David Holman

Bolections - now there's a word! Jenkinson does it the way you do window beading on a locomotive. First cut a blank of suitable size [slightly larger all round than the window opening], then glue/weld this in place over the window opening. Once dry/set, cut the opening to size again and then, for the final finish, scrape the edges to a bevel with a knife blade. It is in his book on p27-28, with the note that bolections are not something you normally get in etched brass coach kits & therefore a reason to scratch built if you like that extra bit of detail. My Sligo coaches do not have them, I'll admit! Now, back to my GSWR six wheeler. This was the kit I got from the Richard Chown estate, which he's made a start on the body. I've removed the clerestory roof and done it as a 300 series four compartment First. Anyway, before adding seats [wooden mouldings], I got out the airbrush for a main coat of 'purple lake'. Andy Cundick kindly gave me an article from IRRS in which the colour was analysed as roughly equal parts of Humbrol purple, crimson lake and brown - so that is what I mixed up for the airbrush. As usual, I ended up wearing some of it, but after two coats, on a red primer, it looks ok. Seats, glazing and roof [with gas lighting and torpedo ventilators] could then be added, before the body was joined to an Alphagraphix six wheel flexible chassis kit. Lettering is a mixture of HMRS prefix transfers for the numbers and GSWR letters [Southern/LSWR sheet], with the 'First' on each door from a Fox transfer [waterslide] sheet I had in hand for SECR coaches. The GSWR logo is also from that sheet and is a reasonable representation, I think. Also in the pictures are two 'quickies' - a horse box and a carriage truck. Both are repaints of two of my SLNCR wagons. The Sligo horse box was ex WLWR anyway, while the carriage truck has had a couple of end boards added & its brake gear remodelled from the Sligo version. They still need lettering. The WLWR book states there were quite a few of these, but the only pictures I can find are of the six wheel version, which is too big for my dock. So, mine is really just a bit of guesswork and given that there is not much room for variety in such wagons, it will do nicely for now. Hopefully the crimson lake colour is correct [Let me know JHB!] and, interestingly, looking a Castle Rackrent pictures, the end of the horseboxes are black - so can only hope I'm not making the mistake of modelling a model! The rationale behind this stock will be appearing on the Belmullet/Blacksod Bay thread in the layouts section shortly.

I originally used Ford Laurel Green from Halfords, but it is a bit dark, when compared to colour photos of the 1950s. My MGW six wheelers are on pages 2and 3 of my workbench thread if that helps.

Following this one with more than usual interest, as I have one to build too! That said, the chances of me making similar mistakes and more will still be high... I've used 1/8" I/d brass tube for bearings in the past, which has worked well. An issue with Tyrconnel coach kits is they are designed for 32mm gauge, so brake gear is a bit of a faff Turning into a nice model though. Will it be green or brown?

Doing Research First of all, many thanks to those who have been helping recently as I ponder the mysteries of early 20th century rolling stock. However many books and articles one has, it seems, there are still annoying gaps! Google can help at times, but when you start coming across stuff you have posted yourself, especially that which you made up, then the feeling of being up a certain creek without a paddle starts to loom. However, one thing Google led me too was Model Railway Journal, which featured several articles by Richard Chown & the legendary Castle Rackrent system. Indeed, his work has influenced my ideas a lot over the years, though I only have space for one station, while he had lots. MRJ 202 contains a very useful article with colour photos - handy in terms of liveries. One picture shows his WLW loco 'Shannon' working a very interesting train that he called the 'Mail Goods'. This includes a GSW 6w postal sorting van [built by Don Rowlands], plus the two brake vans I bought along with Shannon, after Richard died in 2017. Thus far, I'd been unable to identify these, but the caption solves it by naming them as 'brake/stowage' vans from the Dublin & Meath Railway. This was the line that ran to Athboy, but was taken over by the MGW. Not sure about the livery though - presumably the Midland would have painted them brown?Having long had a penchant for non-passenger coaching stock, the idea of a mail goods is very appealing and given that a carriage truck is also in the picture, I already have a good start for one of my own. In fact, just need a postal van! MRJ 127 meanwhile has a four page general description of the system in 1997 - though at this time the magazine old had black and white pictures. There are also hints of what an interesting character Richard was. For example he notes among his achievements as 'owning a Land Rover, designing & building my own house, & sailing around the world alone'. Remarkably, if someone else hadn't done it first, he was going to model the Cambrian Railway. Thank goodness he went along the Irish path - though he also somehow fitted in several French layouts, a Brecon & Merthyr, plus narrow gauge Norwegian as well. What a man.

Classy. Very classy. Well done sir!

The loco is way too clean and would benefit from a bit of weathering. Unless the owners are intent on keeping it in out of the box condition of course!

Oh my. Give us more, please!

More treasures and very much appreciated! So, top hat oil lamps for any MGW stock I build for my 1900s stock, but looks like I can put gas lamp tops on any GSW/WLW stock. Fingers crossed.

Splendid! The track looks SO right. Enjoy - I for one am really looking forward to seeing progress.

Gold dust. Maybe I ought to do at least one coach this way. Many thanks!

Now there's a thought. Thanks both. I looked up some Castle Rackrent photos on the web and Richard had the inverted buckets, with torpedo vents each side. As you say Eoin, they are pretty ugly. Ernie Shepherd's book on the MGW suggests the first conversions to electric light began in 1895, with around 20 six wheelers still on oil by 1923, so maybe that could be the route. The trouble with coach roofs is that they are far more visible than underframes!

