leslie10646

My infamy has spread and one of my neighbours bought me a trainset this Christmas. Here seen on the kitchen table with a few of Linda's toys (she loves signal boxes, hence the Kernow one of Bude), the Tayto lorry needs no explanation beyond that she was born almost within the sound of the Tayto factory hooter) and the church is actually sold as "Saint Andrews", which is the church we attend. I didn't add the UTA bus and her Flying Banana! Damned clever these Chinese, chuffs, bells and whistles no less. Happy Christmas to you all! IMG_4317.mp4

When this link arrived in my inbox this morning, I thought that if these guys can do something as obscure as this, then almost anything is possible. Mind you, the Festiniog (all 14 miles of it) has more followers than the all the railways in Ireland. Robert Shrives will be over the Moon! https://www.hattons.co.uk/directory/versiondetails/5499/peco_products_oo9_ffestiniog_4_wheel_quarryman&utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=modvehid5499-pecoquarrymanfrgreyinstock#models

Hate to say ANYTHING good about the French, but the TGV was a class train. A lot better than the rubbish we're asked to travel in the in The Kingdom

Just a little Addendum to the story of Leslie's LNWR coaches. Wrenneire won't like them - Hattons' producer has devised a simple to open secure packaging for these six wheelers - so no video on how to open the box is necessary! You'll all see what I mean when the "Snail" versions arrive on your doorstep! Great story, Broithe. Long live the men of skill. I bet he smoked a pipe and enjoyed his glass too.

Well done Dave. DIY! Don't wait for someone to do it for you. I worked for a month one summer and put the proceedings (after paying my Stamp and a bit to Mum for housekeeping) into the Hornby Dublo "Cardiff Castle".

My first trainset? Andy Cundick, at least, will enjoy this - CASTLEDERG, 1950: My Dad was the Customs sergeant at the RUC Barrack and I was four years old. A shop in Omagh (I guess) arranged for Santa to come round on, if my memory hasn't failed, a horse drawn coach from which presents were handed down to the children of customers. I assume mine was opened on Christmas Day. It was a clockwork train (loco, tender and, I think, two open wagons) with a circle of track. There's a much sadder sequel. My Dad became Station Sergeant at Carrickmore the following year and on the day we moved into the Sergeant's Quarters (at one end of the barrack - it's still there!) I was sent outside to play. I took my train and was filling the wagons with gravel from the Barrack's drive. A large shadow loomed over me - "What do you think you're doing?" The owner of the voice was one Constable Cecil Cunningham, who I remember as a big amiable fellow, but who was destined to be the sixth RUC man to be killed in The Troubles. So, I'll not forget that trainset (or him). On a happier note, I'm still playing trains 72 years later!

Now, in motion - arriving at Richhill LNWR at Richhill.mov They run very well indeed around my 2ft radius curves and even survive being reversed over my pointwork. Looking good for the CIE ones to come!

As promised my new train, here hauled by the nearest thing I have to a DNGR tank - a GNR Tank. Three Hattons six wheelers. I really wanted the full brake, but thought I might as well have a short train!

Yes, I would have thought that highly paid folk at RTE would have worked out that the Ampersand was in the wrong place! It's a particularly nice photo of a Whitelegg Baltic, which like most Baltics belied its fine appearance with mediocre performance.

Thanks, Jon and David. David, although I have a GN Working Appendix and WTT somewhere, I doubt if I ever looked the lamp codes up! So, having fallen for the wind-up, I wonder what gauge you'd be modelling in to CHANGE the lamps each time depending on the type of train. To say nothing of moving the tail lamp to the front of the loco is you were reversing to the shed!. One plus of all these DCC-fitted disease-als where it's all done for you!

Christmas Mail Train time again. Sorry to bore you with the same S Class as last year! No.172 races through Richhill with an extra mail train for Armagh, 19 December 1956. Had to get this up today in honour of my elder son's 48th birthday today. On this date in 1956, his Dad was eleven! IMG_4147.MOV And a still of the return working crossing the points at The Junction with a very busy yard behind. My "new" train tomorrow!

стахановец, my dear David? Not many Workers in USSR worked as hard as that. As such workers were bent on striving even harder for good of The Socialist State, you were right not to use it - after all, you serve TWO Kings!

David, that looks terrific. Bit worried about the "Great Leap Forward" bit - the last iijit to have one of those starved countlless millions. I hope you're not starving Timothy and Christopher?

Excellent idea, David. All we need is a "Competent Man" (as the late Drew Donaldson would have said) to do it. One of you youngsters can get on with it, we Oldies have plenty on our plates and a reducing time to do it!

