StevieB

What’s the carriage immediately behind 372?

Stephen

Are you thinking of a certain Mr Wright?

Stephen

Andy Cundick has a very evocative model of Courtmacsherry. Well worth seeing.

Stephen

Tell us more about the Courtmacsherry heritage railway.

Stephen

On 27/7/2022 at 1:56 AM, Mayner said:

A bit like construction farmers use specialist contractors to carry out ploughing, planting, harvesting, fertiliser spreading and spraying. Avoids tying up working capital in plant and difficulty recruiting/retaining skilled operators.

Being a rail fan and living in the Waikato one of the big surprises in moving to New Zealand was that fertiliser was traditionally supplied in bulk rather than in bags often spread by 4w drive on-off road trucks or by air.

Although most of the major depots were set up to receive fertiliser by rail traffic had virtually ceased by the early 2000s because of the high inventory cost of receiving and storing fertiliser in train load lots and high rolling stock maintenance costs. Bulk fertiliser was transported bogie hopper wagons similar to those used to transport coal

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/end-of-the-line-for-ravensdown-rail-option/CTEAXRFEMRDXOP4Z6T7VRYNIEY/

Speaking as a layman, the economics of rail operation are always very different to those of road operation. Privatisation in the UK did not appear to improve matters, although there have been increases in both passenger and freight traffic.

Stephen

Lovely models.

Stephen

On 7/4/2022 at 10:51 PM, Galteemore said:

Well that’s 3 months work finished. I have been working on a commission for the new owner of Rosses Point. An 1890s MGWR branch train was ordered so that’s what he got! Alphagraphix kits suitably backdated.

Delivered tonight and he seems happy, which made me happy. The nameplate is temporary until the correct ‘Robin’ ones arrive. Hopefully we’ll pass the @jhb171achilllivery test …

The broadside view of 107 in black and white reminds me very much of Wainwright’s P class on the SECR.

Stephen

Different view of Claremorris.

Stephen

A good advert for ‘less is more’.

Stephen

They even managed to squeeze in a toilet compartment.

Stephen

A lovely piece of work.

Stephen

Looks very nice, thanks.

Stephen

9 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

The price point is likely to be a sticking point for many on the JMD vans, but for me it was quality worth the sacrifice.

IFM filled a niche, much like Silver Fox, and if a 30 Ton brakevan is specifically what you need, then IFM are the only show in town.

However, if it's a brakevan you need, rather than a 30 Ton brakevan, it's a question of deciding on quality vs. price. You either pay for JMD quality or accept a lower grade IFM model at a lower cost.

Comparing the two is like comparing a Silver Fox A Class and an IRM A Class, or a Lima 201 and a Murphy 201 - without the issue of the price point.

It's a shame that IFM disappeared for five or ten years, stopped dealing with emails etc, as they were a great product at the time.

Things have moved on since, and the chunky designs and incorrect chassis which would have been more than acceptable a decade ago no longer cut the cheese due to the quality of rolling stock available from IRM, MM, JMD etc.

Again, it's quality vs. price at the end of the day.

Tom Brady of IFM still does produce stuff if you ask him nicely. He does have a Facebook page and there is almost always something of his on eBay. I recently bought two palvans from him. They fill a gap in the market

Stephen

So, how do we define the Tyneside and Manchester Metros? On Tyneside the network is a combination of former BR routes and new lengths of tunnel, while in Manchester the network is a combination of former BR routes and on street running.

Stephen

On 29/7/2022 at 9:50 PM, murphaph said:

It won't be third rail. That's outlawed on safety reasons. It'll be ohle.

Luas is clearly operating at it's capacity and that's after a number of tram lengthening projects to bring trans up to 55m in length. They can't feasibly get any longer while sharing road space with other users.

Ideally Luas green line south of Charlemont will be upgraded to full metro and flow seamlessly into the proposed metrolink there, therefore the standard gauge is definitely the correct choice. It also greatly simplifies purchasing rolling stock.

The proposed metrolink is actually pretty solid. It's very similar to the Copenhagen metro, which IMO is one of the very best. Fully automated driverless trains are definitely the correct choice. You can ramp up the capacity to trains every minute if you need to with a system like that. 

Hopefully if this line is actually built, it will just be the first. A line running southwest to northeast would have great merit also some day and extending the proposed metrolink to interchange with the proposed DART at Donabate is almost a no brainer and an easy win across flat land. I suspect that will be one of the first extensions to be honest.

I meant third rail in the sense that we already have DART and LUAS, so the Metro becomes the third! 
 

Stephen

Any photos of your Bandon tank anywhere to hand?

Stephen

Nice video. The obvious question is why not extend the existing LUAS or heavy rail suburban system rather than have a new,third rail based system?

Stephen

How’s progress 4+ years on?

Stephen

What traffic are the redundant magnesite wagons being used for on the SDJR.

Stephen

Mine arrived today as well. Well worth the wait.

Stephen

It looks so at home.

Stephen

3 hours ago, BosKonay said:

Luckily, since the stock is still in China, we can allocated as we need.

The trouble is when there is physical stock stuck in one place or the other. Then IRM has to buy it off Accurascale, do the import, pay Import VAT, do the paperwork, pay the fees, and then put it into stock in Dublin.

Thanks Brexit! The gift that keeps giving!

Blame it all on the politicians for giving in to pressure to hold a referendum, the leaving the EU and finally negotiating a diabolical trade deal. Sorry if that goes against the rules of the forum but the downside of Brexit keeps being brought up.

Stephen

For those of us living in the UK, they’ll arrive when they arrive. Why you may ask? Brexit and the absolute mess made of new trading arrangements made by our politicians. Rant over, wait continues.

Stephen

They’re the GWR Collett masquareding as SR Maunsell coaches.
 

Stephen