be another drawing of these locos I can find, the bigger 2-6-2 loco has a drawing that looks by the same hand as the 2-6-0 so likely the same issues. Anyway thanks again for taking the trouble to help and advise , and encourage me mad scheme!

Thanks again Eoin Tbh for 20 quid I may as well invest in the same one you use !... I thought the ones I have were likely to be less than ideal, you're dead right about the gun type being heavy and awkward , I'll have a look on Eileen's, I'll need the solder anyway. Lathes, I've actually had one or two in the past, I even had a heavy old Boxford in an upstairs flat back in the 80s sitting on scaff boards so it didn't go thru the floor ! I know what you mean about size but i really haven't got room for anything other than a small or 'model making ' type at the mo, they can also start to become very expensive too, I'll keep watch for something that's usable, tho will be a compromise for sure, but I've had a little bit of experience with them in the past so could probably choose something usable for the purpose I need. I'll try and find the M Sharman book too..if you do come across the wheel building video you mentioned tho ..! ps just got the book for €7 inc. so can't go far wrong there !

I was hoping a small torch would be useful as its something I'm happy using from 'previous life' but I take your point about melting everything..... this is the type of soldering irons I have, really designed for electrical wires i guess, sorry about blurry pic but you get the idea, the gun type has a double bent over tip which isn't exactly presicion tool but hopefully will do. I'll be best to get the proper solder, some flux and experiment with some odd scraps of brass to get the hang of it before trying anything else..

Good point I'd need to be wary of distortion, I've come across this in real life doing full size welding work! Eoin, thanks for the tutorial, I'll sit down with a drink and study that properly....a lathe, well I kick myself for selling the small one I had a year or two back, i thought I'd never use it!! ....I'm already looking at what's available cheap on ebay, it's probably something I'm going to want ongoing if I admit it... If you find the wheel making fillum that'd be grand ! ...I've got a view in my mind how I'd make them which I think is doable, he said..!!

I'd have been scary about plasticard on a big loco, but he's obviously made it properly with a lot of bracing, I have a bit of a thing about making everything OTT over engineered ! Where's a good place for ready made domes btw.? They're something that would be doable with effort but probably better if already available in the right size. Would I need both types of solder so later operations don't melt the earlier work? The thicker sections I could probably use a small flame torch on maybe...I remember they used to do tiny torches for lead work with a pin point flame that work off oxy acetylene, I've got oxy-a kit myself, the big stuff obviously, but doubtless could find one of the little lead burning ones on fleabay..

Some very nice models there, I particularly like your Skull & Skib. 4-4-0 . any kits are Way too expensive for the likes of me, it's got to be basically build it all myself.... I'll have a look at Worsley works and see if they've any bits that might help, I hadn't thought of the fact they could 'blow up' parts....having had a think, (more dangerous madness ). I reckon I could fabricate some wheels using thick walled tube, (you can get 32mm) with the spokes and centres filed out of flat sheet in one piece etc, all silver soldered together, they'd be much closer to the real ones than the best match I found, and about right for my drawing. 15mm scale ! Don't encourage me any worse than I am already ! You're almost in the area of steel fabrication now, I do welding and stuff in real life and if I'm not careful I'll be creating something that weighs as much as a car engine!..... Seriously, thanks gents for the great advice and suggestions so far, I've got a few lumps of 1mm brass sheet begging to be used and I've ordered a couple of bits at 0.5 mm. Soldering wise I've got a normal little 30w iron like you'd use on wire, and a 100w gun type thing, not sure either would be that suitable, in the past on general soldering I've used a gas torch, tho maybe a bit too wide a heat for a brass model ?.. I'd be needing differing melting point solders too I'd think, any advice on these is most welcome!

