NorthWallDocker

James, I once knew very well the places you wish to represent in miniature. So I'm rooting for you. You probably already considered the hard reality that, as much as the real places fascinate us, we cannot reproduce them in miniature. We sometimes, though, can represent those places with the most iconic features. Thinking about the area you're describing, to me, the most memorable features are the Milltown bridge and the valley below. The distance between, say, Milltown and Dundrum is not necessarily a memorable feature. Iain Rice wrote many inspiring, insightful books about representing the real world in miniature. Before him, an American named John Armstrong wrote about model railway design. You might want to spend time immersing yourself in them, if you haven't already. I'm doing the same. You probably are already thinking this, but "selective compression" of a real place into a representative miniature design is what allows us to make something recognizable. You'll also want to think about what you really want your end goal to "feel like." Do you want to run model trains from one end to the other, recreating Harcourt Street Station to Foxrock (or Dundrum)? Or might you want to represent the feeling of the railway line, perhaps by having an around-the-room set of relatively narrow modular layout sections (perhaps 12 inches to 18 inches deep), where the train leaves Harcourt Street Station, crosses Milltown bridge and the river valley, then pulls into Dundrum, then perhaps circles back past your terminus? I look forward to your creative exploration.

IRM's news about the 800 locomotives motivated me to reserve one model of each locomotive. Three Irish steam locomotive models. The largest single purchase of railway models I've ever done, but well worth it to support such an important project.

John, heartiest good wishes to your wife, your 15-year-old, your mother-in-law, and you. Martin

Try offering them to Mayo Books in Castlebar: https://www.mayobooks.ie/ Or Charlie Byrne's Bookshop in Galway: https://charliebyrne.ie/ Someone who's not on this web board will run across them and benefit from them. I frequently buy certain "common" Irish railway books and magazines from independent book sellers in Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick. I'm near Chicago in the States, so "common" in Ireland is non-existent here. Another idea: the Cavan & Leitrim Railway preservation group in Dromod. Darragh Connolly is deeply involved.

United States: no. "Cheap" is not a value associated with ready-to-run models of Irish railways. If something has a value, then it also has a cost. Either the cost is invested with money, or the investment is time and skill.

Accurascale account email received, and set up, all the way out here in the U.S. Midwest. Looking forward to a rake of Park Royals later this year, whenever they come. IRM truly is "the next level in Irish railway modelling."

Might anyone on the IRM web board be interested in modelling historic U.S. and Canadian electric railways of the early 1900s through the 1960s in HO or 1:48 O scale?

Ah, only seeing now -- from the South Side of Chicago -- that Jonathan presented yesterday. LNERW1, your backup choice was not in vain.

@Gabhal Luimnigh@Colin R

PM sent.

There is no emoticon to depict "the ability to exist in a state of more or less endless annoyance at the world."

Agree. Just ordered a rake of four green coaches.

Great Northern Railway of Ireland locomotive coal wagons. Model kit available from Provincial Wagons: https://provincialwagons.com/kits-available/ Cavan & Leitrim Railway's Arigna Branch ran from the Arigna coal mines to Ballinamore. You'll find a handful of photos showing coal wagons here: https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/06/15/the-cavan-and-leitrim-railway-the-arigna-tramway/. A number of years ago, Foxrock Models (Simon de Souza) produced CLR coal wagons. Someone else apparently also did a casting or a 3D print: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/blogs/entry/24609-irish-interlude-3-cavan-and-leitrim-coal-wagon-now-with-chassis/.

Thank you, Colin. I sent a query just now about posting to the U.S.

While this thread was playing out, I bought four IRM MK2 coaches and six Magnesite ore wagons. The IRM MK2 coaches were sent from Dublin Friday and arrived in Chicago mid-day today, Monday. They're beautiful. I just wish I had more disposable income to dispose of with IRM models.

Welcome! You might want to look at the used locomotives, carriages, and goods wagons that the 009 Society sells. https://009society.com/news/shop/ The 009 Society currently has 84 locomotives for sale. If you specifically want to start Irish narrow gauge, there's this County Donegal Railway railcar: https://009society.com/news/shop/second-hand-sales/009-stock/009-locomotives/cdr-bogie-articulated-railbus/ And this Clogher Valley Railway "The Unit": https://009society.com/news/shop/second-hand-sales/009-stock/009-locomotives/clogher-valley-no-2-utility-vehicle/ One of the small makers of locomotive models offers a close representation of a Clogher Valey Railway locomotive and carriages in 009. For the life of me, right now I can't remember the name.

Yes. This. Agree.

Bachmann just announced new 009 carriages, so there's at least a niche market for a big maker to continue in. IRM hired a narrow-gauge model designer from another firm. My long-shot guess: a Tralee & Dingle Light Railway Hunslet 2-6-0, convertible from 009 to 00n3, in TDLR, Cavan & Leitrim, or West Clare Railway liveries. In business, you identify an unmet desire and create a new market.

Congratulations for your finds, Denis. Now, perhaps, some Halling motor bogies....

@2996 Victor and @Horsetan: Studio Scale Models already offer etched brass kits of the MGWR E class (J26). See http://www.studio-scale-models.com/Locos.shtml

I bid on the Cavan & Leitrim Stephenson loco, the Tralee & Dingle Hunslet loco 3T, and the coaches just for the Tralee & Dingle coach and maybe the Clogher Valley coach. (Colin R, Commerlad, or others among our 00n3 fraternity might want the IOM coaches.) The CLR locomotive is something I've sought for years now, but have not been able to acquire, even in kit form.

PM sent

Try expanding outward, rather than continuing to promote within the same single forum. Consider using Adverts.ie, RMWeb, definitely some of the Facebook groups for selling model trains. You might also look for specific groups on the Groups.io platform -- afinity groups for each of the railroads, for example. Your advantage is that you've got an unusual collection for Ireland, the U.K., and EU nations.

And yet, the GWR still got it wrong, and missed the chance to go 5 foot 3 inches.

Ah, thank you. That helps me focus on the little details, and how they compare. (Now where did I put my DN&G book....)