Mayner

While modern diesel hydraulic railcars like the Rotems and CAFs are easy on the track, most diesel electric locos and railcars are harder on the track than a large steam loco as the traction motors are unsprung. With a 2 cylinder steam loco at high speed and rigid track there is a risk of the loco bouncing itself off the track as well as damage to the loco. Most of the track and infratructure problems on IE in the 1990s and NIR arose from a combination of running diesel electric locos and railcars at high speed on inadequately maintained track. I suppose packing and lifting and ballast cleaning is a form of preventative maintenance to prevent this sort of problem developing Ballast cleaning may be the only option where it is not feasible to raise the level of the track due to restricted clearance or at station platforms. Ballast cleaning has the advantage that it can be carried out between trains, important on a freight railway where customers would not tolerate disruption to traffic.

I have an end to end layout with a station with a small yard and loco depot. Two locos can run at a time one on the main line the other in the yard. Two hand end controllers (one Gaugemaster one home made) one to control the main line, the other to control the yard and loco depot. Blue Point Switch Machines http://www.micromark.com/blue-point-switch-machine-turnout-controller-10-pack,8537.html to control points. I use the Blue Point toggle switch rather than section switches to switch control from the yard to the main line controller. This allows trains to run from the main line to or from the yard on the one controller. The loco yard is divided into sections controlled by toggle switches mounted on the layout fascia, this allows a loco to be parked in the engine shed or the turntable track while the yard controller is in use.

They have been about from the 1940s and in widespread use in Ireland and the UK from the 1960s. The modern high output machines with self loading/unloading ballast/spoil wagons are relatively recent development to increase the amount of work that can be completed within a possession and reduce the need to run separate spoil and ballast trains as part of the ballast cleaning operation. The need for ballast cleaning is driven more by the grinding down of ballast and concrete sleepers from heavy traffic than from debris falling on the track. Coal ash is quite free draining and used for track ballast and strengthening track foundations & embankments. Traditionally engineers preferred to add more ballast & "lift and pack" track in preference to ballast cleaning which can sometimes damage track foundations by breaking the crust of compacted fill underneath the ballast. The only cure when this happens is to close the line and re-build from the formation up.

Most of the coaches built from the Mid-1950s to Bulleid's departure including some MK2 Bredins, all the Park Royals & Laminates had triangulated underframes, The idea seems to have been dropped after Bulleid's departure wagons/coaches built from the 60s onwards had conventional underframes. The solebars curve inwards in the area around the bogie pivots. David Malone a pioneering 21mm S4 modeller has built a "hooded van" with a representation of a triangulated underframe and full springing Hooded Van with Bulleid underframe photo © David Malone

Richrua. The SSM GNR SG 0-6-0 or possibly the Bandon Tank would be a better option than the J15 for a 1st etched brass loco kit. The SG is easier to build for a less experienced builder than the J15, the combination of flat running plate, slot & tab assembly and bolt together sub-assemblies simplify assembly. Being a larger loco there is room for a decent size motor in the firebox which can be a struggle with the J15 DLT RM Web thread on building Southern locos contains pretty good advice on building etched and whitemetal kits http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/2359-dlts-sr-locos-a-black-motor-for-torrington/page-24 DCC wise it would be best to try and fit a decoder in the tender or tank loco bunker rather than in the boiler as the boiler needs to be filled with weight if the loco is to pull a reasonable load. Decoder wise a 1 amp N or small HO Decoder like the Lenz Silver Mini+ or Digitrax DN136D will do the job. Lenz decoders are very good, Digitrax have the advantage of being wrapped in insulation so they are unlikely to short against anything. If there is space in the tender a TCS "Keep Alive" or Lenz UPS decoder would greatly assist reliable running over coming issues with power pick up/dirty wheels. Reliable power pick up is important with kit built locos, programming speed steps with kit built locos is not really an issue generally you pick a motor and gearbox ratio to give a realistic low top speed, generally 80:1 or 50:1 with a goods loco.

Model Hump Yard seems to work reliably Gravity shunting where grades were used to assist sorting wagons was quite common in loose coupled days. There is footage of gravity shunting at Sligo Quay in Markle Associates Irish Railway Archive series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRYOlkETWkw Watched OBB sorting containers wagons and Ammonia tank wagons by gravity in Krems about to years ago. A train from the local industries was held on a headshunt outside of the station and wagons released to run down the grade into the yard.

