west_clare_wanderer

I think this is a great little plan. Fundemantal to operation and enjoyment (play factor!!) will be a successful sector plate. Have you given much though to what it will be made of and how it will work? I have struggled with traversers/sector plates in the past.

Lovely to see you post and give an update as to where you are at. As someone else who spend time in Australia in my 20s, your story chimes. I hope you have found it an enjoyable experience Down Under. The toy trains can certainly wait whilst your off doing better things, but still pleased to hear that they could be back on the radar when you return home. I really look forward to seeing what you do if and when you get back to the layout, as you have an absolutely wonderful space, and some great ideas. Are you planning on adding some insulation in the shed? Otherwise you might need your gloves for nine months of the year! Take care and enjoy the rest of your time in Oz.

Likewise. I would wholeheartedly agree. If you are in a position to be able to share a few Euro, then it will be going to a good cause.

I've started to make some inroads on this. I've ordered three of the five Martin Bairstow books initially to get up to speed with my history. I've started volume one and am already learning a lot. As a slight aside, one slight thing is the continuous use of "Londonderry" rather than Derry. Although this is obviously correct for the early years of railway history, including in the names of some of the railway companies themselves, it is amazing how jarring it is nowadays. Anyway... next on the list are a a few of the 'Rails Through.....' series. But they will have to wait until the next payday, as IRM have cleared me out of all my money Again, thank you to everyone for your recommendations.

Ditto. Great to see the GMs get to their new home. Well done to everyone involved.

If he tells you, he will have to kill you!

Sorry, I should have worded my response more carefully. I should have said they would have considered and explored modern techniques. Fundamentally, I agree, there are those who prefer to 'make' and I would include myself in that camp. Albeit, my 'level' is at a terrible standard when compared to some of the masterpieces produced here. Anyway, it might be good to contact Allen sooner rather than later, as I fear stuff will disappear into a black hole. I for one don't want to miss out. I would like a couple of West Clare Walker diesel etches for 00n3, and a couple of G Class ones for a wider gauge. I've got a feeling I may have missed the boat though!

Exactly. It's not better, not worse, just different. Few people scratchbuild locos out of biscuit tins nowadays, but for most people there are alternative options. Let's face it, if Peter Denny, John Ahern et al had access to superb RTR rolling stock and 3D printing in the '50s they would have been using it!!

I think we are going to see more and more of this. A perfect storm of a generation of cottage industry modellers coming to retirement, the explosion of 3D printing, the saturation of RTR. It all means more traditional modelling businesses are going to disappear. Hopefully, Allen's Irish stuff will find a new home though. Although as mentioned, the demand is probably miniscule in the grand scheme of things, so it's not going to be a multimillion euro/pound/dollar business.

Ha ha. Well, the positive is that my order must have paid for a new microwave for the office! No more going hungry boys

Please do! It will be great to see what you start to develop.

Deleted - duplication!

Thank you sir! Off to Ebay I go.....

I didn't realise they had done some in black and tan. All sold now though!

This is fascinating. Thank you! It's a good job the 141s are my favourite locos! Oh, along with the G Class of course I need to learn more about vans/brakes/steam heating vans etc. A couple are going to be essential for accompanying my single coach! I'm not particularly good at identifying types at the moment when looking a photos, although I am getting better. Yes, the difference compared to the UK rail system by the 1970s is marked, particularly the loco hauled branch trains. A fairly rare thing in that land of DMUs. I do really like the '80s and '90s era transition from Supertrain to IR, but the one drawback is the demise of traditional wagonload freight by the end of the 1970s. That decade seems to give a sweet spot of old and new. Plus, it is very easy to model nowadays with IRM covering the ubiquitous H vans and Bulleid corrugated opens. Supplemented of course with a few kitbuilt examples of other types of rolling stock which hung on.

Great. Thanks for the tip off. I'll keep an eye out.

Sugar beet wagons... https://ebay.us/m/roiAdg

Mol, As always, thank you so much! I'm always so grateful for your help and input. That's really useful to know. The era certainly allows for plenty of variety. Before the days of standardised fixed rakes of rolling stock and block trains. I've just spent an hour or so happily perusing Jonathan Allen's photographs. I'm going to lose lots of time in that fantastic resource. Of course, I should have added that it would be paired with a steam heating van or brake. There are some lovely shots of short trains in the '70s with that kind of set up. There's also some wonderful photos a little further north of the Loughrea line, just before it closed, with a G Class and solitary coach. Now that's the essence of a branchline! I've also toyed with trying to pick up a Cravens to go with a Park Royal. Thank you again. You're a gent! David

Another stupid question... Are the suburban Park Royals suitable for representing a branchline train in the west - Kerry, Clare, Limerick, Cork etc - in the 1970s? I don't have much space but I'm thinking a solitary Park Royal could do the job for my branchline layout. As always, thank you in advance for any advice.

In these days of world turmoil, constant complaining, negativity, and division, sometimes it is nice to highlight the positives. So, i just want to say a big thank you to IRM (Accurascale) on some wonderful customer service. Late on Tuesday (around 5.30pm), I submitted quite a big order for wagons. Fast forward to midday on Thursday, and a big box of goodies turns up. You couldn't ask for more. No connection, apart from being a very satisfied customer (although my wallet may not agree!!! ). I'm going to get my pre-order in now for some unfitted H vans and some bubble cement wagons. Time to get saving! Thank you IRM David

This is absolutely stunning. Superb modelling. You have done a wonderful job in capturing the essence of of a small Irish town. The buildings and street scenes are incredible. As is the colour palette. It's just spot on and blends so well. If I could produce something with just a fraction of the atmosphere, I would be delighted. Please keep on sharing! David

There are so many words I could use for your artistry,but they all seem rather inadequate. So I'll just say... Wow! Your work is an inspiration. Thank you very much for sharing. David

Just placed a big order for wagons with IRM/Accurascale (gulp!!), in order to kickstart my late '60s/early '70s layout. @Mol_PMB and @jhb171achill - thanks again for all your help guys. Your advice has been invaluable to a number of my questions.

Thank you Mol. You're an absolute gent!

Trump is only interested in himself and this own self-interest. And by extension, the tiny minority elite who he represents. If that means opposing Putin today, but then supporting him tomorrow, so be it. I honestly don't think he has any moral compass. His only motivation is money, power, and influence. And let's face it, at his age, he doesn't give a flying f#€k about the consequences for future generations. What does it matter if his tarrifs screw the world for the next couple of decades, he won't be around to see it. Unless of course he is cryogenically frozen and lives forever. Or indeed is injected with bleach to make him immortal........