David Holman

Right first time, Richie - good old Wills sheet of the random stone variety. Works as well in 7mm as 4mm, to my eye at least. Based the model on the ones at Sligo and along the SLNCR. Have included a closer picture, which also shows progress on Railcar B, where the tractor unit is taking shape. Have created a more modern version of the Donegal's controls, with a proper driver's desk, throttle and brake levers, gear lever, plus a few dials and switches. Whether they are right or not is anyone's guess, but if not, are hopefully small enough to still pass muster. As for St Alban's, remains as good as ever - one of the must see events in the South East, along with the Uckfield Show, Chatham [esp in its new venue] and Alexandra Palace - the latter being great for the larger layouts.

Wow - that collection is quite something and a really valuable resource for modellers in terms of incidental details and colour. We have vehicle number plates, a lovely range of prototypes, lots of ideas for buildings, plus loads of info on the colours of peoples clothes at that time. Also brings back memories of my first visit to Ireland, one of the many minor highlights was being stuck in a traffic jam in Nenagh - it was market day. The vehicle in front was a cattle lorry and its passengers had clearly been feasting on spring grass.. The steady stream of liquid manure coming out the back of the lorry was slowly filling up the gutter, much to the consternation of the two housewives who had just scrubbed their bit of that pavement!

Have also seen the Alcock and Brown pic somewhere. Visited the site near Clifden back in June - presumably the narrow road out to remains of the Marconi station follows the line of the little railway? also saw the Vimy bomber last year in the Science Museum. In the confines of the hall, it looks enormous, but also very fragile. Apropo nothing in particular, the A&B picture reminds of one of the Spurn Head Light Railway in East Yorkshire. As well as a similar railcar, it also had a sail powered trolley...

In between faffing around with Railcar B, have been trying to complete the van castings I did just before Christmas and photos show progress thus far. Actually not a lot left to do, just a bit of painting to pick out the handrails, hinges etc and a bit of rust/oil around the axle boxes. Decided to go with the SLNCR 'semi' for the round ended vans and used the photo album of the Cavan and Leitrim to produce the canvas roof on the middle section. Could do with a couple of ropes to hold the tarp in place - assuming this is how broad gauge vans were set up as well? The tarp is just a double thickness of masking tape, with some 40thou square strip on each end. The piped GNRI vans are almost the same as the earlier 9 ton vans, but re-did the mould as the original silicon was starting to go off. Painting is Halfords orange/red primer, with my usual Freestone Models weathering powders. Get the impression that these vans did not have automatic brakes, but were just piped to fit in with those that did. Hence have fitted pipes but not extra brake blocks. Hope I'm right as am almost out of brake blocks and they are not my favourite modelling job! At last weekend's St Albans show, managed to buy some 'flowers' from Greenscene. The trick with these [very] brightly coloured scatter materials seems to be to mix them with the usual green scatter first, as this reduces the intensity - unless you are planting flowerbeds.

Thanks for thinking of me! Am probably going to do the interior in LNER teak, which fits with the effect you mention. Trouble is we are talking 57 years on from the end of the Sligo, so who knows what fading, changes etc occurred in that time. Had the same problem with the W&M railbus. A visit to Sherringham was good for general shape, driver controls and so on, but seating fabric had not doubt been replaced a number of times and the little vehicles have been at work in preservation about four times longer than for BR. If only Casserley, Peters and Whitehouse had visited, but don't think the famous Bentley ever got that far north, but we do at least have his fabulous film of the Tralee and Dingle. Now there's another project worth doing!

The smaller/cheaper versions do indeed work well and are well worth considering. A puffer bottle is also still good for tight corners. The full size static grass machine undoubtedly covers quicker and its higher charger is better [in my experience] for longer fibres. However, in 4mm scale, they are not as useful, so unless you are contemplating large areas or working in 7mm scale, the tea strainer type is well worth having. Quite simply, nothing gets close and such devices have moved scenic work to a new level. One day, maybe all layouts will be done this way!

