David Holman

6mm birch ply by far the best in my experience, though if a home layout then traditional softwood frame and chipboard top will do. Avoid 'hardwood' ply at all costs unless at least 9mm thick

What about the Finn Valley Railway? Home territory, track etc in place, albeit needing run round loops, though guess there are other factors, or it would already have been mentioned.

While the right thing to do, we can only hope that someone (s) will have the wherewithal to set up a museum of Turf, complete with working railways. As a key part of Irish industrial heritage, something needs preserving, you'd hope.

For me, using a cork base is more about forming the correct ballast shoulder as any sound proofing. Hence often do away with it on station and yard areas, where you would otherwise be covering the whole baseboard surface with cork. That said, 3mm cork floor tiles are great for this, being completely flat and thick enough to cut channels for wire in tube point rodding and the like.

That overall roof really is quite something, but have been running our of superlatives for a while now.

Really fine work and love the thinking with the gauges. My 21mm roller gauge was turned up by a friend at the model club - never thought about simply adapting an existing one...

Couldn't find this mag in WHS, but did find a similar publication called Wheels of Industry, where there are four pictures of Larne aluminium works locos. However at ten quid, you'll probably need a wider interest in all things industrial. A decent article on Aveling and Porter locos persuaded me to part with the cash, plus another one on crane tanks. Not that I'm about to build either, but do find such things interesting.

Appears to be some more than decent track laying going on here, with a really nice flow to things and spacers used to keep adjoining lines parallel.

My Fintonagh layout, though 7mm scale, is 3' gauge on 21mm track to EM standards with 1mm flangeways. Has done over a dozen shows with no major running problems. I downloaded point templates from Templot. These were labeled as Irish EM and 20.2mm gauge, so simply enlarged them on the copier to 21mm. As for layout names, with tongue firmly in cheek have previously considered things like Killyconcarney, Ballerina and, my favourite, Ballyshawbeaghan - think zebra crossings!

Been tempted by the Sentinel, as could be a very quick fix to 36.75mm. Unfortunately the absence of shows means have yet to see one and check if it just a case of moving wheels out to you he correct gauge. If so, something like the Limerick market in branch would make an interesting little shunting puzzle, with just a couple of points and a few wagons.

Indeed! However, rather like Tyrconnel kits, 32mm gauge does not translate well to 36.75 where splashers are concerned, though at least there are only two to worry about. Equally, seem to remember reading that when converting the Jinties to 5'3, they had to skim the driving wheels to make them fit inside the splashers. Nevertheless, Jim's kits are superb and you only have to look at the website to see he tells you the total cost, including wheels, motor and gears, something other kit makers could follow methinks. Guess the main reason we don't see (m)any of them is their work rarely, if ever took them outside the docks or York Road, though am sure someone will enlighten us on that. Would still make for a nice shunting layout though!

Dare I say it would be a pain to regauge, especially as the prototypes were a challenge themselves.

Maybe it's just me, but I continue to find it remarkable that Mayner, in New Zealand is first to flag up news from County Clare. Such is the power of the Web in enabling us to share knowledge - even if not all of it is interesting like this.

Another master class. So much to admire and learn from here.

All model track is a compromise, unless you go along the P4 route and it is the same in the other scales. Peco code 100 was designed as something robust, but better than set track. However, the sleeper spacings are wrong for British practice, never mind the gauge being 4.5 mm too narrow for Ireland. Code 75 track improves things because as well as finer rail, the sleeper spacing are better, though note that this does make the flexitrack less robust than code 100. Still want to run older stock? Probably no option but code 100, but disguise it with careful painting, balllasting and a low viewing angle, then it will look much better. All newer stock with finer flanges? Code 75 will look so much better. There again, how adaptable are the new models coming out these days? Can the 121 and A class be easily converted to 21mm? Likewise all those fine new wagons. Food for thought, maybe?

So, the secret is revealed! Splendid stuff and a project to savour. As Ken says, a rolling chassis is a really satisfying way to start.

