Northroader

That Terrier was Dapols first venture into affordable 0 scale models, and must have proved commercially successful, as they’ve followed it up with a good range of very nice small models, all compact sizes of steam tank engines, apart from the 08 diesel. Looking forwards, possibly what’s missing is the fairly widespread LNER J72 0-6-0T, and if that appeared it wouldn’t need much tweaking to turn it into an Irish J26, which I would suggest is the best bet for a low price RTR job with the widest appeal?

Maybe you could consider an Atlas Plymouth diesel, made in Austria for the American market. They're a good size for a microlayout, and if you did a repaint into an Irish scheme, they could look a bit like a G. I’ve found they’re very durable, good value, and have used the chassis for rebody jobs. They occasionally turn up for sale, here’s one on American eBay, problems with the postage, I’ve just used it to show what it looks like and the price. https://www.ebay.com/itm/354662684018

Just do it like Blackfriars’s station in London. Stick platforms and glass screens and a roof along the Boyne bridge, and have an entrance from either side river bank.

Looks really good, with a real period feel about the bus body. It’s strange how the design takes the leading wheel set is right out out the front, and there’s such a big overhang at the back, adds to the character.

Big island and smaller island- none of us have the manpower and there’s as much in mothballs as is working. Least ways there’s no huge white elephant carriers in Ireland. What’s the Russkis doing? Going round cutting all the undersea cables, that’s what.

With a slanting cab front, when you’re going at speed, there’s quite a considerable updraught. With a wiper at the top of the screen, this is trying to force the blade further out at the limit of its wipe. It caused more damage than was necessary on BR units, and it looks as if CIE had the same trouble. Putting the wiper at the bottom of the screen is a better position.

A full version still exists in London WC2, all the rest have been swept away by public sensibilities.

I’ve been taking an interest in a NCC cattle van featured in the New Irish Lines for May 2023. It looks a bit odd because it has a nearly 14’6” body on 16’ solebars, so there’s quite step at the ends. The wheelbase is 9’ and its vac fitted. I guessed possibly it was an old body that had a lengthened chassis and wheelbase done when it had vac brakes added?

Is the mangle on that wagon some kind of asphalt spreader, tarmac on roads sort of thing?

If he’s doing a merger all the pages have got to be half the width.

You’re doing a great job at digging out the references for all these vehicles. It does form a most useful source to go to, so thanks for what you’re doing.

It’s 0 scale (7mm) but the gauge is 32mm, rather than about 37mm for the 5’3”.

Furthest North I got to in Dublin was a place called Amiens Street, well, back then that was what it was called.

I just hope when the juice is switched on the little b****rs turn their wheels and behave themselves.

I get the idea that it slows down in office hours, late afternoon -evenings it picks up.

Well, the photo I gave says it all, really. You can make a simple layout based on microlayout design and take it to a show. If you do a search for gauge 1 kits, you’ll find there is stuff available which is a realistic price. Remember that the layout shown is managing quite well on a limited number of models, and because of their size, each one gains a personality and individual interest which you cant get with smaller scales.

July, 2024, and I went to Larkrail, to me quite a special model railway show in Bath suburbs. One line really caught my interest, a small gauge 1 branch line terminus, by a guy I regard as a mate. You’ll see it’s pretty well a standard arrangement excepting everything just a little bit bigger, and to me more attractive as a result. Discussing it with its builder, and I mentioned expense, and he laughed and picked up a Terrier 0-6-0T. All the superstructure was made from cardboard! This aroused my interest enough to go along to the gauge 1 association do at Swindon steam that summer. The bulk of the show was, I admit, bloody scary when you looked at the price tags, but the association admission desk were selling white metal castings for standard axle box/guard/ spring units at very reasonable prices. Slaters do wheelsets, plus loco wheelsets at fairly normal prices. I would say if you can do fairly simple scratch building, you can put together a basic branch line arrangement without breaking the bank, and be able to fit it in along one wall of a room. If you go for RTR items, a win on the football pools would be a help. Me? I’m very tempted, it’s just there’s a lot of 0 gauge tracks in my railway room, and a layout in a different gauge would be a bit too much of a good thing.

There’s all.the old MECCANO magazines available for free viewing here: http://meccano.magazines.free.fr you can pick out any article quite quickly, and it makes for a very interesting read

Just thinking about things last night, I struck me some folks might be interested in travellers tales, getting to Ireland back over seventy years ago. It was a tale I did over on the RMweb thread, before they had the great picture crash, I’m sorry to say. It’s what started me off with a real liking for the place. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/107190-“washbourne-plus-deepfield”/page/60/#comment-4380728

The Lancashire and Yorkshire did a similar thing, converting coaches into aeroplane vans. It would appear that side doors were secured, windows blanked off, all interior items such as seats and partitions removed, and full width end doors fitted. This would turn it into a Covered Carriage Truck, but a bit longer. You could then end load items such as wings or fuselages, possibly in a supporting framework, which could be taken out and bolted toghether. https://www.lyrs.org.uk/images/uploads/Modelling_-_Aeroplane_Van_in_7mm_scale_-_Magazine_257.pdf

Ahh.. the old bangers. They were about 3-4” length of guncotton, a soft fabric cord impregnated with gunpowder, put in a thick cardboard tube, the whole lot no more than an half inch diameter, and say four inches long. They could still pack quite a punch, best illustrated if you put one in the top hole for the wire of one of the reinforced concrete fence posts. You could blow the whole top off the post, leaving the reinforcing rods splayed out like a banana skin.

When we were kids, you could buy calcium carbide at the chemists, a sort of soft brown crumbly substance. Bike lamps used to use it. Put it in with some water, and the acetylene gas would come fizzing out. I think doing it on a coach would be a bit of coming in fits and starts, quite how they would get a steady flow at even pressure would be problematic. Then you have to clean the black goo out of the container before recharge. How did we use it? (Forgive me, father) you could get a glass screw top bottle, half fill it with water, drop a lump or two of carbide in it, then screw the cap down, put it on top of a wall, and run away. (We forgot Mrs. Pearce’s washing was out….)

Lovely day today, so a short bus hop to the local modelling clubs show. (Cheltenham) The real treat was Andy Cundick was there, with one of his layouts. This one is CDRJC, based on Bruckless on the Killybegs section, a big oval with staging sidings at the back, and a simple station with just a siding in front. Scale 4mm/ft, gauge 12mm.