Mol_PMB

Ah, wonderful - many thanks!

Very nice work on the buildings! They look like two different incidents to me. 560 and 555 appear to be opposite ways round yet each off the track in the middle of the road. 560 is on my list to build (in post-W&T condition) and I do like a loco that's been in a bit of an incident!

Most interesting, many thanks!

Mine aren't for sale, I use them for reference. Others can be found on eBay quite often, both public and WTT.

That raises an interesting question of track gauge!

Probably not legible on the pic, I have just realised. I have: - CIE summer 1961 - CIE summer 1967 - CIE winter 1968 - CIE summer 1973 - CIE winter 1975 - CIE summer 1978 - CIE Dublin Suburban summer 1983 - CIE winter 1985 - CIE winter 1986 - IR summer 1990 - NIR summer 1976 Happy to scan specific bits for others.

The red confidential branding seems to have been a 1960s/early 1970s thing, though the later WTTs have an equivalent statement that is perhaps less obvious. For what it’s worth, these are the ones I have (and arguably should not have, if they are confidential!):

https://ebay.us/m/gktWWE if you haven’t found one yet

That's an impressive and ambition programme! I keep thinking I need to stop detailing wagons and start building baseboards and track.

Although it is partially dismantled, the wooden-framed tank container is fascinating. It appears to be resting on the underframe of a more conventional tank wagon. I found a few more photos of similar things, including the other side of the same one with different lettering: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54252949956/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54252053167/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511272051/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511702435/ I wonder what else these were carried on? Standard gauge wagons or road vehicles?

There can be quite surprising variation in the gauge of wheelsets supplied by model manufacturers. If they are a bit too close together on the axle, they get trapped across the checkrails of turnouts and crossings, and ride up. If they are a bit too far apart, the checkrail can't do its job properly and the opposite wheel flange can ride up on the crossing nose. The bumpy running over the double slip that your video shows, suggests that the wheelsets aren't set quite right. The gauge illustrated by @Galteemore is what you need to adjust the wheels a fraction so they will run smoothly.

Very nice! Have you checked the back-to-backs on the wheelsets? Looks like that might be the problem?

Most interesting - that makes a great deal of sense, especially once the maintenance had been centralised. I don't think I've seen a photo of one, but I'll have to have another look. Something 'different' to put in a model freight train!

Squint a bit, replace that upper orange band with a white one, delete the letters and edit the orange ring in the Beacon logo, and it could look quite Irish

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/396786582753

Nice to see! The first batch of class 99s have arrived now too. It will be interesting to see how the two classes compare when in service. Whilst they both have capability to run away from the wires, it's either at lower power (on diesel) or for relatively short distances (on batteries). OK for yards and depots, and short non-electrified sections, but not ideal for long-distance heavy haul. On diesel, the Class 93 is broadly equivalent to a 181 class, perhaps better in short bursts using the batteries as well; the Class 99 is equivalent to an 071 class. Of course, they're mainly intended as electric locos so are a great deal more complicated for no initial benefit in Ireland, but it all depends where and how quickly the knitting goes up!

Excellent- thanks John. I’d like etches for a luggage van and a heating van, plus a roof for each. I would also be interested in the 3D printed detail parts for these if you do produce them.

Ah, that’s very good news, thank you. Panic over! For some reason I’m not getting these emails from 4D.

One for the Donegal enthusiasts? https://ebay.us/m/UnD7yy Interesting so see railcar 20’s fancy front end paint job featured.

They're a model of the same prototype as the old Hornby ones, but a much newer, finer model. The Bachmann FGAs have buffer beams at one end, which could also be added at the other and then the body would pass for a CIE 62' wagon. Not quite identical framing etc, but not bad. The bogies are wrong, but you could do a bogie swap with the IRM 42' flats, which would potentially improve both types! I don't know whether the bogie interface on the models is similar; this might be more difficult than it sounds. The early Freightliner containers would be good for Ireland in roughly the 1968-1975 period.

Very sad indeed, and unexpected. i have emailed them to see if I can get hold of the tooling for my etch projects including the E401. Not sure whether I’ll get it, or if it could be used by other manufacturers, but worth an ask.

Not always. I have had a couple of short delays and the dreaded schienenersatzvehrkehr on two occasions. My recent experiences of Ireland have been equally reliable and punctual. I cannot say the same of GB…

A couple of examples I’ve visited this weekend in Switzerland, a country with a population broadly comparable with Ireland but more densely populated. ‘La Traction’ operates steam trains over the metre gauge lines in Jura Canton. Typical of many historic groups operating steam over the rural metre-gauge lines (most of which survived in Switzerland, unlike the Irish 3’ lines). One of their Mallets in steam yesterday being prepared for the day: And in the cities, most of the tramways have an associated museum/preservation group operating tours over the city routes at weekends. Today I am in Bern and this 1940s tram is running on one of the routes all day, for a supplementary fare payable on board:

Wonderful stuff! Having been brought up in Essex and familiar with Chappel and the Sudbury branch as well as other local branch lines like Braintree and (former) Maldon, I think you have captured the atmosphere very well. And Shannon looks superb!

Very nice Krokodil! I am in their native country this weekend, though at the other end of it. Another rare species I’ve seen today is the transporter wagon, seen here carrying standard-gauge ballast hoppers dropping ballast on a metre-gauge line. Fun to watch. I don’t think any of the Irish narrow gauge lines used transporter wagons? They were once common in mainland Europe but rare now.