An auspicious moment this afternoon, as the railcar’s tractor unit ran under its own power for the first time. Only 4 coupled wheels, but a lengthy process getting there, which has taken me out of my comfort zone and learning some new techniques. A key issue was the fact that the Slaters wheels, being small diameter come on a 1/8” axles, for which there is no broad gauge version available. The answer was to cut the axles in half and then lengthen them with some brass tube. Eileen’s Emporium do a 1/8-3/16” tube, which is ideal because that means a standard 7mm scale gear box can be used. However, the axles have squared ends, important for quartering coupled drivers, so the problem was how to ensure this worked in extended form. After much thought, realised that my wheels, being disc rather than spoked, had two holes at 180 degrees. At 2mm diameter, I also had some brass rod of this size, so I threaded two lengths through the holes and these held the quartering while slow setting Araldyte was used to glue everything in place. The last pictures shows the axles in a set of plastic frames, quickly put together to check alignment. Initially made the extension tube too long, so it later had to be filed back. This was because I now needed to use some sort of hornblock system, or the motor/gearbox would have been a permanent fixture in the chassis. A bit of research on the web turned up the excellent High Level Kits version. A quick phonecall got the etchings to me inside a couple of days. They are very easy to fold up, but I did not have any 1/8 axles alignment jigs, so made my own from some silver steel rods in a block of wood. The distance between the axles was easy as had previously bought a set of profile milled coupling rods. These were used both to mark out the side frames and the axle jig. After that, things went together fairly well. Frames were cut out from brass strip with a piercing saw and soldered together using my new York Model Company magnetic jig, which hold things at right angles while you apply heat or glue. Fitting the motor gearbox came next & then epoxyed some PCB strip to the outside of the frames and soldered 0.5mm phosphor bronze wire on for pickups. This all needs tidying up, but am afraid when I get to this stage, I really need to know that my efforts have resulted in something that works. As it happens, the rods needed some easing – probably because I used Derek Munday’s heavy duty crankpins, rather than the 12BA nut and bolt that Slaters provided. As you might expect, the former are more robust, but also a tighter fit, hence the easing. Hopefully the pictures help fill in the gaps, but am happy to say the chassis runs well – even on my old H&M Clipper. I always use this to test a new chassis. Being a simple rheostat, if there is anything sticky in chassis, it will result in jerky progress – something that modern electronic controllers often iron out to some degree. Hence you know whether the motor is likely to run hot or not too.

Skill and artistry in equal measures. While not my scene, tis not difficult to admire either.

For road colour, sadly Humbrol Tarmac is no longer made, but Precision paints do an equivalent. As the others say, road colour is highly variable and is much darker when wet too. For that, Humbrol Clear Cote is good, as it darkens whatever you use very nicely. Either fine wet and dry paper is good for a Tarmac surface or paint the surface in gloss grey and sift on talc. Leave overnight and brush/vacuum off. Extra layers of paint and talc can be used to add the inevitable repairs, trench fills etc. The white lines could be done by cutting a stencil and painting throught it, but the are commercial road markings too, including ready printed roads ready to lay. You pays your money and makes your choice. Perhaps the one thing to ensure is any markings are really sharp, which is where the ready printed ones can be advantageous.

Depends on the angle of view. Was this the same loco as the Dukedog class? Bluebell railway has the preserved one. Or was it the class that came before and spawned the 1930s rebuild that became the Dukedogs? However, not a patch on a GNR S, or indeed those dainty 4-4-0s that ran to Achilles and Clifden? Brought up on LNER types, the more I learn about Irish locos, the more smitten I become... Can't think of anything comparable in Ireland though and suspect even Scotsman would struggle to make something of it. But you never know...

Thanks again, John. Am going with a darkish green for now. Making progress on the chassis - crunch time approaches as will be adding the coupling rods shortly. Cries of triumph, or many rude words likely, depending on the outcome!

Great room, lovely bench work - all looks very promising!

Star! Many thanks John.

