meathdane

We've had quite a taking to the lovely A Class! Must get hold of a lovely silver one before they disappear! One during daytime hours, the other at night! Lights make all the difference!

How could you have breakfast without oil to cook it with? And how could I have an oil train without a safety lamp? Temporarily wired for a systems check until the bridge rectifiers arrive, might add a stay alive capacitor in the line yet. Weight needed to be added as the kit is very light and causing an occasional pickup issue, as well as helping to offset the resistance from the wipers, should have gone with the axle spring pickups in hindsight

Someone has to supply the country with their breakfast condiment of choice!

Another day another wagon awaiting Kadees, a Dapol Class B tanker wagon ready for service, 4 to go! Weathering hasn't been fixed in yet, not 100% happy with it, and not decided on Decals, most pictures I've seen have them plain black with just a running number or in their original Esso livery, I may paint them in both fashions Im starting to build up a fleet of unfitted wagons as seen behind a suspiciously clean A15. Could also do with a layout underneath them.... I need to get on to Leslie after next payday for a few H Vans to compliment the appropriated ex-SE vans and a 20' flat as a barrier wagon

Thanks Noel! I have a heap of Seep PM-10s I was gonna use for the main layout, but I'm going a different direction so I'll probably just repurpose them for this project to save some money and time considering I already have the motors and point switches

It's been a modelling marathon this week! First board down, tracks laid and testing underway, pleased to report no issues! On to point motors, uncoupling magnets for Kadees and then scenics! Decided to forgo laying cork, the shelf seems to absorb the running noise, possibly due to the thickness of the material. But past that, I'm very happy with how everything has proceeded so far! Snapchat-2128749771.mp4

Thanks Leslie! Much appreciated! The envelope will be return to sender for more kits soon. They've given me the bug for wagon building! Because I them I've actually built some tanker wagons I've had sitting in the pile for 2 years, so thank you for that!

I'm on a roll this week! Making use of some time off to finally get to the wonderful Bullied Corrugated opens supplied by @leslie10646 at provincial wagons. As a first time wagon builder, these kits proved to be an absolute dream to cut my teeth on, and produced some absolutely amazing wagons! However I've just noticed I put one set of brake shoes on the wrong way around..... Oops must fix that! But past user error I cannot recommend them enough and I'd urge anyone to go ahead and order yourself some! Just waiting on some Kadees and they can enter service as my first true pieces of Irish rolling stock! Thanks again Leslie!

OfFirst scratch built building underway, a small shed for a shunting engine still have detailing to do on it, need to add a vent for steam and diesel fumes, some gutter work, downpipes, windows and a other bits before painting It's going to sit on a foundation on the layout so I don't need cutouts for the rails in the door. Quite enjoying this scratch building stuff, first attempt at it and I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying it!

Few A Classes appeared on Adverts. Might be some use to those missing a running number or two! And not scalping prices either!

Hi Robert, Some fantastic points there, and yes there is a desire to expand, but also theres a possibility of moving coming up in the future and I'm not sure of the space I'll have, so it's a case of having it all as a modular setup, disconnecting the wiring with plug type block connectors for ease of transport. It also means I can change around the running characteristics of the layout so I never get bored, the other thing I'm trying to keep in mind is to keep as many boards as possible self contained to a degree that in the case where I have only enough space for one board, that I can still run trains without needed a full setup, even if it is less than ideal. A station board is something that has crossed my mind, with a small goods shed and a passing loop, however I'm mainly thinking in freight terms at the moment, but it's a thought process I'm going through, to possibly have a second 'main board' that can be connected to the factory module to give a nearly 11 foot run in ideal circumstances with plenty of operation. I had given thought to a stabling area, but I do need to keep the wagons in mind, I want to try and minimise the amount of stock and locos I need to put on and take off the layout, so storage space comes before scenery in that case, but I have put thoughts into it As for the bend, I do have a plan to create a scenic break to disguise it, along the lines of what you were suggesting. I'm still very much in the planning phase, and have plenty of ideas in mind. The factory board is having track laid at the moment because I'm happy with the design of it, the rest is a case of more tinkering and thinking. Thanks for your input, some really good points there Dane

