Mol_PMB

A whistle-stop visit from me this morning. It was great to meet Alan and Kieran and see the superbly detailed ‘Stone Yard’. The Portadown layout was also very impressive. I liked the continental trams layout too, with the working bicycles. Sorry to those I missed speaking with as I rushed round - Popeye’s buildings looked excellent. I’m heading off to Derry for this afternoon. Paul

That’s an impressive train, and very interesting info too. Thanks!

I’ve just had a walk round the People’s Park and thought that was very pleasant. I’d best get writing a generous review on Tripadvisor… the rest of the town was closed of course. Anyway, I’m heading back to Belfast now and looking forward to seeing the model version of Portadown this afternoon.

The catering staff weren’t confident in their ability to serve a full breakfast before Portadown (apparently first class was unusually busy) but produced me a sausage toastie and a cup of tea very quickly. Not officially on the menu but just what I needed. The £10 go-anywhere Sunday ticket is also a superb deal.

Now then DJD, where’s that can of white paint and NIR logo stencils you promised me? 216 at Grand Central on the 0805 this morning: I must say this is an impressive station.

Think you made the right choice - Downpatrick was superb. Hopefully I can do both with the exhibition tomorrow as well.

Etched nameplates are very small and flat, would fit easily in a letter. Get them sent to a friend/relative/fellow forum member in the UK first?

Thanks - nice to see the pic and hopefully I’ll see them in the flash tomorrow. Is there much Irish stock on the trade stands at the show?

Last I saw they were ordering fish and chips, hopefully a pint or two to come after that!

124 worked both freight and passenger. A39, 146, G617, the Wickham inspection car and thumper 458 were also in action. A busy day, and all went very well.

Very well done to the ITG, DCDR and anyone else who made this happen!

It does appear to be on the rails this time.

Seems like everywhere is running this weekend! I’m already committed up north but would love to visit Maam Cross one day. I hope it all goes well.

Modelling progress will have to wait until I’m home again next week! I sailed from Birkenhead to Belfast last night and today I spent the morning in Whitehead and the afternoon in Cultra. Having checked into my accommodation I had a swift pint in the Crown and now trying out a few other pubs and bars in the area. I won’t be out late as I’m knackered, and I’m off to Downpatrick in the morning. I’m planning to catch up with @flange lubricator tomorrow and I expect a few other forum members will be at Downpatrick too? Having completed my wagon measurements at Cultra today, I now have Sunday free, so I’ll go to the Belfast model railway exhibition to say hello to @Tullygrainey and maybe I’ll buy some more toy trains? Also on Sunday perhaps take a train trip somewhere - Derry appeals if I can fit it in. I think that last time I went there it was behind a pair of baby GMs! I’ve done it by 80 class too. Back home on Monday on the daytime ferry.

You mean it’s not hauling the 1645 departure from Downpatrick tomorrow afternoon? What a swiz!

Thanks. I was trying to avoid missing something crucial, as it’s a long way from home. Also to make it quicker when I was actually at the museum. I made the sketch based on photos and then drew on all the dimensions I wanted. I still added a few more when I had the real thing in front of me. I have also taken lots of photos from odd angles. In due course I will turn this into a proper scale drawing and then backdate it with planked sides based on old photos. Then I’ll have to decide whether to do a custom etch for it, or see if someone is interested in 3D printing it.

After a morning trip round Whitehead I have come to Cultra to do some measurements.

So, DJD, you should be encouraging me to buy Hunslets not Badgers! But many thanks for offering your second kidney. Are you sure you can spare it after you sold the first one?

If all goes well, on Saturday I’ll be riding behind an A. If that’s not enough to make me want to buy another, I don’t know what will… But there’s an outside chance of some for sale at the Belfast show too.

The tome ‘Locomotives of the GS&WR’ also contains several loco diagrams for the class, and some dimensions. However, the RPSi books mentioned above are probably a better bet for this particular class.

I wonder who you mean? They're also in stock at Accurascale. I'll save my cash for a C class. Or I might yet buy that secondhand green A class on eBay to give me something to haul my green Park Royals. It's about the same price but at least it would suit my theme.

I’d say the book ‘Steaming in Three Centuries’ would be a good starting point, to understand the many variations of boiler, frames, wheels, cab, tender etc in this large class. It contains several scale drawings of different variants, though these are modellers’ drawings not full-size manufacturing drawings. I imagine that some manufacturers’ drawings may still exist in their own archives (wherever they have ended up), you’re probably less likely to find Inchicore drawings. The RPSI might also be a good source of info. I imagine they have some drawings, but helping modellers isn’t their core business so you might have to build some relationships there rather than just jumping in with ‘I Need xyz’.

Very nice indeed! I look forward to building a couple of those vans myself. Regarding decals, the SSM ones are a bit translucent so tend to lose their colour on a dark background. In this case they need a white layer under the orange. Railtec are much better in that regard.

For me, the Hunslets and the 800s have much less appeal than the C class (I have ordered a Hunslet though). There were only 3 of each and they had a very restricted operational range, both in geography and time. The C class, if we include the MV class and the preserved examples, cover 70 years, there were over ten times as many of them, and a dozen different liveries. During the course of their lives they worked all over Ireland - Valentia Harbour - Ballina - Derry - Bangor - Howth - Rosslare - Dungarvan - Youghal - Skibbereen and everywhere in between. Surely these would sell? And a lot of the complex shape and details have already been worked out for the A class models. The mechanism and bogies could be closely based on the Hunslets. Not immediately, for sure, but I really hope they do appear. Sign me up for at least 4 of them.

Indeed, and here's a photo for the livery aficionado, thanks to Ernie. GSR livery and GSR-style lettering, but it says CIE. A mishmash worthy of the painters at Cultra! And this is in 1961 - was this the only vehicle to go from GSR livery to black and tan without any shade of green in between?