Narrow gauge version of ETM 567 similar machine to the IE Ballast Cleaner in operation in New Zealand.

Episode 4 Detail I prefer solder to cyanoacrylate when working with sheet metal, I usually make a hell of a mess and the stuff usually goes off in the bottle with our humid Waikato weather. Solebar overlays These are simply glued or soldered to the sole bars. The knobbly bits are used to support the handbrake shaft and fit at the end closest to the V hangers. Glue applicator and Xurco tab cutter All that's needed is a bottle of Red Wine or 10 Year old malt. I used a Microbrush applicator but the business end quickly got clogged up with half cured CA. Not sure if it would be a good idea to try and keep the applicator clean as you go with MEK or acetone. Cover slips The bodywork of MGWR non-passenger coaching stock is quite distinctive with a wagon rather than coaching stock style construction, with cover strips protecting the joints between the body framing and planked body panels. The raised cover strips are applied separately as its not feasible to represent this type of 3 layer construction with normal engraving technology. Horse Box door strapping The doors strapping is designed with a jig to help keep everything in alignment while gluing or soldering in position. The raised detail is designed to locate in place over half etched channels and lines. Body with strapping and cover slips fitted The tabs joining the strapping to the jig can be cut off with a fine nips or a sharp knife. Roof still to be fitted to the dog box section Sheetmetal work more or less complete one side

MGWR Horsebox Episode 3 the Soldering Iron Strikes Back Thanks for the comments Patrick, Kieran and Nelson. The design is nearly de-bugged nearly 12 months after preparing the initial design, its a slow process though I am a little steadier with a CAD programme than a craft knife or piercing saw. Now for the really fiddly stuff. Tie Bars Although the wheelbase was quite short 9' the MGWR used tie bars between the W irons to stiffen the underframe. One of the challenges in designing etched kits is ensuring thin components are not etched away and that holes are not too large or too small. I drilled out the outer holes in the W Irons and tie bars 0.5mm with a drill held in a pin vice. I use titanium coated drill bits for this type of work as they and survive longer than conventional HSS bits. Fitting the tie bar I used 0.45mm brass wire as pins threaded through the holes in the axleguards to hold the tie bars in position while soldering. Plenty of flux and very little solder on the soldering iron tip. Tie bars fixed in position starting to look like an underframe The really-really fiddly stuff brake yokes and pull rods Probably best left out for a layout model. I am lucky enough to have a general arrangement drawing for the MGWR meat van which has a similar design of underframe. The stretcher bars are provided for OO or 21mm gauge and the assembly designed to be removable in order to paint the underframe and fit the wheels. Yoke and stretcher bars After a false start with 0.7mm brass wire as stretchers (I could not remove the gear to paint the model after fitting the wheels) I re-designed stretcher bars are designed to slot into the yokes. Assembled brake yoke stretcher assembly ready for soldering The white slab is a heat resistant ceramic soldering mat available from Microlux in the USA. The material is soft enough to take a pin or the end of a stretcher bar. Nearly there assembled yokes with 0.7mm brass wire stretcher bar and pull rods attached The 0.7 wire is soldered to the yokes the actual pull rods will be secured in position during final assembly. Next episode Detailing

Junction Mad Calling on arms on the CIE system were re-designated "Loop Homes" following the Manulla collision in the early 1960s. My understanding is a loop home was intended to allow a train to enter a loop without stopping at the home signal, while with a calling on arm the train was required to stop at the home signal before the calling on arm could be lowered. The change in designation may also have been tied up with the conversion of crossing places on several lines from conventional Up & Down to bi-directional working in a similar manner to the ex-MGWR main line with a main running road and a loop. The RAIU a reliable source of information on CIE signalling practice and an insight on what sometimes happened in practice. http://www.raiu.ie/publications/ The report on the 1979 Arklow & Rosslare Strand collision reports make interesting contrast between custom and practice and regulation. The report into the 1955 Cahir beet train derailment is particularly interesting the station was signalled for traditional up and down working with left hand running through the platform roads rather than reversible working. The road was set for the ill fated Up beet train to run onto the Down platform road and through the stoppers into the river, as the Down Mail was blocking the up platform road taking water from the column at the Limerick end of the Station

Underframe The axleguards and brake V hangers are designed to fold up from the floor. The model can also be assembled with a compensated chassis on the 3 legged stool principal with a set of rocking w irons at one end. Axleguards folded down I reinforced the w irons with a fillet of solder along the half etched lines. Solebars & overlays Probably the trickiest part of the assembly the solebars require to be bended to an L profile before being fixed in place. Forming the solebars Gently does it! While a number of companies produce bending tools for etched parts, I have found an engineers square and a small vice with smooth jaws to be the most effective. I basically clamp the work piece in the jaws of the vice and gradually make the fold using the square or a piece of hardwood stripwood. Inner solebars soldered in place.

