leslie10646

Any of you semi-addicted to the Tour, like me? I watch for the brilliant scenery, glimpses of railways (plenty of them, but never seen a TRAIN!) and a bit for the race itself. Anyway, today, Bastille Day, a Brit, a Welshman, to be precise, and so a CELT, won the Stage! But, but, but, just behind him, having torn the race apart earlier was a very brave Irishman Ben Healy, who now leads the Tour and wears the fabled Yellow Jersey! Only the fourth Irishman in history to have ever worn the famous jersey, so well-done Ben! So, while @Past-Avenue races cars up hills, Ben CYCLES up them ...... I should whisper, for rivet counters among you, that although Ben was born in Birmingham, in his youth, he chose to compete for Ireland

This is a retro "next wagon". I'm withdrawing my double beet kit after 278 sales. Instead I'll be offering @Past-Avenue's version which is effectively RTR. Sorry to those who like building things. With this kit also goes my Flat wagon which was the basis for my double beet. Again, I'll supply Enda's excellent RTR 20 (or 22ft) flats - I use them on my layout with my own earlier facts - they're good. If you're in Ireland, obviously buy from Enda, if you're in UK, contact me. There MAY be a new wagon at the end of all this - I've sent drawings to Enda .......

And me, please. And the MGWR A Class No idea where I'll run them - the 400 was probably too big for the GN, but nice to have one in memory of the Master Modeller Drew Donaldson who had No.409 as a favourite. The A Class could have got over "our way" on a GAA special when the GN was too busy to loan a loco when someone was playing Armagh? Real reason is hope that the younger grandson might like models ......

Sorry if this has been stated earlier in this thread which I have only been casually been following (except when I helped Paul to get his wagon drawings) - anyway: The Society has published: GNR T1 and T2 Tanks Compound VS U Class SG2 Class and SG3 They're all around £50 for a digital copy - you could buiild a 12 inches to the foot model from them. The job of scanning the ancient sheets needed a lot of setting up and skill. The plan is to make the lists etc accessible on the Society's new website, so be patient. If folk need things sooner, let me know what you are after - email preferred: lesliemcallister@aol.com and I'll get on the Drawings archivist who will shortly be in Switzerland for the summer (but I know where!).

Thanks, JB, for stating the situation which is accurate. Richard McLachlan is in the process of making this information more easily available, but he has other priorities, like anyone else. The loss of Anthony McD, his Dublin right hand man, really took the wind out of a great piece of work which they were doing together. If people contact me, ON EMAIL please, I'll try and help. lesliemcallister@aol.com

Hmm, mulling this over. Much more interesting than an 800 Class - at least there were ten of them! No.409 was a great favourite of Drew Donaldson's Mind you rebuilt more time than the current UK Government's policies!

Keep out of this, JB, I'm trying to make money for the IRRS. Remember, we have your address! Honestly, I haven't much, but I'll message our friend @Westcorkrailway

can you see this working to Foynes? IMG_2576.MOV

Not the usual Growler at Goring! In Real Time Trains it was simply a light engine, "on test". It was some engine which whirled round the corner, the driver reacting to Linda's waves! IMG_2576.MOV Wonderful to see an electric loco under the wires here - a first for me, anyway. Coming soon to Ireland?

I've got another for sale. 10€, pick up at Blackrock?

SONIC MODELS S4101-01A ROBINSON A5 (GCR CLASS 9N) 4-6-2 GCR GREAT CENTRAL GREEN NO.372 STEAM TANK LOCOMOTIVE John Robinson, he of Waterford Limerick and Western fame, produced these large tank locos which, bare a resemblance, in Great Central colours, to a BCDR Baltic (of course, he forgot the extra wheels!). Lovely looking loco. See it on Rails of Sheffield site.

Lovely work, David, especially the buildings. While I agree with @Galteemore that the Wantage Tank is delightful, it's the "Footballer" pic which caught my eye, almost a 12 inches to the foot photograph. Congratulations!

Hi Ciaran I'm glad to see that you caught some of the Swiss Re4/4s (sixty-ish years old) in the red livery. Also that you found some loco-hauled on the Rhaetische Bahn, which has gone Beyond The Pale by going almost all-unit! It used to be wonderful with locos on everything. A good piece of "spotting"!

Hi @David Holman (to differentiate between the two Clever Davids) That wheel cleaner of yours is "insanely brilliant" - (did I quote right from The Great Escape? Gordon Jackson exclaimed this on being shown David McCallum's solution to getting rid of the soil from the tunnels!). I've just had a happy, smelly couple of hours running the insanely dear CMX Rail Cleaning tank wagon (thanks again @WRENNEIRE) around the railway. The loco wheels are next - I must try and concoct a 4mm version of your invention - if I may!

