Mayner

The DC Kits G Class may not fit a Hornby 0-4-0 chassis, the loco was designed to fit a Black Beetle http://www.steameramodels.com/bbeetle.htm . The Black Beetle motor bogies were very good, the power bogies may no longer be available Mashima the company that manufactured the motors have gone out of buisness If you are using the Hornby chassis it might be better to see if you can pick up a used Hornby diesel shunter body at an auction.

The Turf Trains appear to have run to Dublin and possibly other cities when imported coal was unavailable for domestic and industrial use as a result of WW2 during "The Emergency" possibly late 1940 until coal supplies returned to near normal after the ending of hostilities. Turf was transported from bogs in the West and Midlands to Liffey Junction with the Phoenix Park converted to a vast fuel depot. The unemployed were enlisted to cut turf one of my Uncle's a dapper city gentleman successfully avoided the draft possibly by finding a job or medical reasons. A Ballina- Belmullet Line would have been a good candidate for turf traffic from bogs in the Bangor Erris and Bellacorrick area to Dublin during the Emergency or possibly between Bangor Erris-Bellacorick if the power station came on line in the late 1940s. Bogs in the Bangor Erris area were used to supply turf to the Bellacorrick Power Station from the mid-1960s on-wards https://www.mayo-ireland.ie/en/towns-villages/bangor/bangor-activities-bellacorrick-station.html with development work commencing on the bogs in the early 1950s. The late Jack O'Neill wrote about his first experience of fast main line running as a passed fireman on a double headed turf train behind 656 and 660 from Mullingar to Liffey Junction in a "Decade of Stream". The Turf Trains were given the best available coal and ran at high speeds given priority over all trains except passenger and mails. Jack O'Neill described the trip as one of the most enjoyable of his career marred only by a fire breaking out on the train as they passed Clonsilla with 4 wagons ablaze when the reached Liffey Junction where the firebrigade dealt with the problem. Turf trains were unloaded on two long sidings served by a wide concrete roadway at Liffey Junction on the site of the current Broombridge LUAS light rail terminus and Depot. The sidings were disconnected and removed following the closure of Liffey Junction as a blockpost and re-alignment of the main running lines during the 1990s

The Back to Back fertiliser swap bodies appear to have been carried by the 25436-25982 steel floored flats. The Back to Backs appear to have been in service between the late 60s and mid 70s when they were replaced by the bogie wagons. According to an IRRS Journal a couple of laden Back to Back specials ran to Newcastle West before central section of the North Kerry line closed in November 1975. Some time mixed rakes of bogie and back to back fertiliser wagons ran to and from Shelton Abbey with the 4w wagons marshaled at the rear of the train. I remember watching a southbound empty fertiliser train passing Dunlaoire in the mid-70s, the last wagon looked like it was lifting off the rails and about to derail as it ran through the facing point that leads to the bay platform/original Dunlaoire Station. The bodies of the swap bodies got very scruffy looking after a while in service with not quite horizontal battens nailed to the sides at crazy angles. 4:55. The battens may have been a replacement for the angle iron lifting brackets in the photo of 25970 may not have been up to handling by forklift.

I just completed the assembly of the prototype build and everything fitted together thanks to the good work of our designer Ben on his first model railway project. The assembly was a bit of a rush job to make sure that everything fits, I haven't fitted grab irons or couplings (Bachmann tension lock in NEM pocket mount). Chassis is designed for OO or 21mm gauge It was touch and go on whether our printers Clone 3D https://www.clone3d.co.nz/ could get the prototype SLA prints for the model out this week under the Covid restrictions, but did a very good job considering the number of small parts in the design. I am planning to make a decision on the manufacturing phase of the project during the next 4-6 weeks and expect to be able to make an announcement in connection with whether the brake van will be produced as a rtr model or a kit, price and expected availability before Mid-October. We expect to have samples for review/inspection in Ireland from late September onwards. The lamps and the brakes are non working but we might consider it if we blow the model up to O or Gauge 1.

