leslie10646

I liked the three tiered rack - very neat. As you will have noted I was selling the foam inserts for the RUBs at Blackrock (a Million Years ago) and have used them to store whole trains until the sidings are down for them. Different topic, Eoin, is that a Dapol motorised track cleaner I saw in one of the boxes? If so, are they any good? Greetings from a now sunny Surrey!

Eoin, Phew, that's a relief, as PWs come in bags! But it is the sensible way to do things. When I remember to be organised, things are in different Really Useful Boxes (I have dozens of 4L and 9L ones) - the trouble then is that I don't remember which one has what in it - except I label them and put them away with the label visible! Two weeks into Lock-down and I still haven't tidied up!

As Noel says, when I saw the subject and the writer of this thread it was a must to have a look. Great stuff and a lesson for those yet to try brass (not one-eyed me!). Does Des really provide his kits in nice WOODEN boxes! Or, as I suspect, it's just your neat way of doing the work? Greetings from a cloudy, cool Surrey - the Government can't even get the weather forecast right!

A, Mountain Man, that's the trouble with brass - it looks so nice that you don't want to cover it up!

The promised video of the shunt! Again, turn the sound down!!!!! Shunting test.m4v

NEW ONE-PIECE CIE CONTAINER AND RELAUNCHING THE SKELETON Previously, I produced a 1970s CIE 27101 series Skeleton Flat for 20 foot containers. Normally some lead shot is imbedded in the resin at casting time, but it caused some issues with the flanges of the I-section from which the solebar is made. So, we have left out the lead and the result is a much cleaner, more detailed result. There is a price to pay, of course, the resulting wagon is rather light (10g rather than 20g for the “old”) and, I thought, certainly too light to run empty – solution – well, run it “full” that is with a 20ft container astride it. To overcome this and also to provide a different heavier version of my CIE 20ft container, I asked Michael to produce a one-piece container – so no building to do, just undercoat and paint it, then add the transfers. The new container is 30g, an increase from the kit-built one (20g), so provides nice ballast for the new skeleton. See photos below. Not the correct colour of course, simply used to show the detail to advantage. In the event, as I'll show in a video in my next post - the skeleton runs well even unloaded, at least at reasonable speed on my iffy track! If you prefer an even heavier 20ft container flat, I also offer the flat with a floor (in effect the chassis of the double beet wagon – which used the earlier 26xxx container flats. Flat, or skeleton kit £22 post paid One piece container £11 postage extra Either wagon plus the container £32 post paid The two versions of the flat together, with a new container in undercoat and a finished container This a chunky container! But retains the detail of the earlier kit-built container

Hi MM Thanks for comment and encouragement to get my finger out. Ex digitate! Mea culpa. As we say in the North - ye're dead right. Working on it!

Ah, the two Davids missed my point but they did hit a sore point - that you can never find what you want to do an apparently simple task. I have an ex HMSO Index book on my desk marked "Where things SHOULD be" - a source of much merriment to one visitor. The reason for my shame which will be obvious when you watch the bit of video I'm about to put up - track down (VERY badly in some cases), absolutely no scenery, not even platforms or ballast! Turn the sound right down, or you'll be deafened - that's me talking behind the (shaky) camera Intro to the JUnction.m4v I forgot to mention what the other bit of double track was - so listen on - Armagh Line.m4v Finally (you'll be relieved to know) where the expensive stuff is kept - mainly hand made (by others) - and YES, it needs a building! Roundhouse.m4v Roundhouse.m4v

