StevieB

One of the operational benefits of liner trains was that, being continuously braked, there was no need for a brake van at the end of the consist. However, in Both Ireland and the UK the opposition of the trade unions was a major hurdle to overcome, so it was many years before they finally disappeared on such trains. So, my question to those in the know is whether the likes of Bell Line, dolomite and oil and magnesite trains began with a brake van? There is a photo in Irish Railways Past and Present of a liner train departing Waterford in August 1976 complete with brake van but I yet to see photos of any of the three above. Many thanks. Stephen

The trouble with a privatisation like this is that you replace a state monopoly with a private one, albeit regulated. In the UK open access operators are not allowed to compete directly with franchise operators. The only real beneficiary is the state who are paid a fee by the franchise operator. I've always likened it to television companies bidding to cover a particular sports event. Days were when both BBC and ITV showed the FA cup final live - what a long time ago that was - then there was a real competition between the providers of the service. Now the only real beneficiary is the sports event. Hope this post isn't too political. Stephen

This is just another example of meddling by Brussels that is driving the campaign in the UK to leave the EU. Stephen

Reminds me of the kind of layout that Iain Rice might conjure up - very nice.

You are one of those guys who puts the rest of us to shame with your work - long may it continue. Seriously, though, coming along very nicely. Stephen

I have found that, if you unscrew the whole coupling mounting and then re-attach the NEM box on its own, the coupling then clears the track - may be a tad high but that's okay. Stephen

It's a long time since anything was posted on this subject, but I have a question. Tom Brady (IFM) fits his wagon bodies on Dapol chassis and I tried Kadee No18's on two brake vans last night. They fitted beautifully but, in addition to being too long, they were also too low and risked fouling the track. Is this common with Dapol and is the answer to cut off the NEM sockets and just attach No5's to the underside of the chassis? Stephen

Quite by chance I've just looked on the Shapeways website and there is now 4mm body available from Rail 3D Prints for £46.49 plus £17.41 for a set of detailing parts. The 2mm version is designed to go on an SW9 chassis, so no need to chop up a 141/181 chassis. Stephen

With no firm commitment yet from Murphy Models as to a class 121 Bo-Bo(or am I mistaken?) my thoughts turned to a short term alternative. Now on Shapeways website there are bodies for both N and 3mm scales, so you have to wonder if it would be economical to get a 4mm version produced to go on a suitable chassis. Anyone got any thoughts or ideas? Stephen

Nice one Leslie. Stephen

I guess that one reason that Ballina and Westport have surviving freight services is that the motorway system has not reached Co Mayo, where every other former, major freight location is served by motorways or good quality dual carriageways. Stephen

There is much debate going on about the future of freight by rail in Ireland, in particular how to reduce costs, increase profitability and attract more custom off the roads. I was interested to read the other day that the main reason for one of IE's customers at Ballina using rail was to reduce its CO2 emissions rather than cost alone. Currently the maximum length of container trains is 18 wagons, long by many people's standard but not long enough it seems. I was stopped recently at a level crossing on the Birmingham-Bristol line and a 26 wagon container train went by. Now if IE is aiming for trains of this length, then considerable investment in infrastructure is required since much of the line to Ballina is single track and passing loops will need to be lengthened. Is there the political will there, bearing in mind who actually owns IE? Stephen

Thanks for that - does anyone have a drawing of the 6w heating van, please? Stephen

Apart from the obvious differences in appearance, were the 6w heating vans the same length as the 4w ones? Stephen

He has shown the same photo for each item for sale - very strange. Stephen

Hi John I'm just a trifle confused - you have shown two types of generator van, the 3201-12 series BSKGSV and the 3213-3218 series BGSV. Is it your intention to produce booth of these, although they seem to be both the externally? Stephen

Quite an impressive list of layouts, traders and demonstrators - same it's so far, it would be worth going to. Stephen

Imagination is a wonderful thing, but just imagine how different things might have been if: 1) The NCC owned Derry to Strabane line had been converted to standard gauge, and 2) Dolomite had been mined at Lombardstown. Stephen

I particularly like the additional cutout in the tender next to the loco - a distinctive feature that I've not seen before on a model. Stephen

It's important to include when things finished e.g. withdrawal/conversion of coaches like the 60' 0" and 61' 6", and the end of particular traffic like CIE container trains. That way it becomes easier to model a particular period in time if that is your fancy. Stephen

Your vans loom the part I'm planning to do exactly the same to produce a palvan - I've got all the parts, now I need to find the time. Stephen

It's IFM's way of achieving the correct ride height of the buffers, 14mm. All the other manufacturers seem to fit over small wheels for their own reasons. I've been experimenting with the correct 12mm dia wheel, although every manufacturer seems to have a different idea of what is 12mm. I'll post some photos to show what I mean. Stephen

Thanks for that. Stephen

The S/T livery carried by 182. Stephen

Those delightful MM models of the 141/181 class come in four liveries, and the nice thing is that they overlap time wise such that you can have B/T's running alongside S/T examples, etc. Did MM consider this fact when choosing the numbers e.g. can B/T 141 have run alongside S/T 142, etc? The livery I particular like is S/T with the IR logo. The same applied to the Cravens with some in S/T livery carrying a white stripe at waist level. Many thanks. Stephen