Mol_PMB

This is the carriage body at Inchicore. https://flic.kr/p/2pvxjSk I think there are several photos of this in the IRRS archive, by different gricers. Also this? https://flic.kr/p/2pw8RWP

Oh, I wish you had asked a week ago. I've just completed another trawl through tens of thousands of photos on Flickr and in hundreds of books, and I have definitely seen some photos of these on my way through. But I wasn't looking for them, so didn't record the links/reference. This is the only one I could find again quickly: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53813564175 I'm pretty sure there are lots of photos of a short carriage portion surviving at Inchicore. But it's easy to get confused with these pesky beasts: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53813564520

Back to the bitumen tank, but looking at the body this time. I'm beginning to wonder if there will be much left of this Bachmann tank wagon by the time I've finished with it! The bitumen tanks were lagged, so the domed end wasn't visible but instead the end of the lagging was flat. Well, almost. The upper half was vertical and the lower half angled in slightly. I used the laser-cutter to make some rings of 1.5mm thick plasticard which I stuck to the ends. Once set hard, I sanded down the lower half at an angle. I also made some discs of 1mm plasticard, with a half-engraved line across the diameter, to provide fold line. The ends are now stuck on. I've also removed the walkways and ladders and filled the associated holes. The next job is to fill the gaps around the end laminations, and leave them to set overnight before sanding smooth. You can just about see the taper on the lower ends here: Like this:

One of the good things about this hobby is that it can be so varied. When I don't fancy working on something tiny and precise, I can just do some scenery instead. This morning I have made a simple retaining wall: I used some old Wills sheeting that I've had in stock for decades. With a bit of carving the stones at the joint, and some dabs of Matte Medium, I'm hoping the join won't be obvious once it's painted and weathered.

It's certainly possible. But is it worth the time and effort, and would homemade ones be a genuine improvement on what's there already? I've got a set of the right buffers in front of me, and I could just fit them. The downside would be that I then wouldn't have anything to use as a pattern if I (or others) wanted some more in future. Will I ever regauge the other two 141/181s I have in the stash? Quite possibly not. While some other forum members have kindly offered to buy a few sets, there's a risk that I couldn't produce them for a sensible price, and then there's the time and effort involved in managing the whole exercise. The best option might be just to forget the whole idea of making more. There's also a risk that this loco will sit unfinished forever waiting for buffers, which would be a shame after all the work I've put into it so far. Or if it enters traffic with its existing buffers, they'll never get replaced. Probably I need to revisit this when I'm feeling a bit more positive.

The economics would make more sense if more (different) items were cast in the same mould. So I’m thinking of other similar-sized parts that I might need. Detail parts for the proposed MGWR 6-wheel coach (buffers, roof details) are an option. Also some G class detail castings, to go with a Worsley G611 etch, or with a G601 etch I might do myself. Bonnet-top vents, axleboxes/springs etc. Possibly a few wagon buffers.

Merry Christmas Leslie! I’m not a cat lover - sell me some more wagons!

One down, one to go... I remember now why I model other prototypes in O gauge...

A lovely Christmas present for us - thank you!

If I build a second bitumen tanker, it's going to have Irish brakes! This is an unfeasibly large number of bits to solder together for such a small bit of detail - there are 4 layers of etch and lots of tiny bits of wire - and I had to drill out all those holes! Ah well, it keeps me out of the pub...

Very nice indeed!

Hold on, are you a cat?

Maybe they were prompted by a loco named after a sauce? If the layout is to be set in Dublin, I think that poster in the background may need replacing, nice though it is!

Welcome! I'm a few months ahead of you with building a 2-point layout as a first step in 21mm gauge, so it's great to see someone else following the same path. Here's my journey so far: I look forward to seeing your progress. Feel free to ask if you have any questions on regauging stock etc. Have you chosen which wheel/rail standards you're using? Some people use P4-based dimensions but others (myself included) use EM flangeways and wheel profiles. As for silver locos, this is my attempt: Cheers, Mol

Progress on several fronts today. 156's front valances have been rubbed down and had a coat of paint which has shown up the imperfections! However, I think once the couplings and hoses are fitted and a bit of weathering applied, this will be good enough: I have also painted the hoses ready to fit. The approved colours for these seem to have changed over the years, but based on early 1970s photos the multi-working hoses had orange fittings, while the (single) air brake hose had yellow fittings which would normally indicate a main res pipe (train pipe would be red). I guess this was before the locos were fitted for working air brake trains? The postie delighted me this morning with a very prompt delivery from Modelu, which has enabled me to paint up the drivers for 156. In the absence of working DCC humans, I'm going to put one in each end. Hopefully I've got the dress code about right for the 1970s. The eagle-eyed will spot that Modelu have also supplied some residents for my trees. They're probably a bit big for red ones - I should have got them in TT scale - but I understand that red squirrels are appropriate for county Cork. I have also bought some residents for the mill (pigeons and rats) but those are staying the box until the buildings have progressed a bit further. Meanwhile, on the layout I have done the messy bit of landscaping the two areas that have a 'natural' surface. I use a mix of plaster powder, brown and black poster paint, water and PVA glue to create a chocolatey gunge, and then apply that with strips of newspaper (in several layers) to give some gentle contours. The dowels and bits of wire are there to maintain the holes for planting the trees - they are greased with vaseline so hopefully they'll come out again once the gunge has set. This evening I may recommence battle with the bitumen tank chassis. Winding the clock back to my circa-1960 early period, I have also been doing some research on 6-wheel coaches and I think I've found a suitable prototype for my kit of a GSWR lavatory composite. I'd better get the current projects finished before opening that box. Merry Christmas to all!