Bumble_Bee

Hi folks thanks for the likes and comments so far. 

I agree that this forum is a great place to host discussions, however my main aim with it is to raise the profile of Irish prototypes worldwide and get more people interested and involved. 

To this end, I believe that while forums are amazing for what they are, the simple fact is that to find it, someone would have to type in 'irish railway modeller' into their search engine and find it, but as much as we hate it, facebook is on most of our computers and our phones, so its much easier to reach people there. 

I do not envision the facebook page becoming a place of in depth discussion or sharing hobby tips etc, thats what this forum does best, rather I would like it to create excitement and raise awareness. 

The page will not take away from any other group, or this forum, but add to them. It might be the first thing people see, and from there they can be directed to here. 

As an example, a young american diesel modeller isn't going to be googling 'irish railway modelling' but if they see a post come across their facebook feed they might think 'huh that looks pretty interesting' and want to learn more. 

In terms of links with IRM/Accurascale, I am putting together a list of companies who currently offer Irish railway model products and will be posting that on the page for people to see, and I welcome being able to work together but I hope you can understand my intentions behind this are not to go behind anyones back so to speak but rather inspire other companies to get involved also. There are afterall tonnes of irish prototypes that have not yet been modelled, so there is plenty of room in the market.

Apologies if this sort of post isn't allowed on the forum, but I would like to share this. 

The last few days/weeks I've seen here and on facebook, people mentioning that they are unsure of how the likes of Murphy Models will be gauging interest for how many units to make for upcoming runs, with people expressing concern about maybe missing out because of limited numbers being made again. 

I can understand that back in the 90s etc, it would have been difficult to gauge interest in irish railway models, but in todays social media age I believe it would be easier than ever. 

I understand that MM and IRM for example have their own facebook pages, as do other manufacturers, and they can maybe use these to get an idea of interest, however I would personally like to add a bit more 'science' to it. 

To that end, I have created a facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Irish-Railway-Model-Enthusiasts-104105321748403

The aims of the page are the following:

1 - To reach as many irish railway modellers as possible, so that companies can use these numbers as a gauge of interest. (not the number of likes on the page, but participation in polls etc run by the page, as this allows for a more accurate guesstimate of interest)

2 - To raise the profile of Irish prototypes in other parts of the world, that can be reached on social media, which would further drive demand. This will show companies that its not just a handful of lads on a wee island in the atlantic that want these models, but that potential is there for a larger market. It will be particularly important to get momentum going in the UK and the US given their already large model railway markets. 

3 - To be completely neutral. The page would aim to work with companies to gather information for releases by running polls etc and gauging interest, however the page would not accept sponsorships or advertising from any company. There will be no favouritism or hate thrown towards any model railway manufacturer, the aim is to raise awareness and raise ideas etc, not to do reviews on existing products. We would also like the page to become a 'two way street' in the sense that as well as companies being able to gauge interest, people can pitch ideas to the manufacturers (the method by which this will be done is yet to be decided, but I was thinking perhaps something like monthly polls where folks can add their own suggestions and vote, and the winner of each poll vote can be presented as an official 'suggestion' to the various manufacturers.) 

4 - To push the case for more RTR Irish models, in under-represented areas (such as steam, or NIR for example). Don't get me wrong, kit builds are great and this forum showcases that well, there are tonnes of talented people making awesome kits, however, the reality is that most model railway folks are not at that level, and more RTR models on the market will be extremely important for getting people involved in the hobby who may not have the skills to make brass kits yet, everyone starts somewhere afterall.

5 - To build on point 4, to brainstorm and suggest ways for accurate entry level models to be made. (No I am not talking about Hornby doing their orange hymeks or anything like that lol), I am talking about, for example, a railroad level locomotive that is representative of a real Irish prototype. This step is super important for getting the next generation involved. It may also be a way for certain manufacturers to dip their toe into the Irish market and see what happens.  

At the moment, the page is very sparse as I have only just set it up, but if we can get interest going and get it growing, then in my view it would be a great way to show companies that there IS in fact more of a market for it than they realise. My nightmare would be for MM for example to underestimate interest and only produce very small numbers of the announced stock, only for it to be hoarded and flogged on Ebay in a few years time for extortionate prices. Would it not be better for everyone involved to have accurate expressions of interest so that supply can meet demand? 

