Kirley

Just breath taking, you can just imagine the standard of the finished layout.

My new A Class just out of the paint shop, A Murphy Lima 201 No. 209 on a Bachmann Class 66 chassis.

One A Class complete A7 and my Lima 201 No. 209 repainted with an adapted Bachmann Class 66 chassis. See my Layout page for some video action.

Interested to see how you do the Sound and lights Eamonn, that Inspection car looks fiddly work but it should be nice when you get it painted up.

This is modelling on a different level, I look in awe.

The high standard is maintained, superb detail.

Crisp detail, looking good but as has been suggested a bit of dirt will add to the realism.

While attended the Model Rail, Scotland Show in Glasgow I came across a stand showing a Timber Wagon conversion. It was hosted by the Scottish Modellers. Scottish Modellers were formed to promote and foster interest in the modelling of Scotland's railways in all eras and scales and I was told I was the third person from Ireland expressing an interest at the Show in their etches which provide support for their Timber Wagon conversions. I spoke to a guy called Martin Stewart who makes the etches and he seemed interested in looking at the Irish timber wagons and maybe doing something for us. I undertook to send him some information and gave him our Web Site details. He in turn said if it was feasible he would register on the Site and explain what he could do and explore the interest. I know a number of Modellers on this Site including myself have built their own but in my case the upright posts (made of plasticard) of the log pallets are so fragile that they break easily. There's hoping Martin may come up with a brass solution for the log pallets.

I attended the Model Rail, Scotland Show in Glasgow. Lots of Layouts and Suppliers there including Marks Models from Dublin. Here are some photographs , sorry about the quality, the lights did not help plus the volume of people meant they are only "snaps". Peco had a large display stand and the above picture shows wiring for electrofrog points their way. I saw a 3D printer in action. At the bottom left of the picture you can see some train like shapes with the last one in a painted condition. The Guy told me it took a lot of time getting to that stage having to cut out the window recesses and an awful lot of sanding. The end result still left room for improvement and the plastic was quite thick. Obviously the way ahead but still a long way to go. This fine Water Tower was scratch built by a member of West Scotland 4mm group of an actual building. The tanks were made of Steradent metal tubes with cut down rubber balls and thumb tacks at the end. A fantastic piece of work. It was a long day but I travelled with the 1st Bangor Modelling Club coach crossing on the Carnryan Ferry. Expensive but only because there were so many tempting things. I did make use of the opportunity to get paints and other items that are now very expensive to get via the post.

Thanks John for the roof information

There seems to be a big run on auto ballasters on the site at the moment and Gerry's layout shows yours off to perfection. I love the detail on this layout.

Work for very steady hands, looking forward to seeing it painted.

Please tell me more, and your answer in non technical language would be welcome.

I've started on converting a Class 66 chassis to fit a Lima 201 body and have been doing some under frame detailing to get it near the 201. This meant removing the large fuel tank and cutting it down to size and adding some other bits and pieces. Used SSM's detailing kit, drilled holes for lights and masked off the warning panel and the NIR logo as I'm going to repaint with NIR InterCity blue. I've still to remove the Lima bogie frames and put them on the new chassis, O yes! and to work out the lights. This means I was left with a redundant Lima 201 chassis so I decided to have a go at improving the traction of this notorious power unit by adding another power bogie. It was straight forward enough to do except you had to cut the body at one end rather than in the middle otherwise you would end up with a large fuel tank at each end. So for the test run.........I'mm , once a tractor always a tractor! It screeched and rasped into life and took off like a Ferguson tractor except not as good. I played about with some of the decoder settings to see if that would make a difference but no. I'm coming round to the opinion that the pick up from the track is not good enough. With the original chassis you had pick up on the motor bogie from one side only as there are traction tyres (lovely things) on the other side but you had pick up from both tracks at the rear bogie. I don't have this now with the two motor bogies - anyone any suggestions about a remedy or do I just wait until I can pick up another Class 66 chassis?

