Mayner

I experimented with 3D printing for things like buffers, battery boxes and fuel tanks for the tin vans in Shapeways FUD.

A high proportion of railway modelers produce the initial 3D model using the free basic version of sketchup or Autodesk 123D then upload the files to Shapeways who will produce a 3D render of your model and a quote for producing a model. Professional 3D modellers like B 1 Lancer & Neil Ward http://shpws.me/ONou have the advantage of high end professional design software like Solid Works

Its definitely worth while having a play with Sketchup and uploading the results to Shapeways to get a feel for the 3D design and additive manufacturing process and the pros & cons of the whole process.

Yes poorly applied static grass for the CMRC 1 gauge roof top layout I guess

Quite a bit of change since visited Cobh by train in the mid 70s. The branch had quite an air of decay more in common with BR suburban and branch lines than CIE. The station building and Up Platform area was in use as a depot in connection with the Kinsale gas field, the up platform road and release road had been recently lifted and builders were building a concrete block wall between the depot and operating railway. The goods yard was still in use for block trains of scrap (mainly cars) in loose coupled corrugated opens, the carriage shed (Garda Station) was full of departmental coaches . A couple of years later the coaches had gone and the shed used to store empty open wagons. Off peak passenger services seemed to have been an hourly service with a B141 & 2-3 coaches with an extra train set during the morning an evening rush hour.

Had a very exciting run over the line behind a 001 with 2 coaches in the mid 80s before the NIR railcars took over. Despite or maybe because of the 50mph line limit acceleration and the sound was phenomenal as the loco accelerated its featherweight train away from each intermediate stop.

Maybe there is a case for Cork City Council to follow the example of Dunedin in New Zealand and establish a joint venture with IE & the RPSI to operate a shuttle service for cruise ship passengers between Cobh and Cork and excursions to Killarney.

Dunedin bought a section of the closed Otago Central line from NZR in the late 1980s and set up a joint venture to operate the line as a commercial operation (not a heritage railway! )with a local enthusiasts group http://www.dunedinrailways.co.nz/our_company.

Not as spectacular but an interesting parallel of what might have happened had Cork City or County Council had bought the Youghal Branch from CIE during the same era.

I started studying the Triang-Hornby catalogue and picked out my 1st proper trainset a Triang-Hornby South African Goods in Terrys Toy Shop Henry Street when I was 12. During the summer holidays I explored the shops that stocked model railways eventually wearing a track through the city centre between Leeson Street and Monck place.

Besides toy and hobby shops some bicycle/radio/tv shops stocked model railways including Mc Hugh Himself in Talbot Street, a radio/tv shop on Mary Street opposite the Jervis Centre, I came across a treasure trove of old Tri-ang track and accessories including Block Instruments in a shop at the corner of Grafton Street and St Stephens Green.

My horizons widened as I got a bit older to include the Model Shop in Rathfarnham Shopping Centre and occasional visits to George Hannan's shop in Malahide. The shop in the Rathfarnham Shopping Centre was managed by John Byrne who commissioned the first Irish Lima rtr models. Declan Lonegan a talented modeler and former Secretary of the MRSI assisted in the Rathfarnham shop on Saturday afternoons, was very helpful and some times brought along models assembled from whitemetal kits including a GEM LNWR Jumbo 2-4-0

George Hannan was an accomplished Narrow Gauge modeler and artist, who's model of Killybegs was featured in the Railway Modeller during the early 60s also built a 009 rabbit layout with scratch built models of Welsh Narrow Gauge locos and stock.

I went through much the same experience though I had deeper pockets when I moved to the UK in the mid-80 often spending my weekends for the first couple of years visiting model shops and exhibitions in London and the South East.

May be of some interest

 

 

The trailer coach looks like a K15 3rd Class. SSM do a complete kit for these coaches, Worsley Works have the option of a set of scratch builders parts or sides only to fit a rtr body. Interesting the note about the coach being panneled in Tempered Masonite (compressed cardboard) on timber framing which contributed to the short life of post WW11 GNR coaches compared to similar NCC/UTA & CIE stock

Good news Kiwirail expects to re-open the line for through freight services "within weeks" approx 4 Months ahead of schedule with two overnight freights between Picton & Wellington 50% of the normal scheduled service. Its planned to run at night to avoid conflict with the earthquake recovery work, railway also expects to carry construction material for the re-build

ttps://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/national/95374850/South-Island-rail-line-could-open-for-freight-within-the-month

Some working signals may have been retained at Abbey Junction to protect the Wharf Level crossing. The line from Waterford to Snow Hill Tunnel was converted to track circuit block working in connection with the opening of the Belview terminal about 20 years ago, Abbey Junction cabin was retained to control the signals protecting the Wharf level crossing.

