David Holman

Keep the pics coming and how about a track plan? Love the raison d'etre too and finally worked out the pronunciation! In the past have played with Ballyrina, Killyconcarnay and my favourite, Ballyshawbeagan. Think zebra crossings! Ever thought of doing a magazine article? Loughan Quay deserves a wider audience, methinks.

Superb. Well done Alan. Especially like the soft, muted colours you use - very realistic and atmospheric. Indeed a well balanced beautifully modelled scene!

Peco also do Code 100 FB, while Marcway will custom build points using this type rail on copperclad sleepers. Expect to pay about £80 per point with a four week completion.

Photos too - lots. And descriptions. Just more please!

Didn't realise India Pale Ale worked as paint stripper, though I've had a few beers that tasted like it! Dettol is new on me and sounds a neat idea. Anyway... That is a fine looking model and the lining looks very sharp too, though confess I know little about its accuracy. A freight engine wouldn't stay that way long though, so weathering could well be the way to go. That said, the boiler bands look over scale and there is a school of thought that says in 4mm scale just transfers are enough. If you don't fancy adding layers of paint, try weathering powders. There are some nice varieties out there, often sold for wargaming, but fine for railways too. Otherwise, Martyn Welch's The Art of Weathering (Wild Swan) is the seminal work and, for me, never been bettered, despite being out nearly 30 years. Should be available cheaply secondhand. Key colours are all Humbrol: gunmetal 57, bauxite 133 and metalcote gunmetal, plus matt black and leather along with talc for texture. The key to it all is to find colour pictures (not necessarily the exact loco) and copy what you see. All my Irish locos are weathered using Martyn's ideas and his book is invaluable. While an airbrush is recommended, dry brushing and stippling (short stabbing strokes) can also be used and are what I've done. You can see the effect on my thread in this section. Take your time and enjoy, but make sure you only drink the right sort of ipa and certainly not Dettol - though root beer smells like it to me, so you never know!

Yep, they are on the list too... Lovely stuff!

Plastruct do a similar range to Evergreen, including some chunky sections, alongside the finer ones. Good quality, though the strips are shorter, probably 25cm. Worth doing an internet search to see if there are suppliers in your area. There's always Slater's Plasticard of course. Haven't checked their website recently, but they used to do a range of sheet and strip.

Thanks Leslie - a Robinson 4-4-0 in full WL&W regalia is something I'd like to build one day, but probably too big for Belmullet, let alone NPQ. One day, perhaps!

Very atmospheric - makes me want to turn the heating up!

I don't find it too bad to be honest, Alan - though the stuff that makes the moulds is as hard to get rid of as silicon sealant. Maybe there is a clue there? Have always been impressed by how well the castings pick up fine detail, right down to scuffing plastic sheet with a fibreglass pencil to simulate wood grain. I also like the fact that a resin casting will set in under an hour, so the process can be quicker than 3D printing. However, have only done flat sides and ends, rather than complete wagon bodies. Glad you like the G, I only have photos to go on, but am sure it was a lot simpler than your recent diesel!

This hodge lodge of stock covers the rest of the stuff I've built for my 1950s period in Arigna Town/Belmullet/Northport Quay. First up is a couple of exMGWR six wheel coaches. One is an Alphagraphix etch brass kit, the other is a scratch built plastic body on an AlphaG chassis. They run with the G2 2-4-0 an a couple of fitted vans. I'll leave you to guess which is which. I built several Great Northern vans, using the AlphaG card kits as templates to make a side and an end that I then made moulds to resin cast multiple copies, which were assembled with cyano. Whitemetal castings were used for the chassis & two were finished as vacuum fitted [in bauxite], with the rest as weathered grey. The next two are ex MGWR - one of the 'glasshouse' brake vans [scratchbuilt in plastic sheet and strip], plus the Alphagraphix etched kit of a 'hearse' van, later converted for fish traffic. I batch built five open wagons [two different types] as freelance private owner types for the Arigna mines. Fairly conventional, but heavily weathered following techniques by Martin Welch in his book on the subject. Rather more conventional are two more recent additions. The RCH tank wagon is one of the very few British outline wagons that made it across the water. The model is the Slater's kit and certainly not the easiest model to build, being a mixture of plastic, etched brass and lost wax castings. It follows the prototype pretty closely and includes a lot of detail. The other wagon is a standard H van, made from plastic strip and sheet on an AlphaG etched chassis. Now a couple of real oddities - repurposed WL&WR six wheel coaches running as turf wagons. When I first read about these, I was convinced it must be a wind up, but no, they brought turf from the west to Dublin during various shortages & I soon decided I had to make some. The sides are resin castings I made from my own masters & mouldings. They ride on the AlphaG six wheel coach chassis, while the loads of turf are made from chopped up matchsticks. The last of my 1950s wagons are three CIE opens with tarpaulin covers. The advantage here is that the interior details don't need modelling, while the tarpaulins are made from masking tape as outlined by Martin Welch again. Conventional plastic bodies with white metal fittings for the chassis. Finally, we have my most modern [!] loco, a G class Deutz four wheel diesel shunter. The model was built using Worsley Works etches. These are very basic and actually cover the later versions, so a few adaptations were needed, particularly around the cab, while you need to source castings for things like axle boxes, springs, buffers etc. No instructions either, but a great aid to scratch building. The model is four wheel drive via Delrin chain. If you are still with me, this covers all my 1950s stock, so future posts will aim to look at the 1900s period I also now model.

