Mol_PMB

Many thanks for your kind comments! On this layout with a viewing angle across the tracks, I suspect the gauge difference wouldn’t be so obvious. But having to build my own track enables me to choose finer rail profiles, more natural turnout geometry etc, and it all helps. The gauge is more obvious looking along the layout - this is the view from the fiddle yard, which is a similar view to most of the prototype photos I have of this location:

Here’s a beautiful bargain for @DJ Dangerous to snap up https://ebay.us/m/i93ZFs Yours for just £225 plus postage plus taxes!

I’ve been working on the trees. Finally got all the foliage on the sea moss trees and it was time for a trial fit. Firstly with just the sea moss trees (and the painted ones on the backscene). There are two larger ones in the foreground and 5 smaller ones in the corner: Then adding the two larger Primo trees I bought: They’re pretty good at concealing the hole in the backscene that the trains come through: But if you crouch down a bit you could still see the trains: I may add some more undergrowth to help hide the hole in the sky from this angle. There’s already a tendril of ivy on the tree trunk, ready to spread…

The two different types of end lagging.

They appear to be in accordance with the diagrams in the GNR wagon diagram book. See also an earlier post: https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/19592-cie-tar-bitumen-tanks-–-the-1950s60s-wagons/#findComment-273196 I have to say they are begging to be modelled! It would be an entirely scratch-built job as there is no suitable tender kit to use as a starting point.

I expect they haven't got time to wait for the site to load! It does seem to be having a good moment at present, for me at least. I was about to have to resort to actually doing some modelling rather than just writing about it.

Happy days! I have found some photos of the GNR tar tanks! Interestingly, these are both branded UTA (the photos date from 1959 post-split), but were photographed at Inchicore: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53507104989 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53507218565

I've just been trawling through the IRRS photo archive looking for something else, and found some photos of Dun Laoghaire in the 1950s, where a water tank of this type had been painted as an advertisement for Kingston Shirts. So if you fancied a brighter paint scheme on your water tower then there's a good precedent. The IRRS photos show some good closeups of parts of the lettering: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53507111269 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53505868742 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53507068729 Ernie's views are more distant but show it in glorious colour - bright orange with black and white lettering:

Agreed. IRM is extremely slow, and has been for several days. It works eventually but I keep imagining a dial-up modem chirping away in the background. In comparison, RMweb is running at normal speed.

Nice to see the registration plate and number. Many thanks for the images!

Rails of Sheffield have some Irish stuff on eBay at the moment - A class, 141s, Genesis coaches, but you won't like the prices!

They'll miss my birthday too I'll have to muster all my patience, and get on with building the kit stash. I wonder how the Park Royals are doing?

Very nice! I very occasionally see kites overhead, buzzards and kestrels are more common in the skies here in Manchester, and we have a local pair of falcons that I have watched catching pigeons around the M60 Barton viaduct. In the garden I have very good numbers of small birds visiting (tits, finches, sparrows etc) and consequently sparrowhawks also visit my garden. They usually perch on the outbuildings or fences but one hid in the apple tree. We also have parrots nesting locally. They’ll be at it again soon, they breed very early in the year.

Exciting times…

Dear IRM, I realise that I haven’t been a very good boy this year so I’m unlikely to get a Christmas present. I’m sorry and will try to do better next year. Is there any chance I might see the Park Royals in time for my birthday? Kind Regards, Paul, age 49 3/4 P.S. if you could announce a C class model that would also be very welcome.