Until fairly recently high quality scratch built models were often to a higher standard than ready to run models or kits. Richie appears to have mastered the art of building highly detailed models in plasticard, and combined it with subtle choice of colours/weathering. The level of detail such as brake rigging, highly detailed spring dampers and pipework are usually only found on a high end rtr model or a loco commissioned from a professional model maker.

Claremorris was probably the last major mechanical re-signalling scheme carried out by the GSR when the new Central Cabin was opened in the 1940s. The Central cabin replaced the East & West Junction Cabins (or was it North & South), the Ballinrobe Branch Cabin and Yard Ground Frame. Further alterations were carried out in the 1950s when the loco shed between the down mainline and Ballinrobe branch platforms was demolished and the loco shed road extended to connect with the Tuam Line. This allowed trains to or from the Tuam direction to run into the new Platform 3 while the two Mayo Line platforms were occupied. The early 50s alterations appear to have used up all the spare levers in the frame resulting in the use of 'economical" point locks on the crossovers opposite the signal cabin and the paired arrangements for operating some of the ground signals. The signals marked AR were most likely fitted with a repeater to indicate whether the signal lamp was working or not. The signals marked AR controlled exit and entry from the single line sections and it would have been difficult if not impossible for the signalman to observe the state of the lamps from the cabin, given the considerable distance of the signals from the cabin and the way the main line curves away at the East & West ends of the layout. Up to the Manulla collision in the early 1960s "calling-on" arms were fitted to home signals (mother and child signal) to control movements into a station when the Main Line into the next section was blocked and the Home signal at danger. If the station was blocked the (mother) signal was held at danger and the calling on arm (child signal) only lowered when an approaching train came to a complete stop. An AEC railcar set was blocked outside of Manulla as a C Class shunted the Night Mail. The signal man forgot to return the "calling on arm" to danger after a shut, seeing the calling-on arm in the off position the driver of the passenger ran into the loop and collided with the mail. The rule book was re-written after the accident and the 'calling on arms" on CIE re-designated "loop homes", the home signal reading to the main-line. This was ok at stations where bracket signals were at equal height but could be confusing to a driver if the loop was on the right hand side of the running line

I finally got around to a test build of the revised MGWR Horsebox. The ammendments were mainly to simplify the assembly of the brake gear and beef up the strapping detail on the horsebox doors so that it was not completely etched away in the engraving process. Main body/chassis components I was always fascinated by some of the early etched kits that were supposed to fold up from one piece of brass, something that did not really work with single sided engraving. First task to emboss the boltheads at floor level. I use a riveting tool otherwise a centre punch or scriber will do the job. Second task fold up the sides using an engineers square to make sure it folds along the line and the floor stays flat. Check that the fold is at 90 Fold up the headstocks on the ends Step Four fit the ends in place between the sides and solder in position The ends locate into a half etched rebate in the sides, its simplest to solder the bottom section of the bonnet (dog box) end in place before bending the end to shape. View of soldered joints I generally use Carrs 145 (detailing solder) or 179 (sheet metal) solder with Carrs Red Label flux. For these joints I used a 50watt temperature controlled iron and 179 solder. The 50watt iron has enough reserve of heat to form a neat filleted joint. Soldering completed at the dog box end. Approx. 45 minutes work, horse box body assembled Next episode will cover chassis assembly

Chinese like the Irish business men or politicians do not like to admit they cocked up. Asian culture is all about saving face or preserving mana. Things are usually sorted out by offering the client a discount on the next order or offering a free replacement like in the case of the 1st batch of Heljan Clayton diesel chassis or Bachmann lifetime warranty. Kiwirail had numerous problems with its Chinese built diesel locos but CNR continue to honour their warranty commitments. MM was probably required to pay in advance before the manufacturer ran the production version.

