Mayner

Inspirational stuff David although the larger scales are easier to work in, detailing takes 2-3 longer than 4mm because there is so much more that can be seen/modelled.

I had fun and game trying to get an acceptable finish with the silver initially tried an automotive aerosol before trying a Tayiama flat silver enamel with much better results.

Starting to look the part luggage van.

SSM did a custom sheet of red numerals and letters for the silver vans.

Flotilla of black & tan vans nearly ready for launch. Finishing these though a lot longer than expected mainly due to extremely humid conditions, in the evenings masking tape would not remain stuck to the model let alone paint .

Decided on a SSM Inspection Car for a quick an simple project I could complete, also had a 35mm Blackbeetle out of a G Class. Swapped around the Lomac wheels for the 3' wheels supplied with the bogie.

Could not resist the idea of a detailed interior with those deck chair seats, for a jaunt to size up the state of the track. Not sure if it was my Beetle the bogie was not symmetrical had to trim off a piece of the end of the gearbox at one end and cut off the pivot pin and raised boss in the centre. Its important to do a trial fit with the floor and power bogie to get the model to sit at the right height.

As a late Christmas present I treated myself to a portable spray booth does a great job.

To reduce paint build up inside the booth I line the base and sides with kraft paper,.

The great Dunleer cigarette robbery. Dunleer was briefly re-opened to freight for a couple of hours in the 90s when a gang literally hjacked a 40' container of cigarettes off the afternoon Dundalk-North Wall Liner. Duneer station was a secluded spot, robbers used a mobile crane to do the lift empty container found a couple of days later.

The Great Train Robbery video I interesting just before the BR corporate image era, the train appears to have been placed on the Aylesbury branch at Cheddington next station south for examination after the robbery hence weed grown trackwork

Wow! Martello Towers and Hibernia 11/10 for originality!

Personally I think using a Spud presumably to keep the cost down really lets down the model. The Spud is a nice bogie for running around at high speed, a Black Beetle particulary the 25:1 would have been a better option for a shunter.

Mike Edge prepared the master for the DC Kits G Class, I am not sure if the Silver Fox G is basically a rtr version of the DC Kits loco. Going back to the B101s the engine room windows were clear I spent half an hour inside the engine room of 106 sheltering from a downpour during an IRRS visit to Inchacore Works The Birmingham Sulzers had spacious engine rooms there was room for about 10 people around the engine and generator.

My Honda CRV is just about eligible to vote, 200k on the clock and still going strong.

Might be worth listing the items on E-Bay or the RM Web classified, there still seems to be a lot of interest in old whitemetal kits in the UK. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70333-what-have-you-done-with-your-keyser-kit/page-9

The steam tram, panniers and trams should be snapped up.

Airfix body and Kemilway Chassis is probably for the Standard Class 4 2-6-0 may be more difficult to shift as Bachmann have released a nice rtr version of this loco.

Funnily enough the group that built the Malahide & Dromin Junction layout in the late 60s whittled down oversized broom handles for their cement bubbles.

Eamonn I like your drive for the inspection car, not sure if its still available Branchlines did very nice compact gearbox that would take the hassle out of meshing the gears and wear would be less critical on those un-brushed bearings. Setting up power pickups would be fairly difficult so a Blackbeetle may be the best solution

Interesting stuff John. Would the Lyttelton - Christchurch line be one of the first to be laid down in the south island? 5' 3" is good on straight runs, probably not such a good idea up in the mountains, winding it's way thru river valleys and around rocky bluffs. Looking forward to finally having something to run those DX's on

 

Thanks for all the positive comments lads. This project took a while but was well worth it. I have a real softspot for rail infrastructure, probably because I spent time as one of the "Thedolite Boys" when I was overseas. I find the things facinating. Hope to have more developments soon with the other viaduct (modern concrete arch). The Kibri stuff really is nice to work with. The Arched girder bridge had parts missing when I first bought it. A quick email to Germany and the problem got sorted... free of charge. Cheers,

Tom.

Originally each province was more or less a law onto itself until the Colonial Government intervened in the 1870s, most of the early lines were in the South Island linking the local port with the hinterland.

I think the first line was in Southland Standard Gauge weird Crampton locos and wooden rails. The Canterbury Provincial Government built North and South from Christchurch and built about 80 miles of 5'3" before the Provincial Goverments were abolished in the1870s. The track was re-gauged and locos and stock exported to South Australia. A couple of years ago I came across a siding laid in the old Canterbury Provincial Government double headed rail & chairs a p.w. mans equivalent of finding the lost arc

The frugal Scottish settlers in Otago went for the new 3'6" gauge with Fairlie loco, one class were 0-6-4 back tanks complete with Inchacore style cab, bunker and outside framed trailing bogie.

