cg-antrim

An amazing collection. Is it just me or are the steam locos actually black rather than grey?

Brilliant - thanks!

I see that both SSM and Worsley Works do kits for this brake van. Does anyone know how they compare, or which might be easier to build? Thanks.

There's a little bit of inspiration for these coaches in : but can anyone explain why the loco in the film is black rather than gray?

Thanks Nelson! I appreciate the encouragement. I look with envy on what you and others on this forum are able to do!

JHB - on liveries - I'm trying to match what looks like a very flat and uniform dark green on these short coaches in the b/w pictures in the Coakham book. It looks like some coaches did run without the white stripes - ?

I had a go at those Ratio kits today - I used Halford's Ford green, which was about as close a match as I could find to the Mark's Models Dapol coaches they'll be running with. I stuck on some Railtec transfers, trying to match what I saw in the Coakham photos. Anyway, this is the result ... The paint doesn't look quite as bad as it does in the photos, though it's not perfect. And we're a wheelset short on both coaches. But this is my first attempt at building a kit coach ...

A Belfast meet up would be great!

And another thing - has anyone had a go at making an Irish Pullman (Coakham, p. 37)? I understand that when appearing in green these were used for 3rd class travel. I had a thought that a green Pullman, the two Ratio kits and one of the Mark's Models Dapol green coaches might make a passably convincing rake for a 1950s theme train without pushing me into brass kits, which I don't have the experience for just yet. Any thoughts? Thanks!

On another matter - I've ordered two Ratio coach kits, which I think bear a passing resemblance to coaches in Coakham's "Irish Broad Gauge Carriages", Ratio kit 610 corresponding to the GSR 4 compartment First no 302 (p. 13), and kit 613 corresponding to the GSE brake third no 36 (p. 15). Obviously I need to think about how to make these 4 wheel coaches kits look like their 6 wheel prototypes. But that's for another day. What I need in the short term is some advice about paint colours (again!). Has anyone had a go at finding suitable greens out there for the 1950s vibe? Thanks!

If you said "last Christmas," that would be great news! What will it be on?

Thanks, David. I'm not inventing an entirely new land-bridge between Scotland and Ireland, though - just trying to build one layout that can, at different times, host different rosters of stock. It won't be authentic, but hopefully the 40 watt bulbs in the attic will cover a multitude of sins!

Sorry - I can't seem to get the photos to post other than as attachments. "Rails through the west" is a fantastic book!

This is the overall shape of the layout: [ATTACH=CONFIG]11217[/ATTACH] This is the smaller station, on the right hand side of the layout above: [ATTACH=CONFIG]11218[/ATTACH] This is the signal box on the smaller station: [ATTACH=CONFIG]11219[/ATTACH] Here's the station building: [ATTACH=CONFIG]11220[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]11221[/ATTACH] Here's a shot of the track plan of the larger station: [ATTACH=CONFIG]11222[/ATTACH] Here's the goods shed currently being built: [ATTACH=CONFIG]11223[/ATTACH] All tips and suggestions welcome!

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Kirley, yes I have been looking closely at Colm's work on the RMweb site (as well as your own goods shed project on this site, which was first class). I haven't been up here long enough to see his work in person, but can't wait to do so. JHB, thanks: and yes, I have put a corrugated iron roof on the goods shed I'm trying to build. I'm trying to figure out how to finish off the project and especially get the stone work matching the Bachmann station and engine shed that it will sit beside. I've drawn a lot of inspiration from Patrick's layout on this site in terms of overall design shape. The smaller station is imaginary but the larger one will look a bit like the Gort station illustrated in "Rails through the west." Here's a few photos of progress so far.

I've always been interested in the connections between Scotland and Ireland, for all kinds of reasons. Over the last year I've been thinking about that relationship in railway modelling terms, as I've been enjoying books like "Rails through the west" and videos like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUGxVD0SHFY So after many years of lurking on sites like this I've decided to have a go at building a layout which might allow me to run my small collection of both Irish and Scottish stock - ie a single transferable layout. The single main line is common in both the west of Scotland and throughout much of Ireland, especially recently, but I'd like to build something that could pass either for a situation in southern Ayrshire in the late 1960s, or somewhere in the western part of Ulster, in an imaginary location and time period in the late 1940s or 1950s, where CIE (1945-) might meet NCC (-1949), GN (-1958) and SLNC (-1957) stock. But I'd also like to run a few CIE things from the 1960s. So three possible scenarios in two countries on one layout! Over the last year I've been collecting lots of Provincial Wagons (Leslie has been great with providing advice and sourcing older wagons) and buying the odd locomotive, gradually replacing my older stock of LMS items. I've also started to build a goods shed with Wills sheeting - my first attempt at that. And I've planned two stations for a U-shaped layout in the loft, which might eventually be turned into a loop, with hidden sidings behind some kind of cliff face constituting the loop section. One of the stations will be entirely fictitious, but the other is based on something in county Galway. I'll post more when I can get some images up, but for now I just want to say thanks to everyone for sharing inspiration on this site.

I have a commemorative first day ticket for the new Enterprise, 1 Sep 1997 - a nice glossy fold-out, numbered 0352. This would sit nicely alongside that Lima 201 I have but don't really want ... but would anyone be interested in swapping this for any Irish rolling stock?

Years ago it was possible to fit a little smoke generator into models of steam engines - does anyone know whether these are still available? Thanks!

Mmm ... Not my area, I'm afraid, but I suppose either would do. It's for someone else who I don't suppose knows any more than I do ... For info, this is someone who has seen my Lima 201 207 River Boyne and took a fancy to getting something similar. Thanks!

Does anyone have one of these for sale? Thanks ...

Sorry, Steve, I should have checked before I posted that last message, but I'm searching on behalf of someone else who "doesn't want an orange one". Sorry about that.

Steve, if this is still available, I'd be interested at €50. Could you let me know?

Has anyone got a link for the relevant photos on RM Web? thanks,

Just a note to say that new Cravens are being sold for £30 at http://www.dckits-devideos.co.uk/shop/kits_modelling/irish_railways_inc_murphy_models_rtr_kits_transfers/index-3.php

The move is going great, thanks: unused skirting board is exactly the right height for OO gauge platforms, the huge amounts of polystyrene that come with new kitchen appliances is great for lightweight landscaping, and for the first time I have a floored attic and thanks to this forum the ideas to do something useful with it. I'm actually beginning a layout called "Ballyfin" with (I hope) some Laois features and a 1940s/1950s vibe. Somehow I will justify running NCC and other northern stuff, including a Lima 201 207 which I bought on a whim and can't think what to do with ...