Mayner

Things could get interesting I have the patterns & castings for the MGWR one just need to draw the artwork.

The current batch of vans are basically all sold out with a number on back order for a second batch due April-May. I had few false starts but the rtr vans are going through the shops and should be complete in the next 2-3 weeks.

I have lot to answer for: Might have to send some horse box diagrams.

Amazing detail I especially like the railbus and the whole scenic composition. Four weeks to build a railcar your work rate and standard never ceases to amaze me.

Have to agree not enough Midland Nice model Richie now you will have to build a rake of the Spanish hopper wagons that were used in the Broadstone loco coal train:banana: . I dug out a copy of Padraig O'Cuimin's IRRS paper on MGWR Wagon Stock. Standard colour for MGWR wagons. dark slate gray. Loco & Traffic coal wagons black . PWD wagons sand-beige (Yellow), Passenger Train Vans brown, Brake Vans "generally brown" 1874 type mid-green 1923-24. Open wagons also started to appear in grey in the mid-1920s. The shortie 20T brake van was a 1924 design the last of which were completed by the GSR and lasted into the late 1950s. The Parkside short LNER brake van might be a useful doner chassis and source of parts for an ex-midland van.

In the United States several railroads used reefers to prevent produce from freezing. The Bangor & Aroostook was famous for its potato traffic carried in red white and blue "State of Maine" reefers. http://www.bradfordexchange.com/products/1401255014_n-scale-bangor--aroostook-box-car.html

Most of the 20' flats had brake shoes on one side only. Shows up a bit better in the photo of the flat with the "back to back" Fertiliser swap body. The 25436 flats were similar with a steel deck

You can nearly feel the frost in the air and hear the sound of the B141 for mlles around as she works the beet special up to the tunnel.

Brilliant work David, an interesting and challenging prototype with its combination of complex curves, large windows and recessed doorways.

Yes the RSD12 basically see to have had an RS11 on body on CC trucks, shorter than an RSD15 or SD9 might be short enough or an A Class,

Some photos of the locos in GSR & CIE days. 655 Flyaway superheated MGWR condition. 664 Mid 1930s condition Leaving Bray on Commuter

The K Class were originally introduced in an emerald green livery with ornate black and white lining, in the early 1900s a number were painted in a short lived royal blue livery, the blue was replaced with a grass green from 1905, followed by lined black from 1913. Broadstone started rebuilding the locos with superheated boilers from 1918 the work continued following the amalgamation and the entire class was superheated before Broadstone closed as a railway works. The situation on the GSR in the 1920s was similar to that on the LMS with something of a power struggle between ex-GSWR & MGWR factions. In the 1920s Inchacore under Bazin was sceptical about the value of superheating with the Midland encouraged by f saving took the opposite approach superheating most of its loco fleet. This changed when an ex Midland man Morton took over and a standard range of superheated boilers was designed that could be made to fit nearly all the major ex-GSWR & Midland classes including the J15. Something I baked earlier. MGWR K Class on left canopy cab saturated boiler with short smokebox. GSR 650 Class on right Inchacore cab superheated boiler with extended smokebox Inchacore style boiler fittings Anyway back to work & a quick look at the tools of the trade so to peak.1/8” Parallel reamer for boring out brushes and axle bearings, I also have a 3/32” & 2mm for bogie and tender axles. Stainless steel tapered broaches for opening out holes for bearings and rods etc, the disc like thing is a back to back gauge for 21mm wheel sets supplied by Terry McDermott founder of TMD about 20 odd years ago, the section of threaded road with the punch is a London Road Models riveting tool which will see plenty of work later. Loco chassis with wheels temporarily set up as a test bed for the equalisers. I will probably add some weight and push/pull the chassis around to see how it behaves. I wont fit the motor or detail the chassis until I am happy with the running! Comparison of OO & 21mm gauge chassis or the dilemmas involved in building a model of an Irish steam loco in OO gauge OO Gauge chassis with frames under the smokebox wrapper wheelsets inside the firebox. Mashima 12X20 motor and High Level gearbox allows cab to be kept clear and motor to be hidden inside firebox. The wheels are Mike Sharman and were salvaged from an earlier model of a D Class in true MGWR fashion. Comparison of 101 J15 and 650 classes. The MGWR locos appear to have been a tad narrower with a slightly higher pitched boiler, the boilers on the two classes were the same diameter similar length. In real life the two classes were most likely to have crossed paths in Athenry, Claremorris and Sligo and worked trains together on the South Eastern and between Athlone and Portarlington & on the Banagher Branch. Even in CIE days the two systems were operated like separate railways with Midland & Southern engines generally kept to their own territory.

