Mayner

191 & 229 finally beginning to look like locos after fitting boiler fittings and more importantly locating most of the parts required to complete the locos including what appears to be 191s missing coupling roda. The Hako FA-400 is a soldering fume filter/extractor. I just finished drilling out cab & smokebox hand/grabrail holes 0.45mm using a ball head pin vice Found a replacement cast brass chimney for 191. I need to remove and re-seat the chimney, I am not happy with the way it sits on the smokebox. Original pattern was made by removing shortening a GSR brass chimney cast for a 650 class! I'll probabably do a clean up of the etched assembly to remove excess solder, verdigris, check the fit of the various sub-assemblies and fill any gaps/holes before fitting handrails and buffer shanks! No 1/11 is now nearer to completion, I completed detailing the smokebox doors using short Gibson handrail knobs to represent handles? and handrail knobs and wire to perpesent the locking bars, but chickened out on the fine chain that secured the locking bars to the doors . I need to improve the fit and seating of the smokebox on the running board and above all source a matt/"flat finish" that will actually result in a flat finish. The smokebox is finished with a Gunze Flat Clear topcote, both the Gunze Flat Finish and Testors "Dull Cote" that I successfully used for several years no longer appear to be available.

Snap! Picked this up at a UK exhibition 25-30 years ago. No info on photographer or publisher, photo stamped10157 at rear with hand written Sligo 2-9-52 which appears to have been a Tuesday so GAA or Seaside excursion less-likely, possiby religious or education. In his late 70s/80s IRRS papers on the Ballaghadereen Branch JP O'Dea wrote about 650 Class locos working excursion trains of 6w coaches to & from Sligo on weekends until replaced by AEC railcars.` 666 "Himself"? looks reasonably clean though the tender sides appear to be covered in dirt/muck, there is a 1956 F W Shuttleworth photo of 659 shunting the Night Mail at Sligo similarly loco appears clean while the tender side and frames appears to be covered in brake dust/road dirt. The latter Atock tenders with the combination of sprong cut-outs and tender sides/flush with the frames were almost designed to throw up road dirt & brake dust & company image/external cleanliness of locos and stock was low priority on CIE. The 650 Class are supplosed to have regularly worked the Sligo-Mullingar portion of the Night Mail until replaced by diesel during the mid-late 1950s, relatively 'high speed" duty likely to throw up road dirt/brake dust compared to similar locos working branch line mixed train and passenger duties.

Finally resumed work on the 2 remaining J15s, had initially thought of first completing saturated Coey engine 229 (introduced) 1903) before completing superheated 191 introduced 1881 as 229 was the build was more advanced, but in the end resumed work on both locos begining with the fitting of boiler bands. I assemble the boiler/firebox of belpair boilers as separate bolt together sub-assemblies. Boiler bands are from a "Scale Link" sheet of plain and riveted strip of various widths I bought at an exhibition about 40 years ago. Scale Link was once significant supplier of sheets of etched components for building and scenic modelling and high quality vehicle (mainly pre-WW11) vehicle kits. I found that assembled Scale Link car & tractor! kits compare nicely with similar Oxford die-cast vehicles. The boilers on the J15s bought mid-2000s were rolled from sheet brass. rather than tube in my TMD versions of the loco. I formed one end of the strip into a L or U to fit into the slot/hole/seam and soldered at one end only before forming round the boiler or firebox then forming an L/U at the loose end pulling tight and soldering in place. Smoke boxes and boilers are again formed as bolt together sub assemblies. Completed boiler-smokebox sub-assemblies 191 mock up with boiler fittings, safety valves possibly Markits or Wizard, dome lost wax casting from Jeremy Suter master for 650 Class, funnel/chimney lost wax casting prepared from cut-down master of Inchacore pattern chimney fpr 650 Class. I need to check if I have a replacement chimney in stock/repair the existing chimney or order a replacement from the local brass casters. Another challenge is to finalise 191s suspension system I originally intended to trial CBS for comparison with the beam compensation fitted to my other 21mm gauge steam outline locos, but there my be sufficient clearance between the High Level Load Haulier gearbox and the mainframes/hornblock units for CBS to reliably operate. While the majority of my loco fitted with High Level Gearboxes use a Roadrunner gearbox the wider Load Hauler gearboxes were supplied (possibly 15-18 years ago) for the 2007 pair of J15! Other challenge is that I seem to have mislaid/'disappeared" the coupling rods I used to set up 191s hornblocks 7-8 years ago, but have several sets of spares etched from the same photo-tooling so should be OK.

