Johnny B. Good

Hi David, I hope you don’t mind me asking but I read your posts and always learn something new. So your models here are in O scale right? So if I wanted to try scratch building a van similar to yours but in OO scale, would you recommend I still use the 40 and 80 thousand plastic sheet (that’s like 1mm and 2mm?) and then the 40x40/60/80 thou strips? Or should I be using something a different size? I’ve been using Evergreen because it’s easy to find over here. And I probably do use the same size, but I hate hate hate buying the wrong thing when all I had to do was ask someone first to get the right thing!!!!!! Lol Thank you, John

Hello all, Rummaging around the internet I found this - apologies if it’s already been posted somewhere else. I was thinking about scratch building a Sentinel shunter, (in part because it’s mostly a box shape, and I found a diagram of it). Well this site allows you (for scratch building anything really), to take the measurements of say a real locomotive, choose the scale you’d like to build it in, and put in the measurements and it will instantly give you the converted measurement (in inches or metrics whichever you’d like). You could use it for “trains, planes and automobiles” (and buildings). I hope you find it helpful. https://exactrail.com/pages/exactrail-calculator

I know the answer is probably “no” (because nothing could be that easy) but were rectangular tank wagons ever used in Ireland in the days of steam?

Thanks Robert, that does help. And thanks Eoin, Gibbo Galteemore and Alan I really appreciate all your help. John

Hi all, Please pardon my immense ignorance. I’m trying to scratch build and I need the particular part pictured below. It’s the riveted metal “beams” (?) that are on the sides of some vans. I don’t know what it’s called and I just wondered if anyone knew a company that makes these or a shop that sells them. Or do people normally just make their own? Thanks in advance for any info, John

Thanks very much everyone!

Hello all, I was just wondering if anyone can recommend this: for working on small models do you use magnification that you wear and covers your eyes or do you prefer to use a large magnifier that sits on your desk like the kind used to soldering. I need to get something so thought I’d check in here first. Thanks in advance, Johnny

That’s such a shame Colin! That one photo above is from the Bristol museum - maybe they have more related to it? (Sorry I hate taking no for an answer!) John

Hi Colin, You probably have these already but just on the off chance you don’t, the first three from Rowland’s book. The last is from New Irish Lines. The carriages all seem to have been made by Bristol CW & Company, and I’d be surprised if they did not manufacture similar or identical carriages for lines in Britain? I haven’t gotten the chance yet but I’ve been meaning to look into that company and what other lines they manufactured carriages for as I’d imagine there’d by way more photos for carriages of contemporary lines in the UK. And with all the railway societies, etc. maybe someone somewhere has a lot more photos or drawings of these.

I know this was posted awhile ago but I just saw these on eBay - maybe they’d be of use? https://www.ebay.com/itm/171797279592?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=6xtRIJjQTcW&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=mP3JiGpWQ8C&var=470740089404&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

As you guys say - fair play to ya - your models are fantastic Mayner! I’m hoping to get one of these soon!

I found this photo on another thread where it was said that this is GS&WR horse box. Is that right?:

Just found another interesting photo from Ernie’s archive collection (I hope you don’t mind if so please just delete). But it’s a great side view of a cart and it’s loading/unloading a train!!

So Jonathan if I focus on making/getting the centre canvas vans, cattle trucks and 5 plank wagons, my next question is just: was there any uniformity in length, width or wheel distance with these three? Some cattle trucks look huge and others look smaller to me. And some model kits (like Slater’s) the dimensions between different types seem identical. Were the roofed vans the same as the canvas vans just with a full roof? And did the GS&WR have a unique Horsebox? Thanks, John

Hi Guys, I hope you are all well. In my slow but continuing research into the GS&WR I came up with a question I thought I’d ask you experts: I’m trying to come up with a list of what you might have seen on any given day pre-GSR days. So so far this is my list and apologies if I’m not using the right names for them all: Centre Canvas Goods vans Cattle wagons 5 plank (coal?) wagons 3 plank wagons? 2 plank wagons Brake van (thank you Leslie! Lol) Hopper wagons Petrol tankers. JB had told me that starting out I should concentrate on getting the first 3 above (as that was what you’d probably see most often), and I have. But something just got me thinking recently what else you might have seen coming down the tracks back then. Like for example would you have seen dairy tankers? I know in places like Kerry the milk was brought to the local creamery but from there was it loaded onto tankers? I did try to find a list like this somewhere online but couldn’t. But, a while back Mayner gave me a great explanation about the Petrol tankers so I just thought ask about others here. All the best, John