This of course relies on community support and engagement, so if anyone here is interest please feel free to give the page a like and to share it with people who will be interested. Also if anyone has suggestions or ideas for the page please let me know. 

I know model railway manufacturers work months and years ahead, so it is unlikely that this push will see any immediate results because most companies are probably already working on their 2022 and 2023 products, but we can use this time to build momentum and get involved. 

So what do you think?  

(PS - I would also like to say in case it is brought up, this page is in no way designed to be 'competition' to any other group on facebook, or to these IRM forums. Unlike these groups and forum, it is designed to be as neutral as possible and as public as possible, because I hope to raise awareness and ideas rather than building a group or community as exists on this forum and various facebook groups. The groups and the forums are fantastic, but very different to what I am envisioning with this public page. )

I'm in NI but friends in the south tell me its more dependant on who its sent by than anything else. Royal Mail/An Post seems to have fewer issues, but some of the private couriers have been shockingly bad to deal with. They don't seem to know their way around a sheet of paper never mind any kind of new tax documents  

On 7/3/2021 at 6:13 PM, murphaph said:

I'd certainly take a rake of Cravens with updated running numbers. How will PM judge demand I wonder? Just asking the retailers?

On 7/3/2021 at 11:37 PM, CFD said:

Yes, this was also my question earlier on in the thread as these would be top of my list....be interesting to see how interest might be measured...

 

Hi all,

Apologies if this sort of post isn't allowed on the forum, but I have been having these exact same questions myself over the last few weeks and decided to do something about it. 

I can understand that back in the 90s etc, it would have been difficult to gauge interest in irish railway models, but in todays social media age I believe it would be easier than ever. 

I understand that MM and IRM for example have their own facebook pages, as do other manufacturers, and they can maybe use these to get an idea of interest, however I would personally like to have a bit more science to it. 

To that end, I have created a facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Irish-Railway-Model-Enthusiasts-104105321748403

The aims of the page are the following:

1 - To reach as many irish railway modellers as possible, so that companies can use these numbers as a gauge of interest. (not the number of likes on the page, but participation in polls etc run by the page, as this allows for a more accurate guesstimate of interest)

2 - To raise the profile of Irish prototypes in other parts of the world, that can be reached on social media, which would further drive demand. This will show companies that its not just a handful of lads on a wee island in the atlantic that want these models, but that potential is there for a larger market. It will be particularly important to get momentum going in the UK and the US given their already large model railway markets. 

3 - To be completely neutral. The page would aim to work with companies to gather information for releases by running polls etc and gauging interest, however the page would not accept sponsorships or advertising from any company. There will be no favouritism or hate thrown towards any model railway company, the aim is to raise awareness and raise ideas etc, not to do reviews on existing products. 

4 - To push the case for more RTR Irish models, in under-represented areas (such as steam, or NIR for example). Don't get me wrong, kit builds are great and this forum showcases that well, there are tonnes of talented people making awesome kits, however, the reality is that most model railway folks are not at that level, and more RTR models on the market will be extremely important for getting people involved in the hobby who may not have the skills to make brass kits yet, everyone starts somewhere afterall.

5 - To build on point 4, to brainstorm and suggest ways for accurate entry level models to be made. (No I am not talking about Hornby doing their orange hymeks or anything like that lol), I am talking about, for example, a railroad level locomotive that is representative of a real Irish prototype. This step is super important for getting the next generation involved. It may also be a way for certain manufacturers to dip their toe into the Irish market and see what happens.  

At the moment, the page is very sparse as I have only just set it up, but if we can get interest going and get it growing, then in my view it would be a great way to show companies that there IS in fact more of a market for it than they realise. My nightmare would be for MM for example to underestimate interest and only produce very small numbers of the announced stock, only for it to be hoarded and flogged on Ebay in a few years time for extortionate prices. Would it not be better for everyone involved to have accurate expressions of interest? 

Brilliant to hear! Loving their 'lockdown project' kits as well, a great idea for kids bored in the house.

I wonder though if people will continue their newfound railways after lockdown or will there be a country wide 'beeching axe' as kids return to school and adults return to work  

I have a love/hate relationship with hornby though after what they have been doing to other manufacturers like Hattons and Rails by trying to undercut them with the rocket coaches and the new pre-grouping six wheelers! 

