leslie10646

Ah, yes. A locomotive which can get to Derry, Portrush, Dublin, Cork, Tralee to name a few - not restricted to the Cork main line. The choice by IRM seemed incomprehensible (I thought it was April the First!) until the penny dropped. It's after the market of rich, older Englishmen who buy locos to put in a glass case ..... I await the real promised second Irish steam loco, but with the timelines stated, I'll probably be helping Drew Donaldson to run his layout in "Another Place" before it appears. Back to building Portadown's Island Platform.

It was a GNR(I) Class V. We always referred to them as "Glover Compounds" as the Loco engineer of the GN at that time was a man called George Glover.

Patrick, like you, if it's an "800" I'll put my money into an even better holiday.

Just a minor correction, Oh Exulted Jonathan. I produced THREE different GNR vans as kits (10 ton fitted and unfitted and the 9 ton which is noticeably smaller. My RTR Dapols are very close to the GNR Bagged Cement vans of 1953 / 4. I've done those in two GNR runs, plus the Snail version and the more recent "Brown" and "Wheel" versions - and another GNR number to come in April ...... You're dead right about the "Convertible" bands, but not so many of us model early enough? Surely they were history my mid-1950s? @Mol_PMB take a look at my lovely GSWR 10 ton brake - still around iun 1960s.

Normally, I walk past "N" gauge layouts, after only the merest of glances - except it depicts nice long trains and lots of action (some do!). The smaller ones, I would normally ignore, but NOT this one which was in another league - simply the best "N" modelling I have ever seen. What attracted my attention was the "Pendon" standard of scenery. Make sure that you look at these full screen. Remember that this stuff is ONE EIGHTH (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) the size of "))". There was even a STATION!!! For those of you who live on the "Small Island", Pendon is a model railway museum (between Reading and Didcot) whose founder sought to preserve in model form the England of the 1920s/30s - an Australian by the name of Roy England. Just put "Pendon" in your browser and have a look to compare with this extraordinary 2mm railway. I was blown away! The other layout which c aught my eye was the 4mm scale "Market Bosworth" depicting a LNWR / Midland scene from 1900s. Patrick MAY have competition in station building! You could even see the luggage in the Booking Hall. Rather nice. The rolling stock was just as wonderful! Sorry, in my rush to get off to visit a friend in hospital, I forgot to photograph the trains!

Rhubarb, Ivan. Drew Donaldson had a working timetable which told the operator exactly how many turns of the key were needed with "x" locomotive pulling "n" coaches / wagons from "A to B". True the trains took off like a Southern Electric, but they rolled delightfully to a halt at the arrival station. Mind you, shunting with clockwork was a challenge. Then, if he was running a particularly heavy train, Drew would call out to the station operator - "Box her 'til she bangs!!!". Meaning until even with an iron grip you can't squeeze the spring any more.

Hi Fran: How long after the event, or id Youtube carrying it live?

Darrman, have no such fears - someone in "Authority" will read a few pages of relevant railway history and realise that you just "Buy them off". It happened endlessly in the 19th century to ensure that a railway line got built. Maybe one of you good citizens of the Republic could send a suitable Railway History to the Irish rail solicitor?

Fran, you've obviously got one of these - what scale? Patrick is not the only person who'd like a few!

My goodness - it looks just like that new model Paddy showed at Clontarf!

Ah, sure, Ivan - Saint's Days are exempt - at least in the Church of England and the Presbyterian Church - but then the latter disapprove of intoxicating liquor anyway ......

Indeed they were. They even ran trains as far as Clones. But the announcement won't be these locos - all gone before the iRM chaps were born ....... Happily I have three of them!

Personally, I think that a plain black loco with mahogany coaches is ALMOST as attractive as the blue variant. The PP looks super, David. Happily, I did manage a run behind ONE of them!

The guesses at "what it'll be" should get saner now that you lads are off alcohol for Lent. Here's my self-centred view. It won't be a J15, but 2029 seems a good year to bring out No.186? Unhappily, the Class WT looks all too likely, in which case I'll be taking an even more expensive holiday this year with what I've saved. A GNR S Class is a possibility, BUT No.171 has been in bits when Paul Isles was measuring things up, so maybe not? Forget No.800 - it wouldn't offer Accurascale the sales volume. A GNR Q Class would be really nice, but might be too much off peoples' radar despite being around on track recently. What I really want and will buy a couple of them before Paul sits down after his announcement is a GNR Compound. No.85 been around for the last ten years, so people are familiar with it. People have been ranting on about the annoucement being for a Tank and many alternatives have been offered, but not these lovely little engines, just 25 to choose from: Amiens Street Shed, 1957 Photo the late Lance King, Copyright IRRS

Great news, Dane. Glad to know that a really nice layout has been saved. Good luck with the Resurrection. At the risk of a bolt of lightning, or a kick under the table from @Galteemore 20 April would be a good day for its unveiling in its new home!

