Mike 84C

Hi Dave,I recently bought copies of Oakwood Press"The Farranfore to Valencia Harbour Railway" vols 1&2 by Patrick O"Sullivan. Its a mine of information with many photographs and may provide the info you need. I rather like the station at Cahirciveen,for me its got the lot! Cattle pens, goods shed and siding, single platform & loop, single road engine shed with turntable and a village backdrop. I also think Bantry on the C.B&S.C. fits the bill but I also like ships! The downside of both is that large Irish locos ran on neither line but hey its your railway! Regards Mike

Excellent job,well done. I look forward to your next conversion and the brake van does look rather tasty!!

ger, thanks for all the info; with the build, B110 looks excellent. The last picture with the light shining through the engine room windows and the mech; in silhouete is a master stroke.

ger711 thats looking good! A lot more cut and shut than with my tank engine,keep the photos coming. Mike

I have used Kadees for quite a while, I found that assembly is critical as is adjustment; they all have to be at the same height! I also have a little puffer bottle of graphite, I think its sold to dry lubricant for locks, which I blow into the assembled coupler.That seems to help a lot. Perhapse rubbing the parts with a soft pencil during assembly might help? Wiggy, I think the coupler fitting should be rock solid on the vehicle. Mike

Mayner,lots of J72"s available s/hand and cheap. Do you get up to Kawa Kawa in Bay of Islands Area? maybe you know the railway there?

Scahalane, thanks for your comments on 850 but your bridge is brilliant; doing all that riveting may have driven you to the drink but its hot thirsty work so fill that glass!! I was at Cork Glanmire Rd station last September and thought what a good model it would make. So please keep posting so we can enjoy. Mike

Well guys,Thanks for all your views and comments my only desire was to get a proposal going for a loco I like very much and has the potential for a broad appeal. I am still looking at the Flexiscale option but I think it will sink!! But if David does launch his model of 461, then I"m in that lifeboat so to speak! I dont really want to be faced with a big bill of unknown size for a model so I will speak with backers of the Flexiscale FR proposal whom I know. What other things do we want? so I can propose them and flush otherthings out of the undergrowth!! ;-)

Excellent choice of loco, we who are interested in steam might be spoilt for choice! But the potential to model Irish branch lines is increasing by leaps and bounds. Thank you John. Regards Mike

Recieved these comments from Flexiscale, now its up to us. The Flexiscale Co 25 February 19:55: Sorry there were problems there and I think you're right it does have a very wide appeal. We've now approved it (having worked for a long while in the online industry I know that systems without approval are always abused sooner or later), sorry this took a while, for some reason we didn't get the message there was a new project there. We've now made it one of our featured projects. Thanks so much for suggesting it, I think it's a great plan. You can now publicise the link on http://www.facebook.com/l/SAQGl3rGTAQEFoEaesH30eOUtWW3d_0SEwmThbGsry1TS7Q/projects.flexiscale.co/project/62/great-southern-railway-2-6-0-no-461

Thanks for all the input and so quickly posted;so there is interest in that loco? I agree that cost may make it a nonstarter but if the question isnt asked we will never know. And how long will we wait for an etched kit? maybe it will happen if enough interest is shown here. I will post if I get more info; from Flexiscale. Mike

I accessed Flexiscale through my wifes facebook a/c. All the access info is on the toolbar, the Proposals button tells how it all works and shows what is currently active. 461 is still a private proposal awaiting approval. After which we can put our full weight behind it. I do hope I picked a subject with a wide acceptance. You can also see how many modellers are backing each proposal and as some have only a very few I am hopeful for 461. Mike.

Have any of you guys seen this site? Flexiscale they do laser scanning and rapid prototyping and are working on a kit for one of the Festiniog Rly England 0-4-0"s. I have set up a proposal for GSR No 461, if enough support is there we could get a kit at a reasonable cost and time frame. I also tried to find what criteria is used for production of more obscure British Prototypes,from a couple of retailers with no success, so this may be a way forward.

Eileens Emporium had an airbrush demo on their stand at the Doncaster exhibition, you could go and have a play with anyone of 4/5 different airbrushes.The Iwatta Revolution RV-TR1 i found to be amazing. Double action,pistol grip(very comfortable to hold) 0.3 nozzell. If anyone is looking to buy its worth checking out but it aint cheap! I spray mainly acrylics or nasty Floquil so I am giving it serious consideration. E.P. are doing an offer on them. I have no connection with Eileens Emporium other than a satisfied customer. Mike

Welcome Jim-Jim, I am also new to Irish modelling but the guys on this site are very helpful and will give lots of encouragement,so enjoy the hobby! Mike

Still in primer, but I think I shall keep it in grey. Had to paint the smokebox, wish I hadn't! But I needed to know what it would look like. Details next :-) but I don't think I shall take it much further, apart from DCC.,,[attachment=:name]

Because the mass of the piston,side rods,connecting rods on a two cylinder loco is very hard to balance out. If you think of the piston stopping and starting many times p.sec at each end of its stroke and one on each side of the loco, then divided drive can be seen to help with balance and hammer blow. But it cannot cure totally cure either problem. I have no experience of the GWR 2900"s, I"m not that old! but some of my old drivers who were in their 60"s in the 60"s reckoned they were the fastest thing on rails. i only ever did 95mph on a steam engine once. And there was a lot of hanging on for grim death!! Back to balancing and hammer blow! Mike

About 15yrs ago a group of us went Wolztien in Poland for the steam experience, for a bit of a change we went to Poznan and hired the training tram complete with instructor they are an odd thing to drive, power and braking on the one control. I am not surprized at the accidents as the Poles just drove like madmen. The tram drivers needed eyes up their ---es. still didnt stop the trams going like bats out of hell on the roughest rack I had ever seen! Good fun though! Also hired a complete narrow gauge railway for the day complete with crew who brought the sosages.The line did not run on Saturdays so that was our chance! I think it cost about £50, bet it costs more than that today maybe I should post some photos if anyones interested?

Any of you guys likely to be at Doncaster Exhibition this week end?

Its amazing how photos show up any flaws! I was happy with the cab handrails till I saw what I had posted!! Out with the de-bonder methinks. Thanks for the comments lads, it does spur me on a bit.

She"s coming on I posted the pictures before undercoating so its obvious what additions and what bits I removed. The complete front running plate and the belpair firebox top and the cab roof are from a Dapol Prairie tank any white parts are made from plasticard. I did think it would be easier than it has been to do this conversion. but thats always the way!!

Thanks for posting this clip of the RGS.I know have severe layout envy! How do these guys find the time to do all that modelling?

The productivity of those guys is amazing! When I worked for the Festiniog Rly; we started spraying locos & coaches, superb finish but it was judged that the masking time plus the cost of running/consumables for the ventilation system was not cost effective. Also not many volunteers can spray paint!

Just Jane is a fantastic plane, I found out about it 10yrs ago when we moved to the area, its about 15 miles from Digby, and I visited the museum at East Kirkby. Now that is a salutory place to go, lots of largeish chunks of broken airplane with the details of the usually young men who died when it crashed. And where what it was etc; makes me realize what we owe to a lot of, almost school leavers and very young men. But it is well worth a visit because the proceedes go to getting Just Jane flying. Panton Brothers who own the Lancaster also farm chickens and as I work part time for Moy Park foods, a good Irish firm, who they grow for i get to see it quite often in summer.So keep eating Moy Park chickens lads as some of that money goes to getting Just Jane flying.