Brings back memories of Army lorries during the bus strikes and the maintenance men being vilified for bringing the country to a standstill. One of the best stories from the era was a production workers strike in a Dublin chocolate factory. A shop stewart brought the worker out on strike without telling the union head office then immediately went off on holidays to Spain. A those were the days!

I used the truck and guts from the old Athearn SD9 to motorise an MIR whitemetal A Class, really powerful loco good at demolishing wagons and buffer stops. I basically built a fame out of Ks Brass strip and brass section. I managed to shorten the Athearn drive enough to fit in an Class by re-moving one of the flywheels & used the drive from a GP35 in a MIR 141 class. I am not sure if anyone produces a HO RSD11 but has similar unequal truck centres and maybe short enough for an A Class. The Proto 2000 SD & GP drives are more up to date direct copy of the Athearn.

Hi George Looks like I wont need to do tutorial, its great to have a second set of eyes looking over the kit. I hadn't gotten around to fixing a tension lock coupler a pivoting arrangement seems to be the way to go.

The 2-4-0 was a standard passenger/mixed traffic type on the Midland from the 1870s up to the late 1950. Built the 1890s the GSR was impressed enough with the K or GSR 650 class locos to use them on DSER suburban and main line trains. The Midland had a policy of replacing or "renewing" its loco fleet every 20-25 years, the K Class were renewed in late MGWR/early GSR days with superheater boilers mainly to improve fuel economy. The appearance of the engines change dramatically, the traditional MGWR 'fly-away" cab was first replaced with a low roofed GNR style cab and later with a GSWR style cab. Upon superheating the locos received flush riveted smokeboxes, later replaced with pop riveted type in late GSR days. Information is sparse to say the least, while a GA exists for the Beyer Peacock D Class, it took approx. 20 years to un-earth a MGWR & a GSR weight diagram. Oh the K Class valve gear is said to be different in design to the D, Attock had a fundamental re-think in the 1890s and the motion in his later designs is supposed to be similar to Drummond practice. I ordered two sets of test etches to in brass build a pair of study models on in Midland & one in later GSR condition. The engraver accidentally supplied another two sets in nickel silver how could I refuse , I might as well build a pair for myself:). I intend modelling the locos in CIE condition so they can rub side sheets with AEC railcars and possibly even a B141 diesel. While the body fret is in brass the chassis is in n/s for strength. I was intending to do a how to on assembling the frame but seem to have missed out. At this stage I have fitted the fore and rear frame spacers, motion bracket and a representation of the inside cylinders. I have built a OO gauge study model with a rigid chassis and Romford Wheels, but I am trying a beam equalisation system on this loco which will be in 21mm to EM standards. Most suspension systems involve considerable modification to the chassis in fitting separate hornblocks and some form of compensation or springing system. Paul Bernstein a professional NZ modeller advocates equalisation normally with on axle fixed, in this case I an experimenting with all axles floating. I will give the chassis a trial run once I have the wheels fitted.

The tank wagons used by the oil companies were nearly all private owner and separate from railway company stock. The man exception appears to have been the 6 tank wagons built for Burmah in the early 70s. The Donegal & Swilly each had tank wagons with the railway company owning the underframe & the oil company the barrel.

Interesting photo appears to have been taken following closure of the station and the conversion of the junction points to remote operation from Balla ! There is a similar 1955 Richard Casserley photo of 2-4-0 655 arriving from Westport passenger train had grown lot longer 655 was hauling 2 bogie coaches and a 6w brake. Cabin closed signals now controlled remotely from Balla, starting signals at Castlebar end station removed, running loop converted to a siding with the main line protected by trap points

A few photos (not the best quality )of the older type of tank wagons around the Point Yard and Tuam. Irish Shell & BP Wagon East Wall Yard Mid 1990s. Charles Roberts wagon dating from late 1920s. Silver/light grey body red solebars Type A tank wagon. ESSO & MEX 202 Point Yard Mid 1980s. The MEX tanker is for Class A highly flammable traffic Petrol and has two compartments. Silver tank with horizontal orange stripe along centre of barrel. The ESSO tank wagon appears to be a fairly modern bitumen tanker the give away is the insulated body with coned ends. MEX tank wagon Tuam sister to 212 but more modern wagon possibly dating from the 1930s no tie down cables around the dome. The Joker in the pack TEXACO/CALTEX modern 1960s wagon with anchor mounted tank Light grey tank with red solebars and TEXACO lettering. A modelling challenge with the older CALTEX lettering and horizontal orange stripe grinning through. The TEXACO wagons were commandeered by CIE in the late 70s & 80s and were used on the Alexandra Road Inchacore fuel oil trains.

