Mayner

8 hours ago, patrick said:

As these models DCC ready?

The Bachmann N Class/Woolwich has a conventional chassis with wiper pick up and is not DCC ready

There is a Jim Edgar article on converting one to DCC in Nov 2009 New Irish Lines  https://www.dropbox.com/s/gcszt7h4f1felnl/New Irish Lines - Vol. 5 No. 4 - 2009 November.pdf

13 hours ago, murphaph said:

Very nice looking as usual. Any info on the years the containers (tea and kegs) ran in chaps?

Any idea why the Harp kegs specifically went in these? 

I took a photo of a Lyons Tea container on a 4w flat at Inchacore in the Mid-80s, possibly in use as a CME Dept. 'stores van" for storing/moving spare parts between Inchacore-Limerick and other depots.

The |"Harp" containers may have been used for moving empty kegs between different brewery sites.

Its likely IE ceased using containers for empty keg traffic following the introduction of the 3 tier Keg Cages in the early 1990s

One of the last uses of the traditional H vans was a train transferring empty kegs from Dundalk to Kilkenny in 1978, the redundant vans were stored/dumped in Waterford North Wharf yard following the move.

Modelling a railway like the W&CI especially in the pre-1900 era will be challenging with little readily available information or trade support.

Smaller companies like the W&CI bought their locos and stock from British builders/finance companies and drawings of W&CI locos and stock may exist in UK museum collections.

It may be a case of working back through available Irish records to identify the builders and order dates for W&CI locos and stock before contacting British museums.

A paper on the W&CI was published in an IRRS Journal during the 70s or 80s and there may be basic information on W&CI railway locos and stock in books on the GSWR and WLWR.

The late Richard Chown appears to have relied on the original British builders drawings for the locos and stock on his 7mm pre-1900 Castlerackrent system https://highlandmiscellany.com/tag/castle-rackrent/ including oddities such as a Dublin & Meath Railway Brake Van and Cork Macroom Direct Railway covered goods.

The Historic Model Railway Society may be able to assist in identifying which museum collections hold the relevant drawings.

If you intend modelling W&CI locos and stock 7mm or O scale may be a better option than 4mm or OO in terms of the larger scale being easier for scratchbuilding and sheer physical presence of the smaller size of the stock and shorter trains than ran in the 1900 era.

13 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

So to round off this topic, because I know somone in the future (maybe myself included) will find this topic again looking for a good small shunter

Ready to run 
Bachmann/Murphy models NCC jinty

Silverfox G class

Silverfox D class

 

Small conversion/Re-paint 

Hornby Rustun 88DS - CSE Ruston 

any Jinty - NCC jinty

J72 - gsr J10

Hornby Pecket 0-4-0- GSR 495

3D printing 

GSWR 90 - mark dunlea 

Shapeways E401s/421s

 

Kit built 

Studio scale models MGWR J26/ E-Class

If I have missed anything please tell me and I’ll edit this post accordingly 

A few more

Judith Edge

Ruston & Hornby 88DS (CSE  Carlow, Mallow. Thurles)

Used with the High Level 23mm  Quad Driver will result in durable model with realistic slow speed running

Ruston & Hornsby 165DS (CSE & Westrail Tuam) Heavy duty diesel shunting loco.

Harland & Wolff 0-6-0 LMS 7057 NCC/UTA 22

Worsley Works 

Duetz G611 Class

On 22/10/2022 at 1:02 AM, Noel said:

Curious why Tara mines may not be sourcing and paying for their own rolling stock. 

 

It looks like Tara Mines is approaching the end of its working life with 5 years ore reserves at the current extraction rate https://www.boliden.com/globalassets/operations/exploration/mineral-resources-and-mineral-reserves-pdf/2020/resources-and-reserves-tara-2020-12-31.pdf

Its possible the 'ore wagons" may be intended for traffic from the Pallas Green ore body which just might get to the development stage after Tara closes.