I note that Mr Isles is doing the "Spiel". Good news for my fellow GN-ers, he's got one of my GNR Class Y5 vans which he obviously bought to put behind the new GNR(I) loco! Whooppeeeeeee! I've sent in my cheque for two ......

Hopeless! Clashes with Quiz Night on the BBC. Is the identity of the C Class to be a "Starter for Ten" on "Uni Chall"? Mind you, if, as a loyal supporter and previous keeper of secrets, IRM send my air fare ......... Naw, I don't want any more disappointment! JB, do you want the loan of ten GN coaches for the thing to pull during the demo?

Sorry, SP, I didn't take anything of it. The exhibition is on about now each year. If you check in UK Model Shops Directory it'll tell what will be there next year (meaning, have a look in January 2026!). https://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/

Ah, so there is method ..... Of course they're snails. I live in 1950s/60s!

This note is no use to you guys on the Little Island, but I had to comment that I can't over-praise this exhibition which was on yesterday and today. Fifty-ish layouts, a lot of traders, although NOT Squires, which is a shame A few videos / piccies to let you see what I mean. The videos are slow to load, but you've loaded it you can look a few times at top speed. "Grantham - The Streamliner Years" was remarkable. Huge layout, constant action. The reason I went and how glad I was that I did. First an overall look down the layout from the "North" end with turntable, loco depot on right and platforms, including a Northern Bay platforms. Quite a few trains used to change locos here and this was faithfully recreated as the ends of the rakes of coaches or wagons had KayDee couplers which allowed the changes to take place seamlessly. The charts which you see hanging on left told viewers what was happening - shunting went on at both ends while trains ran through. The layout faithfully reproduces the real sequence of trains, speeded up a little. The "Streamliners" were run through two or three times so that eveyone could enjoy them fully. Everything else took a single bow! First those streamliners - the Headline-catching fast trains of the 1930s - The Silver Jubilee, The West Rising Limited and The Coronation - each with correctly liveried loco and set of coaches. It was like "trainspotting" about 1938! So first The Silver Jubilee which would have been racing like this - it was about to begin the (shorter easier) ascent to Stoke Summit, prior to a 90 - 100mph descent almost every trip - oh for a Time Machine - this comes close! IMG_1454.MOV Then the southboound West Riding from Leeds to Kings Cross. IMG_1458 3.MOV And finally the Southbound "Coronation" from Edinburgh. Note the "Beaver tail" Observation car on the rear of the train. IMG_1408.MOV More tomorrow! I hope that you enjoy them!

I'll leave a note for my executors. Two notes. Why have my H Vans got nice clean roofs?

Yes, William, I was puzzled by that too. Before I saw that it was on stilts, I thought it was where the subway came up. I know from photos at platform level that the steps came up to an entrance through an arch onto the platform - but WHERE? Was it under that water tower building at the South end? Thanks, Ernie, for more evidence than I'd managed to glean before. William modelled the elevated nature of the station very well on his version. It wasn't practical for me.

An Irishman who doesn't know CHEPSTOW? Racing, Skinner, Old Boy! Also, more important, near the Dean Forest Railway, which is well worth a visit!

Ah, Josh, you're a man with good tastes in reading matter! Also, on "Abe", the place to look for anything pub;ished, ever ...... Seller Image More images Modelling the Irish Narrow Gauge David Lloyd Seller: The Moffat Bookshop, Moffat, United Kingdom (4-star seller) Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars Contact seller Used - Softcover £ 15 Convert currency £ 3.45 Shipping Within United Kingdom Quantity: 1 available

Now you send me this - back to the drawing board! Oh well, it was good practice! Too show you that it doesn't matter if something is not quite right! From the middle of the loft: Or from where I sit operating! Now the 2.45pm semi-fast from Dublin arrives. 2.45 from Dublin.mov And for a bit of fun, what a non-stop looks like from the centre of the attic while doing a dining car crockery breaking whirl through the loop! IMG_1393.MOV Off now to remake it all as it's even more fictional than I thought!