Weshty

Wowza!! Someone sticky this posting. Great research there Richie. I'd forgotten how over size the 31 is, but if you push them out to the buffers a bit, they don't look too bad.

Lovely lovely layout, super background wallpaper.

Can I suggest the Hornby 31 class, central can motor all wheel drive. Needs major hacksaw work, but great runner and powerful, will cost about stg£90-110 or the railroad version Hornby R3067 Class 31 Diesel c.£60

Hi Alan, Studio Scale don't do A-Class RTR, but do have the decals and brass detailing to help you. Give it a shot using an SF Resin kit, it's easier than you think

Looking great Eamon, and I see you cleared space for the bogie wheels on the outer part of the spine. Don't forget to clear space on the inner part as well!

Awesome pictures as always Richie. David Parks and Joe St.Leger in there and everything!

Sweet shots Richie!

Oh be still my beating heart. You missed your calling as an archivist Dave

Lovely, lovely job, great weathering and grime and gung. Well done Me sees a new product line.......

Props to Mark. Nice one!

Eoin, Superb work, it's been an iterative and continual strive for perfection. Well done. The Dart isn't my specific interest, but I am giving serious consideration to adding one for the collection anyway. Christmas after all is just around the corner.

Jayz NSFW how are yah... Happy birthday Dave. Sure you're only a young fellah.

An MM quality A class or 121? Very hard choice to make. I'm leaning towards the 121 as it is more distinctive and harder to make from a kit, so the detail of an RTR would be more interesting. And I'd take 5 Black and Tan Orange IR IE IE durty version

Is this the same A class that sold on ebay about 2 years ago? It was right beside my stand in Cultra in 2012. Fabulous looking beast. The detail was amazing.

Too true Noel! Right up to the late 70's in fact. Action Man did some superb renditions of WW2 outfits and material. Brens, stens, Colt 45s, and uniforms that were as nearly well cut as the real thing ( I had the storm trooper complete with Luger, MP40, stick grenades, rucksack etc.) One of my favourite toys was an Dinky Austin Moke Jeep that was attached to a parachute that you could fling 30 feet in the air and then watch come floating down...or get stuck in ESB overhead lines..... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dinky-Toys-Austin-Para-Moke-601-New-in-original-box-/361086764400?pt=Vintage_Antique_Toys_US&hash=item541272c570#ht_54wt_1105

Oh, I'm just loving that.

Cracking job on the 071 George. I like the older metal bogie flats as well, good weight and more "empty" looking. IRRS Monday? Oh to be there...

Try Alan Gibson as well, (4MM91) the Midland Railway footbridge stg£ 52 An etched brass kit that makes up into a common platform mounted footbridge design of the Midland Railway although it does also contain within the frets, alternative sides that will ‘convert’ it to examples used by the Glasgow & South Western Railway. Photo taken from his catalogue

Richie, fair dues sir. That's a great photo aid, couldn't be clearer. Truly a picture paints a thousand words. Must review that underside bracing piece construction with you. The cocktail stick bit is tidy, and delighted to see the re-etch is doing it's job as expected. Those less gifted might want those solebar-tabs though I have a wadgeload of etches on order and should be restocked by late November. If any of you want some do let me know now as even these are getting allocated.

Paul Reynolds showed me one in the flesh and I was well impressed. Nice build quality, captures the shape well and generally will look righteous behind a class A, with a Mayner Tin van close by. Their unique selling proposition is all the better when the alternative is to build a Worsely Works scratch aid version. It's a fine piece of etch but does require independantly sourcing a roof, bogies and wheels, buffers, roof vents, transfers, paints, couplers, seating, glazing, wiring and gangway detailing. And this is now a lot harder with Comet Models in hiatus. Well up on your purchase Noel, though some "gently owned" weathering would be the cherry on the cake.

A great few days had. Mighty to meet all the regular bods and a few new faces as well. Amazing crowds all day Monday. Picked up some quality bespoke goodies from Glenderg, a heljian crane from the Wrenner (it's all metal!), good chat with Paddy Murphy, and had great craic watching Tony Mirolo build a bogie flat in real time;). Special thanks to Eamon for his work with the belpaire Brandon as well, a beaut. And it was great to meet Eoin and Dave, the modular layout and dart were class. Thanks for all the support on the bogie flat, nice to see this project reaching fruition. Next time I bring my young fella to mind the stall so i can do a proper wander.

Really like the bubble weathering George, must have been some amount of work to get that degree of realism!

Noel, It's whatever you grew up with. I thought going to Dublin in the 70's in the Supertrain mk2's was the height of luxury. Particularly given the fact that the laminate and craven gangways lurching and grinding used to frighten the bejaysus out of me as a chissler. And I used to go to college in the MK3's which were the ultimate, full air conditioning!! While we all wax lyrical about the cravens, I wil not miss taking a 2.5 hour journey in one, first thing in the morning, where the heating would fry you or freeze you.. Freight for me has always been intermodal, and I always liked the ammonias bombing through Mallow at high speed. I never paid much attention to freight while it was operational, but only on its demise did I appreciate the variety of liveries and wagons. and at least beet and cement were 4 wheel to the end. While I don't like the 2600's, 2700's or 2800's, I think the 22000s look very well and are a pleasure to travel on.

Confucious say "There is great freedom in no choice". That's another way of clarifying that it is only available in kit form. However, I have designed it specifically to be glueable together just like an Airfix kit. There is a load of optional detail, but even as a beginner you should be able to make the basic kit in a little over 2 hours. It's a matter of cut, fold, glue, paint. A good scissors and a pliers and you're away.

Yes indeed.