spudfan

All Garda leave has been cancelled to assist with crowd control for the appearance of Paddy and the 121. Some people are getting ready for the end of the world owing to the momentousness (?) of the occasion. Some are saying this was mentioned in the Mayan calendar as one of the signs that would signal the end of civilisation as we know it. Boris Johnson is complaining that it is a ruse by the Irish government to divert attention from him. Me, well I'm going to wrap myself in tin foil tonight ...just incase.

The Rail Rover was a good idea and it worked very well...going forward. The trouble was getting all of that weight to stop using the Land Rover brakes on their own.

On the way to a good home....

Will the models featuring the Crossley diesel engines have an intermittent break down facility built in?

PM me with your address and I'll send it on.

Thanks for this. I have had a shower and have asked the wife for money for diesel for the car. Now it's the long drive to Portlaoise.

Looking at the wishlist of existing and forth coming IRM models, I suddenly thought of the future. When my time does come to exit this mortal existence I would not like to see my hard earned rolling stock go to waste. The answer? I've decided to follow the pharohs of ancient Egypt and build a pyramid so as I can take all of this rolling stock with me. Nothing as ostentatious as the Great pyramid of Giza I might add. Just something modest, complete with hidden rooms, blind passages, a trap or two to ensure I get to enjoy my hobby in the next existence. Anyone recommend some architects that could see this through from planning to final build? Just had a final thought. What happens if the electricity in the here after is a different phase to ours? Better add a generator to the list of necessities for the pyramid. As I am still planning this any useful suggestions would be gratefully received.

Thank you.

Have been washing the dishes (with a smile) for the last while. The Mrs thinks there's something up (the smile probably over did it). Trouble is that my hands have become so soft and wrinkly that I doubt I'll be fit to lift any of these wagons out of the box and put them on the track, let alone a 121 or an A class.

Anyone know the e-mail address of the CME (Chief Mechanical Engineer) at Irish Rail? I cannot find it on their site.

Glad to see the interest in this. Pleased that I am that it could happen it has dawned on me that with "LIFE" in general rearing it's ugly head the finances have to be looked at. It does not look promising for the purchase of the up coming "121" or the "A" class, let alone the appropriate rolling stock to go with them. So when the "121s" and the "A's" arrive I'll have to make a pilgrimage down to Marks Models with a fold up chair, park myself in front of the display cabinet with a flask of tea and a packed lunch and drool. I probably won't be alone in this so I presume as space is limited Marks Models will have security staff on hand to limit the amount of drooling time each person can have...

Have a look at this. Irish Rail will be among the participants. http://www.fleet-procurement-refurbishment-congress.com/4/speakers/142/aisling-norton/ Here's the program of events. Day 1 Focus - Procurement How to decide if to buy new stock, renovate or lease Successful new stock procurement strategies Considering maintenance and spare parts during the procurement phase. Project management to stay in time and on budget Ensuring your new fleet procurement strategy delivers value for money over the whole life cycle Day 2 Focus: Renovation How to decide what works need doing Successful renovation strategies including outsourcing versus in-house Identifying the most cost effective options for life extension Ensuring the supply chain can deliver on refurbishments at the optimal price & quality Managing obsolescence during the second life of trains http://www.fleet-procurement-refurbishment-congress.com/?utm_source=Railway-Gazette&utm_medium=E-Blast&utm_content=&utm_campaign=&dm_t=0,0,0,0,0

Yep the D and E class diesels.

I know that there's a deluge of long sought after diesels on the way, but if a CIE shunter could be added to the list of to dos I'd be happy. Everyone has room for one or two. They would be a God send for those who have small layouts. Just getting my wish list in ...again.

"Thank you so much for the lovely birthday present. I always wanted a white blouse with a red circle over my heart."

This documentary was on RTE radio today (Saturday July 6). In March 1976 the Dublin to Cork mail train was robbed near Sallins in County Kildare. Two hundred thousand pounds was taken, never to be recovered. Within days, five men had been arrested. After signing confessions, they were sent to jail for 12 years. It was a crime they had not committed. Here is the link https://radio.rte.ie/radio1highlights/the-whistleblower-documentary-on-one/

Two lads are sitting in the canteen having their lunch. Two women are sitting near them having their lunch. Suddenly one of the women starts to choke on a piece of food. Her friend is doing her best to dislodge it but without success. One of the lads jumps up and runs over to lend assistance. He gets behind the women in distress yanks down her jeans and underwear the he licks one of the cheeks of her rear end. Suddenly she coughs and up comes the piece of food and she spits it out. Her friend then proceeds to help her to get dressed. Our hero returns to his table and says to his friend. "I always knew that Hind Lick Manouver would come in handy some day".

