leslie10646

Fast forward twenty minutes, climb three flights of stairs, gently ease her out of the foam ...... Take note that Portadown Jct has now grown some grass, you could see it but for the loco...... All the way from Kiwiland and about to take its first wheelturn in the Northern Hemisphere

Now, that box ..... Sort of a clue here? Eh? Ah, so that's what it is!

That box .....Yep, that's my "Workbench"! Now go to Layouts - Portadown Jct - this thread is for Paddy's eagerly awaited little diesel - just too late for my 74th birthday......

Very nice, David. I received a loco by courier today, after paying £105 VAT on it. You can all start guessing! I'll post photos shortly, when I've got into the armour-plating it was surrounded by; then spraying the place with disinfectant

Thank you all for the lesson in wagon classification. At least I'm a lot wiser now on the various types.

Actually, it's a photograph I regularly show as part of my "First Fifty x Years of the RPSI". The Best Man at my wedding was the Miniature Morton who is in front of me, while the my Groom's Man, the late John McGuigan is just to the left of Tim in the photo. In time, they became younger son's Godfathers and a good job they did, too!

Well spotted, Mike. I'm quite surprised that none of the hundred-plus "H" van kits I've sold has been given the Grain treatment. Back to Ernie's picture - WHY would there be grain wagons in MONAGHAN? (I expect I missed an explanation posted by one of you wise young men?). Re Flange's comment - I sell my "H" Van kit as the 1953 van, as that's the date of the first ones, I understand. Why were they called H Vans? The GN Van isn't an H Van as such but part of a run of 150 wagons built at Dundalk by the GNR in 1954 - 5 for the Drogheda bagged cement traffic - they all went to CIE at the dissolution of the GNR. They are the spitting image of the Dapol Banana Van so I've done them as GNR vans (two different numbers) and as a CIE wagon with a Flying Snail. It's so close to the GNR wagon and sold so well in the past, that I've wondered about doing it again in CIE colours, still lettered up for cement.

Dead on, David, Noel's weathered container looks just like the ones I measured and photographed before we made the original kit. So, fifty years in ninety minutes - almost Faster than Light travel (if you're a SciFi type like me!).

Super job, Noel, thanks for sharing it. I presume showing the effects of forty years ageing, but achieved in as many minutes? Please forgive a correction - the four wheel flat isn't a Provincial Wagons one. I do such a kit, but in resin and sell either that separately, or with the container. Very pleased that my (earlier) version of the 20ft container fits nicely on The Boys' super 42ft flat.

Thanks for posting this, Ernie. Monaghan isn't far from Portadown, so maybe I need MORE of these hoppers? An interesting photo of the period after the GNR had finished and CIE ran a service over the stub of the Irish North within the State. I saw one on the Lisburn Road, Mr Lambeg. In model form. In Drew's workshop...... Ah, maybe that doesn't count?

At the risk of being thrown out of the IRRS, attached is a Lance King slide which shows the Clara elevators. Lance took this shot during the Society's Clara Branch railtour. No.151 at Clara (GSWR) in 1962. The grain elevators which John refers to can be clearly seen. Copyright Irish Railway Record Society.

Ah, David, the air was Electric Blue in Drew's workshop when he was building the Ranks wagon - that probably persuaded me NOT to get Michael to do one of these as a kit after the Spoil wagon (which is probably harder to model. John's news is terrific and I've just spent a theoretical £500 or so on Survey Monkey. All I have to do is live long enough - I'll be 75 when the Opens appear, if God grants. Now, now, George - Noel, like me, likes running his trains, but if he wants a wagon enough, he puts a lot of skill into building (my) kits - see his Workbench. Of course the price is high, sorry, chaps (and chapesses?) but if you're modelling 1950s/60s, you are in a minority within what is already a minority (but growing thanks to The Lads) modelling the railways of a Small Island. Good luck with the project, John.

The book's easily worth that for the photos alone, which are well reproduced for the period. Getting back to the main subject - in the book there is an excellent diagram describing THE JUNCTION's operating methods - who everything had to reverse to get to its platform! Seems insane, but the passengers never had to use a footbridge to change trains. Noel's point is not wholly correct - people do live at Limerick Jct - not many, I'll give you. As you approach by road, you pass placename signs as for any metropolis proclaiming "Limerick Junction"

Ah, Ahrons! From my 1964 Railway Diary - "Thursday 30 January: Fateful day – I bought EL Ahrons book “Locomotive Practice and Performance in the 19th Century Vol.6 - Ireland”. It was going cheap in Mullens (8/6, I think?). Fateful – the first of the hundreds of railway books I now own! Mullens was the Belfast Bookseller in those days - Galteemore's Dad will have known it well. Ahrons describes the main line locos of mainline trains as being like two Kilkenny Cats - ready to spring at each other. Colourful prose was indeed his style! By the way - "8/6" is about 42 pence (45 cents). Cover Price was 12/6. Dare I ask what you paid for it, David? Enjoy. Leslie

Leslie IS delighted! Now, where can I show 28 GNR wagons behind steam, without showing up my lack of scenery? Great job Noel - the corrugated open is a work of art and You've reminded me just how much the addition of the GUARD makes to a brake van (also a work of art!).