The photo may have been taken in the early 1970s, I remember seeing a photo on a train with BR containers in wooden open wagons (possibly the same) on the Ballina Branch during the early 1970s. Lyons Tea also had similar containers which were also transported in open wagons https://peco-uk.com/products/lyons-tea-container I bought a set of Bachmann BD containers as a load for open wagons, but end detail needs to be trimmed back slightly tom fit in an SSM IRCH open, I don't know about the Bachmann or Dapol Opens https://www.bachmann.co.uk/category/model-railway%2Fbranchline/accessories. Cable drums would be another good load for an open, CIE transported cable drums for P&T and ESB and parked P&T vehicles and cable drums seem to have been a common feature in CIE goods yards during the 60s and early 70s

Our choice of prototype and era like our choice of friends and life partner(s) is probably a deep seated psychological thing. Growing up in Dublin in the 60s my first serious modelling interest was British Railways western region mainly because of good coverage in the model railway magazines, and the generally poor public perception of CIEs rail services, both my mother and father had bad experiences with breakdowns and dirty trains in the 50s & 60s and did not travel by rail for many years. I did not become interested in Irish Railways until the mid late 70s when I explored the CIE system using Railrover Tickets in my late teens/early 20s, although I was mainly interested in steam my first successful layout was based on then contemporary CIE practice in N Gauge having become frustrated trying to build a OO Gauge layout in a box bed room and the poor running quality of Lima locos. I found that I could build a more spacious realistic looking layout, and run longer trains on a shelf layout in a slightly larger space, running was more reliable than OO with the high quality Arnold, Atlas and Minitrix mechanisms. Despite its success and plans for a much larger loft layout I dismantled the N gauge layout and disposed of the locos and stock after a house move, concentrating instead on building British and Irish outline standard and narrow gauge locos and rolling stock in 21mm, OON3, EM and OO9 gauges with the very odd 1:20.3 kitbash thrown in. Since than I have had brief dalliances with British Railway Western Region in OO & EM & American On30 Narrow Gauge, and had more long term affairs with American and British industrial railways including building a large scale 1:20.3 American narrow gauge layout, an N gauge mainline loft layout and a minimum space EM industrial/mineral railway layout. The American layouts provided a distraction from Irish modelling a chance to get something up and running reasonably quickly (1-2years) compared with the longer timeframes involved in kit and scratchbuilding models. Interestingly my Irish modelling is slipping backwards from CIE in the 1950s to the GSR era as a Golden Age with well maintained locos stock and infrastructure and reasonable train services compared with the more run down state of the railways during the CIE era.

It passes the two foot rule in that it looks the part from normal viewing distance or in a train on a layout. If you want to try your hand at lettering and or weathering there is a nice photo of one of these wagons lightly weathered and with snail loco and a BR van with CIE wheel logo. http://www.derg.ie/albums/workbench/IMG_5337.jpg

Most of the younger (perhaps under 60 ) members of this group appear to prefer the IE points era which many of the older generation thought the railways had gone to pot with fixed formation goods and passenger trains and the railway system at breaking point with de-railments and breakdowns. A 2 car 2600/2800 set or DART or 3 Car IRC and an oval of track would be an excellent start for as a first serious train set for a pre-teen or teenager entering the hobby for the first time. Rail has a far higher profile with more people using the train as part of their day to day routine than in the past 50-60 years. Having operated a Minories style exhibition layout I don't buy into the argument that DMUs are necessary boring to operate. Operating a busy city terminus with railcars kept 3 operators busy enough without the additional work involved in running round and shunting a loco hauled passenger train---------just like the real thing!

There was no specific CIE coal wagon as such. CIE used its standard wooden bodied and corrugated wagons to carry coal, sugar beet, gypsum and bascially anything (including containers & farm machinery) that could be carried in an open wagon. Both types were used for coal and general traffic up to the mid 1970s. In later years coal was transported in open top ISO containers on flat wagons. Provincial wagons produce a kit for the corrugated wagon. Studio Scale Models produce a whitemetal kit of the "Standard Irish" open wagons used by the GSR, GNR & CIE The Bachmann Branchlines 5 Plank open looks reasonably close to the earlier wooden bodied opens https://www.hattons.co.uk/60907/bachmann_branchline_37_061c_5_plank_wagon_with_wooden_floor_in_br_grey/stockdetail.aspx#:~:text=*Click the photo above to see a larger picture.

