Kirley

Allen Doherty of Worsley Works is going to do an etch for me of a NIR Parcel Van. These van were ex MED Trailers 508, 511 -513 and were re numbered in 1975 to 631-634. I can only find two images of these vans. Allen has asked if I can confirm the window positions on the opposite side and I can only assume they would be the mirror image. Can anyone confirm or otherwise please? Any other photographs in circulation?

Hope this helps: 1978 blue/grey Enterprise livery was introduced for the coaching stock. This replaced the Maroon top & blue bottom livery. GM 111 & 112 appeared with 12 2nd hand BR Mk2b coaches in Feb 1981 on a re launched Enterprise service. 113 entered service July 1984. NIR in 1987 introduced a Suburban and Intercity livery. All coaching stock was painted in the Intercity livery. This was blue top half of coach & grey bottom with a white, black and yellow band between the two colours. In 2002 the Gatwick Stock appeared (8 2nd hand MK2f ex-Gatwick Express stock) blue top half of coach & grey bottom with a green stripe separating the two colours.

I would not have any expertise on CIE workings but the inspiration for this build was from a picture of one in the book 'Rails Through The West' I had an old Airfix low loader but had lost the JCB so I picked up a Dapol one. Have a look at an earlier thread started by Heirflick -http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/727-low-loader?highlight=loader. Yes same as Dave's ones - he's got 'such great hands'.

Your buses add to that 'real' busy road scene which complements your rail layout. Well though out.

Working on the platforms. I used a router to give the platform an overhanging edge. Unfortunately I did this in the shed which resulted in dust everywhere. There is a deep wall running on the platform opposite the Station building. I decided to experiment using modelling clay. I rolled it out and then put thin strips on the plywood wall after coating it in PVA. I then used a sheet of Wills Rough Stone to make an impression on the clay. It resulted in giving a faint impression. I’ll have to wait until it dries to see how effective this method is. The four walls on the Goods Shed are completed along with the roof trusses. It still has to be glued together. I should have completed the slate roof by now but you may have noticed I have been doing other things rather than tackling the roof. As the roof will be the most visible part of the Shed I suppose I am reluctant to do it in case I make a mess of it. There is a Walled Yard between the Station and the Goods Shed, currently used to park buses. Again I’m using a plywood base which I’ll attach Rough Stone Wills sheets to it. I intend to do the bridge in Wills Rough Stone Sheets and have started with a plywood base. Not sure how high bridge parapets should be, I have done these about 4 feet high. Must make the roof the next thing to do.

Again breath taking modelling, its great to see what can be done with card, plastic & nickel silver. You forgot to mention model making skill.

There are still some at Kirley Junction see item 8: http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/78-Kirley-s-Projects?p=941&highlight=spoil+wagons#post941

Disappointed that Provincial Models are not attending but according to Leslie he was not invited?

I had to look twice to make sure it was a model, well done. Looking forward to hearing your construction method.

I have read of people getting car stripe tape in Halfords and using that but I have never tried it myself. If you search on the net for 'making a model train control panel' you will probably find some suggestions there.

Wow this is my first venture into the bus world in this forum and I did not realise the stir I created when I said I got one ebay for £20. I did get one, a Corgi Bus Eireann, Cork but not the right one. Sorry to disappoint everyone but it was a Corgi OOC 42703 Van Hool Alizee Bus which meets my needs for my Clonmel based Station. So no you did not miss a bargain -I think I'll stay from this bus world in the future, I'm all for peace and calm at my stage of life.

Work continues on the Goods Shed. I have completed the arches, sills and chimney stack and now have moved onto the roof. My architectural advisor recommended I use 4 x 2 mm balsa for the roof structures but I could only source locally 6 x3 mm strips. It's my first time working with balsa and like everything else in modelling there are techniques special to each material and the only way to pick them up is by practice and error. My end results are a bit agriculture looking so I hit on the idea of splitting the 6 mm in half which is not as easy as it sounds. I will use them for the purlins running length wise and will redo the trusses. In the last photograph you can see the trusses crossing the window opening which in a real building would not happen. Not sure of any way round this for me at this stage of the build so I'll just have to live with it.

Thanks John, must look that up.

Don't forget your shovel if you want to go to work- found a Dapol kit of a JCB on the Web so I got it to replace the one that came with the Airfix kit (low loader & JCB) many many moons ago.

Thanks Guys for all your help, picked one up on ebay last night for £20 inc post.

[quote=flange lubricator;33912 Having not done any modelmaking for over 30 years here's a backmann bsk I converted to a GSV . Welcome to the site and your first posting, a very impressive start

Thanks Kevin, do you have a maker and model name please?

Is this bus currently available as a model?

Superb John, and such attention to detail.

Thanks Lima that link to a replacement motor from the Hollywood Foundry, it looks very interesting. http://www.hollywoodfoundry.com/triang%20bogie.htm?id=95

Had a look at your flickr site, some great photographs especially of York Road Depot

Hi Tom, you can get foam board in any good stationery shop, I know Eason's stock them.

Thanks Dave, it was worth spending the time and money installing good insulation sheets on the shed walls which holds the heat in winter and keeping it cool in summer, well I’ve only this summer to go by for heat. Would I do anything different – O yes I would plan out the layout in advance but unfortunately that is an ability that has passed me by. So I don’t have a track plan other than starting with a double loop of track close to the walls. I have a second double loop which crosses onto the centre section and a single track which operates on a lower level to the rest of the layout. All five tracks are connected via points (a lot of points) back to the helix which leads down to the storage section about 9” underneath the layout. If you trawl through this thread you will see how the layout has evolved and it was a case of seeing what fitted in the space I had available rather than any master plan. BosKonay’s layout for one, is a good example of what you can do with good planning.

Pop fasteners - what a novel idea, I take it this fastening stands up to the rigors of track running and keeps stability over curves and points? Do you run DC or DCC (wondering about converting the Tri-ang motor to take a decoder)? Sorry about all the questions but I’m just building up a knowledge base for when I get around to making one.

Work continues on a slow but steady pace on the Goods Shed with plenty of advice from Glenderg. The foam board has been given an outer skin of Wills Rough Stone Sheets and an inner skin of 1.5mm card. The quoins were 'fun' to do and my big concern was would the corners be square but it seems to have worked out alright. The quoins I used were from the Wills range but I'll have to cut out ones from plasticard for the top of the arches and window sills. After that I'll be tackling the roof, again with plenty of advice from Richie.