leslie10646

It's time the permanent way department fixed this track! Slieve Donard's driver hangs on tight while working the Christmas Mail.

Kein Problem, Herr Murph.  Alles klar!

After admiring Mr Beaumont's (very dirty) selection of locos on The Harbour - I thought I'd show a shed-ful of CLEAN locos.

Apologies for the German turntable!

NCC No.97 Earl of Ulster (Colm Flanagan)

00 Works UG (un-numbered)

SSM T Tank ( as yet un-numbered)

The Engine of Engines Class VS No.207 Boyne

Class WT  No.10

Class AL (Northstar)

00 Works "101" Class No.131

Class T Tank No.64

00 Works Class U No.205 Down

ANOTHER SSM T Tank

Class PP No.42

00 Works CBSCR No.5

I'll do another snip later with ONLY GNR(I) locos!

God Bless Lord White (aka Old Blarney), who patiently (on the phone) talked me through resetting the offending loco, getting it to run again and finally give it the address I wanted.

All I've got to do now is clean the wheels and The CIE Enterprise can run again!

Well done, David, I owe you a pint!

Hi Murph

It was a pretty short run and is nearly sold out.

If you're in the UK, you can buy it from The Syndicate (PM me), if in "Europe (meaning the Republic)", then the RPSI is an option, as they send from within the "borders".

Happy New Year from Big Bad Brexitland - historians will pillory Johnson and Co just as we do Chamberlain, although he was not the only culprit by far!

58 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Superb pics.

Am I the only one who, after seeing so many excellent colour shots, just scrolled past the black & white ones?

Atmospheric as some of these could be, I just could never understand the preference some have for B&W over colour. We don't see in B&W.

Always thought the bright blue station colour scheme in the 1990s looked utterly ghastly - so garish. Clashed badly with the orange and black trains.

Grouch-like as all of the above sounds, brilliant photos with good colour rendition too, and well composed and sharp. Hopefully Pauline has some more!

Ah, Jon, ye've sold yer soul to the Divil -

B&W film (and results) was Light Years better than Colour until mid sixties, at least.

That said, as Pauline demonstrates, colour is massively useful to the modeller.

Good colour film would have settled what GN Blue looked like, or, indeed, the green of GSR Green (on the 800s)?  A pity John Ford didn't find an excuse to get John Wayne to Ballyglunin via Belfast and Cork?

On 28/12/2021 at 8:21 AM, Noel said:

 

PS on addressing note programming 121 as a loco address is treated as a long address by some DCC controllers and a short address (ie <128) on othe DCC systems due NMRA ambiguity. For example program 121 into a loco on NCE is not addressable by say a Z21 or Lenz and visa versa. As recommended above to mechanically diagnose a loco try on DC first with the DC blanking plate to illuminate all possible DCC causes.

Hi Noel

Yes, I HAD read that far in the manual - the Digitrax programming feature offers FOUR different programming systems - had anyone on the forum tried changing the Loco address on a Sound chipped 121 - USING A DIGITRAX CONTROLLER? Mine's a Zephyr, with the option to use a Duplex handheld one - just to make it simple the job is done differently on each of the two!

Still got a dead 121. The shed pilot has been busy rescuing it!

Ernie

Glad to see that they didn't keep you in and hope that the treatment is successful.

John Dewing, a photographer of considerable note, left a note to the effect that the IRRS should have the use of his Irish collection of photographs, which Mrs  Beryl Dewing handsomely incorporated in the agreement when the collection was sold to the Transport Library. Hence other photos of his which have appeared in the Journal recently, brilliantly presented by Ciaran Cooney.

John was a delight to chat to over a pint (after IRRS London meetings). I was delighted to use his photo of No.133 entering Cahirciveen as the Frontispiece of Steaming in Three Centuries.

Amazing that this should have cropped up today. My 121 won't move at all, after an attempt to program it to its running number (tried both "21" and "121") -

I had been running B121 as "03", so tried reprogramming it (on my Digitrax set-up) to "121" - the address appears to have been written OK, but after putting it back on main line - one dead loco.

