Flying Snail

It'll be on the RTE Player https://www.rte.ie/player/

Irish Rail press release on it: An Bord Pleanála approves DART+ South West Railway Order

These caught my eye when I saw the pre-announcement. I've a growing interest in the LNWR and the race to the North. I'm sitting here looking at my Improved Precedent that these would suit to a tee .... but the prices!? Dunno, it's a difficult one ... I want a few of them, but ... I wonder will these (admittedly beautiful) coaches sell well at that price point? Lots of decorative detail, but I don't see lighting listed ... could that put people off? Will people hold off in the hopes of price reductions? Should I roll the dice and hold off in the hope of getting them cheaper?? ... or maybe should I get the Parkside kits and do some actual modelling?

If I was to stick to the rules stipulated by Darrman then Mountrath (Kilbricken), a particularly nice Sancton Wood station that's now sadly derelict. If I were to stretch the rules a little, then Moate ( okay, a lot - but technically it still has rails through it), for the obvious reason that it would reinstate the Mullingar and Athlone link (not commercially viable, but I often thought it would make a nice heritage railway between two big towns - in which guise it might even happily co-exist with the greenway. It would need a very generous benefactor though) If I were to continue that train of thought and throw the rules completely out the window, then Valentia Harbour .... reinstating that station means reinstating the whole line

Excellent video - thanks for sharing

Welcome @Mol_PMB. IRM have done re-runs of some of their popular lines, so never say never again to the prospect of getting your hands on 007! ... any reruns of the A class will likely be different running numbers though

Very nice video of Paul Isles talking about the model in the Ulster Transport Museum and with the model looking very much at home on the MRSI's GNR layout: -> here

I went along on Sunday - thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the MRSI Dundalk works and Boyne bridge were superb - there was just so much to see in Dundalk, I could have stood there for hours. The FREMO layout was looking well and apparently that's only half of it. Indeed, all the layouts were excellent - I thought the bigger hall worked out well. Stradbally's Roisín Óg is a great piece of model engineering, I look forward to seeing it when they get it back on the rails! As for loot, I picked up a CIE route map from Tailte Tours, and another one of Leslie's vans - as well as having a nice chat with the man himself. I also got to talk with some of the IRM/ Accurascale star-studded team (Richard from New Junction) and Paddy Murphy was very giving of his time. To all the organisers: you have my thanks for a great day out.

Great pictures and videos lads - really looking forward to visiting tomorrow!

Nice, not only do they complement the Mk2b carriages, but they are a great size for smaller layouts. (another run of the Mk2b's due soon perhaps, maybe with the maroon livery?)

They mentioned early 2025 over on Facebook for the Irish Steam announcement - see the comments underneath the announcement here

So its not the jeep, but I think the Hunslet is a nice choice - makes sense with the Mk2b's too, and it will do well for IRM. And I'm not writing off the jeep just yet - I think I saw @Warbonnet say on Facebook that the Irish steam announcement is due in early 2025?

Fabulous - looking forward to seeing these in Clontarf!

wait, what did you just say???

Well, I'm told that one of bench marks for good art is that the longer you look at it, the more you see. Really good art should ask questions of the viewer and challenge their perceptions, surprise them etc. etc. ....... Clearly this Christmas Train belongs in The National Gallery or MoMA

Like DJ, as I was reading the update I was sure it was cancelled ..... I'm very glad thats not the case. You've certainly been upfront and honest - and I think we all appreciate you doing that. Thank you. However, your analysis of the state of the Irish market is sobering and it sounds like you're not out of the woods yet. I really hope you reach the numbers to make this and your other Irish projects viable, it would be terrible to loose IRM.

Well, to be fair we don't know what radius curves Edo has - for what its worth they're going around my 3rd radius set track okay. .... and they're 6-wheel, non bogey, with running boards. So it shouldn't really be a surprise if they have trouble on tight curves, should it?

Oh, thats interesting that you both can get to it. I'm getting a 404 Error. Edit: Just tried it in a different browser and the link works! @westcorkrailway. I wanted to get a couple of convertible wagons to start with ... and maybe one of the easier locos to put together

Hi Weshty, I just tried clicking on http://www.studio-scale-models.com to browse your kits but it doesn't appear to be working anymore. Have you got a stock list somewhere you can share? Edit: Just tried it in a different browser and the link works!

Arrived at lunch time today, all present and correct - Danke DHL! ( ... and Rails too of course )

I've received my shipping notification this morning ..... <and breathe >

I'm glad it was helpful John. I'll be driving in to it along the N7 too and I plan to take the M50. As for parking - the school is beside a residential area, and its the weekend, so parking in one of the adjacent housing estates should be fine so long as you follow Blaine's advice and you don't block driveways etc.

If you're planning on driving Google Maps has been updated to reflect the changes - just plug in your starting point and the destination for route options and journey times: https://www.google.com/maps You'll find full details of the traffic measures under the Traffic Plan here: https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/transportation/city-centre-transport-plan-2023/dublin-city-council-transport-plan-faqs Also, a word of warning: the Dublin City Marathon is on Sunday the 27th. So driving through the city will involve road closures. More here: https://irishlifedublinmarathon.ie/traffic-information/

I knew you'd hop on board the jeep eventually

I only remembered it because, like you, I thought it was an excellent idea. I hope IRM continue to do them where they can