Mayner

Its possible that some of the issues experienced with currencies and billing may be related to Shopify/Shop-pay systems issues and may be largely outside the control of individual merchants like IRM. I have experienced similar issues with currencies both as a merchant and as a customer, both as a result of changes in Shopify terms and conditions and software issues. Before Christmas a US 'Narrow Gauge Shopify site 'thought" I was in South Africa and quoted prices in Rand until I reached the check out and 'realised" that I was in New Zealand, and would not accept a US delivery address as an alternative to the address on the "Shoppay" system. I had been looking forward to buying a rare Rio Grande Southern book and finding myself buying the book but unable to change the delivery address. It turned out ok in the end the seller providing a refund the book was out of stock and managed to source a replacement theough Amazon Marketplace at a lower price, the seller being a library support group from the Pacific NorthWest so not a bad ending. One of the issues with the Shoppay system is that it retains the customers credit-debit card details for use on Shopify transactions, although I received an IRM invoice for a pre-order of Grain Wagons, Shoppay automatically debited my account after IRM issued the invoice rather than my pressing the "pay-now" button on the invoice I have no problem with the price or shipping cost of the wagons which are a good bargain. I guess my problem is with the insidious nature of the current generation of electronic payment systems which are eroding consumer control.

Had an interesting experience with DHL couriering an important document to the States over the Christmas New Year period. Document was supposed to have been collected by DHL in New Zealand on Christmas Eve then silence until 6th Jan when they actually collected the document when the sender's office re-opened after the Christmas break. DHL handled the international air side in 3 days from Auckland to their Minnesota hub before handing over to their "local partner" for delivery (525miles) receiving "out for delivery" notifications for 3 days, before receiving a notification that the item was delivered at 03:00 on Sunday morning! Followed up with the sender for proof of delivery and were assured that the document was placed in our (non-existent) mailbox by DHLs delivery partner United States Postal Service. It turned out that the document was delivered to our families PO Box at the local post office although addressed to our physical address. I guess the mail van did the cities (500pop) mail drop during the early hours of Sunday morning before driving to the next city in the State. At the end of the day the document arrived just in time.

It looks like some Bredin Coaches dating from the 1930s and non-Laminate stock appeared in silver. 1. The 1st 'silver coach' in the railcar set in the Killiney photo appears to be a Bredin Suburban coach (rainstrip & window/door arrangement main spotting feature). These coaches were built with steel body panels so possibly a re-paint as Bredin coaches which passed to RPSI retained their steel body panels until withdrawn from service in the early 1970s. 2. The coach behind 260 appears to be a Laminate Suburban coach which were converted to Brake Stds during the early 702 3.The TPO (built late 50s) appears to have aluminium body panels on traditional timber body framing. The body sides would have had to be near vertical above the tumblehome for the mail sorting racks, the 4w PO vans had a similar body profile, while the Tin & "Hooded Vans" had the teardrop body profile similar to the majority of Laminate coaches. Main spotting difference between Liminate and conventional timber framed stock, was the Lainates were built with full height body panels (which included windows) with vertical coverslips between adjacent panels, without the horizontal coverslip at waist height used on conventionally built stock.

My first train photos of 2025, been a bit cold so far for lineside photos. But heared the whistle of an Eastbound CP fraight as I returned home from the grocery store. I didn't get a photo of the head end power as I struggled with the screenlock on my iPhone but managed to catch the tail-end power the majority of CP & BNSF through freights in this part of the World are now run topped-& tailed Fairmount looking West Demson Grain Inc elevators in distance. Oil Tank cars set out on spur for/from local oil terminal. Line in centre of photo is spur connecting CP (Soo Line) with local fuel and fertiliser terminal. 20 or so years ago an 'old man" lived in a dilipadated two storey house and had a vegetable garden in the area between the trees, these days the remains of his cars/trucks and furnace (heating boiler) remain. Fairmount looking East. Grain terminal which includes original Elevator occasionally dispatches grain by rail. The original CP Depot is likely to have been in this area, tank cars on through freight barely visible. Centreflow Hopper cars in through freight. Designed for carrying lightdensity products including plastic pellets. Tail end power a General Electric 4400hp+ unit which has tended to be the main stay of motive power on the CP/SOO line in this area during the past 20 odd year. The ex-SOO line is fairly easily graded with a single large GE unit heading most trains, biggest change during the past 20 years has been the conversion of the SOO line from unsignalled 'Dark Territory" to CTC & the running of less frequent heavier freights following the introduction of "Precision Railroading" where freights run to a schedule as opposed to 'Extras" based on traffic/customer demand. In unsignalled 'dark territory" trains movements were controlled by TWC where instructions (Track Warrants) were transmitted by radio by a Dispatcher to Train Crews an updated version of Telegraph and Train Order control of the 19th Century. TWC was excellent for enthusiasts listening in with a radio scanner as not only could you find out what trains were running, but also loco number, engineering posessions, train crews and dispatchers.