See you at Aldershot! Can I bring my "toys"? I was worried that it clashed with the steam tour of the year - celebrating the Classic German "01" Pacifics - the first six days of October. As I told you nine months ago - the layout which replaced you was equally excellent, is a smaller scale! Keep it up!

Thanks for the GN Fest @Galteemore. It shows that the plain black livery which the GN used works and presents a handsome loco (well, two in this case!). Do David H's ex MGWR six wheelers have photographs on the compartment walls like the ones you made for me? @David Holman, as @Mol_PMB says above, your attention to little details is terrific. Loved the lobster pots and the well-posed figures. The whole layout is a delight and shows what you can do in a small space - even in 7mm!

And, I suspect, making a mint for himself and his cronies. I think that the bit about serving the people got lost when he took the Presidential Oath. Was I the only one to notice that he didn't appear to put his hand on the Bible during the Oath?

Surely a typical Sunday view? I was once entertained in the very early morning watching a garage-full of LT's short-lived "Bendy Buses" being extracted from a similarly packed position. Buses are amazingly manouevrable.

David, apologies for not putting in an appearance at an exhibition where you were exhibiting - just an hour's drive away. I'm sure that the Quay will be much admired and even more so (dare I say it?) when @Galteemore 's stock is added to your own super rolling stock tomorrow. I'm off Interrailing in a few days and this was my last day to pack, other than at the last moment and sanity prevailed! It also meant that I didn't have a nasty, stand-up row with a "supplier" who promised the earth and two months on hasn't even acknowledged receipt of samples from me! That's a few more wagons etc which won't ever see the light of day. Retirement seems sensible .......

There you are @Past-Avenue -a 30 ton would be different to everyone else's! @jhb171achill - you might confirm that they were identical to the 20ton, except for more concrete in the base? And slightly different lettering?

Well, I can offer you another "brown van" for your 70s train. Pick one (or two!) up at Blackrock in October - €22 each. On a separate note, delighted to hear that Enda is working on a brake van. While John's were super, it was a pain paying a mint in duties getting them into "Europe". Enda, have you found a slightly different brake van to make? I suspect that John covered most of the varieties. @jhb171achill can tell us if there was a 25 ton variant which appart from the lettering looks the same? Which reminds me that I should get a set of decals made for my GN Brake which suggests that it is a 25 ton brake,rather than boring old 20ton .......

I'll just mention that I have about a dozen copies of the "Irish Industrial and Contractors Locomotives". If anyone would like a copy, I'll bring it to you at Blackrock for say a couple of Euros? Income goes directly to Irish railway Record Society as they were part of a bequest. UK buyers can have it by post! Just PM me. Thanks Leslie

I've got back to work on the South end of "my" Portadown. The platforms need "planting" - ie a bit of ballast (a Black Art totally beyond me as you will see in a moment!), weedy grass round the back of the buildings, the barrow walk, water cranes and signals. First, I decided that the barrow walk needed fencing in, so I used a new toy to get bits of Ratio fencing together at right angles. I KNEW that these expensive magnet things would find a use! This where I was starting from. Last week, I did a part-barrow way and "sunk" the water crane in place - there should be one at the end of Platform One as well, but I think the slope of the roof will mean it will not be on my layout! Oh, a future job is to box the point motor in. ALL of mine are above board (unlike me!) because I found lying under the board to fix "invisible" ones just too much of a fag. Then I added the fence which you saw in the magnets, completed the barrow way, placed a concrete "pan" where the water crane should be on Platform one. Loads more to do like planting grass around that fence, finishing Platform One, then back to doubling the length of the water tower which appears earlier in this thread.

Thanks, Eoin. I send a query to John at Silver Fox as well and he replied impressively quickly. More recent BUTs from him come DCC-ready! He told me where to find the "ready" thingy and Lo and Behold - it was there ( under the "floor" in the centre of the power car). The nice man at Kernow selected a chip and had it DCC'd before you could say "Great Northern Railway" and a happy customer was in the car back to "Portadown Junction". I'll put up a video of the BUT set on the Dublin-based "Enterprise" when I've finished some "scenic" work (or my apology for it) at Portadown. Don't hold your breath! Thanks again!

Hi Darius Tongue firmly in cheek - TWO Lima motor bogies? That should pull twelve at 100mph .......