Probabably still goes on, I understand that about 30 years ago loco maintenance staff at Inchacore were severely pissed off when bogies from withdrawn 001 Class locos kept as spares were scrapped without consulting maintenance during a scrap drive. Often stopped/withdrawn locos/rolling stock are used as a source of spares, with usable parts removed 'as required" rather than removed and stored.

The J4/257 & similar J9 351 Class 0-6-0s appear to be reasonable candidates for a 3D printed body to run on a Bachmann 3F or 4F chassis. Both classes have a coupled wheelbase of 7'7"+8'6" compared with 8'+8'6" for the British locos. The J4 257 Class introduced 1913 appear to have been highly regarded locos suitable for both goods and secondary passenger work and a popular choise for both cattle and horsebox specials (A Decade of Steam and Locomotives of the GSR). The J4 was basically an updated superheated verison of the J9 introduced 1903 first batch of J9 had a low running plate with slotted splashers similar in appearance to J15, 1912 batch J9 similar in a appearance to J4. J9s also carried out main line passenger work1951 photo of 353 (1903 batch) on Rosslare-Dublin Mail Wexford Nth Aug 1954 (A decade of Steam)

I assembled a T&D Inspecction Car kit about 11 years ago before I shifted to American outline. Bridge and baseboard framing has become heavily weathered since I took the photo. Now little used, it still retains 'digital" control with original on-off & forward/reverse switches under the floor. Main change was fitting the railcar with a milled brass chassis and Northyard gearbox https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/2845-tales-from-the-carriage-shops/page/2/#comments

Many years ago I picked up a Q Kits C/B201 class motorised with a shortened Athearn F unit chassis, I also used Athearn trucks/bogies and drive in combination with a frame fabricated from KS brass strip and brass section for motorising MIR whitemetal diesel kits. I don't know about current Athearn chassis, but the Athearn & Lifelike/Walthers Proto 2000s trucks of the era used a stub axle system which allowed the wheelsets to be easily adjusted to 21mm gauge. Shortened Athearn F7 chassis fitted to Q Kits B201 The HO scale F Unit truck/bogie 9' wheelbase is reasonably close to the 8' when re-scaled to 4mm. The original builder shortened the chassis to fit a B201 apparrently by shortening the diecast chassis at both ends, moving one of the trucks/bogies inwards (RHS of photo) with a new frame stretcher/truck pivot fabricated in brass and removing the flywheel. Bogie sideframes appear to be Q Kits with brass steps added by the original builder. I fabricated a completly new frame/chassis from KS box section and strip to motorise an MIR 141 with trucks and drive from an Athearn GP35, shortening the drive by omitting both flywheels. A 3D printed frame possibly in metal would be an alternative to a scratchbuilt/modified rtr frame. A local modeller uses a Chines print house to 3D print gearboxes and gears/transmission parts in aluminium for O gauge locomotives. Athearn truck/bogie with existing wheelsets pushed out to 21mm gauge. Wheels run on stub axles rectangular brass bush and steel strip is part of the pick up system.