Hattons coaches are far superior to the Hornby ones though so I'm looking forward to getting my set. 

Thanks for the input so far folks! 

My plan is to do a series rather than a single volume, as it would very quickly become too large and probably expensive to buy. Here is my idea so far:

Book 1 - Broad gauge steam era (any wagon designed 1834 until 1970)

Book 2 - Broad gauge diesel era (any wagon designed from 1970 until 2020)

Book 3 - Narrow gauge and industrial wagons. (may include broad gauge private owner wagons here instead of book 1 depending on space) 

(Depending how large these 3 become, they may be split even further still, but I do not wish to do 1 book for every railway company as that would very quickly become overwhelming and there may not be enough to warrant a whole book on each individually) 

I aim to strike a balance between being historically informative enough for rail enthusiasts/historians to learn from, but also with enough specific details for modellers to make use of. 

Some books in my collection are either one or the other, great pictures and details with very little info about the stocks design or use, or else pictureless volumes with great information but no visualisations. The one book I feel strikes the best balance, and has been my main inspiration for starting this project is 'Locomotive Compendium, Ireland' by Colin Boocock.

In terms of what wagons will be covered, ideally I would like to include as many types as possible, but this will probably be restrained depending on what available information there is on each type.

I would love to do a full page per wagon, with line drawings, at least one good photo, a table of information (measurements etc) and a few paragraphs on the history. Of course quite sadly however, not all wagons that ever ran on irish rails have drawings/photos still existing. 

I also must clarify that at the moment this is in the very early stages and still a personal project, I do not yet have any publisher/editor etc and am doing this on my own with what I can find for the moment but when I have the idea formed into something more solid I will be taking it to the next level officially  

12 hours ago, RobertRoche said:

For fading paint a very very light airbrush of white across the surface might be enough. I just found this video of a method using oil paints: 

  

thats awesome!!! looks like a great idea I will be certainly trying that. 

I don't have an airbrush and have no intentions of getting one any time soon so this technique sounds perfect for me  

2 hours ago, irishthump said:

I dislike airbrushes for fading effects, the result never looks natural to me.

 

You can also use enamels for dot filter techniques. This class 25 was done that way although I didn’t go for a heavily faded look.

 

thats lovely! 

I've got quite decent at doing dirty washes etc to make models look grimy, but making the paint faded rather than chipped/dirty is still something I'm trying to work out. I will be trying that oil dot idea though

1 hour ago, airfixfan said:

Have a colour photo of a van body built to an old Midland diagram by the LNER during WW2 for the NCC

Oooh id love to see that! 

13 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

BCDR wagons were a thing apart; the designs were very specific to that system, and quite unlike those on any other system. Des Coakham's book is the best source on these. The IRRS may be able to assist with unpublished illustrations.

 

Certainly! I have emailed IRRS and a few other societies/places that might have such illustrations but due to the ongoing pandemic etc most folks are unable to access their respective archive sites etc so I will have to play the waiting game for a while. 

Also got in contact with the LMS and Midland societies for possible leads on NCC stock. 

Hi folks, 

My layout is based on a fictional preservation railway and as such I will be having a few carriages in a 'storage awaiting overhaul' siding, so would like tips on weathering them. 

I am well acquainted with weathering locos and metal frames etc with rust, but would love some tips on making a 'sun faded paint' look if such a thing could be achieved. 

I have attached a pic found on the internet of a Mk2 at Whitehead for an idea of what I mean. Especially interest if anyone has ideas for the lichen/green growth and the sunbleached dayglo doors. 

Thanks! 

3 minutes ago, airfixfan said:

Interesting choice and correct only one book published about NG rolling stock only. Even less on most of the Irish BG companies as well

I recently got a copy of 'Belfast and County Down railway: an irish railway pictorial' which has a full chapter at the back with details of wagons etc which is fantastic, but the only book of the series to do so sadly. (Although I don't yet have all of the southern ireland railway books in the series yet so maybe they have details also)

4 hours ago, Garfield said:

 

This might come in useful, too...  

Thats brilliant!! Thanks for sharing. Maybe I will go with the later models since I was born in 1995 (sorry if that just made everyone feel old haha). I do love the day-glo panels after all! 

