Auto-Train Original

Yes I drive them a few times a month. What strikes me is the width of the N17 they cross at the three locations. The road traffic is heavy all day long until about 8PM. This is before we get to the line on the main street at Charlestown or crossing the now very busy road from Tubbercurry to Ballina. This road is going to get even busier as this will be the exit road from the planned N17 bypass. I honestly can see this section being done without causing major traffic congestion or invested in Swiss-level engineering. Which would be great but can't be justified. either elevating the road or the rail line for the N17 parts alone would be astronomical in terms of costs.

I know it is probably pointless, but just in case, someone gave me a box of Triang R29 'shorter' BR coaches - not the really short ones - would they have any potential to kitbash into something Irish? Thanks.

Can't see it going north of Tuam. Too many level crossings on wide busy N roads. "Additional platforms on Galway and Sligo routes to strengthen rail resilience" what does this even entail?

The Midnight Hour JR stinks of a cynical political ploy to constantly delay and delay to find more reasons to kill it off. The objectors are all well connected political types so it's all the same clique. Very sus.

Poster makes it look like just a little kids day out to be honest.

I have the broken wheel decals applied. Do any of you folks know what is the best alphabet/numerical decal sheet to do the numbering? Thanks.

Primer check. I know it is crude but the black livery should hide the many faults using the 3 foot rule

Still deep in the land of compromise So American looking for a British loco!

Part 2 of Fake it till I Fake It.

I have often wordered too. They are so similar did LMS share the plans?

Being from the lazy - close enough - end of the kitbashing faction, I have started messing around with the old Triang/Hornby Class 08 shell. I got the boxes all in a row by cutting the central section out and flipping it around. I am also having a hard time finding a photo or drawing of the D301 roof. So I am flying blind in this regard. Anyway, here is what stage one looks like.

Own and cherish tangible physical media. Personal hardcopy archives is our only choice at this stage.

It is pretty worrying when you read some of the reports about it telling lies and then being caught and it being deceptive or trying to gaslight its way out of being found out. It's not good and is unregulated. Military Photo Archives are being decimated by it with bogus AI images of conflicts/events. Shocking stuff.

So many bogus historic photos on social media are to train the AI. It uses the responses to try to determine by the comments what's is probably the most correct response by the number of like responses.

I know where you are coming from, but I think Glasnevin will be a game changer in how people view public transport integration in Ireland. It will result in more calls to this type of interchange such as the Metro connecting with the Northern Line and so on. Not all European airports have heavy rail and many are metro only. But yes, it would be great to have both. Metro will feed millions of riders into the rail network and this will be good for future rail development nationally.

I have a Marklin layout and a good collection too. Not many of us in Ireland and I use M Track for this. I also have Lima and Piko locos converted to AC. On my DC layout most of the track is Marklin C Track converted to DC (the points are Piko A Track DC) and everything runs great. I have a foot in both the AC and DC HO world and the quality of Marklin is outstanding. You can buy a small shunter made in the 70s and with a service and lub will run as good as any flywheel drive modern DC loco.

Surprised no commercial Thumpers available to date. Long service life, lots of liveries. Was used by Irish Rail, and I believe they even hauled freight trains? Would there be serious demand?

Cabra Navan Road

I have never seen the Green CIE Van with the Black ends. What's the story with that wagon?

What about the old Graham Farish LMS Corridor Coaches? I have a few of them. Do they have any NCC or even other Irish potential? Sorry I meant the final decade before the UTA sorry.

I am thinking a decade or so before the UTA?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt8eJt5HnDU

I do not want to repaint (as I run LMS too) and using the three foot/onr meter rule anything I can put behind an NCC loco? Cheers in advance.

Can anyone tell me more about these wagons I see in a lot of photos from before WW2 all over Ireland? Who made them? When did they last get used and has anyone modelled them? Thanks in advance.

Ireland does not have a super low population density at all (over 7 million on this island now) and Dublin has the same population density as Amsterdam and Copenhagen and no, Ireland is not smaller than Manchester just because Jack Charlton said it 40 years ago. These off the cuffs 'low density' assumptions are not as relevant as they are made out to be. England has one of the highest pop density on the planet. They are the exception, not the rule. This is not whom we compare ourselves too when talking rail investment. New Zealand is VERY different geograpically than Ireland. Again, not the same. We have a government and civil service who wear onesies watching the Late Late Toy Show while giggling. There is no leadership and foresight in this country. That's the problem not our population density.