By the way, tried programming it on both my "Zephyr" and the radio-equipped hand-held job - both times with loco on a Porgramming track as we are told to.

More than one person on this forum said they wouldn't touch Digital with a barge-pole - maybe they're right?

It's been one of this days - I won't bore you further.........

(Signed) Haggard Pensioner, Frimley, Surrey

Hhmmmm, just a year since the last post on this.

The GNR's Christmas traffic was so heavy that CIE are helping out with the bread train . (Taken on phone balanced on the Armagh Line facing Portadown Jct, while twiddling the knob on the radio controller!). The T Class tank is in the coaling stage headhunt at the roundhouse , the Park Royal is on the Down Dublin line which runs around the back of the roundhouse (with a grey B121 at the head of the train. A30 is having a rest - actually as it's an original A Class, it has probably expired .........

I'll post a few more trains when (if) my Son comes on Christmas Day and there is someone to hold a camera and another to drive trains - it gets pretty hectic having three trains running on the double track - No.207 on the Enterprise chasing No.172 on a Christmas parcels train on one track, with the Class UG running a local on the Up line (yep - three controllers!).

To date, my customers have been lucky, to get kits, but don't try BOOKS!

We've just had a parcel returned to us (£10 of postage down the drain), the An Post docket said "unrecognisable customs code", or some such - my associate posted it, so I don't have the exact wording. Needless to say the Royal Mail aren't terribly helpful, suggesting that we send it again - are you kidding, another £10 on books worth £20?

As someone said earlier, exports UK to the Republic are reducing, because they're well-nigh impossible.

And here am I trying to raise money for a series of charities (like the RPSI, IRRS etc) .........

Time to retire and concentrate on being a grumpy old man!

Leslie

PS My late father was a Customs Officer (UK) so I can hardly start smuggling now ........

On 23/11/2021 at 6:45 PM, airfixfan said:

In Belfast today and plan to try and buy a copy of this new book. Failed visited 2 bookshops who told me to try Amazon. Third bookshop said we will order it but it is not published till February! So no new book bought!

Jim, Don't buy it from Amazon, e-mail me and I'll get a copy en route from The Syndicate. 

Nice book, JB and Barry. Congrats. As one of our chaps said above - it should sell a lot of model diesels and hundreds of my wagon kits (I'll make a list of those you've managed to include!

Leslie (Provincial Wagons)

PS my website is being converted to Wordpress, which is proving painful

Thanks for sight of these, Ernie. Interesting to see a VS at the water column at Dundalk rather than one of our preserved engines. Lovely clear photo, pity it's one of them with the larger smoke deflectors - which I never really liked. The shorter version, ending at the handrail really gave them a certain look.

It is one of the great regrets of my life not to have travelled more than 743 miles behind three of them - but the memory of a footplate ride on the immortal 207 as Ned O'Hara flung her and her ten coach load into the Knockarney dip at sixty mph was and is unforgettable.

There are (some) benefits to being an old codger!

Thanks, Kevin, for this. No quick and easy answer but I'll get back to you.

1 hour ago, Eagles said:

Looking forward to the Wexford show. Hopefully the IRM announcement will be the Beet wagon or the Ammonia wagons. I’m looking forward to seeing the layouts and the traders at the show. 

Well now, Mr Eagles - why do you need a RTR beet wagon? Pop along to the Provincial Wagons stand and buy my kit of the wagon from Lorna - who has taken on the great job that Anthony did for me.

Her first outing with a Provincial Wagons "hat" on (sorry, Fran!) so give her some business.

If you don't believe it's easy to make, ask Robert Roche of the local club. He made ten within a couple of days of getting them from me.

The bad news is that Lorna  only has ten of them to sell - thanks to the Little Englanders, moving stuff "home" ain't easy - working on it!

Have a great day guys. Well done the Boys of Wexford for getting "exhibitions" back on the rails!

Leslie

Hhmmm, Ernie (and Kevin), the lout trespassing in that 1968  shot of the B Class is

ME (!)  

I think I had a camera bag like that then, the side burns, ears and specs look like me and I was certainly there (and on the ECS the day before).