16 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

He does…I can’t finish my kit 

 

Its important not to get discouraged with problems finishing a kit.

It takes time and practice to build up the skill and experience to assemble a locomotive kit. One of the great advantages of metal kits over other mediums is that its usually feasible to salvage/improve a kit if you run into problems on the first attempt.

I had several false starts assembling the TMD (SSM) Midland Tank & J15 but succeeded on the second attempt after cutting my teeth assembling a pair of etched diesel shunter kits.

It might be worth while trying a Judith Edge RH 88DS https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/161324-judith-edge-kits-suitable-for-a-beginner/ or even jumping up to O Gauge with one of the smaller "West Cork" locos before tacking a relatively large complex loco like a Bandon Tank

Acquiring/accumulating the suitable tools and materials is one of the first steps in developing the right techniques, I still find Iain Rices book on assembling etched kits and Guy Williams 4mm Engine the Scratchbuilders guide useful after assembling over 30 odd kit and scratch built locos and designing my own kits.

On 10/10/2022 at 4:42 AM, jhb171achill said:

Yes, it absolutely IS the opposite of logic. Certainly, looking through my own records, this seems to be the case in a few pictures I've just looked at. It is the case here too. I have a dim recollection too of an image of a mixed coming into Loughrea with the one coach, one "H" van, one container flat and the guards's van - I THINK being in that order, which would bear out what you say.

However, I cannot verify if this is coincidence or not, still less what the reason might have been if it wasn't coincidence. Jury has to remain out on that one. And, indeed, it's a secret hiding in plain sight - in all the obsessive perusal of photos that I've done over fifty years or more, I never noticed that!

Wagons/freight cars in goods/freight trains that shunt/switch at intermediate stations/yards were and still are usually marshalled in "station order" behind the locomotive to speed up shunting. 

In the case of the Burma Road goods wagons for stations Collonney Jnt-Claremorris were marshalled next to the loco wagons with Bell Traffic marshalled next to the van, traffic for the Mayo Road would have been detached from the train upon arrival at Claremorris and wagons for Tuam, Athenry, Gort, Ennis and Limerick attached to the front of the train without disturbing the Waterford Bell wagons.

During the 'transition era" during the mid late 70s CIE sometimes ran trains of modern fitted wagons "loose coupled" with brake vans, the best examples are probably>

1. The Platin-Ballinasloe-Roscommon Bagged Cement which ran as a fully fitted 20 wagon train between Platin & Althone before being split into two 10 wagons loose coupled trains with brake van to reach its destination.

2. Dundalk-Adelaide Cross-Border Goods Dundalk-Adelaide goods trains continued to work loose coupled with modern fitted wagons after North Wall-Dundalk goods trains converted to fully fitted Liner operation. The Dundalk-Adelaide goods trains tended to be more varied in formation than CIE liner trains carrying container, keg, cement and fertiliser traffic on the one train. Dundalk involved considerable shunting and trip movements between the station, Barrack St yard and the Harp Larger Brewery siding plus Irish Customs examination of traffic arriving from Northern Ireland in the pre-Customs Union era. and staff changeover between CIE & NIR loco crews.

Similarly principals apply with 'modern' fully fitted goods/freight trains, in its final years the 12:00 North Wall-Cork Liner conveyed Limerick traffic between North Wall and Limerick Junction. The loco driver and Limerick Junction crew were not impressed one weekend in Oct 2001 when they had to make two shunts to detach the Limerick traffic from the Liner because the Limerick traffic because the Limerick wagons were marshalled in two separate cuts delaying the departure of the Liner.

1 hour ago, Irishswissernie said:

Londonderry & Lough Swilly Tooban Junction 20 April 1953.

Inchicore mid 1960's B234 & G615

 

End view of an ex-GNR 700 series BUT railcar showing "Continental" style gangways.

Inchacore apparently overhauled one set of BUT cars in the late 60s/early 70s that never re-entered service, later stored in Dundalk Paint Shop for potential sale to NIR and later scrapped.

