David Holman

Star! Thanks JB, always happy to trust your knowledge on colour.

Serious brownie points to anyone able to answer this one. Am starting on some of my station buildings and find I have no idea what colour the woodwork was! Colour pics not exactly profligate, indeed only clue I can find is the paintings on the cover of Patterson's history. This suggests brown bargeboards and white window frames. Am sure the latter cannot be right, more likely the frames would be cream methinks. Cavan and Leitrim buildings had green and cream, but before I start any painting it would be nice to know! Please!

Quality and quantity in equal amounts.

There look to be some rather nice buildings lurking in the background too. Any chance of seeing more of these?

Both models look the business to me. Am hoping to get my hands on a set of Worsley Works etchings in 7mm scale for Arigna at some point, so will follow this thread with more than the usual interest.

I am certainly no expert on Irish signalling, though am guessing the rules will be the same as in Britain because the origins are the same and firms like Saxby & Farmer supplied equipment on both sides of the water. Individual levers for yard points would almost certainly be the case and, for me at least, a good way of doing things. You would be following in esteemed company too. The wonderful East Lynn (S scale by Trevor Nunn) is fully signalled, with a proper lever frame hidden in one of the buildings. However, on the quay side, points are operated by local levers 'because that was what the prototype did' to quote Trevor. Had the immense privilege of operating this master piece on a couple of occasions. It is both clever yet simple and a joy to work. East Lynn makes are rare outing at Doncaster next month. Well worth a visit if you are anywhere near.

Nicely put, Rich, both in the P4/EM compromise and compromises generally. Nobody should feel they have to do things a certain way, but if anyone wants to change to new/different standards, there will be plenty of folk out there willing to help

Hear what you say re train sheds, but am afraid I rather like them and Fintona lends itself nicely to my needs. This is as much a working diorama as a full blown layout, so artistic licence is as important as prototype fidelity. Three storey buildings very much provide a balanced scene, while reference to books on the CVR do indeed show quite a number this high in the msin town centres. All criticism welcome though. A bit like proof reading your own writing, you only see what you think you see, which is why I once wrote of my experience of working with children who had leaning difficulties on a job application form. Spell checker did not pick it up, but wife did and I got the job.

This was what I had in mind - based on Wantage Town, I built this for my Loose End layout. Given the vagaries of the Irish weather, a fully enclosed one would be better, but it is a case of using artistic licence here, so that the trashed does not hide the trains. It is the same with some of the low relief buildings, photographic evidence shows pretty much all roofs as gable ended, but to hide the fact that most of buildings on Fintonagh are little more than 2cm deep [sometimes less], then needs must, I'm afraid.

Very nice indeed. Keep it coming.

Spent spare time over Christmas doing more to the building shells & trying to create a better overall impression of the scene. Hence, the water tower has been moved behind the loco shed track, the shed itself has been enlarged slightly and several of the low relief buildings altered in an attempt to get the scene better balanced. Among my Christmas presents was a block of DAS clay [i know how to live!], which will feature a lot in the buildings as I want to try scribed stone and brickwork, a la Gravett. See if you can spot the changes from the two pics. The overall roof is yet to be finalised.

Great to see someone else doing the SLNCR, DB. No doubt, like me, you have seen how the Alphagraphix catalogue contains much that is useful, inching a kit if Florencecourt station. Don't know how far you have got, but would strongly suggest you consider doing it in 36.75mm gauge. If track building is not your thing, contact Marcway in Sheffield to enquire about custom made points. They did mine on Arigna Town for 50% more than Peco, but as they are self isolating, you can work them by wire in tube & it then costs the same as Peco with a point motor. Slaters do a broad gauge loco axle, while their wagon and coach wheels are easily moved out to 34mm back to back. It just sets the scene right from the start and everything else is no more difficult than anything else in 7mm scale. By all means send me a personal message & I will be happy to help. Depending on where you live, Arigna Town is out and about quite a lot in the New Year - Canterbury, Southhampton, Doncaster & Tonbridge, four shows in five weeks in Jan/Feb, so if you are anywhere near, come and say hello.

