leslie10646

I'm pretty sure that John is right. By the time that the triangulated chassis was widely used, cattle traffic was disappearing, so why renew them? Despite my concern about sales of these - see above - I've "just" sold 229 of them, to date.

Ah, found the Lance photo. I've zoomed in to show Platform 4's building.

And now for something completely different. I've gritted my teeth and had a go at buildings for Portadown Station which is hidden under the eaves of the attic and at ninety degrees to the Junction. You've seen my effort at doing the water tower under the Farewell to the Derry Road thread. Well this is what I was also working on, the mysterious building (there are no photos except from a great distance) which dominated Platform 4. First an along the way shot (last night): And after much faffing about, I got the roof complete - it's a foot long and the Wills slate sheets are six inches, hence the unsightly join: If you think that is pretty bad, the other side shows that it was built by Mr Mills' Dublin roofers on a Friday afternoon after they had spent lunchtime in the nearest pub, in preparation of knocking off early as there was a big match at Croke Park next day. The blank bit at the bottom is because the platform will be there. Smaller windows on this side - the building is a work of fiction! No-one will see this side on the layout, so nothing is finished on the outer side of platforms etc. I spent several hours tidying my working area earlier in the week as I have two six foot platforms to build. I losely put the bits together, so that you can see where this is heading: The idea is to try and recreate this appearance as seen in na Lance King photo which was a lot of the evidence which I used. That's me until Monday when I hope to "plant" this lot in situ!

I promised a completely Bulleid train. First the fake one with the re-gauged "Leader". Lovely wagons, by the way, guys. Run very freely - I found that my supposedly level layout had a slight gradient! Congratulations! IMG_1343.MOV Or with a loco which Oliver Bulleid ordered for use in Ireland. I don't have a steel-sided CIE brake, sorry. This one's a kit masterfully built by young Nelson. IMG_1347.MOV

Obviously the DPD men get up earlier in West Sussex than Surrey. My first delivery - curiously one Grain, one H - has just arrived. Photo of a complete Bulleid train later. Hey, IRM, your Packaging AI packed one lot like this: The other with just some crumpled paper! Good protection for the H's? Thanks Leslie

Have you guys made these vans particularly HEAVY??? TWO different DPD drivers delivering NINE wagons!

Great excitement, I've now had a text from DPD who have a parcel for me! And a flood of e-mails as I'd somehow put the orders in separately! Of course, I know what a H Van looks like as my kit built runs are dotted here and there! (But not a grain van!).

David, you're right to point that out. Having (once) been in 186's tender, I was amazed at the framework (I was nineteen at the time). Also, I was castigated by Richard McLachlan for not putting struts inside my GNR Coal wagons (but I did, correctly, in my beet wagons). Where this tank is going to be, even I won't see it - and having tried to put a semblance of water in it - I think that I will cheat, which my lack of skill usually dictates!

I mentioned why my mind was elsewhere. Here's why - no laughing (Patrick, I am NOT!!!) ... . It's meant to be the semi-hidden water tower behind the wall of Platform 4 at Portadown. There are only the vaguest photos of it - the one I used was taken from the other end of the Bann Bridge. When you look at this thing, from the same point it'll look OK. Just off to order laser cut quoins for the other corners! The door is Wills, but the rest is scratch.

Oh, all right then. You might as well have the whole NCC loco! Class W No. 91 shunting the yard at Pomeroy. 22 August 1964. Photo by the late Lance King Copyright the Irish Railway Record Society To save me endlessly appeasing you - a GNR locomotive climbing Carrickmore! UTA No. 40 ex GNR(I) Class SG2 No. 18 on a goods for Derry the same day. Photo by the late Lance King Copyright the Irish Railway Record Society

Alas, David, I didn't give it a thought! My granddaughter's birthday. Although, to be honest, I was continuing my fight with Plastkard, embossed brick, window material etc in my attempts to produce something vaguely like the buildings on Platform 4 at Portadown. William Redpath will laugh when he sees it after his magnificent effort. Anyway, "In Honour of the Day" as Mrs Crachett said when asked to drink Scrooge's health (like asking us to drink Henry Benson's health?): I can't give you a "Big D" but its smaller cousin in the form of UTA No.38 - formerly GNR(I) Class SG2 No. 16 setting off from Portadown with a freight for the Derry Road after the July Holidays in 1964. Photo by the late Lance King Copyright the Irish Railway Record Society Staying in the Dickensian mode, Tiny Tim might have uttered: "God Bless GEORGE GLOVER everyone"?

Easily the best EMU of the Privatisation era. I wish you masses of orders! We have 387s out to Reading and I always opt for a semi-fast into London with them (at 110mph) rather than be thrown about in the Jap Cxxp jokingly referred to a an Intercity Express Train - in the running for the World's Worst train. I hope that IR keep way from the so called Bi-modes!

Obviously, IR aren't reading Modern Railways which is full of misery stories of hydrogen trains being withdrawn IN GERMANY where they know a bit about engineering - and being replaced by DIESELS.

Don't tell Ken Fox that or he'll be clamouring to his union for them to bring No.4 and a rake of coaches down for him keep his hand in every day!

You've been the bottle again! That Co Tyrone poteen is deadly!