leslie10646

Gents No surprise to read those comments on RMWeb - the Irish have been leading the way in diesel models ever since Mr Murphy produced his double-ended Yankee! Well done!

Thanks for the master class, Eoin, great to see real model engineering! I have had similar work done to my 00 Terry Mac's S Class which after a lot of work will now pull eleven GN coaches. I went shopping for bits with my loco man - it's a Black Art! Watching Mr High Level Gearboxes picking out all the little parts to do the job was an education.

I could send you a log of one in 1965, when it took over from No.207 at Dundalk en route to Dublin. I quote from my comments in the log of 207's run to Dundalk (with 10 bogie coaches, about 350 tons). "No.207 was declared a failure with a hot box at Dundalk and the journey was completed hauled by A Class diesel electric locos. A19 did pretty poorly, only managing the forties to Drogheda, falling to 40 at Kellystown and 59 after. She failed at Drogheda and A27 took over, struggling to manage even the low fifties! Mind you, they were still with their original engines then." Sorry, the best thing any CIE engineer ever did was send money to La Grange to re-engine them! The rebuilds appear to have done good service, although by then I was living in England and my train timing was behind very foreign steam engines. All that said, I've got a silver one on order - they were as much an iconic part of the scene as the 121s were to be - thanks for the update, by the way, Dave. We've got a St Patrick, so what name will young Paddy take?

I was talking about the Crossleys, of course. The "R" version was a totally different business! The Blessed Oliver wanted to buy American originally, at least his successors sorted thing out!

Cheers Leslie, we will film a haulage test with her tomorrow, but at nearly half a kilo in weight it has plenty of heft for haulage. Don't overdo it, lads, the real thing wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. Interesting to see inside - very neat - but where is the smoke unit?

Great stuff gents. I'm glad I've got my order in. Mind you, you'll have to put up a video with twice that many wagons - I run a dozen bubbles and a brake behind my 1880-built J15 0-6-0! And yes, the slow running was brilliant - I was relieved when the Logo came up - I thought the clip would go on for another five minutes until the Fert had gone by!

Good to see you today, Galtee - I hope that you noted that De S's S Class was indeed Galteemore? Also glad that you liked Lance King's brilliant photographs - he really was a King of photographers - come and see more when I present them at the IRRS on London on 6 December! Alan (aka De S) tells me that the U Class (the bottom engine for you guys too young to identify it) was built in the late Drew Donaldson's workshop over 45 years ago. A serious bit of history. Timothy was making great progress with that point - a skillful young man! If someone will tell me how to get piccies off my Smart phone and onto a computer, I'll oblige Richie with a few photos. I tried to attach them to an e-mail, but Microsoft's xxxxxx software failed me!

Sorry to give zero notice, but the IRRS has a stand at this show tomorrow. I'll have some kits with me and you can see the new CIE cattle wagon. Several fine layouts like Burntisland and London Road (who couldn't admire the LNWR at its best?). Opens 10.30 until 17.30 Saturday; 10.00 to 16.30 Sunday. Hope to see one or two of you. Leslie

Terrific stuff, Tony. Never mind your request for GNR(I) posters - who makes 4mm copies of the Tyrone Constitution, Ulster Gazette, or even the Saturday Night to scatter about the place to please young David H. 4mm remains of fish suppers, even? I won't suggest 4mm fag ends ......

Well done, Ed, I don't think you'll regret it! Now, what about a few wagons to pull behind it? I pull a rake of bubbles, but that's a tad non-prototypical ......

Just looked at the J15 a moment ago - it clearly says LAST ONE - so if you want one ...........