7 hours ago, Noel said:

Epic - Those massive round buffers on the AEC 2600 were classic. I remember watching them in Bray as a child in green and later B&T livery.  They were even used on secondary passenger main line services 50 years before the Rotem 22k toy trams had ever been conceived of. 

Anything IRM do will be 'awesome' for detail and accuracy.

The AEC railcars were basically the 1950-60 equivalent of the Rotem Intercity sets working both prestigious trains like the "Enterprise" and Cu-na-Mara (Dublin-Galway-Westport) and secondary main line passenger services like Mallow-Tralee or Amiens St-Rosslare. The GNR replaced the 600 Class Cars on the Enterprise with the more powerful BUT railcar sets until replaced by 70 Class sets in the late 60s, CIE continued to work the Cu-na-Mara and Dublin-Sligo trains with AEC railcars until the late 60/early 70s.

Like today the main complaint from the modelling community was that railcars were boring just running up and down, one  GNR (I) modeller built a fleet of BCDR locos to work the railcar diagrams on his layout.

The AEC cars were basically victims of planned obsolescence as a result of Leyland ceased supplying spare parts including engines and gearboxes for the AEC cars.  I don't think the spartan (sometimes fuel filled)  interiors of the AEC cars and  Inchacore or Dundalk trailer coaches would compare to well with the current Rotem stock.

One option may be to support the leading and center axle on a beams using normal top-hat bearings similar to Fig 36 in the Scalefour digest.

I am not convinced that you will need to patch the center axle cutouts & form oval axle holes, the combination of the High Level gear carriage and subframe will maintain the axles in their correct position.

The beams would be supported by a pivot 

Another alternative may be to reverse the Hornblocks to face outwards and file/machine the excess metal from the rear of the axlebearing. 

On 8/10/2022 at 11:42 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

 

They sound more like 121's, though:

 

A completely different design of loco to the 071s apart from the cab ends!

As Mogul notes they have a 1870hp 16cyl engine rather that the 12cyl in to 071

The "Retales" appear to have an  567CR non-turbo engines which explains why they appear to sound like the 121.

Max speed 74.4mph less powerful than on 071 Approx 13 tons heavier with a similar traffic effort which would have made a Retales more suitable for heavy freight work & less prone to slipping than an 071

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renfe_Class_319_(later_versions)

Basically EMD used standard

Not the brightest of ideas basically an accident waiting to happen with kids climbing on a stuffed and mounted loco in a public park.

Although you cannot claim for personal injury in New Zealand railway locos and stock on display in parks and reserves are often stored under cover and securely fenced.

The rail tractor was a conversion of a road truck used for hauling log trains on a Bush  Logging) Tramway 

Our 3D Print supplier has advised that they are no longer prepared to print some of our models as a result of difficulty in achieving an acceptable print quality.

Going forward I am planning to use the website as a modelling Blog until I make a decision on the future of the business.

6 hours ago, Mike 84C said:

Brilliant! Thats what I call a narrow gauge loco.  

The  91 J & JA Class 4-8-2 built between 1939 and 56 had a lot of American design features including cast steel beds and Baker valve gear.

The Js became the standard mixed traffic type while the K & Kb 4-8-4 continued to work the heaviest trains until displaced by diesels from the late 1950s onwards. The ks introduced in the early 1930s had plate frames problems with cracking

Wait until you see the Kb Class 

Iain Rice's articles  inspired my modelling from an early stage.

I felt privileged to meet him at a convention in Christchurch about 12 years ago and actually touch some of his early models including "Camel" a Bodmin and Wadebridge 0-4-0St of 1834

Being somewhat "out of the loop" in terms of excursion train operations, I had to investigated after hearing what sounded like an American stye locomotive whistle yesterday morning and late evening.

To discover that steam had returned to the Main Lines for the first time in the past 3 years with some locally based 'School Holiday" excursions. 

