leslie10646

Like Fran, our thanks to the guys (and gals?) of the MRSI for arranging last weekend’s exhibition.

A lot of hard work by a faithful few before, during and after. We exhibitors were very well looked after and a further thanks to the ladies who provided lunch and kept us all fed and watered.

Talking of being fed and watered, the Exhibition dinner was in another League to any I’ve attended before – great food, friendly service and good craic.

From The Few, to The Many.

It was wonderful to be back among Irish modellers who not only bought loads of my kits (I actually nearly sold out!), said nice things about them and encouraged me (at 76) to “keep it up”.

Well, if I’m spared and encouraged by this great exhibition, I intend to do just that.  New kits are in the pipeline.

An additional pleasure was to find that I had become (in)famous, thanks to the “ZOOMed” IRRS talks which I have given!

Early on Tuesday morning, The Ulysses cast Richard and I up on a Welsh  coast being lashed by torrential rain. After a tiring overnight journey, we were home by 7am and crashed gratefully into our beds - and stayed there! Still wrecked from what for us is a week-long Odyssey.

Thanks again, Dave, Tony, Ed and all at MRSI for having us and for a very successful exhibition. Thank you to all of you who visited us, even if only to say “Hi”.

Looking at the number of beet kits I sold, this year's season should be well looked after!

Dear White

I shall take pleasure in communicating with you after I've got this little event in Dublin behind me (if i make enough profit to cover the call).

I'll even let you know what my next wagon is - before this lot!

Yours faithfully

McAllister

Noel, thanks for the Advertorial!

As Tim says, a very nice bit of building (the spindly brake gear takes patience, but is worth the effort) and superb weathering - although we've come to expect that from you!

For the rest of you, I have a supply with me, so have a go at a true Irish Icon.

Noel, do come and say "Hi". We've yet to meet!

Anyone get any sleep last night?

47 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Z, N, TT, H0 00, O, gauges 1, 2 & 3; 009, H0m, 10 1/4 inch gauge - all will be options. And I'm still thinking it's the DUTC tow-car or "Dick" of Fintona.

No, no, no

I was thinking of "0" Gauge next ........

16 hours ago, Old Blarney said:

Push-Pull to Maynooth.

I travelled on a Push-Pull train (Former AEC Railcars and a B201 Locomotive) from Connely to Maynooth to Connely.  My driver, that day, was to take-up duties on the Bray-Greystones-Bray shuttle the following week. I believe from memory; this was the commencement of the shuttle service between Bray and Greystones.

My dear David, YOU'RE ALIVE!   Great news.

In your posts above, you don't mention the date?

6 minutes ago, John-r said:

Bring some spoil ( muck ) wagons if you can Leslie. Sorry to deviate from topic, trying to take my mind off what's coming,  its not working.

My dear John, What a fine fellow you are!

I WAS going to leave them at home!

Going into the box now!

28 minutes ago, BosKonay said:

Lol. don't worry we're not treading on your toes Leslie

Probably not treading on my toes, maybe a good hack at my shins!

It's time Dave B opened the book on your announcements, proceeds to the Gardai Benevolent Society?

I wish they'd get on with it, then I'd know which kits to leave at home.

I thought young Des does the 0-6-4T and the Bandon tank?

Hhmmmm, time to retire?

On 19/10/2022 at 9:43 PM, jhb171achill said:

If John (an absolute gentleman, who I knew years ago) is still alive, but he's a good age. He deals only by letter. He and I used to write to each other regularly. I must look out his last letter - I THINK (but would need to check) that he has handed his entire collection over to someone / somewhere.

John is still with us. His collection was (in part at least) with the IRRS.

18 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Might not be a good idea now that there's a Marcos back running the show. He'll be every bit his father's son. And his mother's still pulling the strings.

Can't be more autocratic than China .........

I am NOT getting a THIRD AEC set.

I was "outed" to my steam pals by a chap on this forum, with the initials LB.

No excuse that it was in the pub. Just as well I was in Hong Kong at the time.

Mind you, it was a great kit bash model, still running and the builder, Bless him, build me a load of GN Mahogany coaches.

50 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

Hi everyone,

Some good guesses so far, but just to clarify; all these announcements are railway related, so no buses or other vehicles.

It's the only clue you are getting though!

