LNERW1

@Mayner please adress the large amount of space below the text here. It is getting quite irritating to scroll for a solid minute to reach the bottom of the page. I'm not sure why it's happening? It seems like there were supposed to be photos or something there.

BnM have confirmed LM335 is being preserved. 437 and 387 are still on offer. Any opinions?

@Mayner is there supposed to be so much space below the text? Every time I visit this topic I have to scroll for about a minute to reach the bottom! Well, I suppose if you want to call it that, I won't stop you. Also, BnM have replied to my query advising me to make an expression of interest in LM335, 387 and 437. Anyone want to help, that would be great, as my Revolut account currently has 72c in it. Ah the joys of being a teenager and having everyone do everything for you.

Any forum members in the Laois area- anyone interested in visiting the site? It’s fairly accessible, although down a *slightly* bumpy road. A level crossing is accessible a couple hundred metres from the Coillte Togher Wood carpark. Here’s the location of the level crossing: 53°00'13"N 7°19'38"W (Copy and paste into Google Maps)

So, I went to the Portlaoise plant today and there were several under frames that look like they would be fairly well-suited to passenger conversion. I honestly don’t think it would really be a problem- the Bicton Gardens Light Railway, which is somewhere in the Home Counties, uses Woolwich Arsenal Railway under frames on its passenger stock.

Alright, the engines are numbered: LM437, LM335 and LM387. Photos to follow.

Great, hope I can make it.

RailMapOnline is a good source, with historic, narrow gauge, modern, industrial, light rail, tramway, metro and even HS2 layers, and has maps not only of railways in the British Isles, but also the Western USA, as well as some maps of canals and airbases for whatever reason.

I think I remember seeing that at last year’s August show- brilliant layout, I hope I can make it to the show even just to see that. Does anyone know if the MRC will be exhibiting that large 0 gauge layout? The name escapes me, but I must say I found it very impressive.

YES, they made 5741! I don’t CARE how much that costs, I WANT DUCK. (sorry for excessive capslock, I’m very excited)

That is precisely what I think could be done with the Portlaoise railway i mentioned above! The passenger stock might be a problem, as I am aware that the Stradbally Woodland Railway has problems with using BnM wagon underframes for any passenger stock due to some insurance problem, I presume the freight-oriented nature of the wagons, which would make the chassis less safe for passenger use(?). The railway south of Portlaoise runs under both the M7 and Dublin-Cork line, making it a really interesting run. It also has relatively accessible extremities, so putting up a small halt either end would probably not be too difficult, and the central plant would make a great park-and-ride station, as the sidings are relatively separated from the SISK plant, and could be converted to a station relatively easily.

Alright, I’ve just posted in another topic about this, but here we are. There are two locomotives, both i believe 4wDM Ruston machines, at the former Bord na Móna plant, I believe now in the hands of SISK, south of Portlaoise, Co. Laois. I have already contacted Bord na Móna and the Stradbally Woodland Railway about the locomotives, and will today be visiting the plant, and will post photos and details, such as fleet numbers, types (though I do believe they are Hunslet Wagonmasters). As part of Western Europe’s largest industrial railway system, I really think at least a few of these locomotives should be preserved. As it is, no Irish preserved railways really have a locomotive shortage, but it’s probably wise to grab a couple for storage while we still can. Please express interest here and rate the topic 5 stars, so more people will see this. Thanks, LNERW1.

Don’t think there are any more plants. I think it really is a massive pity that locomotives this interesting (and, more importantly, venerable- the article said they were 68 years old, much older than any of IÉ’s current stock) are most likely going to be turned into tin cans. I’ve actually contacted both Bord na Móna and the Stradbally Woodland Railway about two locos at the BnM plant near Portlaoise- there’s no point in just being upset about something when you can do something about it. If anyone is interested in helping, I’m starting another thread for just that- I don’t think it’s against IRM’s rules to try to coordinate preservation of locos on here?

IMG_1362.mov And so begins a new era of garden railway operation… maybe RC would be better, though.

Have to tell that to my uncle Andrew. As well as being one of our modelling brethren, I’m pretty sure he’s been to every Pogues gig. Like, ever.

You’re right, it took me a second to realise that… at first I thought it was stage 1 of making that awful gritty ice cream that SuperValu used to sell… Or maybe he is cooking it, but I didn’t think he had kids… well, now I’m confused.

Piano Man, Billy Joel. Just after listening to Don't Look Back In Anger, Oasis. Before that, Mr. Brightside, The Killers, and then Dreams, The Cranberries. If anyone beats that for variety, I'll build a kit for my layout and name the building after them.

Just watched the YouTuber Lawrie Rose (Lawrie's Mechanical Marvels) turn builders' sand almost identical to expensive modelling sand by cooking it. I'm not joking. This video at about the 10:25 timestamp. Very interesting idea, as he states builders' sand is very cheap (May be more expensive in Ireland, it's the kind of thing we'd do. Don't know though, never had to buy builders' sand).

So close- the main circuit and both passing loops are cleaned (although still not very reliable), all ballast has been sorted out, and I managed to run an LGB Stainz almost all the way around the layout. If I knew productivity felt this good, I wouldn’t be in as much trouble as I am over the roughly 250 pages of missing homework my teachers won’t shut their gobs about…

Great news- the rest of the G scale collection has been retrieved! The items that have been brought onsite are: LGB Stainz, No. 2. LGB Stainz, No. 3. LGB "150 Jahre Deutsche Eisenbahnen" 4WL coach with articulated axles Modified Bachmann bogie (baggage) coach, dark green (heavily damaged, one bogie deattached, couplers broken off, door broken, coupler stems snapped) Modified Bachmann (ordinary) coach, maroon (missing one coupler, but can easily be replaced) 3 rudimentary open wagons, using LGB flat wagon as basis, with scraps of wood composing sides, with load of assorted bits of wood and coal (one missing coupler, but can be replaced) 2-4-0T locomotive, inside cylinder, outside framed, dark green (think its a C&L loco, but I honestly don't know enough about the C&L to be sure) 0-4-2T locomotive, maroon (has NCC lettering so I assume it's a Mid-Antrim loco) Aristo-Craft 0-4-0WT, PRR lettering (damaged axle or axle housing) "Green River" station building There's also plenty of Preiser figures, along with a couple Bachmann ones (which my 6-year-old brother wasted no time in using to recreate his favourite John Wayne movie, El Dorado). If I can find time to photograph them on the layout today, I will.

If anyone has a 3ft one of these, it would be easy enough to get it onto the BnM line just south of Portlaoise...

Seriously though, please tag any G scale modellers you do know if you think they'd be interested

Oh well, suppose so...

Thanks- might be more beautiful if I bothered me arse to clean the track... It's just a layout i set up on my patio in a sudden spurt of modelling enthusiasm. I haven't run anything on it under its own power yet, but I hope to clean the tracks so I can run something before I dismantle the layout to use the track for the main railway. It may be reassembled at a later date, though, but if anyone with G scale models living near me (see community map) is interested, I could have a running session with the layout if I get it clean. If you know anyone who might be interested and lives near enough, let them know. Thanks! PS- I didn't address the fact that, quite honestly, it's probably the way I've photographed it that makes it look good.

IIRC the business was bought by the man who runs the "Peckforton Light Railway" YouTube channel, and rebranded as RC Trains. I'll see if i can find a link. Here it is: RC Trains Homepage