Billycan

Daughter had a parcel posted from the UK that she was not expecting to pay any charges for. She got a text asking her to click a link to pay. I don't think An Post send out texts. They send a card complete with reference number and tracking ID Number inviting you to pay either online at their link or through a Post Office. She didn't pay anything and later when she was at the concierge where she lives she was told they had a parcel for her. No fee due. In a different incident, two days later she got a text asking her to urgently transfer €200.00 to an account and it was signed, Mum. She was naturally suspicious (urgent transfers like that might normally be the other way around) so she rang her Mum. No such request. Scams? I have some ModelU figurines in the system and I have paid the VAT and Admin Fee as per an An Post card request. Expected they be delivered this morning (Mon.). Hopefully tomorrow.

Just posting some photos from the early days of modelling at WR&A. The motivator was to get an idea as to what this 'new' DCC thing was all about. So, a simple section of trackwork was needed. Started with maps of the City of Dublin Junction Railway from Townsend Street to Westland Row. These maps are from 1889 and the section from Townsend Street to Pearse Street was ideal because it had a left hand and right hand crossover. So, plenty there to understand about wiring track and point motors. Soon I had 3 sections of track like this - A straight section of arches from Townsend Street to Pearse Street, A bridge section to cross over Pearse Street and a curved section that passes through Trinity College to Westland Row. It was fairly simple and straight forward and an NCE PowerCab provided to power. I had no nice DCC locos so 2 Hornby standins were chipped. One is the much maligned Hymec and a 0-4-0 flying snail green steam loco. These were used to test every inch of track I have and they now have a special place at WR&A with a senior claim on this south east main. The bridge was a simple mockup cut from card to give an idea of heights. Skirts of the embankment arches were added. Pearse Street bridge was upgraded to an MDF version. Some buildings was added at Pearse Street. Then Westland Row. And then all together with a section of roadway.

Just moving this photo to here so as not to hijack the Modelling Tip thread. I have 2 suggestions as to the use of this premises. One is that it was a monumental marble works in the early 1900s and the other is that it was a Monsell Mitchell premises probably 1950s-60s. I don't know how much is covered by the boarding up, but the doors and the columns either side of them look original. Or is it boarded up at all? Is it all original simply painted over? And information would be welcome.

Boarded up shopfront under Pearse Street railway bridge. First photo is of a hand drawn representation (too small). Next is my working photograph of the actual which was photocrafted to the image shown in no 3 (too big). No. 4 is a smaller version that was also abandoned for some reason. The latest version is just coming to completion in THE WORKS @ WR&A and should be finished for March 17. Hand drawn Working photograph Photocrafted image (too big) Another abandoned version

Black Toyotas are popular as taxis in Dublin. Are there any 1:76 scale black models of Toyotas since c2010?

Greetings and best wishes this Christmas morning agus Beannachtaí na Nollag oraibh go Léir.

More branding Link to LIMA Murphy Models - Page 37 - Photos of Models - Irish Railway Modeller where there is some discussion towards the end of the page and this photo Also this And some more.

DART 8118 and A-Class 018 on Dargan Day specials, 17 December 2022, for 188 years at Westland Row.

Looks like there were 6 turntables at one stage with a another one up the line towards Westland Row on the engine siding. This would have been opposite the over track signal cabin and there was also a shed, water tower (structure still there) and a pit. Interesting that none of the turntables shown here appears to have anything to do with the working of the Engine House. It would make a super model.

The attention to detail make the train arrival look so realistic. Great layout. How do you do the different 'manhole' covers?

Top photo is the Iron Bridge, St James's Walk at Mallin Avenue with Rialto Bridge in the far distance. Buildings on left are the old Fatima buildings now demolished and replaced by new apartments. The canal is now the Luas track. Lower photo looks like the canal harbour at the corner of Long's Place all now redeveloped too.

The litter on the apron looks so realistic. Great photos.

Still hopeful of someday knowing if the sister loco at Broadstone had a similar name.

Agreed a to-do project. Lighting makes a huge difference. Three dedicated drills so no changing of bits as you go. Nice idea Eoin.

Only every painted card once and it warped. Won't do that again. Windows on Westland Row are gold coloured and I found some gold coloured pens and used the one illustrated. Colour was applied in full length straight lines for an even finish. The windows look good finished. The attached photo of a trial piece I did might help. Be careful that you use a pen that won't bleed into the card.

And some well known Irish faces among the passengers in coaches or waiting on the platform?

Some nice examples of less is more.

Ernie, Nice to see the photo of Guinness'. Went to school in James' Street in the heart of the brewery and it's good to see the unfinished spire of the church in James' Street in the background. Tara Street and Georges Quay is a very early stages work in progress at WR&A at the minute, so keep the photos coming. Great photos.

Thanks for all the feedback folks. I'm fortunate to have 2 very suitable backdrops which make the photos look right. Thinking of next time now.

Some Photos from the Saint Patrick's Day Parade 2022 And when it was all over.

Still hoping that someone will know the nickname of SAMBO's sister pilot at Broadstone.

'The Knack' and great advice. More like that welcome.

Agree with everything said by Joe and Noel and would add that over the past year or two there has been a growing support and knowledge sharing on this forum for NCE PowerCab users.

JB, I haven't considered anything like a landscape scene for WR&A but I have a little experience with buildings. So, this is a tuppence worth that might help kickstart some more discussion. For the cottages at Erne Terrace I photographed each cottage front on from about 10ft, imported into software, and edited. That involved resizing to 20ft wide x 9ft high and making a perspective adjustment to the vertical sides to remove their vanishing point. The important thing was that I knew the size was 20ft x 9ft when printed out. It's a very slow process but has worked well for the buildings. I'm sure others have done similar. Now, it occurs to me that if you had a front on photo of some scene you wanted and that view had say a fence with posts at 4ft-6in centres x 4ft high right at the front (or a gate, or a car, or a signal cabin?) then you could use known dimensions to scale the photo to OO scale when printed. It seems to me that such a photo is already scaled, so getting the front fence right would automatically get a mountain background to the correct appearance. If that fence is now the boundary between the modelled layout and the backscene then it should look reasonably good. I know this is simplistic and is not mathematically accurate but if it looks right... etc etc. Trees and shrubbery would help to blend the two where they join. This approach might daft for a backscene but I don't know of anyone who does this type of bespoke scene commercially so I too would be interested in any observations that other modellers would have.