Interesting class of locos I came across a consist about 10 years ago on a Regional grin line well south of the 49th Parallel.

A few more I forgot: The distinction between railway owned and private becomes a bit blurred Tivoli and most of the mine sidings appear to have been railway owned maintained and shunted by company locos Tivoli: Texaco siding. Burmah Oil. Roofchrome (Pitzer Cork Harbour Board, the Harbour Board siding was an extension of the Roofchrome siding after the Quigley Magnesite workings ceased. Foynes: Esso Oil tank farm in area later used for stockpiling coal. Siding to tank farm on down side. Both closed following opening of Whitegate Refinery. Harbour siding off turntable on to pier at Western end of station. Fertiliser Factory siding (late 1950s) sharply curved extension of main running line across road and into factory at Western end of station. Premier Molasses & Avonmore grain extension of Mogul release road 1980s. Drumshanbo (C&L) Campbells store Derrenavoggey (C&L) (Arigna mines) Wolfhill Deerpark Silvermines Tara. Dublin Port: Merchants Warehousing East Wall Road Donnelly's coal yard Lr Sherriff St. City of Dublin Steam Packet Company (Sidings West side of Spencers Dock) Gouldings Fetilisers later Coal Distributers 1st siding off Alexandra Rd Tramway Irish Shell & BP Texaco ESSO Irish Bitumen Distibutors Asahi B&I R&H Hall Alexandra Basin Tara Dublin Port Common User Terminal The trend away from private sidings appears to be reversing with the like of Daventry in the UK and Dublin Port. On a smaller scale some industries still use small 0-4-0 shunters for positioning wagons for loading and making up trains for collection. The Hornby Sentinel diesel http://www.hornby.com/shop/locomotives/dcc-ready-locomotives/r3178-ncb-4wdm-0-4-0-sentinel-industrial-shunter/ would not look out of place shunting in an industrial setting from the 1960s to the present. Maybe if Dublin Port had gone for locos rather than tractors

Saw this on RM Web Rapido Trains visit to Chinese factories & talk about a British model. http://www.rapidotrains.com/blog/2014/01/07/the-twelve-days-of-china/

Hardly any private sidings in Ireland Just a few that sprang to mind Cadbury Rathmore private siding sent out a substantial until closure in the Mid 70s with a daily trip working from Mallow. Kerry County Council 1/2 mile private siding Lixnaw handled bitumen until closure o the North Kerry. Cahir Abbey Siding Tipperary County Council bitumen traffic. Webb Mill Mallow grain later bitumen. ESB Kilbarry, Ardnacrusha & Portarligton Thurles private down tailing siding at North end of station lasted until ctc disappeared behind a high stone wall! Farranfore private siding opened mid 70s serving co-operative trainload fertiliser. Waterford: Clover Meats down side Rosslare line Abbey Junction. Bell Lines Frank Cassin? Wharf Abbey Junction R H Hall Grain Elevator North Wharf. Waterford Harbour Commissioners North Warf. Belview Campile: Co-op siding New Ross: Albatross Fertiliser & Wharf siding opened mid 1960s: Athy: Tegral Blessington Dorans Pit (DBST) Jobestown: De Selby Quarry (DBST) Blessington Road: Tallagh Airfield(DBST) Enniscorthy: St Johns Siding (mill?) Rathnew: Brickworks sidings. Wicklow Junction: Fertiliser works & Veha radiators Wicklow: Harbour tramway. Portarlington Odlums Mill Portaoise Private siding up main south of station mill or feed merchants? Clara: Ranks grain mill (2 sidings bulk grain 1930s onwards) Cara: Goodbodys Jute Mill Galway: Dock Branch MGWR? Leney Brickworks Ballisodare: Pollexfen Mill 1870-1975?

Probably lack of work and difficulty/cost of getting Sentinel parts from the UK during the Emergency, in the UK the LNER withdrew their Sentinel railcars around the same time though the locos remained in service into BR days. In the UK The Sentinels seem to have been most successful in industrial use being built up to the late 50s many were converted into diesels in the 1960s by Thomas Hill. Apart from Derry and Dublin the railway companies shunted the ports Londonderry Harbour Comissioners had pair of 0-6-0 saddle tanks both now preserved, Dublin Port & Docks Board used road tractors on the Alexandra Rd Tramway The NCC, County Down & GNR shunted Belfast docks, the BCDR & GNR building special 0-6-4T with cut down cabs and boiler fittings for Belfast. The NCC & UTA used a small feet of almost steam outline Harland & Wolffe diesel shunters around the docks, in Cork the GSR & CIE used a motley collection of ex T&C loco and small industrial locos to reach parts the ex West Cork, GSWR & Midland tanks could not reach.