josefstadt

Even though I don't model the Irish scene (actually I'm between layouts at the moment), I definitely think one will have to be acquired for the mantelpiece!! Superb looking model.

I'd say that the 'happy campers' must have been suitably impressed by the amount of clag thrown up by the loco (2min 35sec) as it passed their caravans!

A shed 254 x 848 mm in size - an amazing piece of work Glenderg. It looks stunning.

Details of bus services need updating:

45a - Dún Laoghaire (Marine Rd) - Ballywaltrim (stops on Killarney Rd in Bray)

84 - Blackrock (Temple Rd) - Newcastle (stops on Vevay Rd in Bray)

145 - Heuston Station - Kilmacanogue (stops on Killarney Rd in Bray)

Route 45 has been discontinued.

Got the attached picture of the speed limit signs at the south end of Portarlington today from a train passing on the Up road. The white arrow on the blue background and the 20 mph limit refer to trains using the facing crossover and heading for the Athlone line. The 80 mph restriction refers to the limit on the main line due to the curve through the station.

Permanent speed restrictions use the eight-sided board with black numerals on a yellow reflective background and a black border. The sign in Glenderg's post #5 is an advance warning sign for a 5 mph temporary speed restriction on a line diverging to the left, hence the circular yellow board with the speed limit and the yellow triangular board with the black triangle on it.

Classic!!!

The axis of the rotator is along the coupler line of the wagons. The couplers are free to rotate in their pockets. This set up could also be used for unloading Tara Mines type trains.

And finally, work on the new bay platform at Clonsilla is now nearly complete:

 

Such a waste of money putting in the bay platform at Clonsilla. Making off peak passengers change trains will do nothing to encourage traffic on the line. It would have been far better, IMHO, to have spent the money (and probably have a sizeable chunk left over) extending the platform at Clara so that 9-car ICRs could operate on the Heuston-Athlone corridor - for example 3 cars for Galway and 6 for Westport on the 07:30 ex-Heuston.

Not to mention the double Bo-Bos on the BBC and ammonia trains, the orange 201 with the MkIIIs and the 2600-class railcar also featuring in the pictures. I've said it before and I'll say it again Noel - an absolutely stunning layout! I suppose that the DFDS liner will live on at Tara Jctn.

An excellent record of a line which should never have been closed. Hopefully we will, some day, see rail vehicles on the Bride's Glen viaduct again, albeit narrow gauge trams. The weather you had on the two days typifies the summer (?) we are having this year!

Stunning model.

There is one at the south end of Portarlington. If I remember it correctly it has the following, reading from the top down: a right pointing white arrow on a blue background, then a 20 mph speed restriction board for the branch and, at the bottom, an 80 mph restriction board for the main line. If I get a chance I'll check it out the next time I'm down there.

Frank, attached is a (not brilliant) picture taken in Cork in 1971 of the Tivoli-Ballinacourty train showing the oil tankers and magnesite wagons. The latter were indeed in the 26590 - 26611 series, as per the entry in Locos & Rolling Stock of CIE & NIR.

Hope this is of some use.

In preparation for the tour, 461 arrived into Connolly from Whitehead on Monday (9 July) afternoon.

GM 082 was parked outside the shed at the time.

Fantastic looking set-up Kirley. Looks like its going to be a great layout. By the way, what radius curves are you using on the helix?

Fantastic looking layout Frank. Love the weedy track - very realistic!!

If you don't like Thomas the how about Ernest the Engine?

Stunning layout Noel!! It just keeps getting better and better.

Connolly shed closed on 31 December 2010. The area in front of the shed is only used to stable locomotives, all servicing work is undertaken in Inchicore Works now. The version of the redevelopment story I heard was that the shed was to be completely refurbished to accommodate a relocated and upgraded CTC centre. The original CTC building is now considered too small given the massive expansion of the system and it was that building that would have been demolished as part of the proposed redevelopment plan.

Quite right Mogul, it was indeed the DFDS liner. The train was running somewhat late (due out of Clara at 12:22) and I had assumed that it was the IWT service. My apologies for the confusion. I've corrected the caption in the first post.

On Friday last (22/06), as seen in Csalem's pic in a post on the Photographic Website Updates thread, 072 worked the up IWT liner. It is seen here entering the loop at Clara, where it crossed the 11:30 Dublin-Galway service, at 12:35. Vegitation clearance by IÉ has greatly improved the view of up trains from the road bridge at the Athlone end of the station.

At about 13:30 the down DFDS liner passed through Clara headed by 079. Unlike the up IWT train, which had 18 fully loaded wagons, this one was only loaded to about half its capacity.

Superb video. Amazing performance from 186 when one considers that it was 130 years old at the time the video was made.

As Mr Burns would say 'Excellent'!! Have loads of fun building the layout and even more fun operating it. Look forward to seeing updates (plenty of pics please) as you go along.

With apologies to the late 50s/early 60s TV series staring Richard Boone, this sounds like a case for

Plan is looking good. Like the addition of the bay platform:tumbsup: - it will give you a bit of operational flexability. A few suggestions. Like BosKonay I think you should try moving the crossover from the top to somewhere on the curve nearer the station. You could use Peco ST-244 and ST-245 curved turnouts, with a short section of track (either ST-203 or ST-227) between them to maintain the track separation. Check with your track supplier as the Peco Catologue isn't clear which to use.

Also, You would need a crossover for freight trains exiting the yard to gain the line towards the fiddle yard. If you went for a single track main line this would avoid this problem. Your second track, the inside curve, could be shortened to before the backscene and become the headshunt and your headshunt would be free to be used as another siding - e.g. for oil or timber. You could also fit in an extra siding between the loop and the gantry siding by replacing the short straight with a right-hand turnout. This could be used for freight normally or for stabling additional passenger stock on 'All Ireland' days.

If you curved the cement tracks slightly at their ends and left a clear 1 foot wide area for the fiddleyard then you could get 4 tracks in. I have marked these suggestions up in red on the diagram with the backscene in green.

Hope this is of some assistance.