The diagram was drawn in DesignCAD a drafting programme I have used for about 25 years. AutoCAD and other Autodesk software may be a better option, being an industry standard for 2&3D design & free to students https://www.autodesk.com/education/home AutoCAD is suitable for 2D drawing/drafting, TinkerCAD & Fusion for 3D modelling/printing

Bertram Mills used a Circus Train to tour Ireland during the early 60s an A Class was used for haulage on CIE and a UG for the Belfast-Bangor. Dan Renehan may have written about an A Class hauling the very heavy circus train over Barnagh on the North Kerry without slipping in one of his IRRS papers, there is a colour photo of the train on the Bangor line in one of the "Irish Raiways from Steam to Diesel published by Tom Middlemas during the mid 1990s.

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There are some interesting photos of Fenit Pier in the Kennelly Archive, they appear to have continued in after the gantry was installed in the late 60s https://www.kennellyarchive.com/-/archive/all-images/-/medias/d50d6827-9e27-43d2-b28e-0d1268e9f5a2-cranes-at-fenit/fs One of the steam cranes unloading a (coal) boat into a cut of railway wagons on the parrallel siding. https://www.kennellyarchive.com/-/archive/all-images/-/medias/1cedefcc-b639-434c-9175-7cbe5b85c05c-cranes-at-fenit/fs "Leibherr Ireland" Gantry crane apparrently loading Tower Crane jib sections onto a ship, crane components and structural steelwork in stacking area. https://www.kennellyarchive.com/-/archive/all-images/-/medias/9da0e68a-6d8a-40ce-bd7d-50b5129c1b75-cranes-at-fenit/fs General view of Pier with two steam cranes and gantry crane. https://www.kennellyarchive.com/-/archive/all-images/-/medias/2f0fb9d1-9f79-44ed-b526-0b3a42e42a65-sea-angling-competition/fs Angling competition 69 three steam cranes in background, no couplers or buffing gear. It looks like the steam cranes may have been mainly used for unloading coal boats, using tub like skips loaded by hand by workers in the ship's hold, a mobile crane with grab was trialed in 1965 for loading trucks https://www.kennellyarchive.com/-/archive/all-images/page/175#media_6edb0e7f-e29b-4aec-a32c-4487f6206210 I had plans to convert a HO Jordan Steam Shovel into a crane for my own dock line (if I ever get round to it) https://www.hobbylinc.com/jordan-erie-b2-steam-shovel-plastic-model-kit-ho-scale-303 Its possible the G Class was used for working wagons between Fenit Yard and Pier with a 'main-line" loco working trains between Fenit & Tralee rather than a G611. In pre-CIE days a small 'industrial" 0-6-0ST is likely to have been used for similar duties and an ex WLWR or GSWR loco for 'main line' work to and from Tralee.

I first heard 007 being nicknamed James Bond while travelling on a IRRS special to Youghal in 77-78. The return leg of the special was blocked at Thurles as a result of the evening Cork-Heuston failing near Templemore. 007 on Pilot duty was dispatched 'wrong road" to Templemore and hauled the crippled train to Heuston. 007 seems to have been in fine fettle, after an initisl delay of about half an hour we had a clear run without a signal check all the way to Islandbridge Junction. At the time Ballybrophy was the fringe box for Cork Line CTC, Thurles still functioned as a loco depot (beet season) and pilot workings & Pilot Loco's were available at several depots to cover failures.

Fenit was feaured in one of Michael Baker's annual Irish Railway World aricle in the early 70s, only rail traffic from the Port was a train load of starch after a ship was diverted to Fenit as a result of a storm. Seasonal beet working continued to run to Fenit unil 1977, rail connection to he quay was disconnected in connection with a sewrage scheme when i visited in 78. Intteresingly one of Feinits main businesses as a port has been exporting Leibherr Container and Port cranes.