Cheers!

Fran 

It IS the Digital Dray horse!!!! Wow.

More seriously, I've never understood why no manufacturer has set up in the Phillipines. Lovely people, hardworking, and English-speaking.

Robert, make sure that you call by C22 so that I see what one of my best customers looks like!

6 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

If none of them are B&I ferries, I'll be disappointed.

Probably two tone green Dublin buses, Roadliner trucks, 071 Class locos, 800 Class locos, 47' Flats, Mk4 coaches, Mk2A/B/C range expansion, loose coupled wagon three packs, 2600's, or who knows?

Maybe one of the lads has a baby on the way and that's one of the announcements.

Or maybe they're pre-empting sanctions on China and opening a plant in a low wage area much closer to home, one with a young, skilled, multi-lingual workforce, one that's less than four hours away, one that has blue skies most of the time, and one where palletwide containers are the norm, and that's one of the announcements.

Referring to the final paragraph - you mean the UK?

Just a thought, (Hallowe'en coming up) - having "Lit the Blue Touch Paper" the Management have indeed "withdrawn immediately" and let us speculate.

From the deafening silence from them, one of us has hit the nail on the head!

I'm pretty sure it's JB with his Fintona suggestion - a fully working horse could be used on British layouts, so could cross fertilise with the Accurascale brand. After all with their forthcoming GWR Manor Class, there is the obvious connection with the fact that the GWR used hundreds of horses.

AND, the same horse, reliveried could be used to pull Guinness drays.

And,

And,

What DID I put in this bedtime drink?

3 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Nobody seems to have offered those beet wagons as a guess.

As to the next powered model, who knows? Would be grand to see something steam outline, though. Something along the lines of a J15, mqybe.

Wot's wrong with mine?

200 in service to date .......

Just ask young Robert Roche who sings tunefully in the choir of this parish - he's built a load of them!

Buy 'em at Raheny!

The sky tonight at "Pettigo Fair" - an omen?

Something red...........

A Rank's Grain Hopper?

GSR coaches

MGWR coaches (an L Class to follow?)

NCC coaches (no - even that's too crazy)

A NCC Whippet in Crimson Lake

---------------

What was the subject of this thread ......

Great stuff this Black Bush!

5 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Powered Fintona horse.

4-wheel drive, eco-friendly fuel.

I had no idea that you were so politically correct, but as has been observed there are interesting possibilities for re-liverying the motive power, whether called Paddy, Jimmy, or Billie  ......

4 minutes ago, murphaph said:

....or something in between?

In the spirit of earlier posts, I think that they are hoping to make a Korean Killing. Great trains for their passengers.

As for Branchline, he doesn't need to wait for Raheny - the last Episode of "Bloodlands" is on Sunday night. I'll leave Police Commissioner Bracken to run a book on "Whodunit".

5 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

3! at least spread them out between 3 different eras to save us 1 kidney! I suppose it’s time for predictions….probobly the biggest shot in the dark yet. 
 

powered

C class

hunslet

AEC railcar

 

 

unpowered

Park Royals

ammonia wagon

laminates

timber wagon

maybe a CIE van simular to the banana wagons we saw earlier on this month 

 

it will also be nice to see some of the decorated samples of things we already know are coming in the pipeline 

None of those.

Come on lads, which of "my" wagons are you going to do!

Thank you Patrick, for the plug.

If the Auto-Train's route takes him to Raheny he can take his pick from my kits of -

Bulleid Open wagon

1953 CIE van

Flat wagon, with or wthout container

CIE cattle wagon

GSWR 10 ton brake van

or a load of pre-Grouping wagons.

If you're in Charles' Country, I'll send you a list!

Lord, Andy, you're miles away from us. But at least that is one friendly face!

Just  an early heads-up.

The IRRS will be at Stand C22 - squeezed in beside a layout called Upwey Junction (I assume the one on the GWR main line near Weston super Mare?).

I don't see an Irish layout listed - are any of you "owners" exhibiting?

Obviously IRM will be there!

Leslie

I can almost see a Midland K Class steaming into the place. Very well done everyone involved.

Re the Ukrainian ladies, you have a ready-made team for the "Tearoom" when it opens.

It'll be the only railway food outlet West of the Polish frontier offering good hot nourishing Borsch and Blinis.