Mayner

Alan Generally the only way a company can raise capital is by issuing stock shares or debentures, profit retained bay a company after tax are simply classed as Retained Profits or Reserves used to balance out the peaks and troughs in a business. The interesting thing from an accounting perspective is the different tax treatment between replacing and upgrading assetts like the GSRs superheating of the J15s in the 1930s. Judging by the scrapping of a number of 400 Class 4-6-0 and other relatievly modern locos the GSR had had more large locos than were actually need in the 1930s, but small locos were still needed for secondary services after attempts to brew an improved J15 failed, the GSR started a large scale and very succsssful programme of superheating its small goods and passenger locos. Now the intersting bit the capital cost of building an improved J15 would have been depreciated over 30-35 years, while it may have been possible to calaim a tax write off the cost of re-boilering and superheating an J15 withiin one year and yield an immediate 20 % saving in coal consumption So 186 may have paid for its rebuild within a couple of years while the unloved 700 and 710 had not paid for themselves by the time they met the scrappers at the end of steam. I think looking back that one of the main things we miss is that the GSR was a much more commerically oriented organisation, much more ruthless both in dealing with the competition and closing unprofitable lines than CIE or the GNR. The GSR wasted no time in replaccing rail with road services and by the late 30s planned to considerably trim the network closing most branch and secondary lines. David Murray's GSR book provides an excellent snapshot of this era the contrast between the GSRs modern and very distinctive road vehicles and its aged steam locos and passenger stock is striking. Against this background superheating small GSWR & MGWR steam locos may have more a matter of buying time to work through the closure process with the Transport Tribunal than anything else.

Pairs of 121s hauling Cravens with BR Heating van and 1950s built buffet cars were the signature power on the Rosslare and Sligo Lines until the MK2D stock was deployed in the late 80s. There was a certain amount of through running as the main line sets filled in on early morning suburban workings on the Maynooth Line and some train sets may have worked through from Rosslare to Sligo and vice versa.

Seamus a must do It brings back happy memories of visits to the narrow gauge railway and the local pubs afterwards:D. To be fair whatever you might think of the collection of aircraft and busses and other vehicles they did a creditable job on the narrow gauge restoration. Glenderg. Its strange that GSWR stock fared better in preservation than the Bredins, Downpatrick and the RPSI have enough to make up a very nice train. At one stage the RPSI had at least 4 Bredin steel coaches but only one appears to have survived, the GSRPS mainly had early CIE built stock about 20 which were slightly longer and had different underframes to the GSR built Bredins. If you can get your hands on it the GSRPS published a reasonably good stock book with photos of all their coaching and wagon stock.

Best of luck with the printer/cutter those GNR buildings are particulary stunning

The best thats available is an IRRS Journal paper from the early 70s on GSR coaches and a brief piece with two photographs in Irish Broad Gauge Carriages. The RPSI have several which have spent longer in preservation than in ordinaryservice with the GSR and CIE

If starting with a multi coloured livery is daunting the B101 also ran in silver, unlined green and plain black similar to the Preserved A39 at Downpatrick, Weshty might even do a set of white cheverons to go above the cab window on the black version.

CIE used large and medium sized container handling forklifts at many depots from the late 1970s, places like Tralee and Galway that handled quite heavy container traffic never had gantries. The medium sized machines were mainly used to handle sundries containers and at smaller depots like Boyle and Mullingar. The main difference between the older and current machines seems to be the location of the cab http://www.taylormachineworks.com/THDC-TXC-TETCP%20series%20Table.htm

Nice stock the corrugated opens look pretty good, a "Back to Back" train show up in Cork City Railway 1975. The fertiliser was carried on open containers in a similar manner to kegs with lift off side panels rather than purpose built wagons, the flats were later used under the beet doubles.

The ex DSER goods locos would probably be the best bet for a simple rtr or kit built "Southern" engine. The moguls and J8 Class 0-6-0s were pretty close in coupled wheelbase to the 3F & 4F, nice simple outline straight running board, large cab and reasonably large boiler to hide the motor. While mainly used on the South Eastern the moguls seem to been quite widely used on excursions and freight working towards the end of steam. http://www.steamindex.com/locotype/dser.htm

About half of them locos and stock were divided 50/50 between CIE & UTA. SSM do the SG a large main line loco basically the goods version of the S, Worsley works do a kit of parts for the UG a "modern" 1937 light mixed traffic type. The UG a nice simple outline no crankpin splashers on a Hornby Dean Goods or slightly stretched on a Bachmann 3F chassis might be a good compromise http://irishrailwaymodeller.yuku.com/reply/6672/Re-old-loco-tender. John

I would second that about 207 I have vague childhood memories of a big blue steam loco with smoke deflectors storming across the viaduct at Gormanstown with a long passenger train, 10-15 years later I was pleasently surprised to discover that I may not have been imagining things there were indeed large blue steam locos. Along with the time machine you would also need a stasis machine to keep rust and corrosion at bay, though I suppose you could keep going back in time and contracting the maintenance to Dundalk or Limerick. John