The CIE side door ISO containers appear to have been intended both for use as a traditional van and for Lo Lo operation The side door and half height containers were sometimes treated as ordinary vans and open wagons up to the end of loose coupled operation, especially at smaller yards like Athy, Listowel and Youghal which continued in operation into the late 1970s There are some photos of ISO equipment on the Youghal branch in Jonathan Allens 1978 Flickr album including a side door container being loaded/unloaded onto a flat trailer. https://www.flickr.com/photos/152343870@N07/39623779824/in/album-72157714527034646/ The Asahi Liner would be a potentially good choice for a rtr model and fit in with IRMs 42'9" project. Relatively short train 4-5 -42'9" Bogie Flats --------4-5-22'6" 2 axle flats. The bogie flats carried 40' containers carrying the finished product, 2 axle flats barrier & acrylonitrile containers. 40' containers usually appear to have been unbranded brown/orange containers possibly owned by Asahi Kasei or one of its subsidaries https://www.asahi-kasei.com/company/history/ The 2 axle wagons were replaced by 42' 9" flats during the final years of the trains operation.

There were two distinct families of 20T two axle wagons used by CIE/IE to the run-down of freight traffic in the early 2000s. 1. 20' 12t wb skeletal or steel floored versions introduced in the late 60s/early 70s to carry then current 8' high ISO containers These wagons share a common 12'wb underframe with the Cement Bubbles, Hopper, Ore and Tank wagons introduced during the Mid-late 1960. Provincial wagons produce a kit for both the skeletal and steel floored wagons. Most of the steel floor wagons were converted into Bagged Cement & Beet Wagons. In later years the skeletal wagons appear to have been mainly used to transport oil & bitumen in ISO containers. 20' Skeletal 2. 22'6"---14' skeletal-----------with framing lowered to carry 8-6" containers. Originally introduced for general traffic, these wagons appear to have been mainly used in later years to transport bulk traffic in ISO containers, including Coal (Foynes-Ballina), Grain, Oil and Keg Traffic.

Strange little Beastie! difficult to build a plausible looking model from the photo. The original sketch appears to be the most likely of the two though the leading axle looks like it would barely clear the rear of the cylinders. I would be inclined to sketch out the cylinders and ashpan, the fit the axles to suit. The L&M Planet drawing is a good example of early inside cylinder loco practice https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_locomotive#/media/File:Stephenson_110_Planet,_1832.jpg

Signs of a country trying to return to normality looks like Syria has re-opened a section of the narrow gauge Damascus-Beruit line and runs steam passenger trains! Steam loco seems similar to those used in the Lebanese section of the line.

Sounds like a ground breaking project, Mike Sharman funnily enough published an article on designing a loco from a few know dimensions and a photo. An interesting what if would be to include a section of 6'2" gauge to your layout based on the premise that the Ulster Railway did not re-gauge in 1848

The GM6w appear to have a single traction motor presumably mounted in the body driving all axles rather than a single driven axle. The Abt rack system appears to have been used on the Mount Lebanon section of the narrow gauge Beriut-Damascus Line https://beirutdamascusrailway.wordpress.com/intro/ Its possible that the main lines were worked by steam up to the outbreak of the Civil War in the 1970s and the GM6 were acquired for shunting and light duties. Passenger services appear to have been down to a weekly sleeping car and railcar service to Syria on the Beriut-Tripoli line and Sunday excursions with coaches attached to goods trains on the Beriut-Damascus line There are 1971 photos of narrow and standard gauge steam in the Liban Sur Rail U Tube video, and 1974 photos of a narrow gauge 0-10-0T rack locomotive in https://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/380/385/railways/resources/middleeast/ much more interesting in my opinion than a GM switcher.

