leslie10646

As David says above, this is close, but a big difference on driving wheels - 6ft on the NCC and, I think 6ft 9in on this? I don't think that even the most silver-tongued of us could persuade Rapido to do a UTA run - I'm aware of less than a dozen NCC modellers. Hence the absence of NCC wagons among my kits - almost as bad as BCDR (sorry Patrick), but when I did BCDR wagons they were Dapol repaints (400 of them in all of four "prototypes") they sold very slowly and I think I sold the residue off cheaply. I've done two NCC RTRs - a LMS covered van with UTA lettering and a "Courtaulds" open both of which sold out. The Spoil wagon kits were more special interest wagons and continue to sell with 214 sales to date. Another example of people buying them in tens! Now, IF Rapido DID a "U2" I'd grab one OK - "Carrickfergus Castle" please - which ran on the GNR. I think that "Chichester Castle also did?

I answered this a day or two ago on another thread (possibly). 227 kits sold to date - probably a dozen or so more as my records aren't perfect, especially at shows when sales can be frenetic! I have requests in hand for twenty or so and will order at least a couple of dozen more kits during the summer for sale at Blackrock. Paul is right, people have train-full of them - JB may have the most apart from me as I have ten built by our late friend Anthony. Thank you to all of you who made this kit a big success.

It IS 453, very clear in the c colour slide.

Whoever took the Dungannon photo must have been one of the Loco Club of GB's group led by Lance King, whose colour slide I have. Lance's shot doesn't show the porter with that ubiquitous wicker-bodied luggage troller. A good model of a 3D print, perhaps. We GN men would like a few each!

I'm pretty sure that John is right. By the time that the triangulated chassis was widely used, cattle traffic was disappearing, so why renew them? Despite my concern about sales of these - see above - I've "just" sold 229 of them, to date.

Ah, found the Lance photo. I've zoomed in to show Platform 4's building.

And now for something completely different. I've gritted my teeth and had a go at buildings for Portadown Station which is hidden under the eaves of the attic and at ninety degrees to the Junction. You've seen my effort at doing the water tower under the Farewell to the Derry Road thread. Well this is what I was also working on, the mysterious building (there are no photos except from a great distance) which dominated Platform 4. First an along the way shot (last night): And after much faffing about, I got the roof complete - it's a foot long and the Wills slate sheets are six inches, hence the unsightly join: If you think that is pretty bad, the other side shows that it was built by Mr Mills' Dublin roofers on a Friday afternoon after they had spent lunchtime in the nearest pub, in preparation of knocking off early as there was a big match at Croke Park next day. The blank bit at the bottom is because the platform will be there. Smaller windows on this side - the building is a work of fiction! No-one will see this side on the layout, so nothing is finished on the outer side of platforms etc. I spent several hours tidying my working area earlier in the week as I have two six foot platforms to build. I losely put the bits together, so that you can see where this is heading: The idea is to try and recreate this appearance as seen in na Lance King photo which was a lot of the evidence which I used. That's me until Monday when I hope to "plant" this lot in situ!

I promised a completely Bulleid train. First the fake one with the re-gauged "Leader". Lovely wagons, by the way, guys. Run very freely - I found that my supposedly level layout had a slight gradient! Congratulations! IMG_1343.MOV Or with a loco which Oliver Bulleid ordered for use in Ireland. I don't have a steel-sided CIE brake, sorry. This one's a kit masterfully built by young Nelson. IMG_1347.MOV

Obviously the DPD men get up earlier in West Sussex than Surrey. My first delivery - curiously one Grain, one H - has just arrived. Photo of a complete Bulleid train later. Hey, IRM, your Packaging AI packed one lot like this: The other with just some crumpled paper! Good protection for the H's? Thanks Leslie

Have you guys made these vans particularly HEAVY??? TWO different DPD drivers delivering NINE wagons!

Great excitement, I've now had a text from DPD who have a parcel for me! And a flood of e-mails as I'd somehow put the orders in separately! Of course, I know what a H Van looks like as my kit built runs are dotted here and there! (But not a grain van!).

David, you're right to point that out. Having (once) been in 186's tender, I was amazed at the framework (I was nineteen at the time). Also, I was castigated by Richard McLachlan for not putting struts inside my GNR Coal wagons (but I did, correctly, in my beet wagons). Where this tank is going to be, even I won't see it - and having tried to put a semblance of water in it - I think that I will cheat, which my lack of skill usually dictates!

