David Holman

Classy. Very classy!

Here's a few... ... the glories of pre-grouping - including a certain WL&WR loco by the amazing Richard Chown.

As promised, a few pictures from Tolworth. It was lovely to meet with David, Leslie and Andy over the weekend. Northport Quay, despite operating well at home the week before, struggled for much of Saturday - some of which was undoubtedly down to being loaded in the car overnight and then finding itself in a very hot and humid exhibition hall. However, repeated derailments in the loop, over the baseboard join were frustrating, as was the failure of a push to make switch for one of the uncoupling magnets. Later the wire in tube connection to the signal came adrift - a two minute job to fix at home, but not at a show. Take my word for it, David's models are every bit as good in the flesh as they are in photos and it was great to have visiting 7mm broad gauge locos on my layout because the fact is, we are a very small group. I had the delight and privilege of having Richard Chown's Lissadel run on Arigna Town at the Manchester show, but David's model's are the only other ones [including those owned by Leslie], so it was a rare treat to have them along. Surely, we aren't the only two people in the world modelling 7mm scale Irish 5'3 though?? Back home today, did a bit more investigating and found that one of my trestles was a centimetre taller than the other [!] - so no wonder some engines were struggling to get out of the fiddle yard. Across the baseboard join was a definite ridge, which needs sorting, as does a section of out of gauge track into the left hand siding. Nothing derails here, but it nevertheless points to why my AJ couplings can come undone because there is too much sideways movement on short wheelbase stock. Anyway, a few pictures of my stuff, taken from unusual angles not normally available. And now the visitors. Couldn't resist having the GNR JT alongside my F6 and likewise the rail buses. Sadly my photo of Leslie's E class was out of focus.

Great fun this afternoon at Tolworth with David, Leslie and David's fine models including a Sligo railbus, Small Tank, JT 2-4-2T and E class 0-6-0T. NPQ had a bit of a mixed weekend - issues with the baseboard joint and AJ couplings causing problems in Saturday, but slowly improving. Will post some photos tomorrow.

Can only agree with Warbonnet on the complexity of coach building. Mass production presumably brings some economies, but trying building one of those coaches yourself, even from a kit, and it is going to take 30-40 hours minimum - even before that paint job. At minimum wage rates that is pushing £500... However, it seems that 4mm scale modellers are fast approaching the time when a loco and six coaches is going to exceed four figures. Not sure there is an easy answer to that as quality is never cheap, be it in terms of time or money.

Be interested to know if the 88 can be regauged to 36.75mm. Given its tiny size suspect a broad gauge version would have to be wider.

The paint job alone appears to be something of a masterpiece. Can't imagine how many hours that would take to do by hand.

Magic! Hadn't thought about sanding down Wills random stone, let alone filling the mortar lines, but works really well. There is a clear (and very effective) artistic hand at work, Alan. Only have to look at your other models to see the connection. Proper job.

Should be ready for Tolworth on Sunday then . Just right for Enniskillen and what a great find.

Me too!

Very Iain Rice, Alan and none the worse for it either. Great to know all that lovely County Down stock will get its own bespoke setting.

Schull and Skibberish... A while ago, I sent off for one of the Alphagraphix card kit bargains - namely a complete Schull and Skibbereen train. Loco and three coaches for just four quid. I kid you not, a whole train, in 7mm scale at that. Ok, so it is just four sheets of printed A4 card, but as a starting point, these kits have much to commend them. Why Schull and Skibbereen you ask? Well, having sold my two Clogher Valley bogie coaches, it occurred to me that I could create a S&S train to go with my CVR 0-4-2Ts, as part of my Donegal/Swilly re-imagining for Finotnagh. Recently came up with a new name for it too - Swilybegs. Killybegs is of course one of the Donegal branches, so a version on Lough Swilly has, for me, a nice ring to it. As for a Schull tram, as mentioned a while ago, a further, independent, branch north from the shores of Lough Swilly to Milford, Carraigart and Downies could make sense - especially if we assume the Potato Famine was not as severe and likewise the subsequent depopulation. Works for me, anyway. For a change, decided to have a go at one of the coaches this week. Just plastic sheet and strip for the body, sitting on a Parkside 4mm wagon chassis. As a relief from chasing prototype fidelity, it can be quite enjoyable to do a bit of free lancing. One reason is that you can use formerly unwanted items like door handles from the scrap box. Another is not worrying too much over perfect dimensions. The photos show the first coach with a CVR loco in what could well be the tramway platform on a revamped Fintonagh/Swillybegs.

As you say, there really aren't that many. Such a shame for a railway with some really elegant locomotives, especially the Robinson 4-4-0s. Rolling stock also sparse and it was all a long time ago now.

Done the Ring of Kerry three times, each on a (very) soft day. Can't have been much fun on the Valencia Harbour line, one of the few without a turntable - or very much else for that matter! At least the nearest one was only a few miles away.