Australian modellers take on the pros & cons of modelling the 5'3" broad gauge in HO on HO or EM gauge track. https://armchairmodellerdownunder.blogspot.com/2012/03/australian-ho-broad-gauge.html. There was a lot of simularility between Queensland Railways and CIE effectively becoming General Motors railways at a time other Australian railways were buying 'British. The QR T Class referred to in the piece was a pre-cursor and close relative of the EMD GL8 or CIE B121 Class. Personally while the availability of EM track appears to be an advantage this is more than offset by the almost complete absence of suitable 4mm locos and stock in either rtr or kit form, there is also the little matter of EMGS track being to a different (larger) scale than the rest of the model.

Lima produced its first Irish trainsets in HO during the 1970s using British outline stock a Class 33 diesel , a 4f MK1 & 2 coaches. Crude by todays rtr standards (HO lenght height/OO width)I don't recall if anyone attempted to model 5'3" in HO . Thought of Ballyconnell Road but its 3mm fine scale standards, essentially a 3mm Adavoyle complete wittth steam outline locos with working inside valve gear.

For much of the 20th century the majority of traditional jointed flatbottom track used on Irish main and secondary lines was laid on cast iron baseplated and fixed with fang-bolts (bolt with a large integral washer) to timber sleepers rather than with spikes. Photo from Kiltimagh on the Burma Road, though same baseplate and fixing detail used on the majority of lines laid with FB rail on the CIE system though rail section and baseplate size may vary. e.g 85Lb & 90Lb rail shared the same foot & baseplate width, 95Lb used onmore heavily trafficed lines had a wider foot & baseplate width. A 3D printed track system with a integral baseplate would assist in gauging the track, possibly with a trackpin as 'spike", interestingly American modellers where handlaid track still remains popular spike every 5th tie/sleeper.

Its possible that the open topped container/framework were intended to safely carry Lancashire Flat swap bodies popular for Irish Sea unit load traffic in the 60s. B&I Cork-Dublin Liner/Container train was introduced in 1969 following B&I withdrawl of Cork-South Wales freight services, the photo at North Wall indicate that B&I Lancashire flats overhung both the sides and ends of a 20' road trailer. Its possible that the 'framework' containers were a quick fix for handling existing Lancashire Flats until sufficient ISO flats became available. The bagged Fertilier swap body appeared during the late 60s and operated on 20 wagon "Back to Back" fertiliser trains until supreceeded by the bogie wagons in the mid-70s. Sometimes both Bogie and Back-to Back fertiliser wagons ran in the same train, I remember an empty fertiliser made up mainly of bogie wagons with a single Back to Back at the tail end passing Dunlaoire at speed in the 70s with a noticeable jolt as the 4wheeler ran through a facing point.

SSM once produced etched w irons suitable for 21mm gauge and a separate single lever brake gear fret W irons could be set up to assemble a rigid or compensated chassis Best conact Whesty on this forum to check availabiliy. Another alternaive is to widen OO/EM/P4 w-irons b. soldering in a srip of brass, (I used his mehod on 21mm sock built in the early 90s

The CIE/LHB joint venture proposal appears to be based on the assumption of manufacturing coaches for export in addition to CIEs own needs. Not unlike Leibherr manufacturing cranes for export in Killarney since the 1960s. Coaches would have been LHB design most likely Continental rather than British outline similar to the "Dutch Vans' & LHB DART Units. Export stock likely to be built to suit the customers loading and track gauge.

Don't touch the stuff Jonathan Just a laptop keyboard thats recently gone kaput with several keys no longer functioning resulting in a lot of missing 't' in the message. Funnily enough the manager of the Bridgetown and Harrison narrow gauge in Maine ran into similar problem in typing a letter to an enthusiast with an old style ribbon typewriter in the 1930s, the more things change the more they stay the same! Retrieved new wireless keyboard borrowed from teenager for gaming.