No idea, Stephen. I told him I'd find buyers for ten of them. In effect, he told me that it's close on as much effort to get the parts for a hundred as ten. So he's getting on with a hundred or so of his next loco! After seeing the price, I've bought a new burglar alarm! Hi CoLin R - yes, Roderick does sell through eBay as well. Personally, if you're into GSWR / GSR / CIE to 1964 and haven't got one - you know what to do! Leslie

Yip, just as soon as some brave supplier releases a range of RTR LMS NCC narrow gauge stuff!! Patrick, you could always get a kit of an IOMR 2-4-0T and finish it as the Ballymena and Larne engine of that ilk - then claim it was transferred? I haven't got photos with me, or the book, but are the Peco RTR Lynton & Barnstaple coaches even remotely close? Probably talking through my hat - it's too narrow a subject for me!

Jon, Greetings from mid-Wales (working for GRJ) There won't be! Sorry. The loco is up to £311 now! I must improve my burglar alarms. Leslie

Jon You're right about the lining, but there's a simple answer - dirty the engine a bit, then you'll not notice it! Roderick has ignored my pleas to do an extra short run, so if any of you want one, you know what to do.

Oh, Joy, this new container ISN'T the same as the one Michael did for me two years ago! Take a look at mine on my website - http://www.provincialwagons.com/cie-wagons/ So you can have a nice mixture of containers AND we have a 20ft flat for you to put it on! Mine looks very bright (it isn't really, just my lousy photography), but I've no doubt that the weather-beaten types among you will have a field day mucking them up - mind you the 4mm to the foot graffiti looks quite a challenge! Loved your weathering, Richie. Leslie

Good luck with the "Knitting", young man. I look forward to seeing how you cope trying to photograph trains under the wires - a perennial problem for enthusiasts of the 12 inches to the foot railway! Congratulations on a superb layout.

Boris Johnson is complaining that it is a ruse by the Irish government to divert attention from him. Rubbish! 7601 works in No.10 Downing Street and it's a ploy to get the headlines away from BoJo. But if it's true - Good Luck, Paddy!

jhb171achill said: Much as I hate to say it, given traffic requirements on Irish railways, railcars are unfortunately the most efficient way of doing things. If IE were starting this again, push pulls as on the Belfast and Cork routes would be another way of doing things. Jon, of course you're right where a lot of Ireland is concerned, but there are exceptions. Several times in my lifetime I've heard railway engineers, who sounded as if they knew what they were talking about, say that over five coaches, loco haulage was better. It will be interesting to see how the TPE loco plus coaches thing works out. Our German cousins obviously think it has some merit as within the last five years they built five car double deckers, capable of 125mph to be loco hauled on non-high speed line routes. I can testify that they are very comfortable trains to travel in.

If Jon meant those fine British products (What am I saying? - I hated them in the 1960s!) with bodies by Park Royal, then you're dead right. The intermediates of my AEC and BUT sets spend time being pulled by blue 4-4-0s! Or did he mean having done an A Class, an E Class, followed by a C Class was the way to go............. Then you could have verbal fisticuffs over whether the E should be with or without tent. And the digitally controlled option to derail at 40mph?

Actually, to get the true picture of these locos as they were when delivered you'll have to buy three. One to break down halfway down the Gullet to Kingsbridge, one to fail on the train at the platform there and one to take the train out. No kiddin' - I had the story from the late Ron Pocklington who was explaining why the Blessed Oliver took so little direct interest in the Turf Burner - he had to contend with this sort of thing regularly. As we often say - "you couldn't make it up".

And it's a good excuse to secretly collect models of what we used to think of as "the enemy". IF I ever get Richhill finished, you'll have one of Jim's PS2s with a "Carrickmore" blind up on it (a former home!).

Actually, Patrick, when I saw the bus, I thought you were modelling the Ballymena and Larne's Ballyclare branch!

Now that I'm back home, I can give you an idea of what I was talking about. 1144 034 at Telfs-Pfaaffenhofen last week after doing 87mph en route from Innsbruck. The loco is over thirty years old and the coaches about the same vintage as the Mark 3s. All available in HO from Roco etc .....

Re the wagons which appear to be on peoples' Wanted lists - you can have FOUR of them tomorrow, as kits from me. But, if you want them RTR, get in touch and I'll put yours in the building list! Glad to be of service ......