The upper section of the Glen Afton Branch was severed from the main line system and the Rotowaro Township removed with the development of open cast coal mining in the Rotowaro area during the 1970s. Rotowaro late 2005 at a time when locos in matching colour schemes were extremely rare. Toll an Australian logistics company had recently acquired the operating assets of the railway from the former owners Tranzrail, the Government later bought out Tolls rail operating assets as the Government and Toll Rail were unable to reach agreement for the funding for marginal and loss making rail operations and investment. The Rotowaro terminal despatches up to two trainloads daily to a steel mill near Auckland and receives imported coal as required for use in a nearby power station. The Bush Tramway operates using a mixture of small ex-mail line and industrial locos. 185 is basically the NZR equivalent of the CIE J15 the standard motive power for mixed traffic duties until replaced by larger locomotives, several survived in industrial use until the mid 1960s. Mixed traffic 4-6-2 and 4-8-0 locos were the standard steam power in the branch in later years, with General Motors standard G8 export A1A A1A (NZR DB) taking over passenger and freight duties during the branches final years. Drewry 0-4-0 diesel mechanical tailing the const. The loco is basically a smaller version of the British Railways 04 class diesel shunter. Pukemiro Junction the operating base of the line and in 2005 home of an interesting collection of un-restored locos and stock. Pukemiro was the junction with a private railway serving a local coal mine and the only feasible site for an operating and engineering base for a railway. The loco is on the main line reversing back onto the train after coaling, the line on the left is the connecting line to the former mine branch. Climax B 1650 from a former logging line. The Climax and Heisler were popular logging Locomotives (Bush Lokies) a local manufacturer AJ Price developing close copies of Climax & Heisler locos and later industrial diesels. The Climax is currently under repair as a replacement for 185 which requires major boiler work. And now for something completely different a Bush Jigger or rail truck converted for carrying men and equipment on logging lines. This and a similar Jigger No 1 have been restored to working order since I took the photo in 2005. Recent restored Pukemiro Coal Company Peckett 1630 coaling at the Junction in 2014, this loco spent its working life shuttling wagons between the Junction and its namesake mine before taking up passenger duties on the Glen Afton Line.

Its the first time I have been out and about since before the March lockdown, combination of the blues and miserable weather since travel restrictions were lifted. I originally planned to go on a bush walk but decided to check out the top end of the Glen Afton Branch line instead and see if the Bush Tramway Club had made any progress. http://www.bushtramwayclub.com/ The line was built to open up the coal fields west of Huntly and the section of line west of Rotowaro (lake of coal or burning embers) was closed in the early 1970s. The modern Rotawaro terminal both receives and dispatches train load coal but that's another story. The line west of Rotowaro was handed over to the Bush Tramway Club who operated a 5km section of the line as a Hertiage Railway from a base at Pukemiro Junction, while gradually restoring the line towards Glen Afton https://www.flickr.com/photos/46769458@N08/4649947978/in/album-72157623783391937/ Glen Afton station shortly after closure. Station site from a similar view point today. Despite the rural appearance the station served the Glen Afton Coal Company Mine complete with its own locomotive. The railway line is in the cutting behind the post box. The end of the line! Drainage system restored, sleepers replaced track ballasted rails most likely left in place since closure. Trains operate top and tail usually with a steamer at the up hill end and a diesel a the rear, the railway is planning to build a station so Glen Afton can once again become a destination. Looking down the hill line re-sleepered with rectangular hardwood sleepers, fangbolts and baseplates at joints, otherwise fangbolts direct to sleepers, Bit further down the line rails spiked to half round sleepers with every 3rd sleeper rectanglar with fangbolt fixing and baseplates. This was fairly typical of Irish Branch and Secondary lines including the SLNCR, though half round sleepers were gradually phased out as they became due for replacement. Halfround sleepers in closeup. Probably used for economy the Bush Tramway has approx once monthly outside of the summer/autumn months when the risk of fire is high. An other bit further down the line. The line climbs continuously from Rotowaro to Glen Afton steam sound effects are good. An earlier encounter with the Bush Tramway locos are fitted with smoke deflectors for a reason . Some interesting equipment including the local A J Price version of a Climax B Diesel rail trucks

From the horses mouth so to speak Railway Construction by William Hemingway Mills (former GNR(I) Chief Civil Engineer) Late Victorian/Edwardian civil engineering best practice. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50696/50696-h/50696-h.htm Full size tie bar and facing point lock. Newly installed connection between up Chester & Crewe lines Shrewsbury circa 2000 GWR style semaphore signals still in use at North Junction.