Bi. la.e for Chrismas! Just arrived in .he land of Ice and Snow Firs. .ime our kid saw real snow for famil. re-union Happ. New Year everyone Keyboard jus. abou. kapu. several ke.s no longer funcioning

There was an article on the GSR grain wagon in Railway World following their introduction in the mid 1930s the GSR built 10 wagons 16401-16410 for general traffic use in 1936? The 8 Ranks wagons no1-8 were built the following year. Interestingly the RW article talks about the grain hopper bodies being fabricated from 'rust resistant' steel which may have been a factor in the condion of he paintwork one these wagons in CIE days. CIE may have considered that a strip down and complete may not have been absolutely necessary with a rust resistant body, Photos indicate tthat a number of wagons received partial repaints in he 50s retaining their original GS pattern numbers and lettering after they received 'flying snails" transfers, in one case the large GS initials are grinning through the painwork on a wagon with a snail logo. Interestingly one wagon 16406 retained the original solid GS style of running number in combination with the 60s snail logo in the light grey livery of the mid 50s onwards, with the excepion of 16404 & 16406 photos of grain wagons have sencil pattern of running numbers.

Depends on whether your an enthusiast or an 'ordinary' passenger being from Dublin an Aunt and an Uncle once took the train from Amiens St to Bundoran for a holiday in the early 50s. My excitement at their having travelled on the Bundoran Express was cut down to earth by their comment that they train journey was slow seemed to 'take forever".

I like the reversing loop quite popular for city terminals in layout plan books of the 60s-70s era. One of the biggest advantages of setrack is that you can test a track layout to check that it meets your needs before you finalise the design. Usually reverse loops were wired through a DPDT switch to the adjacent section or a separate controller with isolation gaps (Isolation track or insulated railjoiners at both ends of the loop or isolated section) Gaugemaster recommend a min of a train length for DCC. One of the advantages with DCC is a reversing loop can be controlled by a 'reversing module" which allows a train to run round the reverse loop and on to the rest of the layout without stopping. Gaugemaster have published some useful info on wiring reverse loops both for DC & DCC.https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/rightlines-article/reverse_loops_part1.html I would recommend installing more track feeds if you are powering the layout with one analogue DC controller and additional section breaks either with Insulation Tracks or Insulated railjoiners if you are thinking of adding a second controller. https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/rightlines-article/layout-control-and-common-return.ht The sketches are for the track feeds and isolation breaks for the main elements of your layout and buillt on experience having built both analog and DCC layouts.

Visited Colarado in 2016 and ticked off a lot of bucket list items including the Durango & Silverton & Cumbres and Toltec for me the highlight was exploring the remains of the Rio Grande Southern on a snowy day in late May! Another highlight was having a beer on the terrace outside a bar in Chama that overlooked the main street and engine terminal as a couple rode on horseback into town and hitched their horses outside.

Finally managed to run a train on the garden railway today after carrying out track/trackbase repairs on different sections of the railway. Tradiionally I have a running session on Christmas Day, but today Christmas Eve looked a better option with rainforecast tomorrow so a brief chance to play trains before we head to the land of the ice and snow for a family re-union on Friday. Before running anything 1st job was to secure the pilot (cowcatcher) on DRGW K27 # 463, the pilot had worked loose catching on points just like 5T while working on the C&L in the 50s. The bolts that secure the cowcatcher to the sheet metal pilot beam had worked loose being tapped into the beam, I took the simple option of using the existing bolts as captive bolts loctited to the beam and securing the pilot with some nuts I had in stock. Although the loco was in good overall condition wheh received (2nd hand) from the States, the pilot beam had taken a knock either in service or transit to New Zealand several years ago and only carried out the minimum repairs necessary to use the loco., hence some distortion and damage to the beam. Bolts are a mixture of those originally used to both the pilot to the beam and from my stock of Accucraft spares. Nuts now securing he pilot to the locco. Alll the visible bolts/boltheads are functional! 1st freight to run since April! this area had a tidy up with weedkiller, hedge clippers and blower to remove debris. This is one of the origional sections of the railroad, trackbase (open topped baseboard) installed early 2008, ties/sleepers replaced and No4 switches replaced with No6 2018. original rail still in use! 1st train over the re-built section of line mixture of Stock and freight cars 463 slipped on the crest of the grade visible in the background despite dry conditions. Motor #6 is a Bellyn Locomotive Works Korean Brass comission produced about 20 years ago, a US E-bay purchase. Motor# 6 was a conversion of the original RGS Motor #1 which was in turn a conversion of a Buick "Touring Car", several photos og RGS Motors with bonnet sides open to aid engine cooling! Tie load custom machined cedar used as ties in early days of railroad. 463 returning with freight, RC transmitter controller for helper loco in foreground. #348 sent out to assist, caboose correctly coupled behind loco as wooden underframed caboose not up to use in pusher service. Train proved too much for 463 & 348on "High Line" will have to reduce loading or "double the hill", second K27 464 currently out of service awaiting parts.

