leslie10646

Ah yes, there are two or three books "above my head" as I sit here - on the book shelves - which came from there. Certainly my original GNR book and Ahrons. However, very few Irish books had been published by February 1967 when I went into weeping exile.

And now for another meeting! READING Berks on Wednesday, 22nd. For any Irish railway enthusiasts who live in the Thames Valley within travelling distance of Reading, IRRS London Area committee member Leslie McAllister is repeating his talk “With Lance King in Ulster – The Great Northern” to the Reading Transport Group on Wednesday 22 March at 1945. The meeting will be held on the first floor of Church House, Church Street, Caversham next to Waitrose. Walking distance of Reading station. For Satnavs the address is Church House, 59 Church Street, Caversham, Reading RG4 8AX. In my, not humble opinion, the best of Lance's work with all those lovely Blue engines, mahogany coaches ...... It would be great to see any of you there. Leslie

Three of my wagons on sale on eBay. Reasonable starting price. I was even tempted by the UTA wagon myself, as I think I left myself with just one! https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?item=234933796924&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562&_ssn=wagonmaniac While I'm posting, I noted that the 00 Works GNR U Class went for double what it cost the original buyer. I knew I should have bought ten UGs!

Thanks for letting us all see what goes on at this exhibition (which I've never attended - it's the other side of London, for goodness sake!) - but remarkable layouts. I had half an excuse this time - a talk on Friday and watching Ireland yesterday! Glad that you met the two Davids!

ZOOM LINK for Friday's meeting Click here to join Meeting or open the Zoom app on your device and enter : Meeting ID: 822 0522 0061 Passcode: 110028

Great stuff, young man and with a decided IRISH Angle. Sir John Aspinall, sometime CME and then General Manager of the Lancs and Yorks did his time at INCHICORE and lefy his mark on the Irish locomotive scene.

Thanks, Patrick, even more so as your H Vans are the first I've seen with the Builder's Plate in place. I added them to the kit as an afterthought, when I realised that Steve at Railtec could do them. To any of you who have my H vans, but didn't get the Builder's Plate transfers, see me at Bangor and I'll see if I can match your van number with the stock of them which I have left - no charge

This Friday, St Pat's Day, I'm presenting about 180 of Lance King's slides under the title - "On Tour in Ireland with Lance King". It is heavily skewed to the famous 1961 All-Ireland tour (100 slides) after which Lance launched the IRRS's London Area. There's even a (single) photo of an 800 in action! I'll post the Zoom details when I know them. Early evening, so an early dinner for all! Everyone welcome. Leslie

Thanks, Ernie re the photographer's name. I must ask another member of the party if he was one of them! Sorry, that's the one kit I am definitely out of. I have Michael working on a big order, but the SLNCR may have to wait until May (ie after Bangor).

Good morning Ernie. I think that your photographer was part of the LCGB group led by Lance King in June 1957. His shots were taken further out, in fact I'll be showing them at a talk this afternoon! I know this because the first two coaches are in blue and cream.The loco is No.209 "Foyle". Taken on 10 June 1957 (my 11th birthday!). An earlier photo at Strabane was also taken by the same gent - Lance took the scene from the other side! Thanks for sharing these so generously.

Good morning David, glad to see you on the site again! Your cattle wagon raises a different query. The lower planks look decidedly lime-washed - I thought that had gone out by the time the MAK turned up? Over to you Achill John?

Watch this space ......... 16.5mm, 21mm, 36.75mm etc etc

Yep, just lovely Alan. I loved the wagon rake too - but then I would say that? Have you got my EDSS Co wagons as well? If not, PM me and I'll see if there's a spare one in the "Family" box at "Pettigo Fair".

Why pay £495 if you're in UK.It seems to be out every day of the year on trains at GROSSLY inflated prices, so you can just go and look at it go by - it LOOKS a lot better than it GOES!!!! I think my antipathy for this loco is well known - Alan Pegler (a lovely man who bought the Festiniog Railway) bought THE WRONG ENGINE! He should have bought "Papyrus" No.2750, which did 108mph - the first authenticated "ton" with a steam loco - but of course, he was buying the NAME and, to be fair, it was HIS MONEY! As Horsetan says, Marklin are a fairly mad bunch with their stud contact. Gripe over .......

Have to agree with Patrick - the little tank looks splendid. Can we have a tutorial on how you did i? The diesel from Judith’s kit looks good. I own a kit of it as well and must beat up someone who promised to build it. a superb piece of modelling from end tend.

First, David, simply terrific stuff. You're carrying on RC's enthusiasm for the unusual - keep it up! You can understand Richard C's enthusiasm for the WL&WR - Robinson was a locomotive artist. When Bachmann do a model of his Great Central Atlantic it may prove impossible to resist.

Dave and Co - First, drive safely. Good luck with the layout among them other Celts, I hope it behaves and that you enjoy the weekend. Have you resurrected the J15s? Don't forget to let us know what The Boys have on their Stand / announce!

Thanks, I'm breaking the Tenth Commandment again - and on a Sunday!

No problem, Colin. I have the containers plus six different bakery transfers.

At 0820 this morning (so awful light, made worse by being handheld by a panting man!). But, hey, it's steam! Good start to the day! Enjoy, Leslie MAQ03930.MP4

Absolutely ten out of ten - even though it's a diesel. Even the late "Mac" Arnold stated that for the price paid (£4,000), its 436,000 miles in service show that it was far from being useless - an accolade from that source! PS the layout is even better than 10/10. Congrats.

Thanks, Mr Gm for that dose of nostalgia. I actually did a runabout ticket up to Christmas 1964 to get some extra Derry Road steam mileage - I seem to have ignored the fact that the line survived until February - must look up my 1965 diary! Has anyone got a good photo of those white CIE containers seen being shunted at Strabane?

Ian Sinclair presented a remarkable story of a UTA project to develop either the Queens Bridge station, or build a new station alongside Great Victoria Street as a possible terminus for the remaining BCDR trains (Bangor and possibly Comber lines). The services were planned to be run by the then new MED diesel units. It was the GNR's staggering volume goods traffic (in early 1950s) over the Belfast Central Railway which largely killed the project, as the passenger movements left no room for the thousands of cattle and large traffic in sand, oil, coal etc. Ian concluded by showing the work going on today to build Belfast's "Grand Central Station" (due to open in the next couple of years) on virtually the site planned in the early 1950s! A brilliant piece of research and my heartiest congratulation to Ian..

I bought BRM to get the account of Andy's "Castlederg" (TEN pages of delightful nostalgia - it even has the RUC station where my Dad served!!!) and it had a review of the Lad's Class 92. Congrats to them - BRM were lost for words of praise to use! However, it's the Mark Fives that blew me away - amazing detail. Very, very well done. As the Frogs say "Chapeau"!!!

Hi Dun The GNR certainly did have horseboxes. May I ask if you OWN the negative of the Casserley NCC photo? Thanks.