The nearest wheels I could find were from Dean Goods, meant for 16mm 'garden railways' the wheels are 30mm dia. (assume this dia. doesn't include flange,) and look like this, not perfect but would do...my drawing as it stands claims wheels of c. 31.5 to 32mm I just looked a a very old T&D book I've got and it reckons the driving wheels are 3ft (and a 1/2 inch) diameter and the pony wheels 2ft so a 30mm drive wheel is about right ( and me feckin drawings a bit big, aarrgh ! )

Cheers Richie!...I know its a bit barking, tbh in real life it's more likely to be a display model, (tho its always tempting to make a wagon or two and maybees see if you can get it all going!) I take your point about parts, tho I'm not fussed about the little people, the wheels, more so. I was toying with how I might fabricate those, (unfortunately I had a small lathe once, but like a proper eejit I flogged it! ) I saw available some wheels that might do but were a wee bit too small.. Now your plan of re scaling it sounds good if for instance it means you can get a set of wheels right away without having to hand carve the buggas out of solid ! If you're prepared to re scale a couple of drawings, that's incredibly kind of you, it's been, as you see, a bit beyond our pay grade, I'm more at home welding big bits of metal together meself! Having said that the re sizing drama has started me off on the idea of building a big scale loco which would otherwise not have occurred, and I do fancy the whole project now!....maybe the best plan is to verify what wheels I can get that are nearest to size and pattern then re scale around those?

Ooh, never thought of that, yer a genius dear sir !...as it's a bit of a one off anyway, when the Mrs has recovered from the stress, I could even nudge the drawing up a couple of mm to suit....tho at that size an extra 2mm on the track isn't too tragic... In fact having just shown the drawing to a steel rule, compared to the alleged dimensions, it's a tad oversize anyway so the loco and the track might kind of meet half way !

I may have done a terrible thing here... I was kindly sent a basic diagram of one of the Hunslett Tralee and Dingle locos, now the drawing was curiously in 6mm to the foot, I was experementin' in my crude way to try and scale it up, to 7mm with the help of the Mrs and her wee printer.. The thing is, this was elusive.. but I ended up with a nice drawing in 10mm to the foot !...looking at this turned me head a bit to thinking, hmmm that locomotive would be a monster !...and seeing as I was going to scratch build it anyway, what about trying it in 10mm scale..? Has any of you gents built an engine in 10mm at all ? I'm assuming there's nothing available in this size like wheels or whatever and you're looking at making everything... Go on lads, talk me out of it...

No course not!.. But if you want one and they're hard to find or crazy expensive it's an option.. Now that's a very fine collection that you have there...!

I always quite fancied one of these too, I saw someone on adverts ie trying to flog one for 160 euros !!! It would be an easy badge to make a copy of, filed out from suitable gauge sheet metal, lugs soldered to back, job done !

Oops..but it does show some nice detail of carriage ends and roofs etc !

I think it was Mitchell & Kenyon footage, they did some amazing stuff in the early 1900s kind of period, well worth looking at, I think the BFI has them archived, and a lot are probably on you tube, there's one I saw, a journey from the top deck of a tram , which was fascinating, I must check em out again and see if they did any more on the railways.. Just found the tram footage, it's Belfast 1901 apparently..

This is a great little bit of fillum of the line that gives a flavour of it , the railway action doesn't start till about 1min in btw... the staff uniform is very smart back then too!

Sure I never knew there was a railway tunnel under the Irish sea....

No worries, possibly best to pm copies .. as I suspect someone or other will get arsey about copyright !... I'll try and get a viewable pic or two and send em in a message if that's ok... Just sent in p.m.

I've got dimensioned drawings of the Cork & Muskerry loco 'Blarney' (circa 1919 as I recall) if it's any use I'll dig them out and post up a scan or picture, if I can work out how !

I've finally had a message back from 7mm NGA and paid for it, so hopefully should be on it's way. !

Whats a shame, and i kick myself now for selling it..I used to have a little clockmakers type lathe which would be very handy now...but at the time I thought i was "never going to use it" so stuck it on ebay.. Suppose we've all done that kind of thing and regretted it at leisure. Still as David says, you can improvise simple turning like he describes, I have ,somewhere, one of those cradle things you can mount a drill horizontally which would maybe assist that kind of operation. I just received "Smoke Amidst the Drumlins" btw, which has another nice view of this particular van, +a lot of great , good sized, photos of the C&L , also, as recommended above by Eoin, "The Tralee & Dingle Railway" by D Rowlands, again lots of excellent pictures, (inc a diagram of the T&D engine's backhead, something I was puzzling about for a loco I'll be making.)