The "School Holiday" excursions are operated in conjunction with a "positioning run" to move a locomotive and train from Wellington to Auckland in conjunction with the Grand North Island Steam Tour.

Weather was overcast but could not resist today Hamilton-Waharoa lunch time run.

New Zealand Railway coaches were traditionally painted Red, the Yellow coaches are from the Glenbrook Vintage Railway  near Auckland who are hosting the train during its sty in the Auckland region

Fyffes became an Irish company after the takeover of Fruit Importers of Ireland.

Interestingly CIE transported Fyffes? bananas imported through Cork Port by rail to Dublin at some stage during the late 60s/70s. 

Remember reading  an article on CIEs traffic in the staff newspaper "Nuact" nothing on the actuial hardware used

Possibly CIE or even Fyffes Insulated containers on contemporary 4w flats or covered vans at a stretch.

Its good to see a modeller scratchbuilding  a chassis for al loco like D2 rather than attempting to use a rtr power bogie or chassis.

The High Level motor and Quad-Driver should result in a reliable smooth running chassis.

As far as I recall: My experience is mainly based on travelling and watching Howth-Bray trains and the odd journey on Connolly-Drogheda services during the mid-late 70s.

1. The Dublin based Push Pull sets were based and maintained at Fairview (ex GNR Railcar Shed) until transferred to Connolly Shed during the late 70s in connection with the DART works.

The Push Pull sets were turned on the triangle at Limerick Junction in order to position the loco at the North end of the train so it could be serviced inside Connolly Shed.

2. AEC Push Pull sets were exclusively worked by B201 Class up to the late 80s when 121 Class took over the working the Greystone shuttle with the remaining Push Pull set.

The 201 Class were the mainstay of Dublin Suburban workings until 141/181 Class took over Outer Suburban workings around the same time as the opening of the DART 1984?

3. Push Pull sets mainly worked Howth-Bray-Greystones services, though its possible that they may have worked to Drogheda or Dundalk.

Some push pull sets were withdrawn during the late 70s early 80s as CIE struggled to maintain Driving Trailers and Connector cars to keep the sets in service as the stock became increasingly decrepit.

Outer suburban services are likely to have been conventional mostly early 1950s Inchacore built coaches and Laminate coaches until Park Royal and Craven coaches were cascaded onto suburban and branchline duties following the introduction of MK3 stock from 1984/5 onwards.

4. Fairview and later Connolly and Bray loco depots seem to have been the main bases for Push Pull workings. 

The set in the 1974 Gormonstown crash was a Connolly-Howth empty working that was diverted at Howth Junction after the train ran away (without driver) from East Wall Junction and collided with a Connolly-Drogheda AEC railcar working.

12 hours ago, Garfield said:

A nice model of the Timoleague & Courtmacsherry Light Railway's 'Argadeen'.  I'm not sure how authentic the lined green livery is, though.

Argadeen appears to be in GSR post 1929 condition with "Imps" boiler, though looks very pretty in lined green.

I seriously thought of getting rid of my 4mm stuff and building an O Scale T&C layout several years ago, 1-2 locos, 1-2 coaches available as kits and 10 wagons and an easier scale to work in than 4mm when your getting on a bit!

.

The train would have run as a loose coupled unfitted (handbrake only) formation, the 20T flats are likely to have been 25436-25983 Series 20T Flats with steel floors introduced in the mid-1960s or 27101-27278 skeletal flats introduced in 1970.

Fitted stock can be run with the vacuum or air brakes isolated, "modern' fitted wagons like the cement bubbles and container flats often ran in loose coupled goods trains until CIE went over to fully fitted fixed formation liner train operation during the mid-late 1970s.

The second Brake Van was likely to have been worked South to Claremorris or possibly Limerick for operational convenience. The Burma Road was operated as part of the "Southern" up to closure with Limerick responsible for allocating locos and brake vans for the Limerick-Sligo and Limerick-Claremorris good trains.

