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That looks really good Noel especially the camera angle, it looks very realistic. Rich,

I was just thinking the same thing myself Rob. Rich,

I hated the push pulls when they replaced the MK11's on the Dublin Waterford route. I'd give anything now to see them back on the rails. As for railcars replacing the Cravens and babies on the Waterford Limerick route. Rich,

Muhammad Ali when asked had he lost any speed. When I turn out the light at night I'm in bed before it gets dark. Rich,

Sounds like the lyrics from pure morning by Placebo Richie. A friend in need is a friend indeed A friend with weed is better Rich,

That all looks sweet Richie, and is a very kind offer. I'll have to have some myself. Rich,

You're spot on Richie. The layout represents a period and vehicles that you don't see on many Irish layouts and it is unique in those respects. For building the layout in that period must have taken a lot of research and planing before any model building or work was carried out. It's a testament to the skill of the modelers that were involved in the build and those that operate it. It's perfect as it is and deserves all the accolades it gets. Modern O'Connell street has the historical presence of the GPO and Cleary's is a landmark building that defines the opposite side of the road. The rest is a bit bland compared to other European capital city main streets or thoroughfares. Having said that it has come on in leaps and bounds over the last 25 years and is a fine city. Rich,

Very true Jim. It also looks good without that big needle in the middle of it. Rich,

Des you would only need 11 with a baby. Rich,

It's a great piece of modelling and a credit to the MRSI members. Rich,

You seem to be well on the way Dave, Enjoy it that's the main thing. Rich,

That's looking really good Gerhard. It's an ideal kit for beginners and experienced modellers. The end results look fantastic when they are complete. Rich,

Good man Vincent, I can't wait to see more. Rich,

It's truly amazing work Mike. He explains everything so well. Something like this can sometimes make people feel a bit intimidated but it can be done if you try. Sure mistakes may be made along the way and we may not try something as complex but I hope it inspires people as that seems to be the hope of Ron Heggs. Good luck at the show, I hope it's a good one. Rich,

Robert which ever MK111 you choose you will have to make compromises. The doors on ours were of the electrical type except for two on the restaurant coaches which were the standard type. The windows on ours were also slightly bigger, but it shouldn't really be a big issue. In my own opinion the Lima coaches seemed to represent the shape of the body better than the Hornby version. If you go with the Lima version get some Laser Glaze and etched window surrounds from Shawplan. They really bring the coaches to life. Eamonns EGV turned out sweet and you can't go wrong the way he did it. If you decide you want flush looking glazing use Hornby scale length coaches and you can reuse the glazing. Unfortunately the bogies on either type are very poorly detailed. Southern Pride Models produce really excellent MK111 bogies in white metal and they are fantastic castings. Whatever you choose Robert I'm sure you'll do a great job and let us know how you get on. I didn't mention the Jouef MK111 as they would require the most work where as the other two I'm sure will suit you. Rich,

Jim I'm not backing down mate I swear she's as straight as they come . Seamus's missus and kid's have even accompanied him on railway related trips, lucky man that he is. Mind you I wouldn't like to get in the missus black book. Rich,

Good Jack I look forward to them. Rich,

It's kept me busy for a while following it Jim. Rich,

I thought this would be worth posting after the link to Liverpool Lime Street that Broithe posted in the Warley thread. The structures are completely made from plasticard and are an alternative way to building structures like station roofs and viaducts from plastic as opposed to brass. The chap building the structures is Ron Heggs and he is a genius, he also likes a beer or two. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/28293-manchester-central-castlefields-viaducts-modelling-structures/ I've watching this progress from the beginning and it is wonderful modelling. Rich,

To be honest Seamus my missus prefers straight talk and no bull. Also she happens to think that the models are cool. So I guess I'm lucky. We both spend our cash on what we like after all the other necessities are looked after. Every day is like Christmas in these situations, god bless her. Rich,

It's amazing Seamus. This guy is at the top of his game and truly one of the best modellers in his field. It's one of the greatest examples of weathering a model and photographing it in the correct lighting. It just looks so realistic. There's a few lads in the UK modelling scene that are great weatherers of models, great track builders, and fantastic photographers. When all are combined this is what you get. Rich,

Noel you have a collection of rolling stock to put IE to shame. That's the great thing about model railways you can always re create a scene that sadly no longer exists on the prototype railway. You have a good eye for detail also. Rich,

Put the foot down lads, take control tell her it's your cash. In the long run they prefer it that way. Rich,

Fran you are correct it's another piece of pure class from Kier Hardy. I haven't seen it in the flesh, but I have seen Wibdenshaw and that's another epic piece of work. I've had a few small 00 gauge layouts in my lifetime and I used Peco track throughout and there's nothing wrong with it. The last layout I built was more of a scenic type P4 layout just featuring a part of the lineside and no buildings. I managed to squeeze in a few points they were my first attempts and weren't great but they worked just about. Kier Hardy is an amazing modeller and his track work is sublime, from the building side and the finished look of the painted and weathered track you have to blink to make sure it is only a model. Wibdenshaw is one of the models that has inspired me to have a go at the wider Irish gauge, God help me. It could take years as I predict lot's of mistakes. But it should be a good learning curve and I hope the end result will be worth it. Rich,

Letterkenny is one beautiful layout. Everything on it is top class work. The scenics, the buildings, the railway infrastructure, the rolling stock. I could look at it for hours. Although they need to sort out the electrics to stop the hand from the sky having to be used at exhibitions. Rich,