RedRich

Thats a good choice Fitz and the best of luck with it. Jim has pointed you in the right direction and any of the lads will do a top class job for you. Rich,

Thats the one Jim. I have seen it used on some EM and P4 Scottish themed layouts at shows in the past and it looks great. Rich,

Thats really great work Gareth it looks excellent. Is there anything in the Bratchell range that could be used in a conversion as they share some common parts. http://BratchellModels.com Rich,

Jim a lot of that pink colored ballast is widely spread on the railways in Scotland and it's all a matter of which geographical region the stone is quarried in. Naimshire Modelling sell a nice pink shade on their website in various grades. Mig weathering powders are available in a concrete variety and look really good when used with concrete sleeper track. Another alternative is to very lightly spray some Plasticote suede over the concrete sleepers before weathering as it gives a nice textured look to the sleepers. Rich,

That's the guts of the hobby Fran and some of the harder work, well done. Rich,

Great photos John. Out of interest what is available to the modeller of the New Zealand railways stock wise as it looks very interesting and well worth modelling. The locos are impressive looking machines. Also should have said H0 gauge. Rich,

Another great example of what is available now Stephen. Time and patience is always a huge factor in the track laying, coloring part of a build but this seems a great alternative and cuts out a lot of precious time. Rich,

Very true Jim. Track rail in sidings is always a different texture and color when compared to mainline track. Wooden sleepers always have a tiny rusty hue around the chairs or clips that can run into the sleepers. Natural daylight and taking photos at different times of the year can also make the appearance of the color look like it has changed. It's always a good idea to give some thought to which season of the year you wish to set your model in. Just looking at the example of track that you have posted Jim you can see Browns, Grey's, Beiges, Silvery hues etc and some rotting of the sleepers beginning to occur. Rich,

Fritz welome, there are many ways to paint your track realistically and there is no one way better than another as it's a matter of what suits you and how much time you have available. Anthonys already given you some great advice and his track speaks for itself and is a great example of what can be achieved with that approach. The Rusty Rails painter is a great tool for novice and professional alike. You can also get various shades of track color with the applicator to weather your rails a particualr color. http://joesmodeltrains.com/Rusty%20Rails%20Painter.htm Life color also produce some wood weathering acrylics which are ideal for weathering plastic sleepers with a brush if you don't fancy an airbrush. I am sure that others will offer many more pieces of advice along the way as there are a lot of members at the same stage as you are in their build. So you should have some food for thought. I look forward to seeing more of the build when you have time to upload some progress photos. Rich,

A lot of people will swear that it was 2002 when the first locos were converted, and I've even seen it in print in magazines. It just goes to show that an eye witness with a good reputation for noting these things are always the ones to trust. Cheers Rich.

The other guys have given you really good advice and I will agree with them that in the long run that is going to cause problems. You may think it is OK now but it won't be when temperatures change and things begin to move. For your own sake and any other future problems change it now and save a lot of hassle in the future. Anthony's given you a good link to something that will solve the problem and it is well worth doing. Other than that it's looking lovely and you are making great progress. Rich,

It's really progressed Fran since the build commenced and looks great. The peak Forest was always an area that I thought would make a great model. Railway Modeller had a great piece with a track plan for it many years ago. Rich,

Thats a lovely idyllic country scene Eamonn. The Wills kits can certainly test your patience, but when you get an end result like that it's all worth it. Rich,

I'm a bit late adding to this but I will echo everything the lads have said and sincerely wish you all the best in this venture. A lot of hard work goes into building models as good as your own, and a lot of the guys on here will testify to that. There is a healthy interest in Irish prototypes over the last few years so everything will be fine. Rich,

Good find Pat. Theres always a debate on which year the locos started being fitted with led light clusters, so it's nice to see that some were fitted as early as 2000 and some are still in the IR livery when they were converted. Rich,

Good to hear things are moving again Stephen. Rich,

Seamus it's the right thing to do for anyone to put up photos of their work as it is appreciated by the group members, and it is a brave thing to do. Your piece in your last post shows great workmanship and effort. I love the fact that you have also created a scenario or story behind the models. The loco is after being loaded to be taken to a preservation site. Little scenarios like that happen most days in the real world and creating the real world in miniature is what the hobby is all about. It shows effort hard work and imagination as there is always a story behind everything. It caught my eye and I liked it. Rich,

Dave I remember seeing one in the model shop window in Capel Street many years ago. I seem to remeber PM having the 00 version at a SDMRC exhibition in Blackrock the year he had them produced. I think Marks Models had one displayed in the window in Hawkins Street also. Rich,

Seamus I've been amazed at how much you have improved as a modeller over the last two years. That's some really great work and should inspire others to try for themselves, well done. Rich,

It's prevalent in all sports Eamonn. The pressures of winning titles and being at the fore front of your chosen sport be it Cycling, track, field sports etc is what drives some competitors to do it, to stay on top. It has also happened recently at the Olympics. Look at what Cian O'Connor went through 8 years ago and that was the animal that had been taking banned substances. A lot of sports stars are also testing positive for recreational drug taking. One of the most important things you need taking part in sport is a strong will power as well as the physical and skillful attributes. Lance Armstrong was the leading light in his field, but now he will always be remembered for this. Deciding not to proceed with clearing his name will always leave a huge question mark over his name, and I am sure it will cause some debate as to whether he was or wasn't he. Either way it's been a sad falling from grace of someone that was revered around the world. Rich,

Enjoyable video. It's nice to see another liveried NIR 201 it looks really good. Rich,

Dave the amount of hard work and effort you have put into this, and the willingness to share it is has been well worth it. It takes a lot of time to research, photograph, and type everything for the thread and you're doing it with such enjoyment also. Brilliant stuff, well done. Rich,

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family Seamus. Rich,

The 67 looks a bit familiar with the angled cab front. I have to say the orange livery is without doubt the livery that will last longer in the memory than the others currently running. I've always had a soft spot for the Cravens in their last livery, and the MK11's in IE livery with black roof. Jim's idea to repaint a 66 in the Intercity livery would be interesting. Rich,

Thanks for posting those photos Noel. A C-Rail 40ft container kit would be a good starting point for anyone else interested in having a go at modelling one. Rich,