North Star kit - so it will be very high quality. Seems complete too, so there is well over £200 worth of motor/wheels/gears there. Brand new, you'd be l looking at £600. Built two of Adrian Rowland's Sligo Leitrim Small Tanks - the instructions are very good and they went together really well.

Built that Slater's kit back at the end of the last century (!) and very nice it was too, but that was narrow gauge, of course and being such a tiny engine AND with outside cylinders, not sure I'd want to do one in broad gauge. Their MW 0-6-0T was equally nice and being inside cylinders would be a much more tempting proposition, assuming prototype fidelity of course...

The last two buildings for the Club layout are now largely done, so will post some pictures later of them all in situ. Looking at my stock prior to Tolworth, have decided to pass on the Ixion Hudswell Clarke. Although a very nice model, needs eventually trumped wants because I already have seven locos for my 1900s period and only five tracks in the fiddle yard! For the uninitiated, shown below are WL&W 0-6-0 Shannon, MGW 4-4-0 Wolf Dog and E class 0-6-0T, GS&W 2-4-2T and 101 0-6-0, plus a Hunslet 0-4-2T and Sligo Small Tank. However, the ultimate deal breaker was the main gear on the middle axle, as [being nylon] I am far from confident that I could remove it without damage. Also realised that I do already have a little contractor's loco sitting on the shelf. My very first 0 gauge loco, it was made from an MTK kit [I think] about 30 years ago and has [sadly] mainly been used to practice painting and lining since then. One day, I must build a new chassis for it and give it a good makeover too.

That looks great - subtle weathering and very much at home on Enniskillen.

Being up near the ceiling suggest larger scale, as 00 would be too small to be seen. LGB in shop windows seems to work well both in terms of size and reliability.

A few pictures taken down the Club last night, showing how the warehouses are coming together. The biggest was certainly a trial of endurance, because although the basic structure is simple, there are 44 windows, each requiring a hole to be cut out, then a sill, lintel, frame and glazing, along with wrapping the brick paper around the inner walls. Literally hundreds of separate pieces and actions. The other warehouses are on a smaller scale, while there is also a 'north light' small factory. As you can see, the buildings are either side of the double track railway, with a small section of canal running through the scene too. Another possible project emerged last night too, with the opportunity to acquire a 7mm scale Ixion Hudswell Clarke contractors 0-6-0T. Have long thought one might make a worthy conversion to 5'3 gauge and it is certainly a very nice model - never mind RTR steam locos for the Irish scene being as rare as unicorn droppings. As you can see, there are no splashers to worry about, so it is mostly a case of can the wheels be moved out from 28mm back to back to 34mm? The answer to that is not initially, but the axles are 1/8th inch, so it should be possible to fit new, longer ones. An alternative idea is I have a set of Slater's Manning Wardle style wheels of the same diameter, which also use the same diameter axles. So, certainly a possibility, but what about prototype fidelity? Well, the Green Book has two options, namely Classes 299 and 300 [see below]. Both of these were built by Hunslet, but for 299 especially, the similarities are significant, though it does lack a clear coal bunker. Little locos like these were used by contractors when lines were first built and a few actually stayed on to work the smaller lines afterwards. Some actually got taken on by the mainline company and in the case of 299, even got an official number, while others [in best Sligo Leitrim fashion] just had a name. Ideally, I suppose, livery ought to be lined back [maybe with WL&W style lining], but for my early 1900s period on Northport Quay maybe the contractors red livery could yet prevail for a couple of years? Thoughts welcome!

Appreciate the sentiment but, much prefer the scenario of military shows where folk dress up and display vehicles, memorabilia etc to having people tooled up with all manner of lethal weapons, not to mention the legal right to use them. Many Americans love their guns, but can't seem to see just how much of a problem they create.

Spent a very pleasant morning there today [once I'd dried out from getting soaked just walking from the car park that it is], with the usual mix of very high standard layouts. All manner of scales, gauges, prototypes and periods, with a great selection of traders too. Stand out for me was a new, 16mm scale working diorama from Giles Favell, of radio control road vehicles fame. Giles has not been on the scene since Covid, so it was great to see him back. A large, but simple display involved an electric powered, live steam, quarry Hunslet, with a couple of side tipping chalk wagons. These were unloaded, via a basic [but prototypical] ramp [far left on the photo], while the loco's driver was able to look around as it progressed across the scene. Giles had another animated figure which could wave its arm too. All rather splendid and very engaging. A large 2mm scale layout also caught my eye. Called St Ruth, it featured some very clever compressed & half/low relief back scenes.

No water, no power and certainly no 'en suite'. Different world...

Yes, thanks Leslie. No idea who replaced me, but if it was the logging layout, then sounds a fine alternative.

Apologies Kelvin! Had to visit my 93 year old mother and could not get back in time. It was going to be my 125th show, but the first time in all the years of exhibiting that I've had to pull out. Was able to give the organisers a week's notice, but guess I should have posted something here. Northport Quay's next outing will be at the To!worth Show train in early November.