leslie10646

To provide some St Patrick's Day Cheer for those of you  assiduously off the Good (Distilled) Water for Lent, today was a "Platform Day". Meaning that I am labouring with my Island Platform for Portadown station. 

I wondered if I had got the length right so that it matched with Platform 4 - being Irish I did No.4 first!

Yes, EXACTLY the right length BUT PRIDE COMES BEFORE A FALL......

I had broken Holman's First Law of Railway Modelling - "Measure Twice - Cut Once"!

I ran a train through and it clobbered the thing - too (blank) wide!

How do you knock a couple of millimetres off the width of an almost completed platform (6 feet long!) which has a frame of light softwood......

Maybe I'll use the "Saints Day Rule", take a good draught of Bushmills and try again .......

The original for me.

Just get the kit made - I'll find a friend who likes building things!

Really excellent advice from Colin.

How many years of practise went into @Galteemore, @David Holman @Tullygrainey @Patrick Davey's efforts, to name a few?   Patrick especially soldiered on after "not quite right efforts" (I know because I sold him two of one of my kits, after he "practised" on the first one - now look at what he's doing!!!!

Not for nothing do we old people say "Practise makes Perfect"!!!!

You won't believe that I'm saying this - it's a diesel after all - , but I have to agree with @Galteemore that really has a Wow Factor. It catches the essential "E Class" perfectly. A great piece of work.

They were ubquitous around Dublin in the 1960s when I first visited as an enthusiast.

Will you build me one, please?

On 10/3/2025 at 8:37 PM, Mol_PMB said:

I could be tempted - my willpower is about as strong as a chocolate fireguard and my bank account has just swerved a major expense at IRM towrs! On the other hand I do have quite a backlog of stuff to build, so no rush. How is your re-stocking programme going?

Is the 10t brake van this type? I must confess I haven't yet found any photos of them still in use in the 1960s but then I haven't looked everywhere yet; there are a fair few photos of them in the 1950s but I guess most were replaced by the 30t brakes built in 1960.

 

N.B. the colour photo above shows van 8554 with 'eau de nil' lettering.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54253429200

 

Hopefully there are still a couple of those GNR 10t goods vans with my name on them too. I quite fancy doing one of them in this rare 'snail on brown' livery:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54257197990

 

Yes, that's the brake van which I do.

Your name IS on two 10 ton vans!

My stock is rather low pre Bangor - I WAS planning retirement - instead I'll fulfil various needs with nnew stock in the late Spring / early Summer. The orders are in.

I should explain that the guy who took over Michael's business ("My Modeller") had some issues which slowed up delivery, but things look more hopeful and I may put off the evil day, if I'm spared.

I've spent the last couple of days laying out proposals for two new wagons (one a short re-run) but the other quite new; plus a possible new container.

Watch this space.

Now, now Ivan! Used to be sort of true.

As the late "Mac" Arnold said to me on the platform at Gortalea on the first Two day tour after a three year hiatus in 1972:

"Too many Englishmen on this tour - MIND YOU, IF YOU HADN'T BROUGHT THEM OVER, THE TOUR WOULD NOT HAVE RUN .

It was the first year that I organised a party from England and the twenty or so of us made the difference. I did it for at least a decade, once FILLING a coach (fifty seats) on the Irish Mail. Then flying became cheaper and people did what @Mol_PMB is doing, booked it themselves!

The "Big Tour" always needed "British" support - my groups had a faithful bunch of Scots and the occasional Welshman.

Ten foot Fox bogie.

The diagram has been sent to you by e-mail.

"Glad to be of Service"

Leslie

Good luck with this, Paddy. At least you can run  an 800 with a straight face as they certainly ran here!

31 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

The Father, the son and the Holy Spirit !

Surely to make the thing properly Catholic, they would have been named in LATIN, so we'd have had a loco named for the current Notts Forest Manager? No wonder they're above Spurs  - eh Dave B?