Proof that not only is a model railway never finished, but in this case - barely started! My model railway philosophy is exactly that of the late Drew Donaldson - have stock, run the trains to timetable and to heck with scenery. I like to run trains and over the last quarter century I have built up a considerable loco fleet (mainly steam, although I have supported others in their diesel activities), about twenty GNR mahogany coaches and (I have no idea really) about a hundred Irish goods wagons - the reason I started Provincial Wagons was that I needed goods stock. So, this is NOT for the lovers of layouts (believe me, I admire their work, but it's beyond me) - it's for running my trains! First its home - my loft - converted eight years ago - gives a whole new meaning to clutter (I still have hundreds of Star Wars figures belonging to my boys, endless suitcases, boxes of books I saved in case I ever got a chance to read them) and shows what a nightmare modern house roof beams are to the would-be modeller. At the far end you can see the original Richhill GNR(I) cabin diagram with the station below it - well - the correct track layout is there. Portadown station (again, more or less the correct track layout and nothing else - not even platforms) is to the right under the eaves. There is a bit of running line on the left side with loops off each line and the actual Junction, roundhouse, goods yard are behind me. You can see my desk in the middle of the floor - it should be for modelling, but apart from a couple of clamps, useful for cutting rail etc, that's the limit of activity there. The Provincial Wagons stock drawers just to the right of it. I put this up in shame, in the hope that if I live through this dreadful virus, some progress will have been made.

Hi MM No.184 is built from a SSM kit indeed. I bought her to resell, but having seen her and run her, I think she's here to stay until I am called to account ........ POrtadown got a lot of Gaelic specials from the Midlands in the 1950s, so it must have been a Sunday (?)

Ah, JHB, I only found out that a family member had worked on the railways when I looked up the enlistment papers of my Great Uncle, who died of wounds the day after the great Canadian attack on Vimy Ridge in April 1917. "Previous employment" was listed as locomotive fireman! I haven't managed to find out which railway, or for how long - he was forty years old and, of course, a volunteer with an Ontario regiment - so there would have been other jobs before that. Gabriel was probably born at "The Cavan" the name of the townland where the family cottage stood and from which I saw my first trains. My grandfather was stationed at the top of the lane from which you could see Richhill station - when a train set off towards Portadown - there would be a loud shout and the "little boy" would be brought out and held aloft to behold the Great Northern at work!

Rob asked: Just wondering what the best quality / most realistic Freight Containers (OO Gauge) 40ft or 20ft, that people think are out there? For 20ft ones - mine of course! See "News" Enterprise held up" Leslie

JHB Did the Go-Faster stripes make E421 run any faster, or did it break down before a GPS could register a speed?

MAQ03205.m4v BREAKING NEWS! Enterprise Express held up at Portadown Jct To allow CIE test train coming off the Cavan line to take precedence. Actually, it's old news, as it happened yesterday (news carries slowly). CIE was testing its new 20ft container skeleton (ultra light) to see how it ran in loaded conditions. Rather than risk tearing up a valuable mainline if there was a derailment, they used the old line through Inny Jct. Having just taken over the GNR, the new management didn't worry about an express taking Northerners home from a day's shopping in the Capital. Apologies for the vile video - the clicks aren't my brilliant rail joints - it's the SLR auto exposure doing its nut. Oh and DON'T look at the layout - I run trains, I don't do scenery! Full explanation later - this will do for today!

The prat in the middle is now in a Concentration Camp for giving his Heil with the wrong arm. Keeping happy in my Third Age.

You're right, it's the similarity of concept which amused me - as often happened - the Irish were there first

Patrick, I'm pretty sure that if you have a nose around in Ballyclare town you'll find a couple of buildings from the former station - my sister lives there and I went with my Bro in Law to have a tyre changed and realised I was in the station yard! Keep well so that you can get there in a few months! When I did my "Venturer" hike for the Scout badge of the same name - with Jim Neilly of BBC fame, as it happens - it was in the Ballyclare area and followed the narrow gauge line quite closely. I put a double page sketch map of the line in my hike report, which went down well with the examiner!

Not beating the Drum, but note the present IRRS headquarters top left of the Kingsbridge picture! The Drumms were an fine concept, based on Dr Drumm's new type of rechargeable batteries. There are good articles on-line - the Independent blamed Dev's new government for the non-development of the concept; while The Irish Times is a bit more factual as to why Dev may not have been so enthusiastic. Worth a look. Like many things in railway history, they have resurfaced and everyone thinks the new idea is novel - wrong - been there before! Battery powered trains are the rage today - but they were there and close to success 90 years ago. Seen the new Swiss-built FLIRTs in East Anglia? Hailed as a huge leap forward. But they're familiar to Irish eyes - the motors are in a little unit in the middle - now where have I seen that before - oh yes - the GNR(I)'s articulated railcars. Don't start me on raillbuses - when the British Railways Board went to see the Leyland thing being built, someone asked if they had studied the subject as previously evolved in Ireland - he was met with stony looks and silence. Keep it coming JHB, keeps the brain working!

