dave182

Thanks for all the input folks. Yeah I suppose I'm thinking about things like 10' Uniload containers (remember I'm talking about N Gauge now), chassis, vehicles etc. I guess I'm just thinking out loud and trying to get to grips with the many new ways we have of creating a model. I'm going to investigate some of the software mentioned above and go from there!

Hi All! I think that everyone has come to terms with both the possibilities and the limitations of 3D printing. I'm working on an N gauge project at the moment and I was wondering if anyone out there knows if it is possible to have parts 'commissioned', as in translate an idea through the programming stage to a printable file? (Is file the right word?) I'm not currently in a position to learn a new computer programme right now!! Any thoughts or comments on this? I look at the initial work people like B1Lancer on Shapeways created, but I'm not sure if this if for hobby purposes or commercial gain.

Yes I would second MikeO. Working with styrene and tools involved. Setting up your workspace, replicating shapes etc.

Hi Eoin, Dave & Co. Just wondering when the next Bray event is? Do you skip a couple of months in the summer?

Thats not much space! Could you fit a simple turntable right behind the shed? Yoy could then turn a loco and maybe even have one or two short stubs off the turntable to store locos.

How much space are we talking about?

With most of Irish Rails 071 Class overhauled and the wrong side of 40 years old, I was just wondering about the status of NIR's 3 members of the class (111,112,113). Are they in good condition and are they seeing much use these days? What is the bodywork and paint like, for example?

Oh you bad man! I think I'm gonna have to sell a kidney to keep up with all these new releases!

Hey Gordon, Have NIR bought some spoil boxes of their own? These look to be new spoil boxes sitting on 60' frames?

A quick lick of paint on the gantries and a whole pile of Bell containers... whip out the colour lights and replace with semaphores, weather the track some more and we've got a lovely Irish layout incorporating Belview terminal!

Reviving this thread! Any idea what this wagon was used for? Image is a screen grab from youtube channel 'Midlandcompound1000' and is Drogheda circa 1995. Might it be associated with the maintenance of the Boyne bridge?

Mogul you legend! Brilliant detective work there, and incredible that there are no photos of this, especially from the time period of 1989. This line is proving to be a very busy freight line! Lots to model!

Just revisiting this thread to pose one unanswered question I have that I can't seem to find hard evidence of. Was coal ever carried by rail from the Port of Arklow. I understand coal was imported in to Arklow, this we know, but I'm wondering about it being transferred to those brown 20'containers and moved by rail? Any pictures or recollections or outright rejection would put this to bed for me once and for all. Also, this (possible) freight flow not to be confused with the 1992 trial where 20' ISO Amficon containers were used to export zinc through Arklow. Thanks in advance!

Buses now in my possession, as described. Great to meet you, briefly, in a transaction similar to a Travelling Post Office on-the-fly mail bag grab!! Too cold to be standing around shooting the breeze!

Holy crap thats a model railway curve coming off the quay at the end!!

If at first you don't succeed, try and try again! Best of luck Dave! Offaly... I'd be more worried about the water coming from below than above!!

I'll take em!bring them to Dublin this weekend. I'll pm you in a little while

"Is it compatible interaction wise with the 'fairy liquid' in the 50/50% PVA/water mix?" When I read this first I didn't pick up that you had some washing up liquid in your mix. I think they are doing the same job basically, so I would use one or the other.

Good work Noel. Something that works very well for me is mixing some Isopropyl Alcohol (often referred to as Rubbing Alcohol) into your water mister. You only need a small amount, 5% maybe, or a capful in my language. This acts as an emulsifier as far as I know and the glue gets absorbed into the ballast much quicker and more evenly. You can pick this up in a chemists easily enough, I think its about €10 for a litre. If you've ever come across Al Mayo on Youtube, he give an interesting how-to, if you don't mind the heavy rap music in the background!

Ah Richie! 12 hour shift all alone pulling on things, gotta make sure you points are lubricated! (although this teflon based stuff is news to me!)

You have my head spinning Junctionmad! But I get the most of what you are saying. Bringing it back to prototypical modelling then, it's a case of less is more when it comes to my yard scene. You talked about points within station limits being controlled by point rods, coming from the signal box. This is obviously dictated by the distance from the box, and the 'pull', which is very interesting. I've never experienced pulling a signal box lever, but most look like you need a good pair of arms on ya! What would be the longest distance you could realistically run point rods? I assume you went along before the start of a shift and greased the bejaysus out of the moving parts to make your life easier!

Ah yes Mayner, I knew you'd step up to this one! Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge on this. It's amazing, that is one of the most photographed aspects of Limerick junction, yet I've never paid any attention to whats going on at ground level, up to now!

Hi guys! I'm working on a small freight yard for my layout and it will have a short single line off the main, and into a yard that will have 3 or 4 points at most. My period of operation in the 90s so semaphore signaling is still very much in operation. As I look to detail the scene, I've been looking at pictures from around the network and I guess my yard would have similarities to a yard like Barrack Street in Dundalk. So a couple of questions. Regarding access to the yard, I want to place a semaphore junction signal on the main, and then a starter signal coming out of the yard. Is this correct? (I think Barrack Street had colour light signalling.) After that, my yard is only going to have hand operated levers on the points, which is what I can see in the Barrack Street yard. So obviously as trains shunted around the yard, the points were thrown by a man on the ground. So am I correct to think that there is no signal box involved here? Thus no rods to run to points? And no signals of any sort within the yard? I assume the yard would operate as a single 'block'? The signal box say at Dundalk would allow a train access to the yard and then the block becomes occupied. What happens then if more than one loco/train needs access to the yard? I'm thinking that there would also be a call on/shunt signal at the entrance to the yard. I appreciate this is a long winded set of questions, so I'm just looking for some thoughts, comments and maybe experience. What little details can I add (or leave out, e.g. point rods) to make the yard as accurate as possible?

Looking good Dave! I have to say, there is something fantastically satisfying and rewarding when you get some track and points (and pints!)down. Like you, I managed to get a few hours peace and quiet over the christmas and have put some track down in a yard area. One spilled tin of beer and a misplaced bag of fishplates which took 3 hours to find... but all part of the fun!

Thank you Flange Lubricator! 10 in total, did they ever run in multiples? I can't recall ever seeing more than 1 on it's own. Would the have run Dublin to Rosslare at all?