I am not sure if automatic intermediate signals were provided to allow trains to follow each other through the section from Waterford to Belview

I think Status Quo is building a GNR600 Class AEC railcar set. Both the railcars and later coaches were assembled using parts supplied by Park Royal.

Photos seem to be official GNR or Park Royal not sure where I got them

Hi John

 

Lovely stuff, that looks like a very complex loco in the previous post- a lot of electronic

 

Eoin

The installation is pretty much the standard for large scale battery radio remote control there is no direct equivalent for the DCC mobile decoder and power chip.

On the plus side running is very reliable as there is no problem with poor pick up and the locos have good momentum because of weight.

The battery control adds another element of realism, to make sure that a loco has enough fuel (charge) to get back to the shed at the end of a days operation.

More large scale stuff but slowly clearing the backlog and may get around to some small scale Irish modelling. But 1st some un-scheduled maintenance when I took K27 464 out of service to fit a new sound system.

The leading truck or pilot disintegrated possibly as a result of the loco riding over a nut or other obstruction on the track.

Replacement trucks are no longer available so it was a case of fabricating a new truck using KS brass bar and slab.

The rectangular side frames were cut roughly with a hacksaw taped together with double sided tape, then milled and bored to final shape with the trusty Unimat SL set up as a milling machine.

The keyhole shaped piece was cut out using a fine toothed blade in a piercing saw. The truck bolted together with 10BA bolts then soldered with a cheap 60 watt soldering iron Carrs 179 degree solder and phosphoric flux

I prepared and blackened the truck using Carrs Metal Surface Conditioner & Carrs Metal Black rinsing well between each application.

I will spray the truck black once I have burnished the metal finish, and then seal the surface with Testors Clear Coat. This should hopefully reduce the risk of seeing bare metal in areas where paint is likely to chip off.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Alps

 

I wonder how many people have booked accommodation in New Zealand, thinking they were going to Italy?

Nothing compared with some people confusing Austria with Australia http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/australia-is-confused-with-austria-way-too-often-for-anyones-liking/news-story/b0fed3bbad0192e20a434d981437b2df

The 17 AK panoramic coaches used on Kiwirail long distance passenger trains are based on Swiss Rhaetain Bahn stock, the observation cars and generator vans are based on converted goods brake van which gives the trains a disjointed look.

Passenger stock is sometimes added to the consists of freights for non-revenue moves between depots and works or press and vips for the opening of new freight services and terminals

Video of trains in the foothills of the Southern Alps in the Springfield area. Winter struck in earnest during the past two weeks with heavy snow fall blocking mountain passes in the Southern Alps and roads across the Desert Plateau in the North Island. I guess the photographer would have needed snow chains to go any further west.

The Railway Roundabout film would have been fairly typical of the West and areas with small family farms.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geuu47Rr35U

Smaller cars and 22 axle trucks would have been pretty much the norm from the mid 1930s . Edward (donkey) was cheap to run for bringing milk to the creamry for small dairy farmers and bringing home turf from the bog, getting into places a tractor or horse could not go. Smaller cars such as the Ford Anglia, or VW Beetle often replaced the donkey for bringing milk to the dairy or transporting calves, sheep or pigs to the farm or mart. Oddly Ford or GM don't seem to have developed a Ute (Austraian/NZ farmers car/pick up truck) for the Irish Market

The economy took off with the more open economic policies of the 1960, the more prosperous farmer would aspire more to a Mercedes than a Ford or Volkswagen.

Fayles Bulletin recorded 15 ex MGWR locos on shed in Athlone including 4 members of the Class 531,532,533 & 535 on a mid-week day excursion to Athlone in September 1937.

533 the last of the class to remain in service (1953) seems to have worked in the Galway area and the Loughrea Branch there is a LGRP photo of her on shed in Galway and a JP O'Dea photo of her opposite the signal cabin possibly in CIE days.

The Achill Bogies were originally built as D Class 2-4-0s in 1880 and rebuilt into 4-4-0s after 20 years service. The 4-4-0s had smaller cylinders and were not as powerful than the K Class 2-4-0s (GSR G2) introduced in the 1890s.

531,534 & 535 were later rebuilt with superheated boilers and larger cylinders which theoretically would have brought the locos into line with the 2-4-0s in terms of tractive effort. The closing of branches and less frequent passenger services during and after the emergency would have pretty much made the Achill Bogies redundant. The G2s were preferred to the larger MGWR D6 & 7 4-4-0s for passenger services on the Mayo & Sligo roads having a reputation of being being steadier at speed and easier on the track than the larger locos

I love the one at Westport.......he's pulling into the Achill platform.