Sorting out the ugly bits Have taken a step back from stock modelling for a few days - things were not going as well as I like, so a change is as good as a rest as they say and there is always something else you can do in the world of model railways. In addition, a chance phonecall also prompted a new train of thought. Belmullet was due to make its debut on the exhibition circuit in October, at the Uckfield show, but like pretty much everywhere else this year, it has been cancelled, so the rebuilt layout will not be going out for at least another 15 months and before anyone tries to tempt me, all the shows I was going to this year with Fintonagh have been moved to 2021, so [all being well], there is no room in the diary for anything else for now. Anyway, the eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that Belmullet only has a partial back scene at the moment. I've held off making the sky boards, which means you can see the odds and ends of plywood and MDF behind. Similarly, the four transformers [lights, track, uncoupling magnets and point motors], don't have proper homes, while the workshop as a whole is due a bit of a makeover too. This last one more than justified as I've been doing as I'm told by the domestic authority of late with decorating around the house - 'nuff said! All this has prompted some scribbling, measuring and drawing, so that [hopefully], I can have both a bit of a sort out and, in particular, make sure the layout is better presented/more easily operated. When I knew it was going to a show in October, getting things ready for that was more important. Now it is staying at home for at least another year, I might as well make it look 'proper', as it were. As for the workshop, I am sure I am not alone in having a hodge-podge of storage for all the accutriments a modeller gathers over the years, so again, it is about time I made an effort to make things neater. The workshop was originally created out of the integral garage about 20 years ago and in many ways is a nice place to work. Centrally heated, plenty of power sockets and lighting, but although it was substantially updated with kitchen base units and worktops, many of the odds and sods for storing things have remained, as I'm sure you will see below. The lighting needs a rethink - being more quantity than quality with a large overhead fluorescent tube, an ugly strip of LEDs over the layout and incandescent spotlights scattered around - not good when I exhibit under LEDs. Oh, and it would be nice if all the shelving were at the same height around the workshop! So, watch this space - and hopefully, the layout will look a lot better for it too.

Splendid and clever chassis work. As you say, a big loco, which means a lot to think about.

Just SO useful!

Nothing wrong with the camera, they look great. Must be fantastic in reality!

Well, can only say I made a bit of a pig's ear of the paint job. The model looks alright-ish from the statutory couple of feet away, but enlarge the picture and it is eminently clear that the eau de nil stripes are pretty horrible. Did my best to tidy things up this morning, then this afternoon got out the compressor, air brush and spray booth. I used the standard weathering mix of equal parts matt black, gunmetal and bauxite, but things continue to go awry with this van and the first pass looked like it had been attacked with a muck spreader. Faced with the choice of stripping it all off back to bare metal, or making the model even dirtier, I chose the latter on the basis that I could still do the former! So here is 56M, a long time away from the paint shop and just as long from seeing a cleaner's cloth. Based it on the state of many a BR parcels van, whether it passes muster for the far west of County Mayo, I'll leave to others to decide. Then had a go at the J19 because when I tried to put a coat of matt varnish over then weathering powders the rattle can seemed to simply blow all the dusting away. Fortunately, made a better job of the loco than the van & it has also been highlighted with a light dusting of powders on top of the weathering mix.

Fabulous!

Nice one. Well done Tony.

Progress with the 'Glasshouse' has been far from smooth too - literally in fact: I was was way too liberal with the solvent when adding the outer side to the core. The former is only 20thou, so hands up those of you who have plastic sheet warped and melted from the inside - I really ought to know better! Needless to say, an order for some Limonene is well overdue... So, a new side had to be made and then it was a case of getting busy with the microstrip. I've used 40 x 20 thou for the main beading on the sides and 20x20 round the windows. Internally, the partitions should help support the roof, while the seats are very basic benches - I'm assuming that comfort was in short supply in these vehicles.

More haste, less speed So much for progress! The last week seems to have been spent correcting mistakes. In the case of the 4w van, only noticed the error when I started masking the body for the eau de nil stripes. Turns out I had the sliding doors set about 2mm low, hence had to unsolder the doors and reposition them. Didn't take too long, but then other problems followed, namely the Halfords rattle can I bought was metallic paint AND the wrong shade. Of course, only realised this AFTER I had used it... If anyone wants a barely used can of metallic Rover British Racing Green, let me know. Eventually, did a Galteemore, by using two different shades I already had, though before anyone questions the shade, the van is going to get the full weathering treatment, so what you see in the photo will soon be covered in a layer of grime, representing a vehicle that is ten years out of the paint shop with little in the way of any cleaning since.