Judging by the RPSIs experience with 184, 186 and 461 compared with 171 & 85 an ex CIE loco was probably a better prospect than restoring a Barry wreck. Most preserved steam locos require heavy mechanical and boiler work every 10-12 years often amounting to a complete re-build. The main drawback was that most CIE steam locos would have been scrapped by the time the RPSI got off the ground in the 1960s and they seem to have been disappointed that 186 (MacArnolds "its only a J15") was the best that was on offer. In contrast to the more modern locos the small GSWR locos were simple, rugged and capable of high milage between repair. Build a time machine and travel back to 1954 and there was a nice choice of CBSCR, DSER, GSWR & MGWR types. Take a trip to Kerry have a word with Jackie Healy-Reays Grandfather to have a word with Dev about setting up the Kigarvan Flyer as a Tourist Train complete with native "Kerry Bogie" on the Kenmare Branch

Beautifull those small tanks certainly have a Jurrasic look about them compared to the later SLNCR tanks. The Manchester Museum of Science and Technology should have the original GAs for the big tanks & Loughs. I am sorely tempted to have a go at one of those Tyrconnel kits but just might try 9mm on G scale track in the garden

Self drive rail http://railcruising.com/

Not quite modelling or Continental in its strictest sence recent steam hauled excursion on the Midland Line

There seems three main considerations if you are planning to commercially produce the a rtr model 1. whether the market is big enough and you have the resources to comission a mass produced model like Paddy Murphy, Heljan etc, 2. whether there is enough demand to batch build rtr models in brass or resin like DK or Silver Fox, 3 produce kits of models you personally like to cross subsidise your own personal hobby. Its hard to know whether a DART would fit into category 1 maybe category 2 or 3. Rapid prototyping is often seen as the solution to all problems as apart from the designers time there is little set up or tooling cost. I have seriously looked at batch production kits resin castings using RP technology as opposed to 3D printing and it worked out considerably more expensive than conventional techniques. No doubt RP will become more economic for small runs but that day is some time off.

I have a Worsley Works G Class with an early version of the ESU Loco Pilot decoder which basically sits on top of the power bogie within the hood. I would strongly recommend a Black-Beetle with 27:1 gear ratio in prefrence to a Tenshodo Spud for a small shunting loco.

The article indicates that next years performance will "be constrained" by a Chinese supplier aka Kadar cutting back on production. To a certain degree with Bachmann established as UK leading brand the writing was on the wall for Hornby once Kadar took over the company that supplied Hornby, Proto 2000 and other brands. Kadar's position in the US is weaker they would probably have to take over Atlas or Athearn to get decent market share, as Bachmann's American models haven't exacty got a great reputation (diecast steam locos excepted)

J!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no one told us with our poor parched throats:(

Jack Kennedy good to hear he is still with us! I first met Jack in the Southern Model Railways Shop in the Grafton Arcade, I won't say how many moons ago Very encouraging brilliant stories about the railway he even gave me a a load of photos free gratis, a true Gentleman

The 11.1mm spacers are intended for OO. Originally the S & J15 were supplied by TMD Models with 11.1 and 15mm square section brass spacers bored out to accept a through bolt, the screw in spacers are a more recent development. I tend to follow your example and produce my own rather than use the brass spacers provided.

I vagulely remember seeing TPOs with pick up apparatus and nets at Connolly, I think it was phased out in the late 60s/70s as most of the smaller stations on the Cork Line like Sallins where the odd mail bag was dropped off or picked up closed.

Originally TMD or was it SSM supplied the kits with 15mm brass spacers for 21mm use. If you can live with the compromise I can supply a set of 15mm etched n/s fold up spacers.

Chinese manufacturing is being seriously hit by the European recession, Kader (Bachmann) lost serious money in 2011http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=70564 so potentially less R&D for new models and fewer low volume comissions. While commodities like food are doing well coal and metal prices have collapsed leading to mine shut downs here and in Australia not good. Maybe its time to dig out the cardboard and low cost modelling materials and bring skill back into modelling again

It would make a splendid model with the railway soaring across the town just about dooable in OO Johnnie Walker of the Wexford Club and more recently Brian McCann built a couple of inspirational layouts featuring railway and village scenes from the South East. It looks like the station layout was more extensive in Boat Train days with the passing loop extending out onto the viaduct at the Western end of the station and a cattle bank serving the Fair Green. http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,639405,606320,7,9. If you had room for it a double deck twice around the room layout following operating American practice arranging crossings and shunting at several stations and yards would be interesting. Perhaps Carrolls Cross with its quarry, Kilmacthomas with the viaduct and village scene Durrow with its tunnel and Ballyvoyle Viaduct, with a double ended fiddle yard representing the rest of the system would keep a man busy for many years.