Mol_PMB

I think the maroon Hunslet livery would sit very well on a 181 class!

Sounds like we need to see a 181 in a range of NIR liveries!

There was a previous release of NIR Mk2s in the later liveries - but not the maroon/blue. One set included the grey/blue driving trailer that would pair with a blue Hunslet. But I think they were sold out before the Hunslets were announced, and that set seems especially rare secondhand. I did comment on this when the current batch of Mk2s were announced - it would be nice to have a grey/blue driving trailer to go with the other re-released grey/blue stock. But too late now.

It’s also notable that grey/blue driving trailers (not genny cars) weren’t offered in this run, and the only original set that included one is very hard to find for sale. I’ve been searching for over a year! If I’d been able to buy a grey/blue driving trailer then I would probably have bought a whole second set including a blue loco.

There are some serious high prices for Irish models on eBay at the moment. I saw a Park Royal sold for over £150: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/147478779106 And this 071 went for £560: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/168567298767 Which makes this one for £517 look like a good deal! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/147478744350 Even the old Murphy Cravens are fetching nearly £90: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/168567958883 So a set of 3 beet wagons for under 70 notes looks a bargain: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/137581489568

Now I wish I'd ordered one while I had the chance! Those look excellent. Lovely work!

I've just returned from a fantastic week in the IoM with perfect weather for the annual transport festival. As you say, there's a lot in common between the Manx and Irish narrow gauge - not just the steam railway locos but the carriages and wagons wouldn't look out of place in Ireland. The MER electric trains echo the Bessbrook & Newry, and even the horse-drawn trams are a miniature version of the Fintona branch. Well worth a visit!

Many years ago I was thinking of modelling this, and thought that a Quarry Hunslet would be a good basis. Well before they were available from Bachmann in two different scales. Not sure I've seen a drawing but I do recall a better, more square-on photo. And some key dimensions. I'll have to check my library.

I don't have your scenario, but just a couple of pointers: Think about the colour balance of the lighting. This can make a massive difference to how things look. You probably want something close to 'daylight' (noting that daylight can vary depending on season, time of day etc.) With LEDs, something between 'warm' and 'cool', and ideally with a broad spectrum. Think about the positioning of the lighting. When standing back and operating/viewing the layout, you probably want the lighting above you so that the near side of the trains is well-lit. But if you put the lights above the operating position, then when you're working on the layout (e.g. laying track) you will be working in your own shadow. Conflicting requirements to some extent, there's no easy answer but it's worth thinking about. Decide whether you want the lighting to be dimmable (e.g. to represent operation at dawn or dusk) as this may not be easy to retro-fit afterwards. Cheaper lighting options are often non-dimmable.

I think the coherent reason is that SFPC is only eligible for EU funding for port development if the port is rail-connected. Whether any traffic actually travels by rail is not relevant to the funding criteria.

Yes, there’s a fair amount of evidence that the CIE repainting interval for carriages in the 1950s/60s was around 6-8 years. Top link high mileage coaches would be at the shorter end of that range, while secondary stock would have been at the back of the queue for repainting, especially if it was anticipated that they would be withdrawn fairly soon. The ‘early BnT’ was introduced in autumn 1961 and the standard version of BnT came just a few months later.

Should have painted it in Red Bull livery

Hope these help.

Optimistic! That's several times its scrap value, before considering the cost of moving it.

That looks very smart indeed!

Some views of the GSWR bogie coach which is now complete apart from passengers. These shots show it with a variety of other rolling stock. It is perhaps riding a fraction high. I probably should have put one fewer washer on each bogie bolster to lower the buffer height 0.5mm, and on the revised body etch artwork I'm also going to reduce the body height by 0.5mm - I think I over-estimated the etching kerf allowance and the influence of fold geometry in the initial design. But it's too late to change this one, and it looks OK.

Many thanks JB! Apart from passengers, I'm going to declare this finished. Otherwise I'll spend ages fretting over little things that are barely visible. I do plan to add passengers, but I've only just started painting the crowd of families going on a summer excursion to the seaside. There are a few minor changes I want to make to the body artwork before getting any more etched. And I'm only half-way through writing the instructions. But in due course you'll be able to order these etches from Arch60 and make your own, if you fancy it. It can be built in original condition (no toilets), or with the lavatories as shown here, or as tea cars 841 / 843 (though you'll need to improvise some of the interior on those).

Great idea on the sound effects. Plenty of moo needed, plus the occasional long sloppy splatter followed by using a dcc-driven servo to release a measured dose of a gas with a foul aroma. The gas canister could be similar to one of those laughing gas ones, and concealed in an adjacent truck.

Well done for getting it sorted and I admire your persistence in the face of adversity. I'm not sure I've got it in me to take the risk of exhibiting anything, so I really admire those who do. It certainly seems like you need multiple backups of everything to ensure the layout keeps working.

@Horsetan asked about suspension on the bogies for P4, a few weeks ago. So I just thought I’d show these photos now that I’ve completed the bogies assembly. The sideframes are free to pivot in pitch relative to the bolster, so they can accommodate track twist. To stop the whole assembly being too floppy, fine springy wire is soldered across each end. This principle is used in the Brassmasters bogie compensation units, though I have adapted the dimensions and details to suit these broad gauge GSWR bogies. I painted the bogies and wheelsets separately, then assembled them before soldering the springy wires in place. These photos show that last stage, just before I touched up the paintwork. underside: End view showing how the wire flexes when the bogie is twisted: Hopefully this will suit P4. The bogies can also be built for 16.5mm gauge (with 28mm axles) or you could fit RTR 8’ wheelbase bogies.

Very nice - that's a great looking rake! Which breed of cattle will you use - eBay, etsy, woodlands scenics, or win the lottery and get ModelU?

Still no link to book tickets. Cutting it fine, especially for those that have to travel to and stay in Dublin. I'm sure the RPSI team are even more frustrated than the potential passengers. I've made other plans now anyway.

I have been working on the interior this morning. Firstly some strips of thin black plastikard to form the floor: Then I glued the seats in place: And then I started experimenting with the curtains. After trying a few things, I chose crepe paper which has a nice texture, but was only available in white or very bold colours. So using a coloured biro I ruled some lines on it to represent the pattern seen in Ernie’s photo of the prototype, and then cut into smaller pieces: which look like this when installed: I’ve got a few more to do yet! These coaches didn’t have many opening windows and I suspect the curtains were an attempt to stop them overheating on summer excursions.

I’ve fitted the glazing and the smoking labels. In 4mm scale the latter are only impressions- the lettering isn’t quite readable. The transfers also look a bit faded in colour, but the real things faded too. They are applied to the inside of the window glass (and it is real glass). Anyway, the trouble with taking a closeup macro photo and then posting it in a large size is that it highlights all the imperfections I hadn’t spotted with the naked eye. But sometimes life is too short to worry about the roughness of the paint! This picture also shows the door bangers from Archer rivet transfers. I’m pretty pleased with how this is coming together, but there are a few tweaks I’ll make to the body etch artwork before making it available to others, to correct some minor issues I’ve had to deal with in the build.

Will you have to move the cylinders out too, with the re-gauge? I'd be interested to see some photos of how you go about the conversion of something like this.