Mayner

Great photo fairly typical of the Mid 1950s when older GSR & GSWR corridor composites replaced 6w stock on the feeder branches with passenger services in the Midlands & South West. The bogie coaches were probably displaced from the main lines by newly introduced Park Royals and Laminates, but a 6w rake 3rd was normally retained for the guard and parcels. CIE introduced C Class diesels on the Baltimore, Birr & Clonakilty lines & fitted some early GSR Composites with electric heating driven off an alternator. This did not work out and some Cs were modified with jumper sockets to provide electric train heating to these coaches. Kenmare, Ballinrobe and Ballaghaderreen were steam worked to the end, Loughrea went over to G Class operation with a modified 1959 Laminate Brake Composite.

I dusted off a few coaches mainly to try and finish off some unfinished jobs. Still need couplers steam vacuum pipes Bredin Composite late 1950s green livery The coach is one of three built from TMD now SSM Kits, this coach was the last to be completed and definitely a Friday afternoon or Monday morning job. I decided to finish the ventilators in chrome and lost one during the final assembly , the roof did not sit properly as I managed to cross tread one of the locating nuts. Weshty came up with the goods with a couple of replacement ventilators even though he did not supply the coaches or own the TMD side of the business at the time. Eventually got around to fitting the ventilator and fixing the roof. The Kits are supplied in GSR condition I don't know if the ventilators were chrome plated in CIE days or if the rotary roof vents and air condition in 1st class compartments were retained. In the 1950s CIE tended to mix and match modern and older stock the general idea is to build a couple of rakes with a mix of these and older wooden panelled GSWR & MGWR stock. About 10 years ago I bought a couple of Worsley Works Laminates and a Park Royal. These were basically scratch builders parts and they kind of went through the wars before I came up with a half reasonable way of forming a roof. Most of the fittings are from Comet of MJT the biggest error is the BR heavyweight bogies and bodgery along the roof line. Assembling the Worsley Works parts and sorting out the details did not take long, but forming the roofs tuned out to be a major saga all because Irish coaches were a lot wider than the UK. I also managed to do quite a bit of damage tot the sides during the assembly. I took an each way bet with these coaches and painted one side black and tan the other green. I could probably add another couple of Park Royals or Laminates, probably use a formed metal roof, if I was doing two or more it would probably be worth while to do a moulded interior. Then again 2-3 coaches was pretty much the norm on secondary routes and branches and I may be better to concentrate on some more older stock.

Test run the 21mm gauge chassis by pushing it by hand and with a loco through a crossover next step is to ray he same with the coupling rods fitted. For the next stage I decided to look a the firebox boiler and smokebox. Attock locos like the K Class were unusual in that the smokebox finished flush with the boiler cladding rather than projecting out a couple of inches past the cladding like most other railways. I formed the boiler and firebox from sheet rolled to shape with half etched rebates for the boiler bands which has worked out well on the trial build loco. Boiler, firebox and smoke box parts I was initially unsure of how I would attach the smokebox to the boiler, in the end I settled on a bolt together assembly with a brass disc as a kind of dummy tube plate. I simply butt the firebox & smokebox wrappers together with a piece of strip brass to reinforce the joint. Boiler wrapper with disc/dummy tube plate I suppose I could go the whole hog and detail the disc & inner smoke box former as tube plates. This arrangement keeps the boiler and smokebox wrappers flush with each other. To complicate matters the Midland took a completely opposite approach to Inchacore, with smooth platework on locos and tenders with little visible riveting even on smokeboxes. Wanting to have my cake and eat it the smokeox can be assembled either as smooth or riveted platework by embossing the rivets using a centre punch or a riveting tool. Rolling the smokebox tends to be interesting on account of the reverse curves where the vertical & curved sections meet, I used a rolling mill to form the main curve then formed the reverse curves around the shaft of a screwdriver. the two rows of horizontal rivets are a useful reference point. Smokebox wrapper temporary clamped together The smokebox front was designed for the flush riveted version, this is covered by a half etched overlay for a riveted smokebox. Mock up of boiler smokebox assembly

I have a few Luggage Vans in stock, the interior with the bars is a one piece fold up etching that also retains the glazing. The TPO will probably follow the MGWR Meat Van Mid-late 2014. with alternative sides to cover the Heuston tool van conversion.

You have to have something up front to haul the train. Having got to the stage of designing and building a couple of 2-4-0s I need some suitable coaches and non-passenger stock so some MGWR 6wheelers & a horsebox are on the too-do list most things post 70 are a bit too modern.

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.