Although modelling the Midland in GSR/CIE days, I'll probably pass go on this one as there is likely to be a certain level of overlap with existing published information particularly Ernie Shepherds Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland Book, Clements & McMahon "Lomomotives of the GSR" and the same authors "GSR Locomotives Drawing Register" IRN Sept-2014. "GSR Locomotive Drawing Register" originally intended to be published as a companion volume to Locomotives of the GSR was issued with IRISH Railway News between Sept-2014 & Dec 2016. Availability of MGWR diagrams. GSR Locomotive Drawing Register Sept 2014 Issue---MGWR diagrams locos taken into GSR stock 1925. The Midland diagrams comprised a side (firemans) and end (front) end view only. The diagram includes an Lm (Standard Goods)Class 0-6-0 but not a K Class 2-4-0 with the classical 'flyway " cab a once distinctive feature of Atock 2-4-0 and 0-6-0 classes retained on some locos into the early-mid 1930s Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland Ernie Shepherd 1994 4mm diagrams of pre-1900 locos and stock. Shepherds "Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland includes 4mm scale drawings/diagrams of Hawthorne-Single (Class 13) 2-2-2 of 1862 (side view only) Class D 2-4-0 No36 "Empress of Austria" beyer Peacock 1881 (Rebuilt 1900 as 4-4-0 "Achill Bogies", Class E 0-6-0Tno110 (Bat) (print quality not great) Sharp Stewart & Lm 0-6-0 No135 Kitson 1891 (standard goods). Availability of Beyer Peacock General Arrangement drawing MGWR D Class 2-4-0 1881 (side view only) Manchester Museum of Technology possibly National Railway Museum. Historic sources the late Bob Clements and Padraig O'Cuimin I contacted both while sourcing information on Midland locos and stock during the 1980s. Both appeared to have copies of the MGWR loco diagram book, but not General Arrangement drawings. Bob provided me with a copy of a MGWR L Class 0-6-0 diagram, while Padraig provided copies of MGWR blue print diagrams of several loco classes otherwise identical to the MGWR diagrams in the Sept 2014 issue of the GSR Drawing Register. Interestingly the K Class 2-4-0 appears with Stirling but not flyaway cab in both blue print and black on white format. At one stage I considered producing a K Class kit with 'flyaway' cab option cutting and pasting the cab from a LM Standard Goods, but there were no takers for the origonal version of the Class with flyaway cab, but reasonable demand for both Stirling and late GSR/CIE versions of the class.

The arrangement and architectural style of buildings reminds me of Peter Denny's Buckingham Great Central https://highlandmiscellany.com/2016/01/10/buckingham-central/ Especially reminds me of the "High Street" scene on Leighton Buzzard terminus exhibited at the Model Railway Journal exhibition Central Hall, Westminister 1990. https://philsworkbench.blogspot.com/2012/03/leighton-buzzard.html. Certainly looks like a scene from the "Home Counties" the variety and standard of building kits have come a long way during the last 20 or so years

Trawling through the GSR Locomotives Drawing Register issued Sep 2014 by New Irish Lines GSWR & GSR Diagrams of Sambo

I rember the late Peter Jarvis (Festiniog Volunteer and Milton Keynes Model Railway Club member) commenting that miniature locomotives broke down into two types freelance 0-4-0s that tended to be good steamers and strong pullers and scale models of large standard gauge locos (2-10-0s and Pacifics) which were poor steamers and couldn't pull the skin of a rice pudding. This "GWR" 2-6-0T seems to come somewhere in between though being coal fired should take skill to drive. One of the big surprises when I moved to New Zealand was that most medium /large towns had an active Model Engineering Club with a workshop and running track usually dual 5" & 7½" gauge in a local public park. The other big surprise was that much of the equipment was rtr with many owners operating a 'standard" American outline narrow gauge 2-6-0 locomotive (7½") manufactured by a local firm.