Noel's post sums it up nicely and as a fully paid up fan of at least getting close to correct gauge, I would always try to make it look right. However, if you have a load of stock already, then finer rail section will certainly help, as will keeping the viewing angle as shallow as possible [ie close to eye level] to hide the gauge problems. What always surprises me is that so few Irish modellers consider EM gauge. At 18.2mm this is at least close to 4'8.5" and with code 75 rail will certainly look better than 00/code 100. I get the impression that folk are put off by doing 21mm gauge as they think it needs P4 standards [ie very fine, replacement wheels]. In fact Irish EM works on 20.2mm gauge, but more importantly 1mm flange ways in the points, which means you only need longer axles and on Murphy's diesels, these are available as 'drop in' items with little, if any further work required. As for 7mm scale - just do it properly from the start, for the small amount of extra work required is more than repaid by the obvious visual effects. Sermon over! One other point is that Code 100 means '100 thousandths of an inch'. A tenth in other words, hence the 2.54mm mentioned early. This is readily related to plastic sheet/microstrip, where 40thou = 1mm, 80 thou = 2mm etc, etc Overall though, whatever works for you is fine by me. It is a hobby and therefore should be enjoyed. Mine comes from the challenge of trying to get things right, but there are plenty of other reasons for doing model railways that are just as valid.

Check out Iain Rice's book. Finescale in Small Spaces, Urban Layouts and Light Railways, all have masses of ideas and Iain is one of the best exponents of shunting themes. Has a new book out too, called Cameo Layouts. All from Wild Swan.

Check out the Gauge master adverts in RM. Even their basic models should be a vast improvement. However, note that clean track, wheels and pickups are essential for good running in the medium to long term. A solvent type cleaner, such as meths works much better than an abrasive, though a graphite pencil rubbed on the track is even better and then little if any cleaning is required.

Many thanks gents - stars one and all! Have been peering at various photos in my different books on the CVR, but this one of the railcar certainly gives a glimpse of the guttering. I have some Wills cobbled setts sheets that will do nicely when sliced up as gutting. For the rest will be using tried and tested 'Gravett' techniques, namely pre-painted, pre-cut self-adhesive address labels for the paving slabs and talc on gloss paint for the tarmac. All modellers should note just how smooth the tarmac surface of the road is. No 'texture' needed at all in scales below 7mm [painted card will do] and even talc is pushing it a bit for texture in this scale. Same goes for ballast [always go one scale down at least in my opinion] while rough tracks and yard surfaces need little more than fine sand, even in larger scales.

A trifle bizarre and more than a little niche, but here is one for local historians among you... On my new Clogher Valley project, am interested to know what pavements were like in small town, rural Ireland in the pre-war period. In particular, would surfaces be paving slabs (and if so, what sizes), or gravel/tarmac? In addition, did roadside gutters in towns have a concrete slab next to the curb stone, or did the road surface extend right up to the curb. An idea of when town centre roads were tarmaced would be useful too, plus how the road would have been surfaced beforehand. Not much then, so fingers crossed!

Mine just appear in the email box and seems to contain something for everybody. Real history buffs will relish in detailed articles on stock numbering, but for me there are two significant highlights. Firstly a well illustrated article of Killybegs in 10mm scale. Stunning pictures of what is clearly a very classy model. Second, a 7mm scale model of the proposed SLNCR Garrett. Well it would tickle my fancy, wouldn't it? Also there is an interesting article on Clogher station, so Christmas has clearly come early for me. Congratulations to Alan & his team on yet another fine magazine.

That has always been my view, Rich, though I bow to others' expertise. Nevertheless, CVR 1 went to the CDR and subsequent versions soon got longer, with full width cabs. A likely factor in the SLNCR railcar being driven from both ends was that it was too long for their turntables, so it was a simple case of evolution I'd think

Thanks Stephen, I'd forgotten about that.

Oops! If the green 'small tank', that is Richard Chown's. He told me he had it professionally painted and am afraid I did not ask about the colour. If the railcar/bus, the green is Ford Laurel Green from Halfords and the cream is Model Colour Ivory acrylic, brush painted

Is that a gauntlet being thrown I see? At half scale, will be 'only' around 10 metres long, with 1 metre diameter drivers, sitting on 2'7.5" track... Local timber merchants may already be considering exotic foreign holidays!

Rather more Donegal than Clogher, I think, Harry. That said, having used the Peco N gauge model, it would not be too difficult to add cosmetic sides to look like loco frames, there is plenty of room under the deck. Guess the unloved Blessingbourne would be favourite!

Water tank is right, Paul. It may well block the view and have already wired an isolating section there to park a loco. Am thinking I may have to move the tank slightly and make it smaller, perhaps on a pilevof sleepers, Colonel Stephens style.

Straight out of Martyn Welch's book, The Art of Weathering, David. Halfords grey primer to start, followed by their matt black. The top coat is an air brushed mixture of Humbrol 53 gunmetal, 133 bauxite and matt/dirty black in equal amounts. One 95% dry, I then go with weathering powders, using the set sold by Roger Freestone. This seems to make the powders stick without resorting to any extra varnishing. A dusting of talc provides the final finish. Hope that helps.