spudfan

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.

P.S. It is rumoured that they are travelling overland in batches under their own power utilising the multiple unit control facility. Seems there is a delay due to bogie changes to accommodate different gauges

That clears that up.

I signed up with a supplier to be notified by email when it arrives in stock. No email as of yet.

Short notice. Taking Pictures TV tonight . Tue 25 Aug 20 18:50 IWM: Shunter Blacks Night Off (1941) 1941. produced by Sydney Box. WW2 dramatised short 'based on a true' story of a shunter in a marshalling yard and his actions to save the yard and keep the trains running. Directed by Max Munden

If you sign up to IRM, Rails of Sheffield or any supplier you will be notified when they come into stock. Just because you get notified does not mean you have to buy it. I am sure once IRM get stock in you will read about it here. There is not much point in getting possible dates as things can change. For instance Rails of Sheffield have colour photos up of B121 (GREY),B125(BnT),130(IR),134 (IR) and B135 (GREY) which probably means they are the first versions they or anyone else will get. I know dates can be important from a budgeting point of view but until they land in stock I do not think anyone can give a definite date. They can give you estimates but that is not what you want.

Would you play golf with someone and allow them to mark your score card as you progress through the game if they cannot count how many people there are at a table?

Cinderella was now 75 years old. After a fulfilling life with the now departed Prince, she sat happily in her rocking chair watching the world go by with her cat Alan. One afternoon, out of nowhere, appeared her Fairy Godmother. Cinderella said, "Fairy Godmother, what are you doing here after all these years?" The Fairy Godmother replied, "Well Cinderella since you have lived a good wholesome life since we last met, I have decided to grant you three wishes. Is there anything for which your heart still yearns?" Cinderella was overjoyed. "I wish I was extremely wealthy", she said. Instantly, her rocking chair turned into solid gold. Alan, her cat, jumped off her lap and ran to the edge of the porch quivering with fear. "Oh thank you Fairy Godmother," said Cinderella. "Is there anything else you might wish for", asked the Fairy Godmother. Cinderella looked down at her frail body, and said, "I wish I was young and full of the beauty I once had." At once, her wish was granted. Cinderella felt feeling inside her that she had not felt for years. The Fairy Godmother said, "you have one wish remaining, what shall you have?" Cinderella looked at her frightened cat in the corner and said, "I wish for you to turn Alan, my old cat, into a handsome young man."Magically, Alan suddenly underwent a change and then before them stood a young man with the looks and body that no other man could match.The Fairy Godmother again spoke "Congratulations Cinderella. Enjoy your new life," and with that, she was gone.For a few eerie moments, Cinderella and Alan looked into each other's eyes. Cinderella sat breathless, gazing at the most stunning, perfect man she had ever seen. Then Alan walked over to Cinderella and held her close in his muscular arms. He leant in close to her ear and whispered in a warm breath, "Bet you regret getting me neutered now, don't you?" ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. My mate bought a microscope and asked me to show him how to use it. I said "I'm not sure if I can but I'll look into it.

So it'll be a 270 km trip down to Marks Models to have a look at one....