I mentioned why my mind was elsewhere. Here's why - no laughing (Patrick, I am NOT!!!) ... . It's meant to be the semi-hidden water tower behind the wall of Platform 4 at Portadown. There are only the vaguest photos of it - the one I used was taken from the other end of the Bann Bridge. When you look at this thing, from the same point it'll look OK. Just off to order laser cut quoins for the other corners! The door is Wills, but the rest is scratch.

Oh, all right then. You might as well have the whole NCC loco! Class W No. 91 shunting the yard at Pomeroy. 22 August 1964. Photo by the late Lance King Copyright the Irish Railway Record Society To save me endlessly appeasing you - a GNR locomotive climbing Carrickmore! UTA No. 40 ex GNR(I) Class SG2 No. 18 on a goods for Derry the same day. Photo by the late Lance King Copyright the Irish Railway Record Society

Alas, David, I didn't give it a thought! My granddaughter's birthday. Although, to be honest, I was continuing my fight with Plastkard, embossed brick, window material etc in my attempts to produce something vaguely like the buildings on Platform 4 at Portadown. William Redpath will laugh when he sees it after his magnificent effort. Anyway, "In Honour of the Day" as Mrs Crachett said when asked to drink Scrooge's health (like asking us to drink Henry Benson's health?): I can't give you a "Big D" but its smaller cousin in the form of UTA No.38 - formerly GNR(I) Class SG2 No. 16 setting off from Portadown with a freight for the Derry Road after the July Holidays in 1964. Photo by the late Lance King Copyright the Irish Railway Record Society Staying in the Dickensian mode, Tiny Tim might have uttered: "God Bless GEORGE GLOVER everyone"?

Easily the best EMU of the Privatisation era. I wish you masses of orders! We have 387s out to Reading and I always opt for a semi-fast into London with them (at 110mph) rather than be thrown about in the Jap Cxxp jokingly referred to a an Intercity Express Train - in the running for the World's Worst train. I hope that IR keep way from the so called Bi-modes!

Obviously, IR aren't reading Modern Railways which is full of misery stories of hydrogen trains being withdrawn IN GERMANY where they know a bit about engineering - and being replaced by DIESELS.

Don't tell Ken Fox that or he'll be clamouring to his union for them to bring No.4 and a rake of coaches down for him keep his hand in every day!

You've been the bottle again! That Co Tyrone poteen is deadly!

Thanks for the Heads-up @LNERW1. Looks interesting. I got into railway building games when I discovered "1829", as developed by the late Francis Tresham. It is so called because the map of GB is clear of main line railways - the Liverpool and Manchester opened the next year. I first bought the game in Liverpool about 45 years ago. There are now many versions, depending on the country - 1825 (the date of the Stockton and Darlington); 1835 is Germany (a brilliant evolution of Tresham's original idea); 1853 India; and lots of US versions such as 1830 (US generally); 1876 (Texas)etc. Their great plus is that you play with other people. My pals and I (typically 5 or 6) would start at 10am on a Saturday, adjourn for lunch about 1330 and then play through to about 7pm. We'd go out for a curry and then disperse to the four points of the compass. My younger son met Francis about ten years ago, and he was interested in doing 1834 (D&K in case you've forgotten), alas I hadn't the time to get it moving! If anyone is in Surrey or near Reading, I'd be delighted to host a game of one of the six versions I have! It can be played with two or more. Leslie

Oh, come on, JB! You're a serious historian - show me a single log of a narrow gauge loco in action! I think I know most of the people who might have timed a narrow gauge train, but cannot remember a single log. Saying that these things did 50mph is as likely as the Casey Jones 130 (?) mph which the Yanks claim as the steam world speed record! Mind you, they look fast, but without evidence .... When I die, I'll leave you my stopwatches and GPS!!!!!

You might at least have switched on the loco lights!!!

John I hope that you have a good alarm on your place!

I can't remember ever seeing a photo of the BDC Enterprise there. I real find by you, congratulations. AND it's the GNR(I) set!

Very nice, but what about your THIRD (IRISH) steam loco? I'm 78 years, 7 months and counting ..........