Hi All So, Its been a hot minute, and after a lot of thought and consideration, I've decided against my original idea, I want operations involved, so i decided on the following design, its a modular shelf layout, it can be put together a number of different ways. There are 4 baseboards, including the 'main' board, a bend, a large fiddle yard and a shorter headshunt/fiddle yard. The main board is a sugar factory, which has the ability to store 7 wagons in the loop, and the same in the long siding. It can also double up as an inglenook puzzle. Small shunter shed with a fueling point gives me the option of running a tank wagon in the scene as well as housing a shunter on scene. Plenty of operational interest involved with it, and the possibility of up to 3 locos on scene at any one time, while leaving enough space for all of my engines to uncouple without fouling any points in a standalone setting with the exception of my Mogul which would foul one point, however there's plenty of other places for it to wait. The bend is purely scenic to bridge the gap and allow the layout to wrap around any wall if needed, I'll likely include a signal and farmland surrounding the track work. The larger Fiddle yard can act as a double through baseboard accessible from either end of the board and plenty of loco/wagon storage as well and display of my locomotives when not in use, I'll likely use Peco insulfrogs for this section The smaller headshunt is for space constraints if needed and to allow trains to exit on the right and run around when operating everything together. Keep in mind this is not to scale, this is a rough sketch to see if i have missed anything and imagine how it works, as well as mapping out how many points I'll need and of what kind. Primarily going to make use of Peco Mid radius points for the main board and small fiddle yard, and short radius for the larger fiddle yard for storage, just for running characteristics of the Mogul and its dislike of short radius points. with the exception of the larger fiddleyard, all points will be live frog and motorised. Thanks all, Dane

Amazing stuff! the attention to detail here along with the track weathering is just wow!

Only 3 hours to go!

I've a few on the wish list, A RTR beet/double beet wagon definitely top of the list, running from steam until 121/071/141 operations, huge lifespans on them! Next are the 20' flats, modularity and loads, relatively modern, and a great base for kit bashing up prototypes and one off wagons 'H' vans are up there too, again, well traveled and scope for different liveries. Cattle wagons, not particularly an Irish railway without them, they were the reasons some lines stayed open as long as they did! Tankers because, well, tankers! Lots of use for Irish depots and an easy goal because of the existing 'A' and 'B' tank wagons on the market! Lots more, but Irish Freight is more interesting to me than coaching stock! (outside of 6 wheelers!)

You might get lucky, I've ordered a few bits from different suppliers and have had mixed results. Took 2 weeks for an order from DCCconcepts to arrive plus i got hit with customs, however, it only took 4/5 days for a parcel from Provincial Wagons to arrive and didnt get hit with customs. it must be luck of the draw because my order from Provincial was more than my order from DCC!

The Beetles were popular here too. The first ever Beetle produced outside Germany was produced here. In Ballsbridge in the old tram depot no less (possible modelling idea?) They averaged approx 3,000 units per annum until the late 80s, so having an Irish based layout without a bug would be a sin in my eyes!

Thanks for all the replies and help this evening WestCork and JHB! Very much appreciated, I had considered the D class, but I wanted to go a little more outside the box, but the D class is on the radar too, don't worry! Bit if a blessing and a curse having to make our own models, a curse in that we can't run our steamers out of the box, but the models are ours and ours alone, like JHB said WAAAY less standardisation than in Britain, so maybe in a sense we're being a little bit prototypical in that fashion

I bow to your knowledge JHB! That answer about settles it for me. Off I go to find a Peckett, then the 88DS on release then the Jinty, etc etc etc! I've learned more on this forum on the last few months than I ever did in school! I love being around people with such a passion for a subject like yourself JHB, I'm looking forward to my next few years on this forum!

Please don't shoot me here, but with a few alterations and removal of some of the more ornate features of a RTR Peckett, I reckon it would have enough of a passing resemblance considering I do want to put a fictitious wheel guard around the loco, as an interim until I build up the skill to build a true kit form Hudswell and Clarke/Bandon 0-4-0 All things considered, it will be a fictitious factory, in a fictitious town with a fictitious locomotive, so it's more of a rule one kind of deal I suppose, drawing from real world inspiration (god that sounds unintentionally snotty but I do genuinely appreciate all the input) An 88DS, Jinty, G class or No.90 would possibly be far easier and I'll probably end up with all four, because the shunting bug has hit hard! There is that draw to the Peckett, not sure why it's there, possibly because to me, they are the quintessential shunter, who knows! Maybe it's the modelling challenge of making it resemble the Allman, or scratch building the guards. I realise I've the attention span of a squirrel, and bounce from topic to topic, but I'm loving this, I've really began to enjoy all this! Also apologies for the confusion on the No.90 model, my fault for the misunderstanding, Mark has done a superb job on that!