It you can come to an agreement with a designer an Irish or UK based printing service with SLA capability is likely to be a better option than Shapeways. https://www.google.com/search?q=3d+sla+printing+services+UK+and+ireland&rlz=1C1CHBF_enNZ752NZ752&oq=3d+sla+printing+services+UK+and+ireland&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.18285j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 SLA printing will produce similar results to plastic injection moulding and can be used to produce a pattern for vacuum casting (min vol 40 units) or small volume production. If you are unable to come to an agreement with CMAC, most locally owned 3D printing businesses should be able to recommend a 3D designer who understands the limitations of the technology and material and has experience in designing models and miniatures.

Some photos of the assembled test build of the 52 Class, I am currently finalising a number of amendments to the design before I release the production version at some stage in late 2020 early 2021. The kit will be supplied with brass and whitemetal castings, but will exclude wheels gears and motor and couplings. There is more detail on the assembly of the loco in my Tales from the Carriage Shops thread in the Workbench section of this newsgroup.

A collection of GSR broad and narrow gauge loco drawings including GSWR Classes was published with New Irish Lines in recent years. The publisher of New Irish Lines Alan O'Rourke should be able to help if you want copies of particular diagrams. Updates on progress with the JM Design 52 Class/D17 kit including photos of a test build are available in the Manufacturers section of this website.

GM produced a 3' gauge version of its GA8 Export Model for use in Mexico https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_GA8#/media/File:NdeM_5406_(27443008661).jpg the GA8 model is visually similar to the B121 Class but is simpler mechanically and electrically, running on freight wagon trucks, with two traction motors mounted in the body with chain drive to the axles. Something more powerful than the Walker locos may have been required to haul trains over Barnesmore Gap and the Strabane-Letterykenny Line had freight traffic held up during the 1960s. Another possibility would have been to produce a B-B version of the GM6. Clyde Engineering produced similar locos for Victoria and Western Australia Government Railways during the 1960s by combining the 6-567C engine and main generator used in the GM6 with a Bo Bo chassis and running gear. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAGR_J_class_(diesel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_Railways_Y_class_(diesel)

Point and crossing work assembled usually assembled using standard switch and crossing components with the rails between the switch and crossing tailored to form a particular formation, in practice 1:6, 1:8 & 1:10 crossing should be adequate for most applications. The EM Gauge Society members received a detailed manual https://www.emgs.org/wp-content/uploads/MANUAL_1_2_3_1_pages_all.pdf on prototype and model track construction including information on the different systems and assembly techniques including switch and crossing filing and assembly jigs. TOM Trackwork Standards can be easily extrapolated from the EMGS Standard and EMGS track, point and crossing jigs can be blown up to 21mm gauge on a printer or photocopier if you are not too worried about a marginally wider sleeper spacing. As Rick L suggested the best option is probably to build a small test track or a shunting plank with a couple of points and possibly a crossing as a test bed before committing to building a layout. Going back to prototype trackwork, yard and siding trackage on the CIE/IE system was generally laid in relatively light flatbottom rail on base plates or spiked directly to the sleepers, with bullhead restricted mainly to running lines and passing loops. The photo of the south end of Limerick Junction is a good example, the headshunt from the Waterford Bay with passenger train is laid in bullhead material, while the sidings between headshunt and the Cork Main Line appear to be laid in light flatbottom rail. Peco Code 60 Rail https://peco-uk.com/products/code-60-flat-bottom-rail for sidings, Code 75 or Code 82 for running lines if you want to re-create the contrast between 80, 85, 90 and 95 lb British Standard rails used up to the introduction of metric Standard BS/EN and UIC standard rails by CIE from the 1970s onwards. I got to learn perhaps too much about trackwork volunteering on a UK heritage railway including assembling full size 60cm gauge pointwork. Loco and stock on Peco Code 60 rail soldered to copper clad sleepers, Code 82 rail on lines in foreground. The layout was not a success I made the mistake of not allowing enough space in the 6' between parallel lines as they entered the curve and problems getting the double slip points to function correctly.