My layout is a fictional preservation railway so technically anything goes in terms of mixing/matching new and old stock of different liveries etc anyway. I just wasn't sure if some of them were used more for freight or passenger work with specific liveries/branding.

16 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Eagerly awaited, Bumble Bee, by many here! It's a huge topic.

Thank you! I hope I can do the topic justice

2 minutes ago, ShaneC said:

Have a feeling you're talking about FDM printing here not SLA. Pretty much all the latest SLA printers print at resolutions as low as 50-55 microns (20th of 1mm).

You'd be hard pressed to spot a layer line with the naked eye on a Z-scale model (see-below) at that resolution let alone a OO-scale model - no sanding or acetone baths required:

(image from reddit)

oh wow! thats impressive

Fair enough, I eat my hat, I wasn't aware that there were different types of plastic printing available yet

15 minutes ago, airfixfan said:

Have a vast library of Irish Railway books. What are you planning to write a book about?

I plan to do a book (or more likely, series of books) about Irish railway wagons. There are loads of great books about railway companies, locomotives and carriages but so far I haven't been able to find any about wagons (perhaps one exists, but I in all my searching so far have not come across one other than 'narrow gauge rolling stock - an irish railway pictorial). 

My idea is to have them be interesting and informative for those interested in the history, but also have enough photos and detail for modellers to get use of also.

Hi folks, 

I am in the early stages of working though a book or series of books on Irish railway wagons and would appreciate some responses to see if its something people would be interested in. 

Its something I started as a bit of personal research, but seeing as there is currently no books on the market that deal with wagons specifically, maybe it is a gap peoples libraries that they would be interested in filling? 

Also, if anyone would like to, I'd love suggestions on what modellers would like to see in this type of book. I plan to have as many good quality photos and even drawings if I can, but would like other ideas/feedback. 

Thanks! 

3D printing isn't as cheap as its touted to be honestly especially when you want high fidelity stuff. Even then, its never ever going to be as smooth as injection moulded plastic without a lot of work. Yes there are ways to do it (acetone baths etc) to smooth print lines but it also smooths edges and corners and details. 

3D printing is fantastic for large scale things like costume props (I regularly use 3d printed kits to make star wars blasters etc), but for something small like 00 gauge models its just never going to be clear enough. 

Whenever 3d metal sintering gets better though, THAT will be better than injection moulding because that could have similar levels of detail to die casting

I have been wanting to pre-order for ages but I can't make my mind up which one I want haha. 

Does anyone have a quick/handy guide on which liveries ran with which type of trains etc? I'm more of a steam era modeller so Diesels are all greek to me  

Hi all, I'm new here and thought I'd get a bit of convo going 

Does anyone here have a library of Irish railway history books?

Right now I'm getting through the Midland/Ian Allan Publishing series of 'Irish Railway Pictorials', fab books with tonnes of pictures to keep my young mind interested haha. 

I'm also in the planning stages of my own book but since Midland/IanAllan went under I'm not sure where I am going to get it published haha.

What books are on your shelves?? 

I for one would absolutely LOVE any kind of Irish steam loco!! 

I think the Bachmann ones were a hard sell back in the day because of the nature of those N class models being a bit of a lemon (tender draw bar is absolutely daft and keeps causing derailments on mine). 

With the RPSI cracking out the W class, it would be amazing to see a 00 gauge version to coincide! Would be the most sensible option given how much fanfare there will be around the loco when it is completed. 

As others have said, tooling for a W class would also allow for the WT and the British cousins of the two. 

In my view I'm surprised that there hasn't been a push to someone like Hornby to get more involved. Bringing 'railroad' level pricing to the Irish railway market would get a lot of people into the hobby who otherwise can't afford to, and I think it would be a lot more popular than people thing! 

For example, would only take a repaint/redecal to make an NCC jinty from Hornby's current Jinty model. Dunluce castle could be made from the old Dapol 2P tooling also! The possibilities are infinite if only someone could make the case for it. 

If you look at what is happening in the UK for example, Hornby and Bachmann are making great waves in the pre-grouping/early Big4 market, bringing previously unseen prototypes into reality. 

In my view its only a matter of time before the jump is made to Irish steam. Its not just the dream of a handful of local steam enthusiasts either, I know people from all over who are fascinated by our prototypes and would probably love to get their hands on a model.