David and others I have a Copyrighted 1964 drawing by "The Irish Model Railway Company" - No.3 in their series. I have an idea it may be one of Herbie Richards' drawings and as he has kindly helped me with other drawings, I don't feel I can copy it here willy nilly. However, it appears to be 3ft6in from rail to buffer and 7ft 11in to the crown of the curve of the roof.. I'm pretty sure that this was the basis of my kit. Leslie

Great stuff, Patrick. Super layout enhanced by the interesting period rolling stock - but then I would say that, wouldn't I? Nice to see the cattle wagons au naturel and in vacuum mode.

Noel remarked: I only discovered three days ago the the chuck in my hand drill can reverse handling narrow or wider drill bits. Had it 3 years but only figured that out doing this wagon. 0.5mm is now my goto drill bit and ideal for the 121 grab rails too. That's mild, Noel - after twelve years I discovered that my Smart Car's tailgate had a keyhole and could be opened by turning the key! Previously I'd always used the wee button inside by the steering wheel. Unobservant, or what? You can thank Michael for the kit - I simply suggest the things, find the info and then harry him until it appears. I'll whisper, too, that Glenderg of This Parish was a willing contributor of critical info for this van.

Great stuff, Noel. I usually ask my customers to confirm arrival of kits, but you've gone one better by posting them on line and e-mailing me, thanks. Sorry about the woodworm in your 130 year old woodwork! Likewise sorry the handbrake wheel proved a pain, but it's a really nice little detail. Another Master Class in resin kit building, thanks. Good old Halfords! Like you, I find my little "twist drill" invaluable - mine has been mainly used track-laying, mind. I've been buying all sorts of tools, encouraged by Richard McLachlan and guess what? After years sitting in boxes, they are all proving useful now! I wish you many years of happy running with the finished article - a lovely piece of archaic rolling stock! Keep well. Leslie

Well done for not accepting what was available out of a box - a very nice job. I'm afraid that having a Fleischmann motorised turntable from my German days, that's in the middle of Portadown - I'll have a to try a d bit of surgery. In fact, that's today's job - adjusting the Peco level crossing to approximate to the one that was at Richill. Keep it up and stay well. As David mentioned - good old Kernow have delivered to me during lockdown.

Heaven, Lm, you'll have me searching out a copy of "Steam's Silver Lining", which I published - it includes a RPSI coaching list correct (I hope) for the first 25 years of the Society. Like it or not, we're a very small minority on the Island of Ireland and we're lucky Jimmy's stuff is safe, even if badly described. The National Archive in the UK does "employ" (at the volunteers' own expense) a lot of people who do know their stuff to make sure the catalogy=uing, etc of railway stuff is "correct". Now, my turn for a rant. When people hear that you're interested in railways they immediately say - "I expect you've travelled behind the "Flying Scotsman"? Between us, yes, I have and on the footplate on two occasions on the mainline, but I wouldn't go from here to the front door to see her. Why? The wrong A3 was preserved. There is a myth that she was the first steam engine to do 100mph - she wasn't (and certainly neither did "City of Truro"). She did 98mph according to Cecil J Allen, who was timing the train on the day - the 100mph thing was claimed by the LNER publicity Department. As the actress said - "They would, wouldn't they?" The first engine to do the Ton was 2750 "Papyrus" (also an A3) - in fact 108mph on trials before they decided to build the A4s and ran the Silver Jubilee in four months from drawing board. For younger readers - Silver Link reeled off forty miles at 100mph on the famous Press Run - they had no speedo on the loco and they crew thought they were doing about 90mph - the max was 112mph! Rant over. Glad you're obviously in good form, Stephen! Leslie

Played a blinder there, Noel. No-one has any excuse for not trying the kit of this iconic, ubiquitous Irish wagon. Over 300 kits sold now - my best seller by a century or so. There are more upstairs for when anyone wants to have a go! Between us, I didn't quite believe it when the first batch of kits arrived at "Pettigo Fair" with those staples, but you've got to hand it to Michael, it produces a very good representation of a very delicate brake gear set-up. Bet the Chinese couldn't do better! Very well done Sir, even if the eyes are getting on a bit - they obviously work! And are well co-ordinated with your hands Leslie

Re the Nohab diesel. Fleischmann used to make one - obviously in HO. See: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fleischmann-danische-NOHAB-Diesellok-MY/402245656044?hash=item5da7b59dec:g:rQ4AAOSwWSJepeIS Belgium, SNCB: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/188HO-Fleischmann-HO-1385-Diesellok-Nohab-202016-grun-gelb-SNCB/352874373859?hash=item5228f3a2e3:g:~ZUAAOSwYAdd48te Also MAV (HUngary) had them and I've got at least one trip with them, as one is preserved.I can't see a Fleischmann version of the Hungarian version as Hungary was behind the Iron Curtain when it was in production! These days ROCO make the Nohab as well. Quick paint job .......

Patience, Old Boy. Des is probably busy at the Day Job. He's almost certainly busy doing that from home.

Super, Noel Not only a master class in building it, but you've got what Michael called the "dustbin zinc colouring" to prefection! Very well done. Leslie