Taken the opposite direction since we visited in 2016 when shortlines in North Dakota, Minnesota were storing literally miles of oil tank cars and many of the sidings (crossing loops) on the UP (Rio Grande) west from Denver to Salt Lake City were used to store long trains (100+) of empty coal cars. The loco yard at Green River a major Division Point between Denver and Salt Lake City was literally chock full of sidelined modern high power freight locos. When we North Dakota & Minnesota visited in 2024 & 2025 there were literally no stored tank cars to be seen, interestingly ethanol distilled from grain had become a significant traffic with BNSF unit trains operating over the Red River Valley and Western (one of the local shortlines) to a local refineries/distilleries. Interestingly the 100+ car unit trains operated over the shortline behind BNSF power crewed by RRVW staff. The refinery on a Canadian Pacific (CP) main line was served directly by the CP and by the RRVW/BNSF by running powers over the CP line. In this part of the World coal is still transported by the 1500ton trainload in gthe North Island from the Port of Tauranga to the Huntly Power Station and from Rotowaro near Huntly to the Glenbrook Steel Mill near Auckland. Ironically although Huntly origonally burned locally mined Rotowaro (Lake of Burning Embers) Genesis Energy began using coal imported from Indonesia about 20 years ago (although it played hell with the boilers) with coal as a back up to natural gas although resources nearly exhausted. There has been talk of converting Huntly to Biomass produced by the New Zealand forestry industry but sourcing adequate quantities of suitable material could be challenging with the run down in the processing industry with the closure of mills due to high electricity costs, exporting logs has become more profitable than pulp, board and finished lumber. On the South Island Unit trains of coking coal from the West Coast mines still cross the Alps en-route to the Port of Littleton on the East Coast for export to Far Eastern Steel Mills and thermal coal is still transported by the wagon load for use by the dairy processing industry in the South East. Traffic in coking coal is likely to continue for some time although the signature GE Dx U boat locomotives are likely to be replaced during the next couple of years by new Standler locomotives after 50 years hard use. The GEs are currently undergoing repairs for export to South Africa where the could potentially see use with their SAR Class 34 cousins While I used to spend a lot of time chasing and taking photos of trains, less so in recent years possibly the shift from SLRs to iphones never got a medium focus camera, trains have become less interesting over the past 15 or so years with less variety in motive power/stock.

Back in the day I used to travel great distances by air and road to take pictures of large diesel locomotives hauling unit coal trains through mountain ranges in the United States and New Zealand not exactly green from any perspective but great fun while it lasted. Interestingly long rakes of stored Coal and Oil Tank Cars and diesel locomotives were a common sight when we visited North Dakota and Colorado in 2016 the United States had begun to shift from foscil fuels to renewables during the Obama presidency.

Media and political pushback against competitors is nothing new: Back in the day Dinny Guiney in conjunction with the GSR ran excursions to Dublin and offered reduced train fares to customers shopping in his Talbot St and Clearys Department store resulting in media and no doubt political pushback from provincial retailers. I remember the media storm created by major Irish supermarket chains (Dunnes, H Williams, Quinnsworth, Superquinn) during the 1970s before Albert Gubay opened his 3 Guys low-cost grocery chain. Ironically in the end H Williams bought 3 Guys Irish stores immediately before going bankrupt itself. There is an old saying that empty vessels make the most noise which appears to be particularly true of social media. Personally I havent bought anything significant from Rails since MM introduced its origonal 141 Class models in 2007, but little bit by buying a Gaugemaster walkaround controller at approx 80% of the RRP from Peter's Spares last week rather than direct from Gaugemaster for the full RRP.

As far as I recall the TMD (Terry McDermott) E Class/J26 was originally introduced in 1983/4 TMDs first Irish kit. TMD initially produced a SDJR milk van (etched brass & plasticard) followed by an etched kit for a Glasgow & South Western 0-6-2T both 4mm scale. The Midland Tank introduced during the early stages of the development of etched kits, more a set of parts similar to a traditional pressed metal kit rather than the rather complex kits with slot and tab construction and half etched parts that evolved in later years. I think the etched n/s chassis was introduced during the late 80s in response to problems experienced by some customers while assembling the original chassis. Some modellers who assembled the chassis with a rigid chassis (as described in the original chassis) found that the etched brass chassis distorted (& de-railed)when fixed (at both ends) to the body. I recently read an Iain Rice magazine article on compensation and as a novice builder (1984/5) got around the problem by assembling the kit as a compensated loco simply by using Sharman hornblock bushes (on all axles) in combination with the etched hornblock cut outs in the original brass chassis. I fitted a compensation beam above the leading and centre axle with the axles free to move up and down in their etched hornblock cutouts and treated the trailing (driving axle) as rigid without vertical movement, I fabricated a keeperplate to retain wheels in place and represent brake pull-rods as the original etched brake gear was extremely fragile. I overhauled and re-painted the model about 10 years later. I was a novice kit builder when I first assembled the loco (Frylux paste flux and goodness knows what solder) and I liked to believe that my standard of workmanship had improved during the 10 years since I originally assembled the kit, 30 years later loco still looks and runs reasonably, but could potentially do with a mechanical upgrade (new gearbox and motor). But probabably better to let sleeping dogs lie, goodness knows when I'll actually get around to building a 21mm gauge layout or find work for my current collection of locos. Like Horsetan I prefer the origonal brass chassis to the n/s replacement although we have different preferences when it comes to wheel/track standards and suspension systems.