 

I wonder is that a D16 - if it is, the film is earlier than 1940 (1937 at least). It could be a G2 coming to the end of a journey if it's 1940 or more. I can't make it out too clearly.

 

The colour clip shows a carriage in (very heavily weathered!) GSR maroon. Paint was comparatively expensive then and many carriages in secondary use and most wagons rarely saw a lick of paint.

 

Who was the priest who filmed it, I wonder? Does he have any other material?

The film at Westport is likely to be in late GSR days, the loco is a 2-4-0 she still has laminated springs above the leading axle rather that the volute springs fitted to the class in CIE days, an Achill Bogie is hiding behind the station sign at Manulla Junction.

I wonder was the train departing Claremorris the Limerick-Sligo train, the coach panelling looks GSWR in style and the WLWR line continued/s to be operated as a GSWR branch in Midland territory right up to the ending of passenger services with Limerick responsible for supplying locos and stock.

In GSR & CIE days pre-amalgamation locos stuck pretty much to their territory with few exceptions. GSWR & Midland locos replacing withdrawn DSER locos on the South Eastern, a Midland Cattle Engine & Standard Goods on long term loan to Waterford. Occasional trails of ex Midland D6&7 4-4-0s on Kingsbridge-Nenagh-Limerick trains and GSWR D4s on the Sligo Road

Midland locos sometimes worked ballast trains over the Burma Road from Lecarrow to stations on the Sligo Road as an alternative to Athlone-Mullingar

I

Interesting to see the traffic is mostly in box cars rather than covered hoppers which is pretty much the staple in grain growing area of the mid-West. A lot of the duplicate traffic that was spun off by the Class 1 was bought by the State or City Government (to maintain rail connections to local industries) and the operation contracted out to a shortline operator.

The Norfolk & Western absorbed the Nickel Plate and Wabash which served much the same area during the 1960s and used the best bits of the two systems to form a link from the East Coast to Chicago and St Louis.(The West). The whole dynamic in the North East change with the break up of Conrail between Norfolk Southern & CSX about 20 years ago resulting in both companies operating competing New York-Chicago routes a condition that hadn't existed since the mid 1960s.

Starting to look better, thank goodness! Would be nice to see pictures of some of these. No mention of any other 36.75mm gauge though. Surely I can't be in a group of one?

You are not alone David!!! I am becoming more and more tempted to try 7mm 36.75mm gauge a bit easier to see than N or OO and easier on the pocket than 1:20.3.

Dave Walkers, 36.75mm gauge Killanney a medium sized WLWR/MGWR junction terminus had a colour feature in the Oct 1985 Modeller.

I saw the layout at the Chatham show about 25 years ago and may have slides or photos somewhere.

The layout was inspired by and shared locos and rolling stock with Castle Rackrent, Daves own stock included some very fine looking WLWR locos with plenty of brasswork in lined crimson lake and a MGWR small tank in lined light green & a 101 Class in lined GSWR green.

Killanney, Castle Rackrent and Paul Greenes S Scale layout are certainly an inspiration to model the pre-WW1 era when the railways were at their xenith, the WLWR may have been poor but the lined crimson lake livery exceptional and the locos and stock of plain outline and simple to model compared with the GSWR & Midland.

Harry Mulhollands Knockmore Junction featured in April 2004 British Railway Modelling Irish supplement is likely to be O gauge, Harry's GNR locos regularly appeared at the Bangor exhibition.

Going back to 21mm gauge

Tim Cramer (Cork) once built a layout in 21mm gauge before moving up to O gauge, Tim regularly published articles on Irish Modelling and drawings or locos and stock in the Railway Modeller, Model Railway Constructor and Model Railway in the 1970s & 80s and he has also been the driving force behind many of The Tyrconnel/Alphagraphix 7mm gauge loco and rolling stock kits hence the heavy West Cork focus.

Dublin modellers Brian Fennell and Jim Maguire built most of the locos and stock used on the MRSI Loughrea layout including several TMD/SSM kits and scratch built models.

Brian acquired Tim Cramers Bandon Tank, another modeller Paddy Thormley a scratch built GNR JT built by a professional modeler Harry Connaghton.

David Malone Surrey 4mm S4 Cliffony based on Dromad

Alan Edgar (De Selby RM Web Cambridgeshire 4mm S4 kit and scratch built locos including models of GNR (I) Vs, S & U, NCC Mogul & Whippet

Steve Johnston Warwick 4mm 21mm EM standards CIE Supertrain era

Test fitting the masters for the spring and damper assembly for the 22'6" & 20' Steel floored flats. Should be going off to the investment casters for the 1st stage of the casting process along with the 650 Class masters next week

Close up spring patterns skeletal and steel floored flats.

Axlebox, buffer and vac brake castings by MJT.