Different horses for different courses I get my enjoyment out of creating/doing rather than possessing things. Although I enjoy playing trains (protypical operation) I tend to loose interest in a modle one I complete it or (worse still) the kick wears off soon after I buy a RTR model. At the end of the day my 3D printed wagons were a very quick way of adding a lot of wagons to my collection that would have taken me years to scratchbuild or assemble from conventional kits, I have a stash of over 20 of Leslies wagons awaiting to be assembled for the past 4-5 years that arrived as part of a barter deal for a rtr MGWR 2-4-0.

Loughrea was an exception on CIE surviving as a classical rural feeder branch until closure in 1975, Ballina was more of a secondary mail line terminal than a feeder branch for much of the Black & Tan era with through freight services from Dublin and the terminus of passenger trains to and from Limerick between 63 and the closure of passenger services over Limerick-Claremorris line. Branch line passenger services were re-instated in the early 70s initially as the Claremorris Pilot hauling a daily 'through' Ballina coach off main line trains before the re-introduction of 3 times daily feeder service that connected with main line trains at Claremorris. Personally I think Irish secondary main line services such as from Dublin to Tralee, Westport, Sligo and Rosslare had more in common with the West Highland, Kyle and Further North lines in Scotland during the loco hauled era approx. three (relatively short) passenger trains and a goods/mail daily from Glasgow to Fort William and even a mixed rather than a goods to Mallaig. Similar service North and West from Inverness with Further North passenger trains dividing at Georgemas Junction into portions for Thurso and Wick. Modelling an branch line terminus and the relatively short trains (5-6coaches + loco-s) that ran on the Sligo & South Eastern is going to take up a lot of space in OO, one of my most successful layouts was in N gauge an 11'X11' room the terminus station based on Foynes could comfortably accommodate 5 coaches & a pair of 121 diesels was on a 5' baseboard with a 2'6' scenic section that also incorporated a loco depot and head shunt. The same layout would require a space of 15' in OO. The station layout was basically single platform station inspired by Foynes with its overall roof, runround loop with turntable release with 3 long sidings in the goods yard freight area. Operationally there were two through morning & evening daily passenger trains from Dublin hauled by pairs of 121 diesels, a141 hauled branch line set Coach & Van provided a connection in and out of the midday mainline trains and night mails. a 001 hauled an overnight goods or Liner train, plus odd workings with beet specials and oil trains. At the time no Irish rtr was available locos had scratchbuilt plasticard/modified rtr bodies on American diesel chassis, goods and passenger stock was repainted British outline rtr. Going back to JHBs point on passenger train consists on the Loughrea and Ballina branches a Brake Standard coach (initially Comp-later Standard Class) with storage heaters were allocated to both branch services, so a Heating Van was not required on these services while the Brake Standard was operational, additionally 1442 a Main Line Park Royal was fitted with Storage Heaters and allocated to Ballina branch services. Ballina was allocated 1904 a 1951-3 Brake Standard and Loughrea 1910 a 1959 Laminate Brake Standard which appears to have been withdrawn at some stage before the branch closed and a single carriage and 4w Heating & Luggage Van used on the branch in its final year/s. CIE appear to have experienced reliability/riding issues with the G611 Class on the Loughrea branch in its final years. At one stage two G611 were allocated to the branch and mixed train operation abandoned, with the G Class double heading (two drivers) a goods around mid-day from Loughrea to the Junction and return, final branch trains including some beet specials (post closure) all appear to have been worked by B201 Class. Silver Fox produce a passable rtr models of 1951-3 coaching stock including Brake 3rd and Irish Freight Models once produced a Laminate Brake Standard in kit and rtr format. Silver Fox and IFM have produced quite basic models of 4w Heating & Luggage vans. While a branch terminus would take up a lot of space a small intermediate station such a Dunsandle on the Loughrea branch or Ardfert on the North Kerry are quite compact, have simple though attractive buildings and would add operational interest to a diorama on a 4' or 6' baseboard with fiddle year at either end possibly fitting within an overal length of 10-12'