"NEM Chain" used in conjunction with Kadee's will improve the reliability of the coupling/uncoupling of short wagons like the GN & SLNCR cattle wagons produced by Provincial & CK Prints. Back in the day (1990s) we experienced coupling reliability problems with short (14') cattle wagons fitted with Kadees, but not the longer 'Standard Irish" covered and open wagons used when operating the MRSI Loughrea layout. The cause the standard Kadee magnetic uncoupler was too long to allow the coupling droppers to operate reliably, resulting in a kind of uncoupling 'chain-reaction" when attempting to 'couple up" and remain coupled up to a rake of wagons close to an uncoupling magnet. I got around the problem by fitting my 14' GN Cattle Wagons (MIR & Model Wagon Co) with a Kadee coupler at one end and 3 Link at the other, effectively running the GN cattle wagons in pairs with the 3Link effectively acting as a permanant coupler, while providing the options of shunting a short cut of 2 wagons.

Probabably worth contacting the Gauge 1 Association on the availability of rail and track building parts. https://www.g1mra.com/portfolio-items/new-members-brochure/ I model the American 3' gauge in the garden to a scale of 1:20.3 on 45mm or gauge 1 track using Code 250 brass rail. Sunset Valley RR https://sunsetvalleyrailroad.com/product-category/track/ in the United States who produce Gauge 1 standard gauge is my main supplier of rail and tracklaying components. Its possible that forms like Peco and Temmille may supply similar components in the UK/Europe. At one stage I had timber sleepers specially milled from supposedly rot resistant yellow cedar which unfortunately failed due to rot after approx 15 years outdoor use in a wet humid climate.

4'6" OO/EM profile Sharnan wheels fitted within the splashers on both my 21mm guage TMD E Class, the main issue is that the (scale width?) splasher tops do not fully cover/enclose the wheel tyres when viewed from above. Like Alan I never got round to fitting my E Class/J26 or most of my Irish outline steam locos with cab interior, challenging enough to get them to run reliably and complete the normally visible detail. 556 cab interior view, wheels OO/EM profile 21mm gauge 19.5mm B-B. A raised cab floor would appear to be the simplest option for modelling a detailed cab interior in OO. Again wheel typres partially visible with OO/EM profile wheels in 21mm. Possibly wider splasher tops in OO, potential clearance problems with smokebox wrapper & spring? I modelled the loco in late GSR condition with riveted smokebox. Looks like I used the original ornate TMD smokebox door with most of the raised detail removed, etched riveted strapping and wire for door hinge detail. Loco hasn't run since being largely completed 7-8 years ago, still have to fit couplings.

Ranting on about something is a sure fire way to get votes/social media likes works for populist politicians so why not model railway influencers? MMRGA (Make Model Railways Great Again)! Nothing remotely connected with the real world.

