Blu Bianco

Appreciate the info Rich. Perhaps then running a Galway Restaurant car and EGV with IE liveried standards wouldn't be that bad, especially since it was historically accurate.

100% with you there Rich. Those albums are just that high up there that they can't be touched, in DM terms. Although, I do also like 'Construction Time Again' and most of those that came before. Alan clearly lent a classically trained ear, part-created and gave direction to the 'DM sound'. You're right, but 'Ultra' (which obviously isn't as good as Songs of Faith and Devotion) continued to be musically and sonically 'tough'. I think it was with 'Exciter' that the DM sound seemed to lose its way (slightly), it got softer and the beats haven't hit as hard since. But thats as far as I will go, its not criticism, just observation. Everything changes with time and that they're here at all and producing good (to very good!) material is the main thing. Yeah, I've experienced those hand waving moments during 'Never Let Me Down'. 'Enjoy The Silence' has quite an evocative video alright but when you have Anton Corbijn as your art/image/video director, you are always onto a winner!

Thanks for the above. Personally, I don't think the Galway livery on the Restaurant car and EGV will look too well with a small rake of the standard MK2D carriages, they naturally would seem better looking with the 201 orange loco and other Galway liveried carriages. But for to have a MK2D full set now, it appears the only option. What do others think? Does anyone know how often a practice, if at all, it was to mix and match the Galways with the standard MK2D's behind an 071, or two 141's/181's etc? I think I did see a picture on here before though of a Galway carriage, or two, (maybe it was a restaurant car) amongst a set of standard MK2D's somewhere on the Rosslare line? They must have mixed black and orange roof standards at some point though?

Glad they're back and with an album way more interesting than their sub-par previous effort, 'Sounds of the Universe'. DM seem to have re-discovered the knack of putting back in those background electronic noises which are very unique to them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7a3ZDZ5Hds

I'm somehow hoping this is a very, very early April Fools Day joke and none of this is real! It is simply horrible. Whatever was unique about what was left our loco stock, is disappearing. Its dull, unimaginative and cheap looking. Most likely done because its the colour nearest the standard dirt build-up on the loco and now they won't have to clean them, ever! The numbering was unique too. If its rules, then its rules, but at least make 071, 084, 088 et al, in big numbers to make them easily identifiable and retain some semblance of beauty.

Great, thanks! 2 and 3 appear to be the same Galway restaurant car, strange theres no pic of the EGV. Hopefully, the two black roof standards are planned.

From an image point of view, white does look better. In the case of 081, the second picture shows the process looking rather shoddy, almost like 'we have put it in white but maybe will change it to black. But rather than do it fully we will just try and layer the black over it'. I don't know if they were going for a 3D type image with it (doubt it!) but its not done very well either ways! But these little differences between the numbers within a particular class does give that extra bit of interest to the modelling side of things.

I suppose we can dream! Given one of the latest versions of the Dublin Bus fleet is being released, as mentioned elsewhere on this forum, you never know. I thought there would be more of a market for the Leyland Atlantean, the Van Hool, even the Bombardier KD, more than any of the latest models. However thats not to say the prototype pics for the latest type aren't great. There is a UK livery available, I think covering the Newcastle area and it is in a somewhat similar tan colour and does give a flavour as what could be, but it is not the same as having the Irish one. Its a small market granted, be it for the shelf collector or for those with a rail layout based in the era's that the D Class covered, but to have a stunning Leyland D Altantean in completed format, would be brilliant, I agree. Thanks for the pics.

Cool, a Van Hool

As far as I know, there has been no change, 077 is in the next batch, with 085. It is not out yet.

My favourite bus, although I rarely got to go on one. They were being phased out at the time, as the Bombardier KD's were the order of the day. There would be the odd one of them about and it would come into the queue for my bus but for whatever reason a KD would always nip in ahead of it and I'd have to get that instead. I used to call them, enderaringly, the 'fat bus'. Probably due to their size and also many of them featured 'Granby' Sausages ads on their fronts! There was the 'skinny one' too (Van Hool D Class, I think). A model of those two would be good. Both in their tan (faded orange) preferably.