Wagons!. The bane of my life John - as you will see if you sift through the site... There is a book called 'Modelling Irish Railways', which gives some ideas, but the problem with Irish wagons is that there are very few, if any genuine equivalents from English ones. Eg opens in England tended to be 3, 5, or 7 plank; Irish are mainly 4 & 6 plank. Apart from the BR plywood vans, there is little that goes anywhere near Irish ones, but if you want to be more authentic, then scratchbuilding wagon bodies in plastikard is not difficult once you get started and there are plenty of chassis kits around that will ensure they then run properly. You could even do resin casting too. Check out some of my threads for ideas. Note, I work in 7mm scale though. Historical info is also hard to come by. Seems few if any photographers took pics of actual wagons & one is forced to scan general photos of trains - especially if there is a goods yard in the background, to get an idea of what was running. If you are happy to have generic stuff to give your locos stuff to pull, then a decent impression is possible, as you'll see from all the super pics on the site. However, if you are a wagon enthusiast, then beware!

The Christmas period has traditionally been a productive time for me. Generally, there is little on TV [though Mrs Brown 's new year episode was eye wateringly funny, to me at least], the days are short, the weather miserable, so best to stay in and make things. Initially, got on with casting van sides - three sets of GNRI 9 tonners, plus two sets of what appear to be either SLNCR 'semis' or early Guinness vans. These were then made up into the relevant vehicles, using ABS castings for W irons, axles boxes, buffers etc. The GNRI vans have been sprayed with Halfords red/brown primer, to represent the fitted variety, while the two semis are in the usual Halford's grey. The weathering process will tone it all down eventually, while the lettering [on the GNRI vans at least] is hand done with a white gel pen. Thank goodness for a simple set up. One prezzy was a Classic Commercials kit of a 1939 Austin van. A more simple, boxy vehicle is hard to imagine, but the castings [whitemetal and resin] are superb. Takes a long time to build though, because you stick a couple bits together, then have to do a bit of painting, then add some more, paint some more and so on. At the moment, it is intended to be the delivery van of Keogh's Model Bakery, whose shop is just behind the station, but as yet am unsure what to do re lettering. Might try Letraset, or alternatively will create a full panel on the laptop and print it off on ordinary paper to stick to the sides. The rest of the time has been spent planning/fretting over the Railcar, though, as usual, once started things to flow, albeit not always smoothly. This week, received a formal invitation to exhibit Arigna Town at the Chatham Show in June. In some ways, the layout could go out now, but as mentioned before, there is still a lot to do to make it more presentable and interesting for the public. Nevertheless, all being well 14/15th June 2014 will see the layout's debut at the Medway Sports centre in Gillingham.

With 59 on the blighters to do, seemed a good idea to make a couple of masters and get the casting resin out again. The interior photo in Backtrack Magazine [1995], gives a good idea of the layout, with 11 rows of 3 + 2, then two more doubles by the rear driving cab. The pictures show the process. The masters are plastic sheet [2 layers of 80 thou for the squabs and 40thou for the backs], with 40x10 thou microstrip for the beading. As you can see, these were then stuck to another piece of sheet and a wall of more microstrip built around them. Silicon moulding material was mixed and poured into to this, then left overnight to set. Next day, it was a case of little and often with the casting resin. 2x half teaspoons worth [5ml in all], was all that was needed for each set of seats. This takes 45 mins to set properly, so it look the whole day to run off the 13 sets required. Next day, sat down with files and sandpaper to tidy up the castings, after which it was a case of fixing the two parts together with cyano. The seats are mounted on strips of 40thou and will be painted before fitting into the model. Progress on the latter has mainly been a case of research and planning. The sides will be built up in layers, so the glazing can be slid in after painting has been completed. The drive unit is causing a bit of head scratching, because the 3' dia wheels [yes, I know, slightly too big], have 1/8" axles, and Slaters to not do an extended version like they provide for 3/16" axles. Rang them up to see if they could do a couple of specials for me, but seems the process is all computer controlled machinery and a new bit of software would need writing, pushing the price for two axles to about 50 quid... So Plan B [for railcar B] is required. Currently favouring some brass tubing to act as a sleeve; will cut the axles in half and then araldite them either side of the tube. Eileen's Emporium do a 1/8 - 3/16th brass tube, which is ideal because that means I can use a standard gearbox. Ensuring the drivers can be quartered properly is the tricky bit. There are various solutions, so will let you know how I get on. Other pictures show how I do my planning - a drawing is the starting point, but pictures need scrutinising and I make a lot of notes and sketches as I go along, hopefully ensuring mistakes are kept to a minimum. Doesn't mean there won't be rather too many though - and a lot of rude words to with them. Life is complicated - that's why it is fun, allegedly. Apologies that the pictures are in the wrong order.