18 minutes ago, minister_for_hardship said:

I'm looking at getting GS livery as outshopped, partly as getting rtr GSR *anything* is hens teeth plus partly I'd rather remember them in terms of being full of promise before world events put paid to that. In their final years they went out on a whimper rather than a bang.

Ah yes, Minister, but for Chamberlain's fit of pique (in guaranteeing Poland) over the little Austrian's annexation of the rest of Czechoskavakia (itself an unnatural construct arising out of the disaster of Versailles) - there might have been no Emergency and we might have discovered if the 800s REALLY could run for miles and miles at 80mph on the Cork Mainline. (And I might have an interest in them like my unswerving adoration for all things Bulleid - whose Pacifics did just that sort of running).

Unhappily, like my all-time favourites, the GNR(I)'s VS Class, they had a very short working life at the top level.

So, I agree with you, if you are going to buy this museum engine, buy it as it was meant to be!

17 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

I don’t think 009 Irish stuff ready to run is worth it yet. Niche within a niche within a niche 

 

It is slightly, but to be fair if the Irish market is stagnating/slowing. Then why not try and market towards those across the pond. If anything will tempt them it’s the 800s! 

Hi WCR

You're partly right, but it's a fact that I only know about half a dozen people who have seen an 800 running, otherwise it was in the museum. Expand that to our fellow (more numerous) enthusiasts on the Big Island, and the number is vanishingly small.

One of the RPSI's CLASS representatives would have been even more attractive to those of us modelling Irish railways and they are even better known in the UK and Worldwide.

Happily, to help fill MY glass case, Accurscale has produced other attractive locos, including, dare I admit it, their diesels and electrics. I'm off to see if a Class 92 which was on sale at a really bargain price at Basingstoke remains unsold!

2 hours ago, Northroader said:

So, I found a decent tomato, but when I started to put the wheels on it, the greengrocer come out and started hitting me…

what’s next then, lads?

Ah, yes. A locomotive which can get to Derry, Portrush, Dublin, Cork, Tralee to name a few - not restricted to the Cork main line.

The choice by IRM seemed incomprehensible (I thought it was April the First!) until the penny dropped.

It's after the market of rich, older Englishmen who buy locos to put in a glass case .....

I await the real promised second Irish steam loco, but with the timelines stated, I'll probably be helping Drew Donaldson to run  his layout in "Another Place" before it appears.

Back to building Portadown's Island Platform.

It was a GNR(I) Class V.

We always referred to them as "Glover Compounds" as the Loco engineer of the GN at that time was a man called George Glover.

2 hours ago, Patrick Davey said:

So the day has arrived and, surprisingly, I did manage to sleep last night.

So what are our final predictions?  Mine are as follows:

I believe that we are at last about to see the IRM steam release, going by Fan's use of the word 'special', so although I would dearly love it to be a GNR loco, ideally an S class, I'm leaning more towards the GSR 800s, going by Fran's use of the word 'ambitious'.  If so then my wallet will be safe for a while as these magnificent locomotives are out of my area of interest.

But I have been wrong with every previous prediction and they could be about to surprise us in some way........?

Whatever happens, it'll be sensational!

Patrick, like you, if it's an "800" I'll put my money into an even better holiday.

Just a minor correction, Oh Exulted Jonathan.

I produced THREE different GNR vans as kits (10 ton fitted and unfitted and the 9 ton which is noticeably smaller.

My RTR Dapols are very close to the GNR Bagged Cement vans of 1953 / 4. I've done those in two GNR runs, plus the Snail version and the more recent "Brown" and "Wheel" versions - and another GNR number to come in April ......

You're dead right about the "Convertible" bands, but not so many of us model early enough? Surely they were history my mid-1950s?

@Mol_PMB take a look at my lovely GSWR 10 ton brake - still around iun 1960s.

Normally, I walk past "N" gauge layouts, after only the merest of glances - except it depicts nice long trains and lots of action (some do!). The smaller ones, I would normally ignore, but NOT this one which was in another league - simply the best "N" modelling I have ever seen.

What attracted my attention was the "Pendon" standard of scenery. Make sure that you look at these full screen. Remember that this stuff is ONE EIGHTH (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) the size of "))".

