Horsetan

A small packet is just after turning up from Ireland, bearing An Post's current "Nollaig" commemorative stamp, and containing a small quantity of very clean castings and a nickel silver etch. Great stuff, Des, and thanks!

The WTs ran on 6' diameter driving wheels, exactly the same ones used on the Stanier Black Five. Might be worth seeing if you can obtain a set of the current Hornby Black Five wheels and fitting them into the 4P chassis. This would correct the ride height and reinforce the WT's characteristic high-stepping looks. The rest of the model looks grand. I'm still waiting for Alan Doherty at Worsley Works to unleash his long-threatened WT kit, having put my name down for one ages ago.

If it were steam-hauled, 'tis a Panda Coaler they'd be wanting....

That dates back to 1979 at least, and it was a bold venture for Hornby at the time. I think the list price back then was about 200 quid. There were matching S&D coaches to go with it, and they had opening doors. Can't remember list price of those, but £43.50 each sticks in my mind for some reason. Rocket and its coaches were still in the catalogue for 1981, but I don't remember seeing them after that year.

Some months back, I picked up a quite attractive Austrian model of an East German steam superstar: 18.201, created out of bits from three different engines which today is the only preserved steamer passed to exceed 100mph. Mod edit: the English translation of the title is 'The Model: Risen from the Ruins'.

Ah stop, I haven't started building the thing!

This will no longer be a problem after sufficient quantities of Guinness.

Quod erat demonstrandum

...and that's up against pretty stiff competition from other, more local, shows - the now defunct Watford Finescale, and St. Albans, being two aromatic examples.

I'm afraid that my one and only visit to Warley in 2001 put me off for life. The sheer crush of people was as bad as travelling on the London Underground, coupled with scenes of barely-contained acquisitive savagery at the Bachmann trade stand. It was the show at which the notorious Dapol Virgin Pendolino set became available, so there was extra savagery there.

What they need is a steam-hauled service.....

Just after buying a copy of this book, so. Should be useful read.

Would there be any Australian blood in ye now?

Found a couple of reasonably clear views of 553 only just fitting on the turntable at Tramore: http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/photo?group=Sellick%20collection&objid=1997-7219_RJS_IR_15 http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/photo?group=Sellick%20collection&objid=1997-7219_RJS_IR_16 Of interest are the "inset" footsteps (catered for in the kit), and the almost Wainwright look of the smokebox door (twin handles, instead of the more common wheel-and-handle) and strapping. Minogues, and An Teach Ol, in Tulla for me. Happy memories of winter lock-ins during the hunting season

'tis out in the West.

They call him "The Menace Of Ennis". Anyhow, everyone knows that the best pints of Guinness are those served in Clare. Sure I've had a fair few of those meself.

I suddenly feel a need for the SSM GNRI 20t brake van....

"...but first, a word from our Sponsor...."

This is where you need to use the closest available P4 profile wheel. Sources: AGW, Branchlines, and - if you have all the time in the world - Ultrascale. You'll probably have seen the CLAG site which has just about everything under the sun for CSBs, seeing as they more or less invented the modern interpretation of the system. It's probably safer to have split chassis AND split axles. If you have a rigid axle, chances are that axle is the one that would make the model lurch. Only one axle driven per bogie - a total of two axles out of how many? It might be a bit underpowered. If you're going to be making your own gearboxes and gears, why not try making bevel-and-spur gears? Lower rolling resistance, higher efficiency.

Inchicore's a bit like a black hole for things like that.

I'm sure there are many different answers. A bit like Catholicism - "it's so vague, and nobody really knows how it works....":ROFL: I think it's to do with the feeling that you're actually making something that moves.

Compare with this view: Strictly speaking, there should be brass-coloured bearing covers over the eccentric rod big-end as well, but I'm not sure those were in the kit.

Until I saw the photos of the fiddle yard, I actually thought this was going to be 21mm gauge. The scenery so far is certainly worthy of it. Almost makes you wish there was going to be enough space to model the oul Ormonde Cinema at Greystones.

Not exactly. More to do with the feeling that there hasn't really been a longstanding and sizeable tradition of Irish railway modelling, unlike elsewhere. If anything, if there is to be a tradition, it is being developed now.