josefstadt

When logging in to the internet tonight, I saw this on the msn homepage: http://www.news.msn.ie/worlds-longest-toy-train-track-693268-Dec2012/ It will take them ages to ballast all those tracks!

Hope to be able to make it in.

Sorry about delay in replying BosKo, I'd hoped that someone with photos might have come in. The only photo that I can find at the moment is a rather poor b&w one in the October 1970 IRRS Journal - page 254 - showing the summer set at Connolly. The same article has other pictures of the set but these don't show the full train. The summer set consisted of seven of the eight carriages bought by NIR for the Enterprise: locomotive; first 801; grill/bar 547; standards 821, 822, 823, 824; and driving trailer brake standard 811 or 812; locomotive. The second driving trailer brake standard was spare. The winter set consisted of five coaches (two of the standards 821-4 being omitted) and a single locomotive, which if I remember correctly was at the Dublin end of the set.

Brawa also do models both as the 232 class of private operators and DBAG (post German re-unification) and also as the class 132 of DR (East German railways.

Fair comment Garfield.

And to think that the former freight yard is now only used for parking railcars.

Here are a couple of strangely worded signs: Dún Laoghaire - surely they mean that smoking is not permitted, rather than letting passengers know that they are allowed to not smoke! Athenry - would the lift not be out of service due to the LACK of essential maintenance?

Can only echo previous comments Scahalane. Brilliant work.

Very nice. Overhead lines of DART standard would give the city council something to talk about! If it had been the Chairman of CIÉ would already have blamed the lorry driver!

Why be sorry? Two great photos instead of one! Fabulous work Frank.

Be careful about the width of your baseboards. The higher the baseboard is the narrower it needs to be so you can reach across it for track laying, cleaning etc. I'd stick to a max width of 2ft -2½ft. In the helix you will need some way of getting to the far side if a train gets into trouble. With regard to the helix, I don't think that there is a 'default or recommended height drop'. This is purely a matter of choice and depends on what you want on each of the levels. For example, if the lower level is storage and the upper level is scenic (as you have suggested), then a height difference of 9 to 12 ins would do. However if both levels were sceniced then a greater difference would be needed. The only constant is that the difference in height for each full rotation must take account of the height of your rolling stock plus the height of the track and the thickness of the baseboard - approx 3 inches. See on the Everard Junction website where he describes building a helix. Kirley and Anthony on this site have videos of the helixes on their layouts.

Or, even better, a Hunslet + 7 MkII coaches + a second Hunslet - the 'summer' set.

Thanks for the info Sulzer201. I'll contact Walter about the back scene.

A (much) cheaper alternative which looks more like an Irish tamper http://www.modellbahnshop-lippe.com/produkt/Liliput%2C+Art.-No.+L136113/6-4-010002-84733-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-gatt-gb-p-0/produkt.html#besch also from modellbahnshop-lippe.

Brilliant as usual Noel!!

Robert, whichever models you go for, Hornby, Lima etc, make sure that they are of loco-hauled MkIII stock, not the type used in HSTs as these do not have buffers.

Bridge looks great. Well done Dave and BosKo.

Stunning work Kirley.

Hi Sulzer201. The layout is looking great. Am I right in thinking that the colour light signal in the second pic is one of the Hornby Dublo ones of old? Thanks for the info on the backscene. Could I ask where did you get it / who made it ? Thanks

Grüß Gott Gerhard. Welcome to the site!

All the best Anthony. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Met David and had a chance to view one of the coaches in undercoat at the Cultra show. All I can say is: fantastic work!

The OSI Map Viewer has the trackplan for the area in question: http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,711021,733384,7,9 I presume that the coaling tower is the item just to the left of the letters L.K. in the centre of the plan.

Likewise Anthony, especially with a blue 201 at the head. Much better than the current Enterprise livery which I've heard called 'Land Rover Grey and RUC Green'!

Gets better and better Patrick. I too will be following your progress reports with interest.