Something of a breakthrough No11 actually No1 substantially completed. The inspiration was a late 20s/early 30s photo of No 1 on the Transport of Delights website, which looks suspiciously like the lads were preparing for a high-speed run with thier racing machine. https://transportsofdelight.smugmug.com/RAILWAYS/IRISH-RAILWAYS/GREAT-SOUTHERN-RAILWAY-STEAM/i-H58MfCG/A Although I had a set of number plates etched several years ago, I have been unable to locate them and the loco is currently disguised as no11. Got to adjust the ride height/trim at the front end, but otherwise looking the part. The loco was assembled from the original test etch based on the 'official' GSW/GSR diagram with the origonal "3 ring" boiler with the dome placed centrally, rather than the later 2 ring boiler with offset dome in the photo. Head on view with correct (HMRS) transfer No, 3 link coupler to be replaced with screw, Markits vac pipe replaced with cast type fitted to No 93 which looks a lot neater. Tender now has a load of real Waikato coal collected about 15 years ago from the McDonald Mine Rd, Rotowaro "lake of glowing embers". Although the McDonald and other small mines in the area closed, two trainloads of Waikato coal are dispatched daily from the Rotowaro railhead to the Glenbrook Steel mill approx 85km distant. Coal was glued with pva office glue to a brass plate that sits on top of the tender ballast weight. Set up is based on a 1939 photo with 58 on a train at Mountmellick, I substituted a grain wagon for an ex GSW covered wagon. The wagons are unfitted (handbrake only, no vacuum pipe) so the question is whether mixed trains of the branch sometimes ran with the automatic brake on the coaches disconnected, or the loco is about to shunt the wagons to the year, having uncoupled from the train and turned after arrival. At one stage there were exemptions from the automatic braking regulations on short branches and Conniberry Junction-Mountmellick was fairly flat and hopefully the train Guard was awake. No1/No11 with a more 'regular' consist, I have another 4 GSW square wheelers in stock to assemble The open with wheels is based on a Railway Publishing Co photo of an almost new open with at Inchacore with a wheel load which inspired me in 2021 to produce a 3D model of this type of wagon. Cab backhead from original kit, tender floor spare from a 650 Class kit. Made a mess of painting the backhead, needs to be stripped down and re-painted. Nitty gritty stuff Motor sits in a bed of silicone on cast ballast weight glued to chassis. Brass wire pick up from loco chassis soldered to upper motor terminal, black insulated lead to tender chassis. Loco brake gear removed for paint touch at this stage. Coupling rods are from original test build to be replaced when I find replacement set! Slight binding while running in one direction at this stage, 2 of the crankpin bushes appear too short for comfort and may be contributing to the binding. Tender pick up lead, I was lucky to find a lead complete with eye among my stock of bits and bobs. Although still requiring some minor work completing No11/1 to this stage is something of a milestone, clearing space on the workbench to resume work on 229 with some added motivation to actually start work on the planned 21mm gauge layout.

I would imagine that the 3MM Society may take over Worsley Works 3mm designs potentially including the Irish 3mm etched parts. As David commented modellers like Mick tend to be less reliant on trade support and scratchbuild models to a high standard like Drew Donaldson andTony Miles. Several years ago I remember reading an article in (Model Railway Journal?) on a 3mm 5'3' gauge NR(I) U Class 4-4-0 Mike built for Ballyconnell Rd with the aid of Worsley Works parts, the mechanical design and build were almost identical to that pioneered by Tony Miles when he independently developed 4mm fine scale standards during the 1960s. Large motor with flywheel in tender driving a gearbox in the loco, split axle pick up in the tender, working inside valve gear in the loco. When I returned to Ireland in the mid 1990s, MRSI members scratchbuilt rolling stock in plasticard for use on the Loughrea (21mm gauge) and Greystones OO gauge layouts, including a train (approx 15) GSW cattle wagons for use on Loughrea, batch built locomotive bodies and a fleet of Craven coaches (using jigs and toolings) for use on Greystones. Scratchbuilt platsticard 201 and 141 class loco bodies became masters for resin bodies available from Marks Models long before MM released its 1st 201 and 141 Class diesels.

I have a pair of Midland tanks both 21mm gauge 553 assembled about 30 years ago with the original brass chassis and rods and the 556 completed about about 8 years ago with the replacement n/s chassis. At the time I was not happy with the rods supplied with the n/s chassis (deeply bellied profile and half etched outer layer) and hoped to use the brass rods included with the body & chassis fret, but found brass and n/s rods had different centres! Looking at MIL_PMB very recent bumping up of Horsetans "Tmd/ssm mgwr 'e"/gsr j26/ cie 551 0-6-0t" thread it also looks like I had a similar 'accident"to Alan while assembling the n/s rods and seem to have produced a replacement set (2 layers full thickness) prepared in etched brass. Wrecking and replacing the rods no doubt contributed to my 2+ year delay in completing the loco. I still have to sort out a replacement set of rods for a High Level HL 0-6-0ST I started while travelling to New Zealand over 20 years ago As far as I recall the TMD kit is supplied with parts to complete the loco in original pre-1912 form (flush riveted smokebox, tall cast Iron chimney, fancy smokebox door and original safety valve cover. The locos were re-boilered in 1912 retaining a flush riveted smokebox and tall chimney, a conventional smokebox door (with spoked hand wheel) and ross pop safety valves. Some locos incl 561,552,558* retained these features until at least 1939 before being rebuilt with riveted smokebox, Inchacore "built up" chimney and smokebox with "dart" hand levers. * photos Great Southern Railways Donal Murray 2006. One of the "Tramore" locos with extended cab and recessed cab steps may have retained its flush smokebox and tall cast Iron chimney into the 1950s I guess its a question of whether you/Patrick would be prepared to complete the loco in its original pre-1912 form with ornate livery or with minor modifications in post 1912 condition in simplified MGW or GSR livery or late GSR/CIE condition with the challenge of forming a riveted smokebox and finding a suitable chimney. Both 553 & 556 are in rebuilt form with riveted smokebox and Inchacore chimney, I cheated with 553 by using a riveted smokebox overlay from a TMD J15 kit and produced an etched riveted wrapper for 556.