There is a good account of the final days operation of the Burma Road and other lines closed on the same day in the February or June 1976 IRRS Journals

On 1/10/2022 at 4:36 AM, Niles said:

Always wondered by the GSR chose I for 0-6-2T when it otherwise followed the LNER convention (which would be N). I think, unless there were other examples. 
(Or did the LNER follow them?)

 

Edit: it occurs to me that G didn't follow LNER convention either.

The LNER classification system seems to have originated on the Great Northern Railway (England!) under Henry Ivatt (ex-GSWR man) as CME.

GSWR introduced a similar "Inchacore Class" system in which the 213 Class 0-6-2T t received the classification "I"

It looks like the "Inchacore" system was introduced following J R Bazin's (an ex-Doncaster man) appointment as GSWR CME in 1920 his powerful 500 Class 4-6-0s are designated B1 while to older inside cylinder 362 Class 4-6-0s were classified as B3.

The 'Inchacore' system was modified following the 1925 amalgamation with some classes re-designated subject to reflect tractive effort 341 "Sir William Goulding" the GSRs most powerful 4-4-0 was re-classified from D3 to D1 and the 333 Class Rosslare Bogies re-classified from D1 to D2,3,4 and the two 213 Class Banking Tanks re-classified from "i" to I1. The tiny McDonnell 0-6-0T 90, 99,10 were re classified from J13 to J30.

The main theoretical benefit of the GSR system is that it would have allowed motive power planners who were unfamiliar with locos from different pre-amalgamation companies to identify and allocate locos to meet traffic requirements based on wheel arrangement and hauling power.

In practice the Southern, Midland, South Eastern and West Cork systems continued to operate as separate railways under common ownership, retaining pre-amalgamation motive power and operating practices to the end of steam. The main exceptions were GSWR D4 4-4-0s and MGWR G2 2-4-0s taking over passenger duties on the South Eastern as a result of Civil War casualties and the indigenous motive power wore out, occasional swapping of GSWR & MGWR 4-4-0s on Nenagh and Sligo Road passenger services and  the long term loan of ex-MGWR 0-6-0s for the Waterford Area Beet campaign.

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

Indeed. There was a cull of them in the early 70s - they were commonplace up to then, but a few did survive in use. I saw one in use in Kilkenny I think in 1976.

Same with wooden opens and, indeed, other wooden vans - quite a few 1970/2, but no wooden opens at all after that, and few if any wooden vans like ex-GNR ones, for example.

I saw one grey (double skinned) van apparently in service in Westport Good Yard in 1975. Was on holidays with my parents and did not get a chance to check out the station or yard.

The IRCH Standard Wooden vans like the ex GNR seem to have gone by the early 70s, quite a few grounded bodies floating around on farms and factories.

The remaining GSWR/GSR steel framed planked version of the H Van seem to have ended up in Departmental service by the mid 70s at least one a long term resident at the Sheriff Street crossing end of the Dardanelle Sidings, the vans in Departmental service had a small window in the end.

6 hours ago, K801 said:

€250 at Callan car boot sale last week .....

it looks like the commemorative plaque from the water tower at Castlegregory Junction that was installed following road widening during the 1970s

On 29/9/2022 at 4:59 AM, patrick said:

Very little modeling was done over the summer months but the arrival of fall weather has led to a resurgence of activity in the wagon shop. Work is progressing on two ex GS wooden bodied vans and Dapol Prestwin underframe is being modified to better represent a CIE container flat for an IRM container. 

 

The timber frames GSR Vans appear to be a double-skinned or insulated version of the standard IRCH Covered Wagon intended for "perishable" traffic such as bacon or butter traffic.

16586 is basically a doubled skinned version of 15903 also a GSR built van

A possible traffic from the Glenmore Co-Op?

These vans appear to have been in traffic up to the Mid 70s until replaced by Insulated containers or the traffic was lost to rail