Glenderg

Nice one - I hope you get to the end of the mystery. Sometimes inverting the image in photoshop provides a bit more detail. From the drawings it's the housing for the intake & extract valves, which appears to be about 600mm deep, and looks like it has a locking handle to keep the door shut in case of leaks. The bottom spar just looks like the cradle for it.

Ah here, this is sickening. Progress of the year award and we're only a fortnight into it. Really looking forward to seeing the rest of the sections develop. Top drawer stuff as always. Richie.

Krose, Easily done with Photoshop, you could even swap out all the text and logos with Irish ones too

I have a photo of 770, but it's a track laying doo-hicky. I think the bauld Broithe may be on the money though http://www.flickr.com/photos/holycorner/6772507911/in/set-72157628999720825/lightbox/ 143 pictured at greystones "Confined to PWD Work - DART line" (Bent frame from a shunting accident I think) and behind it appears to be Heirflicks two wagons, although in red. http://www.flickr.com/photos/holycorner/6772496283/in/set-72157628999720825/lightbox/

More excellent info, and what's more can be backed up by these photo's, along with those of SwissIrishErnie on Flickr. There's even a four plank coal wagon with a replaced part as described above. http://www.flickr.com/photos/holycorner/sets/72157629831107647/ R.

No doubt many cups of tea were drank during it's design phase too, seamus! Here's the top of one I snapped some years ago down the north wall and the front at limerick jct. I assume both are gone to the great scrapheap in the sky.

Very tasty indeed tom. What did you pay for the irwin? I can't rate their stuff highly enough. Richie

Welcome aboard sir! Putting on me architects hat for a moment, you should leave the floor insulation as is in the attic. Otherwise you'll end up heating the attic unnecessarily when you're not there. From a cost perspective you could insulate the attic for very little money. If it's a relatively new roof, sheets of 8 x 4 75mm rigid foil faced insulation is about €32 a sheet, and cut with a handsaw can be wedged into the gaps in the rafters. Leave a small cavity between the roof felt and the insulation, and you'll have a space that is quickly heated, but will be balanced in the winter and cool in the summer. If you want to sheet it out later, bevel edged plasterboard which can be taped and jointed will save a few bucks too. No need to plaster when finished, just fill the joints with jointing compound, and a bit of sanding when dry, couple of coats of paint, job done! Avoid the B&Q's if you can. You'll get better value from a builder's yard. You'll be able to get a roof access ladder from donedeal or buy and sell. You won't have much change from € 500 for a new one though. Right, back to the modelling! If I had the options you have i would design the attic layout first, and use the shelf layout to create a part of the scene, so you could do a freight terminal, station building or a large scenic element like a bridge. Then connect it into the main layout when complete. It might work over the access hatch to the attic as the roof ladder is nearly always put beside a gable wall to suit the landing below. I hope that's of some help and keep up the tidy modelling. Treat it like gardening - little and often! Riche.

Great googly moogly! Skip to 4:12 on the second video to get a concept of scale. Nice (and a bit scary) find.

That applies to modelling either side of the border. Unless you have a pot of gold, you're gonna have to bash,scratch, and spray to get the stock you need. That is the most frustrating and at the same time satisfying part of modelling railways on this island! Perhaps you could reinvent one of the obsolete stations in Newry like Edward Street or nearby at Adavoyle, giving you the excuse to run both stock types?

I like crackpot ideas, and that sir, is the best one i've heard since lunch. I'll see what i can rustle up! Cravens with two tone green? And a lick of blue?

Thanks lads. There's a hell of a lot of detailing to go, expecially the rivetted connector plates, but I have a plan for that....

This is the only one I can find that highlights the detail. No closer though Perhaps Paul Bartlett might have a high rez version?

A poorly repainted non-irish lima mk1 corridor something. It's something i painted by hand about 15 years ago, and i used white insulating tape for the stripes. They came off easy even afterall this time! It's only waiting for the brake fluid sheep dip! Pat, it might be small, but it's a beaut, Blood & Custard colouring aside! All you have to do is pop in an interior kit. Roof removable for light etc. R.

I'm thinkin a valley could double as a bathtub-come-beer bottle cooler? A mantub?

Lads, thanks a million for the kind words - I'm genuinely humbled, especially seeing some of the vibrant layouts that are knocking about recently. Truly a very active and positive forum. Work has resumed once more in real life, and so has projects for many here - Garf's little project is currently under the knife - but in the meantime a teaser. In a state of some drunkeness friday/saturday morning I challenged myself to do Ballyvoile Viaduct "for the craic". Much craic was had - It's nearly finished, and my mrs. is going to have a fit when she see's the finished article! God Bless the men of the Sunny South East, they built 'em big. Richie.

I like the bit about "Contains 1 Transformer - no Charger" - .... f*kn Nokia generation...

Kev, if you bought a knackered long MKIII {not the shorties} from Fleabay, and got one of Des' (Studio Scale Models) etched brass sides and transfers to go on, for around €30 it would be a fairly straightforward kitbash, and a reasonably priced way to get a specialist item like the EGV. Richie

No bother at all, the roof looks the business! I'll send you a template I made for AutoCAD so you can do your drawings at real scale, print as EPS at 1:76.2, do your work in photoshop and print directly without rescaling in AutoCAD. It'll take a fair whack of time out of the process. PM me your email addy, if you can. Richie.

Royal Mail have different postal zones, so to ship to Ireland is £9.97 whereas Australia is £13.41 for the same item. UK sellers/Ebayers tend to hit everyone for £15 to cover themselves.

Christ, that is superb! The entrance bay distressed doors look the business. Love the rust blooms on the cement terminal doors! Stick to the original building length if you can. You can always cut it back in a few years, but you won't be able to add to it. Is there depth to the Arched Wall? Looks great. Tell uz, made from photos or how? I've an idea how many hours went into this, and its a serious Richie.

If I read you right, the motor of the loco doesn't work, and the lighting is a secondary option problem. It sounds like the wheels on the non powered bogie are wrong way round and it's taking the wrong polarity feed to the motor. Test by attaching a crocodile clip to motor pickup wheel, and one to non-powered bogie wire to see. If it sparks, there's your problem. Richie.

Is that a sticker on the front with the CIE roundel???? Madness altogether.

I read recently that GSR's initial stock was painted a colour called "Crimson Lake" and that it had a beautiful tone to it, and given three coats of varnish to finish. However, as costs rose, and paint stocks dwinded, the original colouring faded, and only varnish was applied, so a desaturated colour arose. This would tie in with a "sort of brown" as it would still have remnants of carmine in the paint. But not much! By the time Bulleid got into his retirement job, a more LMS Maroon was adopted briefly? I'll look up the reference for you, it was in a Des Coakham book, Broad Gauge Carraiges I think. It would be nice to "box this off" so to speak. Richie.