At one stage CIE apparrenty considered acquiring and re-gauging BR Western Region "Blue Pullman' fleet. Perhaps Accurascale produce or even comissionn Bachmann to produce the "Blue Pullman" in various BR and might of been CIE/IE liveries

Hi Colin. I had totally forgotten Ballyconnell Road a noticeable example of Irish Broad Gauge fine scale modelling https://sites.google.com/site/3mmpublic/members-layouts/ballyconnell-road Interestingly while to 3mm/1:101.6 (British TT) the group selected (the correct) 15.75mm rather than OO (16.5) to model the Irish 5'3". Clearances between wheels/running gear and body work become critical when building locos/stock to the correct scale gauge ratio. Either the scale would have to be increased to a min of 3.14mm-ft and the bodywidth increased/distorted to model the Irish Broad gauge on 16.5mm/OO track. I guess the question for a manufacturer potentially considering Irish Outline 'broad gauge" stock is whether to produce the models to TT/120 scale allowing some use of common tooling with British Outline stock (MK2,3 coaches, Esso Tank wagons) or produce the models to 3mm/101.6 scale or even 3.14/1:103 scale significantly reducing market share. While there may be some demand for British Outline rtr stock from existing British TT/3mm modellers it has been very much a minority scale since Tri-ang ceased production of rtr TT over 60 years ago and TT120 more attractive to newer entrants to the hobby with the availability of both British and Continental Outline models to the same scale. Personally an 071 & MK2D or Mk3 coaches would be a good starter set for someone whoes memories of the railways were mainly the late 70s early-mid 80s. Then N (1:160) scale would be a nice addition to my collection on American N scale stock and look less toylike than British 1:148 N.

I don't know if anyone has modeled the Irish Broad Gauge in either 3mm (British TT) or TT/120 During the Brian McCann modelled the CDJR in 3mm on N gauge track with a model of Inver station and village which may have appeared on the Irish exhibition circuit during the 2000s. Brians main interest appears to have been modelling buildings and structures, he built an N gauge Waterford Line layout which featured a model of Bagnallstown station, the Blackwater and Suir Viaducts which appeared on the exhibition circuit during the late 70s followed by a OO gauge layout during the 80s-90s with a village scene featuring buildings from towns and villages in the South East. I guess the big question facing someone modelling the Irish Broad Gauge in TT is whether they select TT/120 and adapt a prototypical gauge of 13.33mm or British TT on 16.5mm track. Would modelling the Irish Broad gauge in TT/120 to a gauge of 13.3 actually worth the bother to the average modeller? The visual narrow gauge effect of modelling the Irish Broad Gauge to a gauge 6" narrower than the prototype are far less significant than the 12+" narrower in British TT or OO. Those modelling the Irish Broad gauge to TT/120 would need to essentially adapt/develop a new track gauge developed from TT/120 standards. Those adapting British TT (scale) with proprietary OO faced with using a track that the correct gauge but an incorrect larger scale distorting the proportions of the model railway. While a manufacturer/comissioner might potentially considering producing Irish outline locos & stock to TT/120, producing the models to British TT may have a potentially dampening effect on demand from TT/120 who might like an Irish outline train to the same scale as their existing British or Continental outline collections.