Horsetan

Aha! So it wasn't my imagination, Des....! I found two clear photos of 103 in the "Rails Through The West" book, and the windscreen bases are decidedly horizontal there as well.

Window base is definitely flat -all three panes are in the horizontal. Same here as well

That would be Des. I'm definitely going mad.

The SSM glazing template looks like a rhomboid. I must be going mad.

Right so, a rhomboid shape and not a regular rectangle?

Started on the body, with a bit of filling and filing of windows and frames: The thing I'm confused by are the cab front windscreens: the SSM cutting guides suggest the outer pair are slanted, but all the photos I'm seeing suggest that they are perfectly straight:

I'm just after getting a massive power cut here. Whole streets affected. Merry feckin' Christmas.

....and difficult to get spares for if anything goes wrong. I've tried.

That's knocked four moves off mine.

Will 21mm be an option on your custom-made DARTs?

(Ten hours later) Think I've found a couple of other sources of the 12T and 20T spur gears; not too expensive. Original Heljan Hymek geartrain looks like this: ....whereas the room left for a centre axle on the Sulzer bogie looks like this: A bit close to the idlers.

If ye're near the South Dublin MRC, I wonder if they'd give a lend of Adavoyle Junction so that your DARTs can be test run on all facets of 21mm gauge.

What was the answer to your Longford shunting puzzle in the end, John?

The large Heljan cog (the initial stage driven by the worm) is 10.92mm overall diameter, and has 20 teeth. Bill Bedford reckons all Heljan gears are 0.5MOD.

Brilliant.

Looks so much more convincing on 21mm.

Nollaig Shona Duit.

Are we to assume that the loop is not long enough to hold both commuter and liner, and that the molasses must not be touched? 1. Draw commuter train forward towards Dromod, clear of points. 2. Set back train into loop. Uncouple. 3. Run forward towards Dromod, clear of points. 4. Set back into liner road and couple to liner. 5. Draw forward towards Dromod, clear of points. 6. Set liner back into main line. Uncouple. 7. Run forward towards Dromod, clear of points. 8. Set back into loop, couple to commuter. 9. Draw forward towards Dromod, clear of points. 10. Set commuter back into liner road vacated in 4/5 above. Uncouple. 11. Run forward towards Dromod, clear of points. 12. Set back and run through loop towards Edgeworthstown, clear of points. 13. Set back onto main. Couple to liner. 14. Draw liner forward towards Edgeworthstown, clear of points. 15. Set liner back into loop. End. I'm sure the whole thing could be done in fewer moves if there were enough space on the cem&fert line.....