Many thanks once again chaps - your knowledge and advice is much appreciated. Have attached a photo of the picture in Backtrack showing the B's interior. Can't help thinking the main panelling & window surrounds look like dark wood [or same green as lower exterior], but photo is not dated, so no telling whether this was the case during its working life on the Sligo. Have been having a closer look with a magnifier at the colour pictures and still think the seats are either dark green or perhaps blue, while the inside of the driving cabs certainly appear brown. Oh for a time machine! Have been doing a bit of work on the model, so will add and update to that thread shortly.

Here's another tester for you and one of the main reasons why IRM is so helpful. Am compiling info for the SLNCR railcar B. Got the drawing, plus a range of photos, including the colour ones in Irish Traction & Irish Rly in Colour 1 & 2. However, would appreciate any info on the interior of the railcar, including: - colour of seats; in one pic they look green, but were backs same as upholstery? - interior paintwork; driver's cab looks brown, but was passenger compartment the same? - flooring; have my own photos of the Finn Valley's Walker railcar [grey], so could be the Sligo's was the same? - driving controls; any ideas? Forgot to record details above... Also, was there a door between the passenger saloon and the luggage compartment? Have a nice picture of the saloon from Backtrack Nov 1995,albeit in black and white, but has enabled me to master and cast the seats. Am hoping a few of you might have seen the Railcar in CIE days and/or Downpatrick, so fingers and toes are firmly crossed in anticipation.

That chassis is indeed curious & never noticed it before. Still beat me round the head and I get there eventually... See the bonnet has lots of louvres. Always a pain in the proverbial, as you can see from the bodge on my horsebox. Will be interested to know what ideas the rest of you have for these things. Are there suitable etches available for instance, or is it easy to portray them in 4mm scale?

Many thanks John & John - could well be old Guinness vans I am looking at. The Alpha kit is 15' over headstocks, so the resin castings I've made are close enough for either by the sound of it. The Sprinks album has pics of round roofed vans too. Richie - am afraid the vans you note in Fermanagh's railways are all the standard GNR type, apart from 84 on p 167, which is a SLNCR semi. On p92 there is an end shot of a rounded roof type, which may well be one of the Guinness vans John has mentioned; number looks to be in the 1xxx range. No side pics in any of my books though. Will wait and see if anything else comes out, but could go back to making them Sligo semis - a bit of masking tape on the roof should do the trick. New Years' resolution is to join the IRRS! Have probably said this before, but modellers of Irish Railways badly need a wagon reference book of the sort English railways seem to have for each post & pre-group company. Are there the resources out there for someone to produce/collate enough pictures, drawings etc?

A very fine piece of work indeed.

What a superb site. All those magazines to go through. Awesome!

If you do try liquid poly over the top coat, make sure that the undercoat has not only dried hard, but also polish it too (finger or cotton bud), to further harden the paint, otherwise the undercoat will craze as well and you will be back to bare pastic or metal.

Certainly does! I've got that book. Will check it out. Many thanks.

Wouldn't use cork sheet if it comes as a roll. Tis a devil of a job to get it flat. Cork floor tiles work really well though. At the moment they can be got from Wickes. A pack of 9 does a square metre. Very easy to cut and lay.