Haven't used DCC for several years, Alan but when I did, the fact that most of my models were made of brass created issues, especially regarding insulating the chips. With the space you have available, could be challenging! As for DCC overall, I'm with you. It has its uses, but is certainly not the answer to everything and personally, I am much happier with analogue.

Not a Scooby...

A couple more WLW pictures: Shannon, with the boiler pipework back in place, plus Richard's Dublin & Meath brake vans.

Lovely stuff, as ever, Ernie

Buffer are holding a closing down sale, with everything at £1, plus p&p. Sadly, the Irish section is already empty, but there are plenty of other transport and railway sections

An absolute delight and bet the real thing had all sorts of mechanical grumblings too. Runs a treat.

Alphagraphix do a kit, though it is 7mm scale...

Yep, an absolute gem.

Mark Clarke's Locosnstuff has developed into a wonderful resource over the last few years. Mostly aimed at narrow gauge, he covers a range of scales with a combination of etching and 3D printing. Mark has done several talks at the Chatham Club on the latter and is constantly updating the printers and materials he uses. He is also one of life's genuinely clever people, creating simple, innovative solutions for a range of problems. If nothing else, his website is well worth a look and all his stuff is high quality and good value too.

Really good to know - thank you!

If it is a rolling chassis without that motor gearbox, then I'd say it is worth saving because the hard work has been done. A new motor gearbox is not hard to fit. Would then be tempted to do something with the body, even if it is mainly freelance because there is a lot to learn that will then benefit any future projects, even if the model only ends up being used to practice painting and lining or lettering.

Rumour has it that photographer Colin Garrett would offer loco crews a small bribe to put a couple of car tyres in the firebox to improve the smoke effect, though this was in Eastern Europe and Turkey.

This side of the water, The Range stocks Hycote. No idea if it is any cheaper, but will certainly be checking!

A WL&WR interlude Recent interest in Richard Chown's work made me dig out my Waterford, Limerick & Western models. The company was very much Richard's main interest in Ireland & when he started Castle Rackrent, back in the 1970s, there was very little for him to go on. However, he certainly found ways and 0-6-0 Shannon was one of his earliest models. I got it via a sealed bid after he died and it was duly delivered, by hand in a slightly clandestine liaison under the John Betjemin statue at St Pancras! This was chosen as his executor, Ian, was on his way from Scotland to Italy & preferred to travel by train. I also picked up the two Dublin & Meath brake vans at the same time. When I got Shannon home, it was clear the model had barely been cleaned since built nearly 50 years ago, but despite a wobbly centre driver and [very] worn wheels all round, still ran well, with its Portescap motor. A sympathetic tidy up followed, mainly using T-cut, though eventually I decided to replace all the wheels and remove the Pacific Fast Mail sound system in the tender. However, all in all the model continues to look as splendid as when Richard finished it all those years ago and still runs well too. Too late - have just notice the pipe running along the boiler has come adrift! Eventually, Shannon needed a train to pull, so I set about building a sort of 'mail goods', as per Castle Rackrent. There still isn't a great deal of material on the WL&W, but Ernie Shepherd's book contains enough photos for me to do a 6w full brake, 4w coach and a brake van, to which I've also added my backdated [SLNCR] horse box and a carriage truck, as per photos of Castle Rackrent itself. All are built from plastic sheet and strip, with white metal castings, though the 6wFB is on an Alphagraphix etched chassis.