Darius43

Thanks for that Broithe. Hadn’t seen that picture. The photos I used in 1980 were ones my Great Uncle had. Amazing that the same boat is pictured in your reference. Cheers Darius

My Great Uncle served on RAF Air Sea Rescue boats during WW2 - based at Kirkcudbright in Scotland. About the same time as I made the bungalow model for my Grandparents, I scratch built a model of his Air Sea Rescue boat for him based on two photographs that I found. After he passed away the model returned to me but it has suffered some damage… The model was scratch built using balsa, cardboard, Perspex sheet and fuse wire. The fuse wire rigging and main mast are pretty much U/S so these have been removed. Replacements will be made using a wooden cocktail stick (as per the original) and fishing line. Cheers Darius

Removable “bridge” across the shed door - track laying completed. This is the bridge for the lower scenic double track circuit. A second bridge will be required for the upper scenic circuit. The intention is for the bridge sections to be the “switch” that powers the bridge tracks and 2m of track by either side of the bridge opening. That way no trains can approach the “chasm” if the bridge is not in place. Cheers Darius

I my opinion the Marklin 16V AC system is somewhat limiting in what you can run and what sort of track you can run it on. Reverse loops are not an issue electronically though. On the whole I prefer 2 rail DC/DCC. This is compared to the 1980s Marklin system. I think they now have a sort of DCC system with decoders and sound. Cheers Darius

Phew!!! Cheers Darius

Got the text message this morning that DHL would deliver my ILG parcel to me between 12.09 and 13.09. 13.30 came round with no delivery so I checked the tracking link only to find out that it had been delivered at 12.01 to someone called Alina, who had signed for it. Fortunately the delivery person had taken a brilliantly composed photo of the handover… From the geometry of the walls and the colour of the carpet I was able to deduce that the delivery address was in my building and I was able to identify it as flat number 8 from the doormat. I live in flat number 12 - two floors up. I have had deliveries that had been “ left in reception” (= by the lift doors on the ground floor) but never had a delivery where the guy got half way up to my floor and then stopped. Fortunately the occupant was still at home and she handed over the parcel to me after I rang the door - whether she intended to bring it round later is open to conjecture but I am choosing to think she would have. In any event DHL should check the numeracy of their deliverers - I know it’s a crap and poorly paid job so i can’t get too steamed about this even though the parcel contains TPE Mk5s. Thank goodness for that photo!!! Cheers Darius

Completed. Cheers Darius

We just missed each other. I never played sports at Ben Madigan - we were bussed to the playing fields at Roughfort to play hockey. Shorty Long was the coach. Cheers Darius

I also went to Belfast Royal Academy - was there from 1978 to 1983. Used to get the No. 3, 5 or 45 bus down the Antrim Road. Coming home we could also get the No. 2 or 6 if we spotted them at the top of Duncairn Gardens and ran fast enough… Cheers Darius

You are exceedingly warm with upper Antrim Road… Cheers Darius

Restoration completed. Cheers Darius

The Markin locos and stock were very detailed, well made and robust - much better than contemporary Hornby and Lima models. Being a 16V AC centre stud contact system, two rail DC UK locos were incompatible and obtaining Marklin stock in the UK in the late 1970s and early 1980s was almost impossible. Added to that was the price of the locos - well over double that of a typical Hornby loco at the time. Things improved a bit when a shop called Mega Models opened in London (Rathbone Place off Oxford Street) that stocked Markin and I was slowly able to obtain more track and a couple of locos. I was also able to adapt Lima wagons as their “UK” range contained several continental prototypes with spurious UK liveries. Visits to Leisure World in North Queen Street, Belfast helped in this respect - they also had a limited stock of Pola and Faller building kits. Other buildings I scratch built from card and thin plywood based on pictures in a Vollmer catalogue that I found at a model railway exhibition. Cheers Darius

Just found out about this. I remember “hedgehog” flavour crisps in the 1980s - marginally unpleasant but we didn’t know what hedgehogs tasted like anyway so had no frame of reference. Cheese and onion crisp bits in a chocolate bar… Has anyone tried them? Cheers Darius

Some pictures of my childhood (well -teenage years) layout - now long gone. Cheers Darius

Can anyone identify where in Belfast our house was? Cheers Darius PS it’s still there…

Found some photos that I took when the bungalow model was first completed. These will come in useful for the refurb. Also some pics of a model that I made of our family home in Belfast a year or so after I made the bungalow model. Cheers Darius

For the TPE coaches you need a Dapol TPE Class 68. Other retailers are available… Cheers Darius

One completed - a few more to go… Cheers Darius

3D printed JGA wagon kit from 3DWagonWorks via eBay. I added some details using brass wire, tube and electrical wire. These are very nice kits with excellent detail. The material is easy to work with. Cheers Darius

One-plank wagons completed. Cheers Darius

Another Cambrian kit assembled… Cheers Darius

Dunpaintin… Cheers Darius

Bachmann issue them as a pack of three. Cheers Darius

Couple of Cambrian LMS 5-plank kits built up… I think the brake levers will need to be moved upwards to avoid clashing with the door bangers. Cheers Darius

Initial repairs completed. Some bits are missing so will need to be re-done. Cheers Darius