Patrick Davey

A Ballymena & Larne train pack - an obvious commercial opportunity here in that the loco would work for an Isle of Man layout as well, and the coaches would run on a Ballycastle line setup AND allow the builder to model Donegal station in its current form.

The home made friends look very good! Impressive work!

Superb work. A very interesting prototype and your work is fantastic!

Magnificent - no other word for it!

That is superb Noel - very neat work which captures the character of the building perfectly. Great stuff!

The signal cabin is looking fantastic!! Looking forward to seeing the station buildings!!

Looking good Noel, impressively neat brick corner! One small question, are the roof tiles maybe a bit overscale?

Having a browse through Hornby's new range and these caught my eye, not sure if they are brand new though but they might pass as DNGR 'from a distance', as the song goes...... Did the DNGR have any 4-wheeled vehicles I wonder.....?

Ah that is just super - and all the current RTR releases are perfectly timed for you.....as long as the bank manager approves........ ha ha! Really loving this one.

This is shaping up very nicely indeed Noel, great seeing the progress. The goods shed is as fine a model as could be found anywhere! Keep up the great work sir and happy new year!

Yes - the extra realism is obvious and I do notice the difference in track level views. I wouldn’t be in a rush to have all my existing stock converted though, space permitting the simplest solution would be to start a new layout - any excuse

Jeepers - 10 121s............ gulp.......

Happy Christmas Leslie, hope you have recovered from your mishap earlier this year, and please post more photos of your excellent layout! Hoping you have a fantastic 2021 and thank you very much for providing us with such excellent models, you are part of the great movement that has made the hobby so enjoyable for all of us in recent years. Thanks again and stay safe!

Very true - and Ciarán's own 'Eiretrains' website is definitely well worth a look: http://eiretrains.com

I'm still holding out for the Ballymena & Larne boat train.......

Saints and Sinners (1949) - the opening scene shows a train arriving at Carlingford from the Newry direction - this used to be on YouTube but I've just had a look and I can't find it immediately. Also 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley' (2006).

Superb, and a very innovative approach!

Enjoyed this!! Good video too! Looking forward to more!

Amazing scenes at every corner of this layout!

I forgot to mention that the excellent and very strong baseboard was made for me by Dave Lindfield of Model Rail Baseboards

Thanks - it’s an old SSM brass kit which a friend (RIP) made for me but then it sat and did nothing until I asked Colm Flanagan to restore it and paint for me. It’s not a great runner but sure looks the part! Thanks Leslie - the stationmaster’s house was built about 25 years ago but the Wills sheets have stood the test of time! I would like to see shots of your Richill buildings?

Hi everyone Lockdown has generally been hateful but one small positive for me was that it has given me time to get started on a long-planned OO gauge 'micro' layout, with a GNR(I) theme. The term 'micro layout' has been defined with various dimensions, but according to the popular Facebook group 'Micro Layouts' it is defined as one with a scenic section no bigger than 4ft x 2ft in OO Gauge - mine is 4ft x 18in. I did a bit of planning and came up with the following requirements for the layout: * The layout would be portable - I love the buzz of exhibitions! * It would have a GNR(I) theme (my home railway, despite being a BCDR enthusiast!) * It would have good operating potential and allow the appearance of stock from various eras and companies * It would be a fiddle yard to terminus * There would be multiple levels, for added interest - as well as the main rail facility, there would be a brick-lined culvert as well as a road overbridge Unlike my most recent projects, it would probably need to be a fictional location, so I came up with the idea of a linen mill near Ballinderry on the GN's Antrim branch, which was owned by the GN and produced the finest linen in Ireland - so much so that it was visited by trains from numerous other Irish railway companies. It would feature a passenger shuttle for mill staff as well as various goods movements throughout a typical working day, and it would would cram as much GNR(I) architecture as possible into the small space - am a big fan of the GN's 'corporate image'! So there would be a typical GNR(I) signal box, platform shelter and stationmaster's house, and the mill buildings would be built to mimic those of the GNR(I) works at Dundalk. I wrote an insane back story to justify all this, totally improbable but certainly entertaining to anyone who has read it Part of the story involves the GN providing dedicated linen vans for the Brookhall Mill traffic so I took three of Leslie McAllister's GN vans and applied a fictional cream livery and had decals made by Endon Valley Custom Decals (highly recommended!) The layout was given the name 'Brookhall Mill' because close to the fictional location of the mill is the popular 'Brookhall Historical Farm'. Attached are some photos of progress to date - and we're off!!

Hi Leslie - any County Antrim NG in the book? Hope you have fully recovered from your recent mishap!

Wow that cabin is magnificent!!!

Am a big fan of signal cabin models and this is one of the best - hats off to you!! Excellent work and yes, enjoy the journey!!!