Ouch!

New stock arrives at Portadown (displaced from Greenore via Liverpool). The local traffic superintendent couldn't resist it. Side view: Quite a weighty coach, with a nice sliding centre axle -we'll see how it likes my rotten trackwork (not just arrears of maintainence, but Jerry built in first place!). Its sister Full Brake will be given a run on the Christmas Mails on Monday.

Yes, the running off to watch the Swilly's trains wasn't a very glorious episode, but better that than lose modern battleships. Don't knock John Jellicoe, his "distant blockade" (Scotland to Norway which you rightly mention) did a lot to help win WW1. Before you bring up Jutland, remember what the New York Times reported a day or two later - "The German High Seas Fleet has assaulted its jailer, but is still in Jail!" We'd better stop this or we'll be banned. Now, if IRM opted as their next steam offering a 4mm model of HMS Caroline I'd be first in the queue!

Well, of course, there was the little matter that Winnie put every barrier he could in the road of sending even a shovelful of coal to the (then) Free State. He was miffed that Dev wouldn't allow the use of the former Treaty Ports (given back just before War was declared). That they would have been useful goes without saying, but The Free State was a lot closer to Luftwaffe Bomber bases than bases in Ulster and so the price of "co-operation" was likely to have been heavy. The Man with the Cigar DID ignore the tens (hundreds) of thousands of Irish who crossed the Irish Sea and more than did their share of ensuring that the Nazi tyranny was ended. To say nothing of much looking the other way on numerous occasions.

Thanks, Andy, that gets me off the hook. I'd only have sold a dozen I'd guess!

If no-one makes a kit of the North British Cask Wagon, I'll have it ready for Blackrock 2023.

Those railcars look great, Darius. Pleased that you done a set in the original green / cream livery which is how I remember them. Like Robert, I look forward to seeing them in action. Can't resist a snide remark - the "real things" were sufficiently unreliable to ensure that I enjoyed many speedy runs on the Larne Line in the mid-sixties behind the WTs driven by some really great enginemen.

Ah yes, a Cattle engine would have been nice. Great brutes of things and impressively long-lived. With great regret, I have to agree with Warbonnet that the RTR stuff DOES run straight out of the box, while brass built kits can be a trial. My S Class looked divine, but on only ran properly twenty years and major surgery. Daniel Wu built beautiful locos but like every other enthusiast in Hon Kong had nowhere to run them, so the running bit wasn't his forte! Locos built "over here" have done much better and my Northstar locos (all bought secondhand) are a credit to their builders for looks and operability. I wonder if there's a suitable chassis for a Cattle Engine or a SG3 that we could stick a 3D body and tender on? Maybe Ironroad's idea of backing Rodney to build one might have merit?

As I often say, look what's BEHIND the loco! A Turf wagon! Now we know who's got a picture of one!

As I observed before, this thread is better than TV. David has hit the nail on the head. If you want things from the steam and/or the steam/diesel transition era, then you will have to do a lot yourself, so the sooner you start ..... I model GNR(I), so I wanted a Class VS (Colm Flanagan), a S Class (three built for me in Hong Kong by the esteemed Daniel Wu (an Interior designer!) but heavily modified by Alan Edgar), Class SG (also Hong Kong and one built in England) and of course Class T Glover Tanks (now three!). All, except Colm's VS are SSM kits. The Classes AL and PP (Northstar) were a bonus, gratefully received. That's 25 years of expensive collecting. No manufacturer, even with Squillions of Euros to spend is going to equip my shed with the things I want RTR! If I was into the GSR (and its predecessors) I would have had a much harder job. J15s, Yes - Thanks Terry McD; the little MGWR tank; GSR coaches (SSM) but none of the many 4-4-0s John M speaks of. The Woolwich Mogul was, of course, a gift thanks to its Irish designer. So thnaks, Bachmann. Whatever IRM come up with, it'll do well because it will be unique and even if you're modelling a different railway, you should still buy one and find a reason for having it (like my J15s and MGWR 2-4-0 at Portadown Jct!). And don't whinge about the price - compared with my list (£500 each, maybe) it'll be a bargain. I have a load of IRM's stuff, which has NO place whatever on a 1950s GNR layout, but thinking back to the 1960s when I first attempted an Irish layout, I can only encourage those who may take my hobby on long after I am gone.

No hope for you at all! That said, it is 201 which I have a photo of crossing the River Lee (one of Lance King's), NOT 207 (it's an age thing!). Most important in the photo is the corrugated Bulleid behind the loco, which Mike may already have in his rolling stock fleet?