Aaarrrgghhh!

On the previous Wednesday evening, I had my last run with steam on the Belfast Boat Express - the only time I travelled on it right through from Manchester. By the time I returned the following Monday, it was diesel and the brilliant fiery runs each evening from Preston to Lancaster on the train were gone forever.

Ernie, thanks for sharing these (even if embarrassing). Not many shots of trains at Armagh.

2 hours ago, DiveController said:

Very nostalgic. Day of the Slieve Cualann Railtour

Line by Line: I don't need to add to the comments above, except to say that Jim has written good factual captions, nicely laced with anecdotes which help to bring the "steam railway now run by diesels" to life.

You can get a copy from The Syndicate (UK only, sorry) and so assist Irish railway preservation (mainly the RPSI). Funds from such sales assisted us to buy thousands of Henry Casserley's negatives  in 2019 and 2020 - they will be made more visible and available in 2022 (if I and my team find the time!).

Simply send me a PM, or e-mail me and a copy can be winging its way to you

Hi Kevin I can't give you an unbiased opinion (being on the IRRS London committee), but a friend who really knows his stuff commented on the quality of the captions.

Ciaran really puts an effort in - to research the subjects of the photographs he is restoring - you won't be disappointed.

His talk the other week, based around Leslie Hyland's photos was a classic of brilliant photos, described in depth.

Dare I say it, Mr Davey, but I prefer the green livery with the stripe as you have above.

You've set me wondering if a green A Class ever ran over the Antrim Branch - Black 'n Tan B Class certainly did (albeit infrequently).

By the way, a very nice job with the point rodding.

Mr Dillane, I should have known that you would grow trees appropriate to the beet season.

2 hours ago, patrick said:

A55 on a short goods on the South Waterford line in the late sixties. Apart from the brake van which is scratch built all the wagons are Provincial Wagons kits. These kits are not at all difficult to build. Painting is even easier, all you need is rattle can of grey or brown paint. No masking required. 

 

Thanks, Patrick, the dollar bills are in the post! Actually, seeing the black A Class, makes me sorry I didn't opt for one - looks good on the goods!

As always, the layout looks great - very impressed by the autumnal colours in the trees - do you change them to suit the season?

Get your kits from Lorna at Wexford next Sunday (24th).

PS She ain't got cattle wagons (e-mail /PM me if you need some), but corrugateds, H vans, double beets and my delightful GSWR brake van are all in the Dublin stock.

My announcement regarding Provincial Wagons attendance above seems to have struck a cord, so an update.

First the Good News - I won't be there!

The better news is that I will represented by Lorna McDonald (and family!) who has a finite stock, which is reducing a little by folk e-mailing me with pre-orders.

As they say - "book early to avoid disappointment "  -

E-mail me (preferred) or PM me and I'll ask Lorna to set kits aside for you.

Thanks

Leslie (Provincial Wagons)

Hi Andy

Lucky I checked the details on UK Model Shops Directory - it's 13/14 NOVEMBER not this weekend!

See you then!!!

Leslie

It DOES move, by the way, the previous pilot engine is cowering in a siding 

Maybe I should digitise the Bavarian job? It runs well after twenty years in the box (you can tell that I've been tidying the under my boards! At least twenty "foreign" locos in boxes!

Back at Portadown (and its dodgy German turntable) .........

The shed foreman decided to get his new shunting engine out to rescue a damsel in distress

Sorry, I meant a broken-down Single-ended Yankee.

I hope that you've noted that this is a BLUE engine, in keeping with God's Northern Railway?

16 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Anyone know where to buy a decent turntable - needn't be very fancy - of just about enough length to turn a Woolwich (23cm)? The ones on sale mfrom normal suppliers seem to be built to turn an American "Big Boy"; they are prototypically FAR too big for almost all Irish applications, or else cost the price of a decent-sized family car or a holiday home in Kerry.

Thoughts?

Purely to wind you up, JB, I have my forty year old Fleischmann turntable at Portadown - TOTALLY WRONG, of course, but, hey, it works! i thought ttc's Peco turntable looked nice.