Concerning the new IE locos, 077 and 078, and given the recent discussion on the logo, which has more grab to you, the larger 077 or the smaller 078, image-wise? I was originally thinking the 078 because the recent freight ones have the larger ones and it provides a good contrast to them. However, it does look quite small, comparing it to the size of the IR ones in the new batch. On Eiretrains site, 078 appeared there with the larger IE livery. Does anyone know how long it held the smaller livery for and I presume it was unique in this, compared to the other 071's in the IE era?

Thanks irishthump. Yeah, there was no way I was going to program it on the main layout. I think that would turn the decoder into toast, very expensive toast at that, haha. My choice is between doing what you do, with a siding and a switch, or just buying a separate bit of power track (not connected to the layout, and away from the layout) and wiring it from the power unit.

Morris, I very much agree. He is a genius, always very close to the edge but not just for the sake of it, like some others I will not mention. He had genuine issues to highlight, his views on the pointless and annoying endless intros to news programmes, newscasters standing up and walking around the studio like fools......the list is endless.......and all very accurate. It makes you laugh but also it is quite sad because it shows up what news media is like now. Take a look at the clock part in this clip, then 'the winds of change' outro. The hilarious puns which the news media think are clever: Git Surfing......'Menacing a helpless codger' haha

No problem. The Hawtin/Namlook series is called 'From Within' and there were 3 titles in the series. There were 2 titles in the Jenssen/Namlook Fires of Ork. As for Biosphere, the earlier albums, like 'Microgravity' and 'Patashnik' have beats but its fairly atmospheric, ambient all the same. His later albums 'Substrata', 'Cirque', 'Dropsonde' and 'Shenzhou' are mainly all beatless and just concentrate on ambience, the first two being more arctic sounding, the latter two more organic/classical, but all electronic. If you like Schulze then hopefully theres something in there for you, especially with the Hawtin stuff.

The railcars are here already!!!!!!!! Doesn't sound too dynamic. I liked the freight livery, pity to see it go. The colour combination and contrasts made it stand out, like when they were orange and black.

Well thats what he got for trying to take some wood.........Back of the net!

You can't beat a bit of Partridge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKmCgwCa1kM He must have seen Pat Kenny at some point, regarding his earlier series 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', uncanny and scary resemblances........

Enniscorthyman, I've a few of Namlook's pieces, the series he did with Richie Hawtin (Plastikman) and The Fires of Ork with Geir Jenssen (Biosphere), which is mesmeric. Biosphere's stuff too is just brilliant, you ever heard any? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0TpBdPwWjo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B338GYnX4s8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjacfNpitlQ[/url] The first two are by Manual, the guy's name is Jonas Munk and he's from Odense, Denmark. He plays guitar (very well) and mixes with electronics to such wonderful effect. Always takes me away. The second two are by the equally talented, and slightly more well known, Ulrich Schnauss from Berlin.

Cool Dave, thanks. As usual, you've been a real help. I'm trying to get all my bits and pieces together without having to get things I don't need! Nearly there now.

Yeah, just watched the one tonight with the ad for next week's visit to Ireland. Its his second visit here. He gives our railways more mention, reverence and respect than some of our own productions! Lets just hope he calls time on some of his puns that have become increasingly prevelant in this latest series! Has anyone else noticed them? Its like the producers have told him that he needs to start livening it up a bit. Ignore them Michael, your programme is good enough.

Before I get down to the job of programming my loco's, and to be prepared for it, I presume I would need the Hornby R047 'On-Off' lever frame switch to plug into the connector on the R618 Isolating Track to operate it properly? Or do you think it would be safer just buying a piece of separate power track and wiring it from the power unit? Or how do you guys with DCC find the best way to do it? Thanks!

Thanks BosKonay, thats been really helpful. I may stick with the Hornby then, since its going to make up the majority of it anyway, makes more sense in a few ways.

In the coming time, I will need more track to extend my (planned) layout, all of it thus far is going to be made up of Hornby track, which will be the majority of it. In looking to extend, I noticed Bachmann's track is slightly cheaper, is this just a pricing thing or would there be any quality issues? Or any other issues regarding mixing Hornby and Bachmann track? I'd presumed they are fairly standard but I would just like check first. Thanks for your help!

Welcome Karl and Tom. Am only a relative newbie here myself but can tell you that you will be made feel very welcome!