Possibly the finest set of photos ever to appear in this magazine. Check out Gordon Gravett's astonishing work in this month's edition and be inspired.

Can anyone enlighten me on coach roof details in the early 1900s, please? Evidence in Des Coakham's book, plus Ernie Shepherd's history of the MGW certainly shows oil lamps, a bit like top hats, with a suggestion that torpedo ventilators came in from 1890 onwards. However, early photos show what appear to be circular fittings sitting on three legs (?), next to the lamp tops and linked by seems to be a wire. Is there a handle on the lamp tops too? In the Coakham book, there is a nice picture of a WLW 30' centre van third of 1895. This has gas lamp tops on the roof. Presume it was built this way? Any thoughts welcome.

You could try the scribed DAS clay method. Tedious, but gets you round corners and means there are no joints between sheets. Equally, DAS will do that with Slater's or Wills anyway. Painting can be acrylics or enamels. A couple of washes to start off with, then picking out individual stones in a range of greys.

What I hope will be the penultimate update on this project. The tender now has coal and the buffer beam has its number, while the boiler bands have been improved and additional, inner, red lines put in on the tender and cab. All that remains now is to wire up the tender pick ups to the loco, then give the model a coat of satin varnish. For comparison, have included a couple of pictures with Richard's own first broad gauge loco - WLWR Shannon, scratch built in the early 1970s. Hopefully, 101 number 241 sits well alongside it. This has not been a project to outdo the maestro, but to build what was his own unstarted kit as something that sits well alongside Shannon as I attempt to move my modelling back to the early 1900s. After so many years doing everything in plain black [with errors easily covered by weathering], the learning curve has been, and remains, steep.

The catalogue has a price of £2 on the cover, so suggest emailing Roger to ask him re alternative payment methods. Doesn't do credit cards either, yet on the other hand, his etches are clearly CAD. Very good value and a fantastic resource across a range of media. Easily the widest range of Irish stuff that is readily available, especially for 7mm scale. The Worsley Works catalogue possibly has more, but not all at the same time and the etches are just that, no castings or instructions for that matter. Great starting points though.

Fascinating. One of my favourites it this little device, which measures thickness down to 0.1mm. Great for checking sheet metal/plastic and wire)tube diameter.

Looks very good. Must admit that, though I've bought many card kits from Alphagraphix, I've never actually built one. Instead, just use them as very handy colour drawings as a start for scratchbuilding. Maybe I need to give one a go. Cutting card does take its toll on knife blades though, which is why I've long used the snap off blade variety. It is the tip which blunts so quickly and a snap off blade means you can renew it instantly.

Of course, a different section. Thanks Broithe.

Was sure I'd posted that what Eoin has created is his own version of the R L Moore lining pen, but doesn't seem to be here. A clever idea, nevertheless. First picture is of the drawing set I found on a general stall at a local antiques fair. Don't often attend these, but have been on the look out recently, just in case, as such things are not readily available anymore in these days of computer aided design. The set, in its original box [sadly no maker's name], was on sale for £28, but in best 'Bargain Hunt' tradition [you can see how I spend my lunchtimes], I offered the lady a £20 note, which was accepted. Given my second hand bow pen cost me £12 on its own, this set looks an absolute bargain and the bow pen that is part of it looks better quality too. The other pictures are of an Alphagraphix GSWR six wheeler. It is the 'sleeper' coach, which has a clerestory roof, but I have left this out and am building it as one of the '300' series 4 compartment firsts. I picked up the model partly finished as part of bits left over from the Richard Chown estate. He had made the body shell, but when I opened the box though all the castings were present, the sole bars, buffer beams and Cleminson chassis were missing. However, there were several other bags of bits which should prove useful [castings and etches]. Having built more than a few coaches in my time, making up solerbars, floor etc wasn't a problem, so I ordered a Cleminson unit from Alphagraphix. This is a really clever design that works just as well in standard as broad gauge. There are white metal castings for buffers, springs, etc, but you have to make the ventilators yourself and also the grab handles for the doors. These are an especially fiendish item, each requiring no less than six bends; I also need to buy some more door handles. Otherwise, the model is ready for the paint shops am hoping to find a car spray paint to match the GSWR 'dark lake'. Black and white photos appear to suggest that ends were the same colour as the sides - if not, am hoping JHB can put me right!

In a land full of fine pubs and bars, that is praise indeed! A bit more work has been done on the Belmullet project & have also included a picture of the new island platform with its turnout to the end loading dock. The wiggly tin barn and signalman's cottage have been temporarily put in the new settings - the aim being for one end of each building to help mask a baseboard join. The other picture is of the site of the loco shed. Managed to find a sheet of good quality 3mm plywood, which will form a sub base on to which the shed will be built, including the track & screwed to the baseboard when finished.

Definitely looks the business and much better looked after than Hazlewood, or heaven forbid, Lissadel in the 1950s. 36.75mm definitely the way to go in 7mm scale. Axles not a problem, just a bit more effort needed with track, but the results speak for themselves.

A lily well and truly gilded.

Very impressive!

That's the idea. Just need to psyche myself up to get the bow pen and fine paint brush out again.