Mol_PMB

I agree with the above but there are plenty of areas where items are made a little over-scale thickness to ensure that they are robust, so I wouldn't worry too much about a small percentage increase. Something to think about is the typical viewing angles, especially for static scenery items. You probably wouldn't be looking down on the gate, it's more likely to be in the distance and looking across at it. So an increase in thickness in one direction is more noticeable than in the other, and I think you have done the right thing in this case - the gates at the top of your image look great. On the tubular gate the thickness can also be made less obvious with a bit of weathering or toning down the colour. For the sunburst gate, I agree that etching is the way to go because the wrought iron is so thin. It's something that would fit nicely in Weshty's scenic range.

With no splashers or outside cylinders, ‘Shamrock’ might be an easier conversion to 21mm than most kettles. It survived until 1957 latterly at Rocksavage but I don’t think it worked much (at all?) in the last few years. The Manchester Ship Canal (one of my other modelling interests) also had some very similar Hunslets in the early years. However, there were a host of detail differences among these locos which would make them challenging to produce accurately in RTR.

Not an oval boiler! But does the cab get wider, and if it does then the cab front sheet would need replacing so it still meets the sides of the firebox which are the same width as the standard gauge version. So it’s a little more complex as you indicate.

Oval boiler and all

The issue is of course that the largest market segment is 16.5mm gauge and therefore the engine and tender frames would need to be be 6" narrower, not wider! The ground has been covered by Bachmann already, admittedly some years ago. If IRM / AS chose to do an up-to-date model I expect they would cover both the GB and Irish variants but given the respective market sizes would there be a realistic prospect of the Irish one actually being wider?

Yes, that was my point!

Question: have IRM / AS ever produced a model of a loco class that no longer exists? I’m thinking in relation to which steam prototypes might be tackled in future. My impression, maybe wrong, is that scanning locos and close inspection of small details is part of their process, along with studying drawings and photos. I suppose there are some variants (e.g. some Buckjumpers, and the Class 30s) that don’t survive and must have been based on other sources.

My previous model railway was/is based on the Manchester Ship Canal and I looked at the Manchester Liners containers in great detail. In the late 1960s they leased containers from CFC, and I wrote a little document to collate my information on CFC. Why is this relevant to your question? Because CFC also leased containers to Ronagency, as well as some of the Irish Sea operators like Greenore Ferry Services. So the attached pdf may be of interest, although it's a bit tangential. Ronagency served Castletown and this shows one of their ships there, with containers in the background: https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/media/m-v-tower-duchess.134401/ CFC_Commercial Finance.pdf

A very fine selection of CIE container images have recently been uploaded to the IRRS Archive on Flickr - many thanks Ciaran! These are all from around 1975: CIE 40' with side doors CIEU 060138: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403834639 CIE 20' bitumen tank CIEU 060442, a very nice set of detail views: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403662801 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403834634 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403662786 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54404027845 CIE 20' half-height open top CIEU 060018: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54402779127 CIE 20' double side door container CIEU 060750: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893218 CIE 20' side door container CIEU 060510 (?): https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403834674 CIE 20' tiltainer CIEU 060234: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893223 CIE barley hopper container CIE 480: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893248 CIE 20' insulated container CIE IRL 2071: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54402779217 Small non-standard tank container, informal number only: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893098 CIE 10' bulk glucose containers, one of each type (the cylindrical tank and the cuboidal version CIEU 060144) https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54402779167 This shows the opposite side and end of CIEU 060144, and beyond is the end of a cylindrical one: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403834694 There are also a selection of CIE swapbodies, some of which may come under the 'Lancashire Flat' designation: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403834579 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54404027740 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893238 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403662761 It's also worth looking in the background of these photos for other container and wagon types. Excellent inspiration for some intermodal modelling!

Some newly uploaded photos from the IRRS Archive on Flickr, relevant to this thread and dating from the mid-1970s. 25201 series 20' flats, empty, loaded with a swapbody and loaded with a car: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403662746 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893238 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893143 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54404027815 25436 series 20' flats loaded with CIE swapbody, a barley hopper container, and an insulated container: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403834579 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893248 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54402779217 27101 series 20' flats loaded with CIE swapbodies: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54404027740 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403662761 27301 series 22' flats empty, and loaded with a wide variety of CIE containers: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893148 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54404027745 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403662801 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893218 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403834674 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54403893223 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54402779167

Some newly uploaded photos from the IRRS Archive on Flickr, relevant to this thread; one of these may be the image in Doyle & Hirsch: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54402778987 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54404027795

101 spent part of its life as an oil burner so it could deserve a white spot.

As well as the picture albums, and noting your memories of the Larne line, then if your main interest is NIR I would suggest: Jonathan Allen’s book ‘35 years of NIR’ is excellent for a wordy history with illustrations. Edwin McMillan’s ‘Dark Days and Brighter Days’ is a very readable, more personal history of NIR. ‘Diesel Dawn’ is an excellent more technical book about the development of diesel railcars of Ireland, particularly those north of the border. They should all be available secondhand.

Some 33 new photos on the archive this weekend - many thanks Ciaran! These are mostly black and white images of CIE wagons and containers, some nice detail shots and I’ll add links into my relevant threads when I’m home again in a couple of days. Some images will be familiar from the Doyle&Hirsch stock books or CIE diagrams, but now visible at a better size. https://flic.kr/p/2qTtSBQ https://flic.kr/p/2qTosTa etc