RedRich

Have a good one Seamus, 21 again. Rich,

Cheers Fran, really interesting that the Norfolk and Western would have specified that the locos run long hood forward to replicate the experience of driving a steam loco. This must have been at the time of the change over from steam to diesel.The limited knowledge I have is of the B&O. I remember reading a book years ago from a guy that had worked in Keyser yard in the 50's. I like the dark blue livery and the B&O in yellow on the bonnet sides it may look dull but it looks powerful. I'm off now to check out some SD45 action on youtube now. Rich,

Looks good Fran. Where would we be without the cottage industry to add bit's and pieces to rtr models. Most American prototypes I have any (mostly limited) knowledge of switchers, GP's SD's, all seem to be single cab. I have seen footage of single cab locos working alone cab forward on consists, but is there a reason behind the fact that most seem to be single cab. Is because they are mostly double headed and multi consisted. I really haven't been a huge fan of US motive power even though five of our own classes have come from accross the Atlantic, but I am looking forward to seeing this progress and get a lesson in US railways at the same time. Rich,

Will that be for behind the bridge. Rich,

Cheers Richie, I'm intrigued. Rich,

Fantastic photos and thankfully not a scene we see too often these days. It reminds me of the derailment on the Waterford Rosslare line years ago when 1509 was destroyed. The more I look at the black and tan era the more I like it. Rich,

Those wagons are amazing David. The scenes look so right, almost as if the viewer is right there at trackside. I could see myself walking along the track stepping on the sleepers. Rich,

Is it the 22000 green silver style Richie. Rich,

They started taking it out in 2012 Des, The signals were moved forward a few feet while the work was being done. The signal man told me that they needed a wider bridge to accommodate the traffic. I have fond memories of crossing the bridge when going to Fethard, I suppose it was more appealing to me instead of using the by pass. It's a wonderful station and a beautiful building. I can see the inspiration in Carrick and Clonmel for the SSM level crossing and signals. Rich,

Lovely Eamonn, as the lads have said the SSM detailing kit does wonders for the Silver Fox model. The headlights like nice also. Even though I have no need for them, I think I will have to invest in a Bell 20' to pose it in a scene, as you see them located in plenty of places around the country. No matter which model from any era, Gerry's layout seems timeless. Rich,

That is quality John, it's definitely going to be a winner. Rich,

It breaks my heart seeing all that lovely bullhead track being ripped up in Clonmel. The new road bridge is a mess compared to the old one. However it is nice that they are starting to put in windows on the platform side of the two storey building. It is also nice to see the per way trains in action. Rich,

Top marks Fran for the work, and the tutorial. One point that you have made and it is worth repeating, is adding extra weight to the models. Adding the weight over the axle's or bogies (depending on the model) as you have done is the place to put it for better road handling. Putting weight in the middle of a wagon, coach, or loco doesn't really benefit the model as much or give it better adhesion. Rich,

I think it has been a great success Eoin. It is one of my favourite Suburban railways and there is every kind of scenery on it. A mainline Station Inner city Stations County Dublin and Wicklow Stations Some marvellous coastal scenery I remember one of Michael Palin's Railway journey programs from the early 90's featuring himself and The Edge on the Dart before he travelled the East Coast to Rosslare. Swifty a Waterford based Bus Eireann driver gave him a spin to Waterford on the back of his Harley as there were no trains on a Sunday. Rich,

That looks a good example to use as a reference Eoin. It would be a great project for the group bringing members from all parts of the Island together. Rich,

Fairview Depot would be a nice module to show off those Darts Eoin. Rich,

The last point Dave is the most important. If you were to supply the baseboards for the build it would keep things uniform. Would it be possible to put some brass pins at the ends of the boards. People could then solder the ends of the rail to the tops of the pins and this way the track would align when the boards are brought together. If people are interested in doing it commitment will have to be top of the list as you say. If and when the modules would be ready to exhibit the last thing anyone would want is for some people not to be able to attend, leaving the project short of some boards.. It would need huge planning and maybe those taking part could form a committee to launch the project and oversee it's build. Rich,

You're right Richie, what was I thinking. You could have a Northside scene with Damo jumping the wall to hitch a ride without paying, and Ivor standing on a Southside platform looking aghast at having to travel on the Dart. Rich,

I think the first thing that should be looked at is standardising everything. Is it one board per person, if so all boards need to be the same size. Track code 100 or 75. Operating system DC or DCC. Catenary is available from Dapol in 00, it won't be prototypically correct but is passable. The inner city stations like Connolly, Tara Street, Pearse, are overground. I think it would be good to keep it on the one level and south of the river. Platform length's at the Stations on the sea front, Booterstown, Blackrock, will take up a couple of boards. If two different people are doing Blackrock it will need to be seamless when boards are joined as the platfroms will need to be identical on both boards. Coastal railways are really good to look at. If I wanted to catch some Dart trains on camera myself I would rather be standing at a seafront Station as opposed to Killester, or Harmonstown. Dun Laoghaire is below street level and although it would make a beautiful layout it would be wrong for this kind of setup. Trains need to be able to arrive on scene and move on to the non scenic boards as an end to end type of setup or a rectangular, oval setup. The size of something like this needs to be looked at also when looking for somewhere to exhibit it. Draw up some plans, look at what will be the most suitable for everyone involved. Dave produces fantastic baseboards from the pictures I have seen. Eoin of course has his fantastic Dart models. We also have folk that are qualified in engineering and architecture, get them on board. Last but not least there are some fantastic modellers on here. If it is done right and kept simple it will work better and achieve the right result. It is a wonderful idea and it would be something to see in operation. I have no doubt it could be pulled off. Rich,

That's a huge transformation on the weedspray set Dave, it looks really good. I have to agree about the older weedspray coach also, I prefer it to the converted GSV van. Having said that it is probably the MK1 van that I will go for myself as it fit's more into the period I will be modelling. Smashing stuff. Rich,

Good idea Eoin, you could be onto something here. It happens a lot on the continent. Pearse Street would be a good starting point. Rich,

I can't believe that I missed this before. A great collection, thanks for the link John. Rich,

Most if not all models look a different shade in outdoor light as they do when indoors. Color doesn't scale down very well and the smaller the scale one models in, the harder it is. There is a slight difference in the shade of orange on the IE 141-181 models if you put them together. It is even more pronounced with a model of 077 in the IE livery when you put it next to the others. Not trying to take things too off topic, the shade of Inter City Executive on BR models is a color that none of the manufacturers of UK models rarely if ever get right, and Southern green is another one. I remember being on an IRRS tour of Inchicore one September, it could be 11 or 12 years ago. There was a freshly out shopped MK111 EGV that was waiting to be put back into traffic and a MK11 aircon Standard. Both of them were different shades of orange, even though they had been undergoing overhaul at the same time. Rich,

I see this is your first post Paul, you are a very welcome addition to the family, and I love your layout. Rich,

Superb modelling David. I am also following the blog, it is a very interesting subject, and a beautiful railway. Rich,