Victoria Railways 5'3" Walker diesel railmotor in service in 2013. Appearance wise the railcar seems to be a cross between GNR(I) railcars E&F and the final CDR railcars 19 & 20. I wonder does anyone do a Gardner sound decoder

Nearly everything you wanted to know about points/switches Network Rail video on switch and crossing work The section on detection and facing point locks from 5:10 onwards. The locking mechanism is usually built into the switch machine with power operated points.

The old style facing lock covers seem to have been phased out in Ireland & the UK in the 60-70s. They may have been removed to simplify inspection and maintenance. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63942-facing-point-lock/ The "Economic Locks" were the lock and point was operated by the same lever were used mainly when additional facing point locks were required when no spare lever was available within a lever frame. Wills Kits OO Point Rodding Kit SS89 seems to be a good way of adding this feature to a layout http://www.anticsonline.co.uk/2137_1_1234353.html

I managed to find the order for the Chassis. Hard to believe that it was Jan 2010 Bull Ant Major, wheels 12mm dia, Code 110 NS disc, MH-1630 motor, 30:1 gear reduction, 26 mm batwing mounting bolster, 2 fixed soldered to chassis, wheelbase 20+32mm

Rather than hi-jack Richies E-Class thread I thought it would be better to run a separate thread on Bull-Ant power bogies/chassis. Hollywood Foundry produce custom Bull-Ant chassis in various gauges from 009 to S mainly for tram and traction modellers and some of the weird and wonderful rail-borne critters used in the American backwoods, Australian and New Zealand bush. I built an E Class several years ago using a Shapeways body and a Bull-Ant chassis as few rtr motor bogies or chassis had good enough low speed performance. Bull Ant Major for E421 Class In ordering a Bull Ant the buyer specifies the wheelbase and gauge, in my case 21mm to NMRA RP25 standards. I am not sure where the decoder came from possibly an ESU bought at an exhibition in Germany over 10 years ago. The business end showing the reduction gearing to the lay shaft. Hollywood Foundry now offer an option of rubber band drive for quieter running. Body mounting is with a butterfly bracket arrangement, in this case with a rigid as opposed to the usual pivot fixing. I added .060" plasticard packing pieces to the inside of the body and bolted the chassis to the packing pieces with 10BA bolts. E421 needs some repairs as I managed to drop the loco breaking of the buffers at one end and one of the butterfly plates. The loco also needs couplings & glazing and could badly do with some toning down.

If you order directly Hollywood Foundry & Steam Era Models (Black Beetle) will supply a rtr 21mm gauge chassis/motor bogie to order. I have a 21mm gauge E421 with Shapeways body on a Hollywood Foundry chassis & have used 21mm Black Beetle bogies to motorise a railcar.

Really atmospheric stuff at Heuston. Contradicts the view that modern infrastructure and stock are boring

While its disappointing to see that there is no provision for a second platform, rationalisation and re-signalling at Waterford was long over due. Its good to see what looks like new material used in the track work. The loop opposite the main platform was more or less redundant once Dublin-Waterford passenger trains went over to push-pull or railcar operation. Freight trains can now run to Belview without the expense of having to open Waterford Station Cabin, hopefully the level crossing at Abbey Junction is now un-manned. The biggest risk to freight is IE, Kilkenny County Council & Waterford Ports failure to grasp the nettle and eliminate the road transfers between Sallypark yard and the Coillte/Louisanna Pacific plant. This would reduce traffic congestion in the Ferrybank area and release most of the present goods yard for re-development High fares and slow journey time seems to be the biggest threat to Waterford-Limerick line passenger services. (25.65 Eu quoted each way!)

Excellent job Richie your models really captures the distinctive character of these locos.

As long as I remember there always seems to have been the view that the modern scene was boring and most enthusiasts spoke longingly about the trains that they grew up with whether it was the pre-grouping companies, the Amalgmation era, the Nationalised era of the 50s & 60s or the more modern eras. In the late 1970s I set out to model the contemporary CIE scene, the layout became historic the minute I started laying track and modifying rolling stock. The clock stopped some time around 1978 loose coupled goods & Newspaper trains continued to run although they were phased out on CIE, 071s and a/c stock failed to appear on the main line trains. In 10-15 years time todays generation of teenage enthusiasts are more likely to model the trains they grew up with and 1st travelled on than the current scene or as seen through the rose tinted glasses of their parents generation.