irishthump

That Bus is fantastic, dirt in all the right places!

Birthday was lovely, thanks! Good to hear you're going with DCC, only way forward IMHO.... What I said about keeping the track and loco wheels spotless is even more important with DCC as even a momentary breaking in signal will cause locos to stop dead. For DCC you should consider modifying the points as insulfrog are "power routing" and only supply current to the direction they are set. DCC needs the entire layout to be live at all times. It's a simply job to modify the points, only takes a couple of minutes and a little soldering. Steer clear of the little clips which Hornby sell to do the same job, they can cause problems. Here is an excellent source of info for wiring DCC (and DC) layouts - http://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/index.html

Hi Blu and welcome to the forum. You don't mention if you are using DCC or DC control for your layout but just to give an opinion on your question about points... As far as the insulfrog points are concerned my layout is all insulfrog, albeit a mix of Hornby and Peco. If lay them level and keep them clean you will have no trouble running any of your locos on insulfrog. The 141's/071's have power pickup on all wheels so they will glide over the points once they are clean. The only locos that will give trouble are short base locos like 0-6-0 diesel shunters or those with poor pickup such as the older Lima models. I use DCC and have sound installed in many of my locos and don't have any problems ONCE THE TRACK IS CLEAN!

Always loved this layout, so much going on yet never looks too crowded!

Same to you, sir. It was actually yesterday but I didn't want to steal your thunder!

Hey, check out the profile. We're both senior members!

Thanks lads! 210 - River Erne, all she needs now is a sound chip. The sound on the Bachmann F7 A and B units is very good, I'll post a video when I get the chance.

Well, yesterday actually! Couple of surprises from the wife and kids for the big "Four O"....

Can I ask what the "weekly circular" is?

Lovely work there, Kirley. What make is the container crane, and is it a kit?

Great tutorial, David. I've been struggling for ages to get a look for my ground cover that I was happy with. This has given me some new ideas. Cheers!

Lads, Lovely article on the O'Connell Street layout in the December edition or RM.

Thanks George. I'm mainly looking for weathering colours like frame dirt and brake dust. Do Mark's carry them at the moment?

I'd be interested in some of the other Phoenix colours, is it posible to order them through Marks?

What a wonderful collection of pics!

Well I've ordered from them a few times and had no hassle!

Thanks for all the kind comments, lads. These are the ground signals - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-pcs-HO-scale-2mm-LEDs-made-Railway-2-aspects-Dwarf-Signals-Green-Red-/400242410162?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item5d304e82b2 Again cheap and cheerful! They're from the same Ebay seller as the other signals. Not exactly prototypical but they look good.

A little bit of progress!!! Added canopies and lamps to the platforms. Went for the standard Hornby canopies as are they were readily available in my local Mark's Models and I didn't fancy going the scratchbuilt route. The lamps on the platforms are cheap LED lamps I got from Ebay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110422352893?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 Only €15 for 20 and they look fine when wired up. I just cut off one arm for the single lamps on the left platform.

and 161...

A little bit of weathering! Finally got round to doing my 071...

I've been using the Humbrol washes which I find pool on the surface of the model unless it's been giving a matt coat. I use Windsor and Newton acrylic varnish which comes in a spray can but I decant it into a jar and apply it with the airbrush which gives a much finer coat. I apply the Humbrol by just dabbing small amounts onto the panel lines and details. Then I use Revel thinners and dab it over the Humbrol and it runs straight into the detail and crevices. Then like yourself I remove most of the wash with cotton buds and brushes. Sounds a pretty long process but it gets results that I like.

Appreciate that, George. Lot of guys don't like giving you too much info! Just a couple of questions... Do you use an enamel or acrylic wash? And do you give the model a matt coat before starting? (I find the washes work much better with a coat of matt acrylic varnish.)

Fantastic work! Sorry to ask for trade secrets, George, but for the panel lines do you use a wash? I have been experimenting with thinned enamel washes and Tensocrom myself.

Lads, Do any of you know of any stockists for Phoenix paints in the Republic? Plenty of UK suppliers but none will ship to Ireland because of the new postage rules. Marks Models seem to carry a couple of colours but not much.

Picked up one of these yesterday, can't go wrong for the price... http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/SID-5FC6838B-5EDC77C6/lidl_ri_ie/hs.xsl/index_35809.htm