The steel floor flats will be available in sets of 3 with OO Gauge wheels from late 2017

The skeletal in the 1st quarter of 2018.

Price to be confirmed.

That is a work on an absolutely amazing scale.

 

How often gave things of that magnitude happened in the past?

Quite regularly being on the joint between the Australian & Pacific tectonic plates. Our engineers are fairly adept at re-building roads and railways after earthquake damage and wash outs following Cyclones.

Like California several of our major cities including the capital Wellington are on fault line, Auckland is built on a volcanic plain the 1931 Napier earthquake has been the worst in terms of loss of life, Christchurch was somewhat unexpected as there were no obvious fault lines in the area.

One of the disappointing things has been the poor performance of so called earthquake proof buildings in Christchurch and Wellington following recent earthquakes

Apart from knocking out SH1 and the railway, the earthquake also knocked out Wellington container port, this has resulted in the diversion of Auckland-Christchurch (645 miles rail + 4hr train ferry) to coastal shipping and an even bigger hole in Kiwirails bottom line.

Like CIE in the early 60s Kiwirail is expected to stand on its own two feet without financial support after a once off Government investment of $1B in a Turn Round Plan, the railway efforts to break even continue to be frustrated by natural disasters (washouts-earthquakes-fires) and falling prices for commodities like coking coal and milk powder that make up a high proportion of rail traffic.

The Government decision to repair the Main-Line North may reflect a change in Government policy compared to recent years where a number of lines were mothballed following de-railment damage or washouts.

I have been a great fan of Richard Chown's work ever since Castle Rackrent 1st appeared in the Railway Modeller over 40 years ago, I once saw the original layout at an exhibition somewhere in Angus.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the layout, it is unusual by British standards having regular operating sessions and a crew of operators who ran a timetabled service or sequence of passenger, mail and goods trains through several stations from Castlerackrent to Port Láirge (the fiddle yard).Most of the buildings structures and track layouts are based on the North Kerry with the principal intermediate station Moygraney and interloper from Kiltimagh on the WLWR northern extension.

The whole succession business is becoming a minefield with a generation of modellers' passing on and fewer people remaining who share the same interest together with a considerable duplication of historical material that becomes a burden to the beneficary.

The age profile of our local modelling group is getting older with the problem of dismantling layouts and disposing of a lifetimes collections of model railways, books and documents as people pass away.

A significant milestone in reinstating the Main Line North between Christchurch and the Picton ferry terminal leaving 10km to reinstate

First train across the Clarence River Bridge since last Novembers Quake https://www.facebook.com/pg/KiwiRailNewZealand/posts/?ref=page_internal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFEBag6XkUw

Don't ask me to do the math, but there are several stories of couplings breaking and loose coupled trains running away in McArnolds "Golden Years of the GNR" and David Smiths "Tales of the G&SWR (Scotland) & the Little Railways of South West Scotland. The usual cause was a coupler breaking as the loco suddenly took in the slack while climbing out of a dip at the bottom of a long grade. One of the guards main jobs was to apply the handbrake on the van to keep the couplers stretched out while going downhill and avoid this happening.

The usual procedure when this happened seems to have been for the loco crew to put on steam to get as far ahead of the runaway as possible in the hope the train would come to rest in the bottom of a dip.

On CIE there are well documented stories of brakes failing on Woolwich including the Cahir Disaster and a near miss on the Midland between Clonsilla& Liffey Junction a distance of 5 miles where the crew managed to stop the train using the tender and van hand brakes short of the Junction for the Liffey Branch otherwise it was next stop Holyhead! as they would have no chance of bringing a train under control on the Liffey Branch or Broadstone lines

The JM Design MGWR K Class 2-4-0 is based on the post 1916 rebuild when the majority of the class lost the upswept Attock "fly-away" cab and received more conventional smokebox doors and injector pipework.

Great pics on that link. Thanks for posting. Pretty much what I remember before boring liners and fitted bogie freight arrived.

 

 

 

Would the guard in the brake van not have applied the brake stopping the uncontrolled run back of the rear half of the train?

A 20 or 30t van would not have had snowballs chance in hell of stopping a heavy train once the coupling broke and the train started to roll back down the 1:70? gullet.

The late 1960s was an interesting period with conventional (usually unfitted) wagons and vans running in mixed consists with recently introduced flats carrying ISO containers, palletised fertiliser and Guinness traffic, or bulk cement wagons.

Brian Flannigans Flickr site has a good collection of photos of typical goods stock mainly in the Tralee area. Dublin-Tralee goods services were the last to go over to Liner (unit train) operation when loose coupled services ended in 1978 when a coupling broke on the last scheduled loose coupled goods out of Heuston Goods as the train climbed the Gullet to Inchacore and the wagons ran back into the station