RedRich

Des the reason you produce the excellent kit's that you produce is because you research everything. The SSM LC kit that Eamonn superbly built has some amazing detail on it, Eamonn commented himself on how uniquely Irish it looked compared to the BR Style gates in his pic, and why it looked unique to Ireland is because you photographed the prototype, measured it, and only went ahead with the artwork when you were satisfied that it was right. Eamonn's build of the 30 Ton Brake Van and ground signal look so good because he has improved and honed his skills, and the design Quality of the kit's is superb. George and Gareth (Hidden Agenda) have also built fantastic models of the Brake Van. I think it would be fair to say that if Modelling Irish Railways by Stephen Johnson and Alan O' Rourke was to be updated and reprinted it would have to be maybe 20or 30 pages longer than the first edition was to contain everything that SSM, Murphy Models, and the excellent models that Dave and Mark have brought to the market so far The 2600 is a masterpiece and the DE Dietrich DVT and Coaches are going to be amazing, can you imagine the amount of work that has gone into those models. The retailers have brought some cracking models to the market also. Marks Models commissioned 171 in IE livery a few years ago and the Autoballasters are amazing. Silver Fox and DC Kits have produced some nice prototype models as well for the Irish market. Des your own detail kit for the Silver Fox Metro Vick's really take's them to a whole different level. Lads do the research, ask questions, photograph everything and share the information because everybody benefits from it. Rich,

Stephen when I had my accident a lot of my researching of rolling stock, infrastructure, permanent way and other railway associated photographing was diminished. I knew some lads that I used to meet out and about on the network and they were good enough to take photos for me. They wouldn't mind me passing some photos on to other enthusiasts for similar purposes as my own, but some of the lads asked me not to post them on sites like ours or send them to magazines. I have such a large collection of photos on my pc that it's hard to remember which ones I took and which ones were given to me. I wouldn't want to put the group in jeopardy by posting pics that I can't be 100% sure I took. I always took pics that most people don't bother to take, examples being, Loco, coach roofs Underframe equipment on coaches, wagons, locos Electrical gear, fuel tanks, headstocks, draw hooks, drop head buckeye couplers, instanter - screw couplings, pipes and hoses A lot of people forget in the present that what we have now will be history some day so I would urge people to get out there and photograph everything no matter how mundane or uninteresting it might appear to be. As when they are gone they are gone. I went up to Clonmel on the train a month ago to photograph and take some measurements of the road bridge at the Tipp end of the station as it is being replaced and demolished. How many people take photos of the ornate metalwork at stations or the old footbridges. Arroll Brothers Foundry in Scotland built the footbridge in Clonmel Station in the 1800's and the builders plate is still on the bridge, how many people would model that or even be interested in it, and yet it is an important piece of railway infrastructure and it's also historical. Compiling photographs drawing scale elevations of buildings, photographing the track, seeing what kind of chairs are holding the rail, where the keys are in the chairs, how many bolts are in the chairs, what way they are facing is as, if not more important than building and constructing the models. How can you build a scale model if you don't know what it looks like. The model of Connolly shed that Richie built for you Stephen could not have been built if he hadn't photographed it or studied it, and the reason the model looks so amazing is because Richie did his research. I am willing to and have already emailed lot's of pics to those who pm'd me and if anyone wants them please as has already been stated pm me your email address and I will sort you out. When I get some time to sift through my collection Stephen I will post pics in the prototype rolling stock area and I hope that they will be of some use to the members of the group. Rich,

Dave is MM5232 going to be released in the Galway livery as that is the livery it carried during it's final years in service, and it would still have a black roof. Rich,

I was thinking Pat that with the maroon band and the gold stripes in the position that they are on the side of the loco it would look good in IE orange and black. Rich,

Pm me your email address Vincent and I will send them to you. Rich,

Thats looking good mate, Bill Bedford does a nice little etch for a supermarket trolley it would look good in the canal. Rich,

Vincent there was a coastal mist hanging over the town earlier today and it felt more like January than June. Rich,

