spudfan

When I built my first layout it was in my bedroom in my parents house. It was built into a frame work attached to the wall and folded outwards onto stands. When the layout was folded down for use it covered my bed and most of the room that remained. The upshot was that once the layout was being used, the bed wasn't. I used to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor wedged between the bed and the wall with the layout above me. So when it came down from the wall for use everything, bar track and ballast had to be put in situ on the layout. When I got fed up sleeping on the floor and fancied the comfort of a bed again everything bar the track and ballast had to be removed and packed away and the layout folded back into its wall frame work, until my next model railway fix was needed. It used to break my heart to see my painstakingly applied ballast showering down when the layout was moved either up or down. My current layout has been in situ in my attic for about 25 years. Comfort indeed (if at times a little "cold comfort") Like I said suffering for one's art...I think I have earned my model railway stripes!!

Don't forget the gauge changes...

I bought a 121 loco from an Irish model shop. When it arrived it was missing a coupling hook. I emailed Murphy Models who told me to go through the retailer for this. So I contacted the shop who ordered the coupling from Murphy Models and then forwarded it to me. I got a Hornby loco from which was missing a coupling hook. I contacted Hornby and they sent two replacements straight away.

Nice collection of photos. Pity action like that is not more widespread on the network. Great way to spend time, watching freight on the rails and taking photos.

The wife was so excited last week. She thought I had bought her a new water bed. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I had just developed a bad kidney infection....

I see they are selling off the 121's at reduced prices. Wonder if the ones you got were returns? Annoying to say the least. I have had dealings with them in the past and all went well. It is the best way to judge a company, i.e. in how they deal with issues like this.

When I looked at the photo I thought the man in the hi vis adjacent to the loco was holding a VERY long piece of wood!!! Great photo for detail of a yard for modelling.

Arup to undertake all-Ireland rail review | News | Railway Gazette International

I remember these days.....

Note the lack of safety footwear.

Electrification envisaged in Ireland's 10-year transport plan | News | Railway Gazette International

Arup awarded DART Coastal lines contract | News | Railway Gazette International Kildare Line expansion project contract awarded | News | Railway Gazette International Cross-border Irish rail review to study sustainable expansion | News | Railway Gazette International Luas extension consultation as Dublin’s trams get longer | Metro Report International | Railway Gazette International

I am entitled to have an opinion on these models as much as any one else. I have stated that judging by the photos the hand rails in question just don't do the model justice. Hornby fitted metal hand rails in much the same place to their class 58 and they have stood the test of time with no damage to the rails on any of my class 58s. Heljan went with a plastic rail on their version and again it detracts from the model. Fair dues to Mr Murphy for all he has done but nothing is sacrosanct. The model has see through grills as Paddy said that is what is expected of a model in today's market. Great effort went into getting the grills to look as good as they do but the high standard in that and other areas of the loco just show the hand rails up in a poor light. I f you care to check back in the posts regarding the 121 locos you will see that I voiced these concerns as soon as I saw the photos.

At the price point they are being sold at replacing plastic hand rails with metal ones should not be necessary. I've been in this game since 1984 so I understand about models, detailing and pricing. Any model will need to be checked and serviced during it's lifetime so knowing how to handle a model is a prerequisite for keeping your model trains running. I run my locos so they do get used. My point about the plastic hand rail is that it stands out as a plastic item and takes away from the model. I know we have been waiting on these for a long time but I do not think they should be above criticism if it is fair, appropriate and honest. I have not seen the item in the flesh so I am only going by my impressions gained from the photographs. There it nothing wrong per se in using plastic rails but in this case they do seem over sized thickness wise and just do not look right. No model is perfect and compromises have to be made. Perhaps it is just the colour of the plastic contrasting with the grey body that does not gel. I have bought 141/181, 071 and 201 locos so I have been a supporter of Murphy Models. I think I will reserve final judgement on these until I see other liveries.

I am afraid judging by the photos the plastic rails just don't cut it for me.

Are the hand rails along the side of the bonnet self coloured plastic?

From the MURPHY MODELS site "We are please to advise that the first batch of 121 locos are in transit to Dublin and will become available in stockists by mid September. We will update as soon as more information becomes available. Images are available here." No definite date but roughly what IRM have been intimating.

Damn cows..then there's all of that methane too.

017 date stopped 29 09 93 027 09 06 92 A46 21 04 79 A23 30 10 91 A30 09 02 93 048 24 05 94 007 14 10 90 A42 09 10 92 056 29 10 92

................................................................................................................................................... A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus crashed yesterday losing its entire load. Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralysed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless, and perplexed." .............................................................................................................................................................. A rabbi, a Hindu priest, and a politician went hiking. Night fell and they were exhausted. The hotel on the map was nowhere to be seen. They knocked on the door of a farm and asked if they could spend the night. The farmer said, “Of course, but I only have a small room with two beds. One of you will have to sleep in the barn.” The Hindu priest said, “I need no material comforts. I will gladly take the barn.” The rabbi and the politician were settling in when they heard a knock on the door. They opened it to find the Hindu priest standing there. “So sorry, my friends, but there is a cow in the barn, and I cannot sleep beside such a holy animal.” The rabbi said, “No problem, my brother. I’ll take the barn. The Hindu priest and the politician were settling in when they heard a knock on the door. They opened it to find the rabbi standing there. “So sorry, my friends, but there’s a pig in the barn, and I can’t sleep beside such a filthy animal.” The politician said, “OK, let it be remembered that I sacrificed my comfort for the greater good.” The rabbi and the Hindu priest were settling in when they heard a knock on the door. They opened it to find the pig and the cow standing there.

A verb walks into a bar, sees a beautiful noun, and suggests they conjugate. The noun declines ................................................................................................................................................................ The past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was tense ............................................................................................................................................................... Papyrus and Comic Sans walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Get out -- we don't serve your type." ....................................................................................................................................................................... The subjunctive would have walked into a bar, had it only known. ................................................................................................................ And finally...A dyslexic walks into a bra.

Story goes that when the 071 class were introduced here British Rail were very impressed with the reliabilty and day to day performance of the class. So much so that they wanted to purchase them for UK operations. Seems politics intervened and they were not allowed to purchase them.