Hi JHB Hated the pics of little diseasles, of course, but there were bits of PalVans - much nicer. Can you send me copies to my e-mail, as I'm just about to innundate the manufacturer of my wagons. Thanks Leslie

Looks like a SG or SG2 - certainly a 0-6-0. With the Zoom feature, you can see one of my Loco Coal wagons in a siding! Much more tantilising is the apparent lettering on some of the wagons - the "GN" one are obvious enough, but others appear to be lettered as a private owner wagon would have been. Are we looking at Lockington wagons, fully lettered - I've never seen a pic of one (or I'd have done a model!). I think it's Charles Friel's book on Dundalk which will show you quite about the sidings.

Yes, I'm sure Mr R is right and it is Carrick - he should know! JHB, the VS (at GV Street, in case you hadn't worked that out) is probably No.206 "Liffey" - the smoke deflectors are the clue. I used to think she was the only one with these extended ones, but another VS had them too, "Foyle" so it's just "probably". I much preferred the smaller variety carried by "Lagan, "Boyne" and "Erne". By a strange coincidence, I never actually saw the large deflectored version, as the UTA got "Lagan" and "Erne". The CIE pair with large deflectors did not last into the 1960s as "runners". Nice handbills, Mr Lambeg. Seeing the one for The Glens playing Pordiedown, reminded me of the most unusual place where I saw a Glentoran supporter's scarf - Tirano in Italy! I was walking from the Rhaetian Railway's station to the Basilica when I espied a shop window full of footie scarves and there it was. Another connection with your handbill - I was with a lady who had studied at Portadown College. Small World (not small enough, on current experience!).

The Larne photo is interesting - I haven't seen many (any?) quite like it - have you the negative? The crane shot - in theory, it may be possible to identify it from the existence of TWO NCC-style sheds in line behind the wagons - there can't be many such examples?

Well, I stopped to have lunch while replying and others got in! I was going to say - It's a Muck Train - Spoil Train to non-Ulstermen. Taken from the rear Class WT 2-6-4T of the train - I say that because the smoke APPEARS to be blowing towards the photographer. Certainly on the EAST side, as the unloading shutes are visible. Not working very hard, so probably , the train is between Magheramorne and Whitehead on a loaded working - I say that because of the fields. If it was climbing the MOunt Bank (the other place on the line with fields) I'd have thought that the loco would be working much harder? Also, isn't there a footpath alongside the line from Carrick to Whiteabbey and that's not visible. It's still possible to recreate the scene in model form thanks to a certain person's kits of spoil wagons!

JHB Interesting pic of Tooban - pretty remarkable for an impecunious narrow gauge affair. Looking at those signals, it's as well the Swilly didn't run too many trains at night (mad thoughts of the 11pm Derry to Burtonport Sleeping Car Express?).

Well done, Porky, the camera doesn't lie - but Miss Walker seems to have been charged more! Ah, Jon, I have to careful on this one. I buy the DM on Saturday's for the Giant Crossword. Also a huge number of Great Rail Journeys clients read it and they pay me (when I work for them - obviously nothing at the moment!). All that said - I refer to the Daily Mail as the Volkisher Beobachter (which was the Nazi Party's official Organ); the Guardian as "Pravda" (Communist Party's organ - most of the Guardian's writers today would have been sent to Siberia, or shot, if under the Soviet Regime, as far too revolutionary). I have no idea where you can read balanced sense, especially common sense! But if you know - let me / us know. Greetings from a God-given day in sunny Surrey. Just off to loft to dig out an order for a customer (NOT made in China!).