There was even a STATION!!!

For those of you who live on the "Small Island", Pendon is a model railway museum (between Reading and Didcot) whose founder sought to preserve in model form the England of the 1920s/30s - an Australian by the name of Roy England. Just put "Pendon" in your browser and have a look to compare with this extraordinary 2mm railway. I was blown away!

The other layout which c aught my eye was the 4mm scale "Market Bosworth" depicting a LNWR / Midland scene from 1900s. Patrick MAY have competition in station building!

You could even see the luggage in the Booking Hall. Rather nice.

The rolling stock was just as wonderful! Sorry, in my rush to get off to visit a friend in hospital, I forgot to photograph the trains!

Rhubarb, Ivan.

Drew Donaldson had a working timetable which told the operator exactly how many turns of the key were needed with "x" locomotive pulling "n" coaches / wagons from "A to B".

True the trains took off like a Southern Electric, but they rolled delightfully to a halt at the arrival station. Mind you, shunting with clockwork was a challenge.

Then, if he was running a particularly heavy train, Drew would call out to the station operator - "Box her 'til she bangs!!!". Meaning until even with an iron grip you can't squeeze the spring any more.

Hi Fran:

How long after the event, or id Youtube carrying it live?

Darrman, have no such fears - someone in "Authority" will read a few pages of relevant railway history and realise that you just "Buy them off". It happened endlessly in the 19th century to ensure that a railway line got built.

Maybe one of you good citizens of the Republic could send a suitable Railway History to the Irish rail solicitor?

8 hours ago, Fran said:

Traced from an original drawing the gate is laser cut in MDF.
Such a simple yet elegant design.

14 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said:

Would be good to get these in 4mm........?

Fran, you've obviously got one of these - what scale?

Patrick is not the only person who'd like a few!

24 minutes ago, Branchline121 said:

The new DART has been on the line, as seen on this Facebook post.

First new type since the ICRs I'm guessing? Interesting nonetheless.

My goodness - it looks just like that new model Paddy showed at Clontarf!

Ah, sure, Ivan - Saint's Days are exempt - at least in the Church of England and the Presbyterian Church - but then the latter disapprove of intoxicating liquor anyway ......

2 hours ago, Galteemore said:

Very handy little engines, the Ts, Leslie. On loan to the NCC, one managed Belfast to Carrick in 12’45! 

Indeed they were. They even ran trains as far as Clones.

But the announcement won't be these locos - all gone before the iRM chaps were born .......

Happily I have three of them!

On 9/2/2025 at 9:38 PM, jhb171achill said:

Worth pointing out too, for those too young to remember, far from a perhaps modern impression that GNR locos were blue, the vast majority were black. Only certain passenger classes were blue. Even preserved 85 "Merlin" and her classmates were black when first in traffic, only later repainted blue. None of the P or PP class were ever blue.

Personally, I think that a plain black loco with mahogany coaches is ALMOST as attractive as the blue variant.

The PP looks super, David. Happily, I did manage a run behind ONE of them!

The guesses at "what it'll be" should get saner now that you lads are off alcohol for Lent.

Here's my self-centred view.

It won't be a J15, but 2029 seems a good year to bring out No.186?

Unhappily, the Class WT looks all too likely, in which case I'll be taking an even more expensive holiday this year with what I've saved.

A GNR S Class is a possibility, BUT No.171 has been in bits when Paul Isles was measuring things up, so maybe not?

Forget No.800 - it wouldn't offer Accurascale the sales volume.

A GNR Q Class would be really nice, but might be too much off peoples' radar despite being around on track recently.

What I really want and will buy a couple of them before Paul sits down after his announcement is a GNR Compound.  No.85 been around for the last ten years, so people are familiar with it.

People have been ranting on about the annoucement being for a Tank and many alternatives have been offered, but not these lovely little engines, just 25 to choose from:

                                                                                 Amiens Street Shed, 1957                                                           Photo the late Lance King, Copyright IRRS