Flying Snail

Very nice indeed ... there's something about convertibles: rugged, utilitarian but totally charming!

Very nice weathering - carriage ends and door areas look great. Interiors look very good too!

Well done to all involved - one (very big) step closer!

It's really effective - you can see the effect through the pictures

This jumped out at me too!! There must be something coming down the line .. lets 'see'

Thanks for posting this Eoin - very interesting. I know its dependent on the material - but how frequently do you have to change blades?

Thanks for posting that Sean - with plenty of pictures its a great reference alright (and very informative on how crossings are managed)

These are all really impressive ... but it's the little cottage that caught my eye, I really like the thatched roof!

Wasn't this topic previously discussed ????

Looking good! How will you manage access to the middle of the room - crawl under the viaduct, or will it be removable?

Very interesting indeed! Really impressive modelling skills .... and we don't see much Irish HO, so very unique! Welcome, and looking forward to seeing more of this project!

Yes, the Bachmann N may be on the long side for this layout ... but it is one of the more prototypically accurate. None of the UK RTRs, including it, are spot on though ..... and layouts are meant to be used - so finding a small shunter that's close enough is probably the better option. It'll be cheaper too

Bachmann N class is another - its showing its age now (nice model but its not designed for DCC). 26 of these SECR locos were exported to Ireland (K1 and K1a class). Bachmann also released them in CIE liveries. Getting your hands on a UK livery to repaint should be easy enough.

Well there were the 'Dicky' Taras .. so you never know, you might get lucky (which would require IRM to get unlucky) but I wouldn't bet on it

Hi Wheelslip and welcome onboard! In terms of RTR industrial stock there isn't much I'm afraid. If you went forward into the 50's you'd have plenty of IRM Bulleid wagons to choose from, and you would be able to pick up one of their green or grey A class locos second hand. For wagons from the GSR period, you'd need to look to kits from the likes of Studio Scale Models (see their GSWR and MGWR convertible wagons) and Provincial Models (they've a few brake vans alongside some GNR wagons). @leslie10646 is the man behind Provincial Models and his kits are easy to put together - especially if you ever tried the likes of an airfix kit. For a locomotive - this is more challenging: you're looking at kits too or repaints of UK outline. IRM do have an 800 in GSR livery on the way, but she would have been doing top-line passenger work in the GSR period. Edit: OO Works did a GSR 101 (J15) class that would work well if you could find one second hand, but they are hand-built and not cheap!

True, but railway modelling is a broad church - many modellers don’t want or need exact prototype fidelity. There's the freelance/“might-have-been” layouts for instance. You've also got the modellers who are modelling a specific company or region, and because this is an era thats faded from living memory and where photographic records and drawings can be sparse, they're happy with something plausible that captures the feel.

Haven't pulled the trigger and put down money yet, but I plan on picking up the LNWR 3-pack to go behind my Improved Precedent ... was tempted by Bachman's 50ft coaches but couldn't justify their price tag (£93.45 in Rails ..eek!) for whats really only a secondary interest for me. The Evolutions look like a nice coach for the price.

That's a top tip right there .. like all the best ideas its so simple when you see it!!

'Leaf-Fall Weapon' for me

This is excellent, truly it is a great resource for us to have!

Just to revisit the topic of the large open wagon. I've been flicking through Ernie Shepherd's book 'Waterford, Limerick & Western Railway' tonight and I've come across this in the section on Private owner wagons (see p121) where Ernie is discussing the Fenit Harbour Commissioners' wagons, which were leased from a number of manufacturers - " ... the Commissioners leased two tubular 33ft 10in bogie open wagons, built by the Lancaster RCW in 1900, which later became Nos 4050 and 4051 on the GS&WR. No 4050 was altered to a covered fish van in 1903."

I was trying to be subtle as I didn't want to cause any turbulence. Really we should be glad they used a 4000 and not a 29000

Ah lads .. a marketing image developed for an airport operator has messed up the running lights on a train. Is anyone really surprised? We're definitely heading down the wrong track if we let that derail the discussion on what (if it goes ahead) will only be the first air-rail link on the island

Sounds as good as it looks!

Well if all else fails, given the analysis Mol_PMB did investigating all the variations of the bubbles I'd say he could identify its number on sight ... from 100 yards ... on a dark night with no moon. No seriously, the man knows his bubbles - check out his thread: (Good cause - I through a few Euro into the pot too)