Edenderry Power Station (R401 Edenderry-Rathangan Rd, West Offaly Powerstation (Shannon Bridge)R357 Shannonbridge-Tullamore Rd & Lanesborough Power station should be good places to observe BNM Energy Divisions rail operations. I griced BNM operations in Kildare and Offaly in the 90s and the newly opened Edenderry Station about 15 years ago. West Offaly Rail operations were readily visible from both the R357 & R436 including a loco stabling depot near Ferbane and Blackwater Works. There are/were a number of smaller isolated systems mainly in Kildare, Offaly and Westmeath these tend to be smaller in scale and have more in common with the Peat Railways in the UK, than the systems serving the peat fired power stations. BNM Energy Division rail operations are/were a basically scaled down 3' gauge 365-24/7 "Merry-Go-Round" train operation with fixed formation trains of (15) tippler wagons transporting milled peat rather than coal from stock piles to the power station. The "Clonmacnoise and West Offaly" tourist railway and museum of the early 1990s originated as a Fás scheme for redundant BNM Blackwater staff and appears to have developed into a successful tourist operation catering mainly for coach tours. Blackwater tourist train operations appear to have been discontinued because the tourist train operation was disrupting the flow of peat to the new West Offaly Power Station . The whole business of de-commissioning three recently built relatively low emission power stations rather than conversion to burn home grown bio-mass reminds me of the Greencore saga with the closure of the Irish sugar industry and seems to have very little to do with reducing Irelands overall greenhouse emissions while leaving the coal burning Moneypoint power station on line. Operation at Edenderry Power Station was/is interesting as trains from the West had to reverse direction in order to enter the power station. Train 1 passing under R401 underbridge arriving from Mount Lucas direction. This section of line is double tracked. Train 2 has coupled on to Train1. Loco Train 1 has uncoupled and is running forward on second running line. Loco of Train 2 pulls Train 1 & 2 clear of crossover as former loco of Train 1 prepares to couple on to Train 2. Track is typical BNM 'Main Line" with evidence of heavy sanding to keep trains moving. De-railed or defective stock was simply pushed to one side to minimise disruption to operations. Train 2 approaching Edenderry Power Station. Train 1 crossing over from "Main Line" to power station reception roads. Trains 1 & 2 approaching tippler building as an empty train departs on the balloon loop.

Your layout concept is ambitious and you seem to have the space to fulfill your ambition. Building such a layout in 21mm gauge with handlaid track would be a lot more time consuming, perhaps taking 2-3 time longer than in OO using flexible track and ready to lay points, but the choice between OO & 21mm really boils how to how you prefer to spend your modelling time building models or operating a model railway/running trains. The difference in gauge is less noticeable and the view more realistic if the baseboards/track level is closer to eye level. Bullhead track was the standard form of permanent way on the Dublin Cork and Waterford-Limerick main lines from the 1900 or earlier, heavy (95lb) flatbottom rail was increasingly used for main line renewals from the 1950s onwards, CWR on concrete sleepers was trailed on the Dublin-Cork line during the mid 1970s, before becoming the standard permanent way for main line renewals. The Dublin-Cork main line was re-laid with CWR during the 1970s & 80s as CTC signalling was gradually extended southwards, Limerick Junction-Limerick may have been re-laid with CWR during the 1980s. The Limerick Junction-Waterford Line was likely to be laid with a mixture of CWR, jointed bull head and jointed flatbottom track. Jointed bullhead or and flatbottom track was likely to have been retained at Limerick and the Junction until the stations were re-signalled/layouts rationalised during the last 20 years. Photographs of a particular station or stretch of line is probably the best option if you want to model Irish track in detail due to the mixture of track material in use and condition even at a single station