Brilliant, the germans on the Fermoy platform are borderline Pythonesque.

Nothing compared with yer-man who turned up in Anasaul during the Emergency and asked the local Garda "ven is der next train to Dralee?

I'didnt do nuttin Mister!

Got to hand it to Richie bringing the North Inner City to life.

All you need is an RTE camera crew interviewing the local "community activists"or the late great Tony Gregory

Great looking uncluttered railway room & viaduct Interestingly the Lyttleton-Christchurch line was originally built to the Irish 5'3" gauge. I suppose you could end up with pairs of 141s working the coalies to an from t ort while the DXBs are serviced and re-fuelled at Middleton Yard.

Beales hill is perfect.....love the leafy Walk up there!! Class stuff...

 

G

Used to be one of my favourite spots watching a B141 and a couple of laminates threading its way across from Glanmire Road onto the old Cork & Youghal formation.

Really captures the atmosphere of the area.

The W&H was a bit like Walthers in the States both a manufacturer and distributor the catalogue listed most of the kits and bits available in the UK. The catalogue used to be available from both Southern Model Railways & Monch Place. Kieran McGowan used to get a bit of free advertising by stamping everything sold from Monch Place

Looks suspiciously like Mallow beet factory sidings.

Id say the sergeant is a Roscommon man held back from promotion for 30 years after summoning the Commissioner & Minister of Justiceor after hours drinking.

By right should also have an Inspector from the HSA & someone from the RSC and a gaggle of Senior Civil Servants arguing over Jurisdiction. Always happens in cases like this

Tralee Mail Train GSWR 6 wheeler in black and tan, tin and bogie vans in green & silver

First couple of sets brought in RTR from the UK in 93, floor, bodyside and roof jigs supplied by BREL and remaining main line and push-pull sets built at Inchacore. I think the coach body shells were basically scratchbuilt at Inchacore with bogies and other fittings supplied in kit form.

It hardly seems 30 years since the MK3 were introduced.

1st batch under construction September 84

171 under overhaul at Shildon Restoration

I like the sack barrow in GNR Blue.

At a guess, it might bend rails out of alignment and /or stress rail fastenings if crane moved under load?

Apparently allowed on the Continent probably ok for lifting along the centre line of the crane, but don't attempt to slew unless the outriggers are fully extended otherwise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz22Wty5Rks.

If it clipped I would imagine a steam railway crane would take the track panel with it if it overturned. It doesn't take much in the way of lad to overturn, usually an outrigger that's not fully extended or blocked.

I would imagine the "silver" livery was inspired by American streamliners with stainless steel stock, like the black and tan of the 1960s & current greens CIE was trying to make a brake from the negative pubic image of the old railway with dirty clapped out locos and rolling stock.

Its interesting that the factory paint finish on the Metrovicks & BRCW Sulzers seem to have got into a worse state than the Inchacore built coaching stock.

I have tried to finish a couple of vans in the 1950s silver livery. The coaches livery was described as unpainted aluminium probably aluminium with a clear protective lacquer.

The heating van was the original study model for the kit complete with 3D battery box and gangways. I used a bright aluminium automotive aerosol the finish is reasonable despite a few false starts. Looking at Des Cockham's Irish Broad Gauge Carriages the vans seem to have been an in all over silver when introduced into service .

The weathering on the heating van should be interesting the combination of rain, boiler exhaust, diesel and muck thrown up from the track, the luggage vans do not appear to have got as bad as the heating vans.

Lenz seem to have been the first to come up with their USP System which uses a capacitor to get around problems with poor power pick up dirty track

I have fitted a Bachmann large scale 2-6-0 & a rail truck with USP decoders. They will both run faultlessly outdoors even when other locos are running erratically or have stopped when the rail becomes tarnished in humid conditions.

The capacitor has other benefits the most noticeable I have never had to clean the wheels on the 2-6-0 and the plating on the tyres is still good after 4 years the plating is completely eroded on my other Bachmann large scale locos.

The trick with reversing on the sheet of paper works, you have to learn to drive the 2-6-0 takes about 10" to stop from full speed when it runs onto a dead section & the capacitor will stay charged and the loco is controllable with only one rail connected to the power.