That's a shame Anto. I thought maybe a ten or fifteen minute expose of the master at work would be a big hit with the other members. It's fantastic looking at pictures of finished models or the many video's you have uploaded here or on youtube of your layout and models but I would love to see your technique. I have a friend with some high end HD camera's and he has a hell of a good editing suite we could have a golden globe or an oscar in the making. By the way I am not forgetting the Airbrush Weathering techniques DVD's I promised you the last time we spoke on the phone. I am having some software glitches at the moment , but as soon as I get it sorted I will pop them in the post. I have to agree with you that Alan is posting some great stuff, don't worry about straying off topic, during a post myself and Alan have been discussing modelling phone books and padlocks and variety is the spice of life Rich,

Hi send me your email in a pm and I will send you some pics. The coaches that were repainted were. EGV 5601 Restaaurant Buffet Standard 5411 Standards 5209-5213-5216-5225-5232-5233-5235. Rich,

The models that Gareth from Model Shop Belfast had on display at the Wexford show looked nice so you won't be dissapointed Eamonn. By the way was it your birthday yesterday, if so a belated Happy Birthday Sir. Rich,

That's a very generous quote for that service Seamus, well done . Rich,

I have to agree with you there Anto it's great to see someone building the track from the standpoint of a beginner and Alan is doing some great work. Building your own track separates the men from the boys as far as patience is concerned, it has a lot of comparisons to the type of work that you do in so far as some of the work is very intricate. Spurred on by this thread and seeing the fruits of the lads labors I mixed up a solution of my preferred stain and sloshed some sleepers into it this morning. They are still drying out and when they are dried I will upload a photo or two as that is always the way that I start the job as it's best to get that part of the build out of the way first. Building the track in situ on a pre printed template from templot is the best way to go if you are modelling a prototype. Building the track and laying it in sections like you would with Peco set track or flexible can sometimes lead to disaster and lots of headaches. Building a model railway and a model of a railway are two completely different aspects. Both need a fair degree of planning and skill. When you are building track to 21mm S4 standards you have to get the track panels the correct size the sleeper spacings can be a bit hit and miss on the prototype so sometimes you have to incorporate that level of perfection if you want it to look right. I will be installing four bolt fishplates every 17th sleeper as they are in Clonmel Station. The sleepers where a point meets a piece of plain track and where two pieces of plain track meet can sometimes be wider than the other sleepers and that is something that you need to look at as well. I have only talked about what I am about to compose here to one member of this forum and it was in private. I had an accident many years ago and it left me with a disability. I damaged the L5 SI area of my spine. I fractured the vertebrae and tore an 18mm piece of ligament which has left me with scar tissue. I also have sciatica as a consequence and I suffer crippling muscle spasms. The accident also exacerbated an underlying degenerative bone disease which I was not aware of previously. Due to this I cannot sit for extended periods of time and my modelling time is limited. When the family and myself traveled down to Wexford this year for the show at Easter we had to make some stops along the way so I could stretch my legs, this is a common enough thing when I am traveling by car so I don't usually travel by car over long distances, I always travel by rail whenever I can as I can stretch the legs and walk up and down to loosen the muscles and other soft tissue. For my layout to be what I hope it to be I have had to photograph, measure, the complete site of the station over 3 years to compile all the information I need. I will be making my own buildings so exact measurements were required as were photos of windows and the ornate metalwork. The planning stage has been as important to me as the work to come will be. When I start building the layout it will take time, it might not ever get finished. There may be long periods of no progress being made, but I won't let the health issues get the better of me and when I can work on it I will lash into it and savor every minute of the work, well nearly all of it, the butanone can have strange effects on the mind after being near it for to long. This group is a place of learning, it has a club type atmosphere and a very friendly and easy going vibe. I have made some great friendships with people on here, and sure sometimes we may have disagreements and differing views on subjects but the real friendships are the ones that last beyond a row and thankfully all my friendships are healthy with other members bar none. We all have our own tastes and priorities regarding our modelling and we see different merits in our own way of modelling and whats good for one may not be good for the other. I really admire John Mayne's method of modelling from the first inception or spark of an idea, to the research, design, production, of the component parts, the building of the model, and final finishing of a really classy model. Johns methods include everything and in my opinion that's what makes him the best modeller on this forum. There are enough people on here that upload videos of their work or links to their work on video hosting sites. It's hard to see how you could make a video of the various stages of finescale track interesting for people to sit through it without it becoming repetitive. What I would like to see is maybe some video or footage of what Anthony or George do in the weathering process. There is a lot of the skill involved with what we as modellers do in our own field, so how about it you guys that are professional weathering experts any chance of some video footage of the weathering process. Set up a camera on a tripod and show us the out of the box model that you receive to the model that you send back to the client. I am sure that the clientèle would love to see how their model was transformed into the beautiful piece of work that you guys create. Anyway it's getting very overcast here in the not so sunny southeast this evening and the light is very poor at the moment for taking photos under natural light conditions so I will photograph the stained sleeper batch tomorrow weather and bad back permitting and try and get some shots of all the tools and other paraphernalia that I use. Rich,