No.495 was the Allman distillery shunter, being a regauged 0-4-0 peckett correct? Apologies about being hung up on the Peckett idea, I've seen the model running and I must admit I was quite taken by it, but at this stage, I'm just looking for an excuse to add a Peckett to the collection! It might get the wheel guard treatment if that's the case. In my opinion "Guinness" looked smashing with the guards in place, really screams industrial loco to me! So for the Peckett it would be along the lines of the factory bought the locomotive from Peckett, and following a non fatal incident with a inexperienced yard hand, decided to fit guards to the loco to prevent injuries while non railway trained workers worked in the vicinity of it. Does that sound plausible enough or am I going beyond the realms of plausibility here and going too far astray? But provided the 88DS is as good a runner as the 48DS (hopefully being just an elongated chassis and body), Id probably go for both! And No.90 after seeing how well WestCork's model turned out! The whole reason for me going towards an Irish outline over british was so I wouldn't buy so many locomotives, because in my unlearned ignorance, I didn't think Ireland had so many unique and interesting locomotives, this there wouldn't be as many models! But I'm happy (in a soon to be broke kinda way) that I was wrong! I actually have a Jinty that died a death that I've weathered and removed the motor from to use as a Y class destined for the scrapheap as a siding filler, trying to capture the idea of the death of steam here in Ireland!

They look quite good actually! What are the quality and fit of the prints like onto the Terrier chassis?

I had forgotten about No.90! Thanks for reminding me! Just a new coat of paint, a pair of Kadees and off I go? sounds good to me, they seem to be decent little performers all things considered! plus Hornby have managed to squeeze in space for a DCC decoder which is a massive bonus!

With the Rustons, the wagon does have additional pickups, though I'm planning to use electrofrog points, so hopefully that will nullify the need for the wagon for running I see what you mean about the difference between the Peckett and Hudswell, i wasn't sure if Peckett was a catch-all term for that style of locomotive (like Mogul), but seeing the two side by side, i can actually see quite a number of differences, the dome for example is a lot flatter on the Hudswell, and the bufferbeams are a different shape to the Peckett, which sits higher on the running plate. That seems to be quite a bit of work to get it closer to the Hudswell, i assume there's no rtr Hudswells in the pipeline, so Ruston it may be, unless theres a 3d body for the Peckett chassis either?

HI all, Now that I've ordered some provincial wagon bullied opens, my thoughts have wandered to shunting engines, I'm re-imagining my shelf layout to be more of an industrial shunting layout, so I will be in need of a shunting loco. It will be a generic factory setting, not based on anywhere or anything in particular, just for myself to have some fun shunting, but I would like an Irish twist to it. Any loco I choose may get a fictitious private livery, so it does give me a bit of scope for non-prototypical and "what if" liveries. What I do want however, is to take a bit of precedent from reality. Use existing examples as though the company ordered their own shunter/purchased one from another company/CIE I've been considering a few options, in both steam and Diesel, as this will be of no fixed era The Ruston/Sentinel locos, I've caught glance in the forums that some companies purchased similar locomotives here, How close/how much chopping would one require to resemble an Irish variant (re-gauging to 21mm aside, I'll be sticking with standard 00) No.3BG "Guinness" at Whitehead has caught my eye. How close are the Hornby 0-4-0 Pecketts to "Guinness"? To my untrained eye they look very close, however I could be well off the mark! I wouldn't mind having a go at the wheel guards "Guinness" originally wore at the brewery as a bit of a modelling challenge for myself. The most obvious one for steam is the NCC 'Y' Class, which is simply a Fowler Jinty repaint. For the diesel brigade, it would likely be the Silverfox G class, and that would likely get the BnT livery. The 'G' class is obviously the most accurate being based on an actual Irish prototype, However i would like some opinions on the feasibility of a Peckett conversion, considering I would be planning to hide the running gear with the guards, would there be much involved? I would like to do this with a relative degree of accuracy, But due to the fictitious nature of the industry and the variability of industrial locos, I do have a little room to play. Many thanks and Kind Regards, Dane