I finally finished wiring up lights for the Station buildings so here's a few pictures to see how they turned out. The camera is very unforgiving and picked up things I did not notice with the naked eye: Gaps between the bottom of buildings need to be sealed to prevent light spillage. The semi gloss back scene reflects the lights, not sure if a matt varnish would cure the reflective properties? The white lights in the main station building is too harsh and would need toned down. It's always the same just when you think you have a job finished you realise there's still lots to do.

Excellent job, the making of the roof, the most difficult part of the build, is on a different level. Well done.

No Stephen, it was fairly straight forward. I had to break the reduced Class 55 chassis at the join and replace the dummy bogie end with the new motor bogie chassis support. As you can see my cutting was not very straight but I used Roket powder to fill the gap. It’s marvellous stuff and does what it says on bottle. You just cover the gap with Superglue and pour a little of the powder into the recess. It dries rock hard in seconds and is very strong. I filled the well with the cut down steel plates and added further weights between the two bogies. The wiring was straight forward; the track pickup wires from front and back are joined and connected to the 8 pin decoder plate. The wires from the motors are tested to ensure all the wheels turn in the same direction before connection to the decoder plate. I’m delighted how effective this modification is. Now what to do with my other 3 A Class Locomotives?

Back again on my quest to get an A Class fitted with a Hornby Class 55 chassis to "run like a Bachmann/ Murphy Models Locomotives". Anthony had come up with a unique suggestion of fitting two power bogies and had actually done the conversion. I had the pleasure of seeing it last week pull up a rake of coaches up an helix without a hitch and his demonstration convinced me this was the way to go. I obtained another Hornby X9775 Class 55 Deltic Motor Drive Unit Bogie and Underframe Chassis. The motors obviously had to be wired in reverse and so it was time for a test drive. I'm a great believer in pictures telling the best story so here is a short video. Thanks again to Anthony for a great solution.

Excellent find great to see the way it used to be.

Fitting drainpipes the easy way. Get yourself some Midelino Sticks. They are a flower arrangers dream because the sticks can be twisted and curled to create what shape you want, even drainpipes.

My Station buildings started with the Bachmann Clonmel Station (in reality it was only the Booking Hall) and commissioned Glenderg to construct the main station building. All the Clonmel buildings are in a straight line but because I had not enough space on my layout I designed the station to be on a curve. The Main Station building was connected by the "Ladies" block to the Booking Hall with the "Gents" on the far side. Because of the Station being on a curve it was going to be difficult to join these building as you had to get the angles right. It was decided that Glenderg would supply the two walls of the "Ladies" and the rest of the construction would be done on site. Rail side wall Road side wall You can see what I mean about difficult angles. Here you can see if I followed the ridge line the roof on the "Ladies" would not look right. I moved the ridge line to the front of the chimney and it seems to work OK. Paper template cut for the roof Roof in place and gully filled with DAS clay filler. Ridge tiles added. You can't see the join -hopefully. Relieved to get the ridge line level with the one on the Booking Hall. I finished off the remaining buildings and did a preliminary coat of paint. Here is the line of Station buildings. The Shed roof still has to be put in place. Booking Hall to the left and the "Gent" building adjoining. Showing the "Ladies" which links the main Station Building with the Bachmann's Booking Hall. Very pleased the way these buildings link together -credit to Glenderg. Showing the Main Station building and on its left the wall of the Station Master's Yard. Showing the Lean-to Shed in the yard (Glenderg build) Front entrance of the Main Station Building, some window frames still to go in. You will notice the roof paint is on the heavy side but since the photograph was taken I have reduced it to allow the roof tile details to show through. Shows the Road side view of the link building ("Ladies") Showing the rear of the Gent's building and Shed. Still more detailing to do before I install it on the layout but it's getting there.

Excellent guide, well described and illustrated.

With a break in the recent terrible weather I was able to open up the Paint Shop and give the Cement Bubbles a first coat of paint - MIR's Irish Cement Traders Ivory. It's always a great feeling to see models transformed by some colour.

That's just a totally different level of model making - I'm envious.