Alan have you seen the pad locks that Jim modelled on Birmingham New Street. Jim has also produced some nice little etched parts for the Irish modeller such as hopper windows for the MK111 push pull coaches. He also produces some excellent B4 bogie steps and steps for the ends of MK1 & MK11 coaches. Rich,

Your first post Jack, welcome to the machine. Its a fine looking model and one that has been at the top of many wish lists. Rich,

Great work on the ground signal Eamonn. How do you find the time to do it. Rich,

Great link Fran, that is some exceptional modelling. Rich,

I might as well Anto, you won't let me play with your's Rich,

Alan that beautiful picture truly illustrates the need to buy a Templot license as you could not create that as a scale model with proprietary off the shelf track. Peterborough North is a smashing model Alan and it shows how hand built track even built to 00 16.5 can look stunning. Jim Smith Wrights Birmingham New Street is a work of pure genius, the track, the buildings, the rolling stock. Adavoyle, Loughrea, and the excellent layout that John Mayne is building are the real inspiration for me at the moment and your work is amazing for someone who is only beginning their journey in the realm of 21mm. Your enthusiasm for the work ahead is palpable, I can't wait to see more. Rich,

No need for apologies Fran. I remember seeing the HXA's in the UK a few years ago on a visit, I thought they were HHA's at first and the closer they got they looked shorter in lenght. I also saw the bogies under an open bogie box wagon but for the life of me I can't remember the clasification code. I might have to check out Gareth Bayers wagons on the web and see if I can find them. Rich,

Tony would a top four finish be regarded as a success for Liverpool fans next season, and build on it from there. Rich,

Are you sure it's just airbrushing that you are getting upto in there Gareth. Rich,

Dave whatever you choose will your decision and your's alone. I wish you the best of luck with whatever airbrush you choose. If you are ever down my neck of the woods I would be delighted to have you in my home for a visit and you could have a play around with my set up. Rich,

Anto me old mate your the only one that has mentioned expensive airbrushes. People were exchanging info on what type of airbrush manufacturer, type that they use. I am not one for luxuries or novelties myself but anyone I have ever known in the hobby, textiles, body repaints, custom repaints of bikes or cars would disagree with you. Look at the guys that do some of the custom paint work for the Tuetuls in American Chopper, they don't use 25$ airbrushes for their work. Artists don't use pound shop brushes for their work. Sometimes the expense and the outlay in a €80 tool can pay you back ten fold in it's lifetime. Tools for the hobby like good needle files drill bits are worth paying that little bit extra for as they last longer, airbrushes fall into that category also. I don't use my airbrush solely for railway modelling, I like to do some art work as well and there is no way that I could get the same level of precision work with a cheap and nasty. Rich,

There you go, uncle Pat will always look after ya, and it's a more than reasonable offer too. Rich,

A drop of Napolean or a Bushmills doesn't do any harm neither Richie. Rich,