An insider's view of producing model railroad stuff in China. It makes for interesting reading. https://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=169650

The person on the bike probably stuck a claim in for damage to the bike....also if a train hits one of these idiots it is the poor train driver that has to live with it. That's after he /she gets investigated by the Gardai, the HSA and IE.

The Spudfan household has come down with a vomiting/diarrhoea bug. We are in various stages of recovery. My wife is well on the road to recovery, I'm not far behind but our daughter, who has special needs, is not so lucky. Probably due to her immune system being a little different to ours. Anyway I noticed that our daughter, who is 23, had placed her doll, which she has had from a very young age, on the pillow beside my wife. The reason being that she did not wish to pass on her bug to her doll. When she has recovered she will take her back. Like I said you just can't be too careful.

Then there was the dyslexic Satanist who sold his soul to Santa. And something completely different......... A new recruit to the French Foreign Legion was been shown around the encampment by an officer. At the back of the tents they came across a solitary camel sitting down. "What's the camel for?" asks the new recruit. "Well" says the officer "there are over 200 men here with "urges and needs". When they need some relief they take it in turns to use the camel". A couple of days later the officer is doing the rounds and he sees the new recruit, trousers down around his ankles having his evil way with the camel. "What are you doing?" he roars. The new recruit looks up and says "You said that when the men have "urges and needs" they use the camel. Well I have some "urges and needs" today so I'm using the camel" The officer replies "When the men have "urges and needs" they ride the camel to the nearest town...…" A PLANE IS ON ITS WAY TO TORONTO , WHEN A BLONDE IN ECONOMY CLASS GETS UP AND MOVES TO THE FIRST CLASS SECTION AND SITS DOWN. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WATCHES HER DO THIS AND ASKS TO SEE HER TICKET. SHE THEN TELLS THE BLONDE THAT SHE PAID FOR ECONOMY CLASS AND THAT SHE WILL HAVE TO SIT IN THE BACK. THE BLONDE REPLIES, "I'M BLONDE, I'M BEAUTIFUL, I'M GOING TO TORONTO AND I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE." THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT GOES INTO THE COCKPIT AND TELLS THE PILOT AND THE CO-PILOT THAT THERE IS A BLONDE BIMBO SITTING IN FIRST CLASS, THAT BELONGS IN ECONOMY AND WON'T MOVE BACK TO HER SEAT. THE CO-PILOT GOES BACK TO THE BLONDE AND TRIES TO EXPLAIN THAT BECAUSE SHE ONLY PAID FOR ECONOMY SHE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE AND RETURN TO HER SEAT. THE BLONDE REPLIES, "I'M BLONDE, I'M BEAUTIFUL, I'M GOING TO TORONTO AND I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE." THE CO-PILOT TELLS THE PILOT THAT HE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE THE POLICE WAITING WHEN THEY LAND TO ARREST THIS BLONDE WOMAN WHO WON'T LISTEN TO REASON. THE PILOT SAYS, "YOU SAY SHE IS A BLONDE? I'LL HANDLE THIS, I'M MARRIED TO A BLONDE. I SPEAK BLONDE." HE GOES BACK TO THE BLONDE AND WHISPERS IN HER EAR, AND SHE SAYS, "OH, I'M SORRY." AND GETS UP AND GOES BACK TO HER SEAT IN ECONOMY. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND CO-PILOT ARE AMAZED AND ASKED HIM WHAT HE SAID TO MAKE HER MOVE WITHOUT ANY FUSS. "I TOLD HER, 'FIRST CLASS ISN'T GOING TO TORONTO."

Fair enough, I've seen the light and will now switch to another topic.... I've been reading a book on gravity - I can't put it down

"Shocked" that you see it that way.....

An electrician arrived home at 3 AM. His wife asks: "Why are you insulate?" He replied: "Watt's it to you, I'm ohm, aren't I?. ........................................................ After a tiff, the radio technician was going to separate from his gorgeous model girlfriend but was seen later with her hand-in-hand down at the beach. When asked if they'd sorted out their differences, he said "I just didn't have the capacity to resistor". ........................................................................ A man goes into a builder’s yard and orders 20,000 bricks. "May I ask what you're building?", asks the man behind the counter. "Yes, it's going to be a barbecue." “That’s a lot of bricks for one bar-b-que." he says. The man says, "not really - I live on the 18th floor."

When I looked at that I thought it was NIR selling off the real thing!