jhb171achill

A certain amount of it was the need to standardise. Also, the 800s were being increasingly seen as an extravagance, despite their good fuel economy.

Now Ive got an avatar more like Garfield's!

Ah!! Pity. The only thing I could think of was SSM or Worsley kits.

No. The closest thing to that running in Ireland were a few NCC full parcel brakes (or TSP BSO THF or whatever BR fans call 'em!). All CIE genny vans were ex BR Mk 1, with several variations but same body design. The Dutch vans were straight sided, shorter and converted from Christmas Quality Street tins, except they were noisier inside. Then there were the various CIE 4 and 6 wheeled "tin vans" and "hot water bottles". In case anyone asks, apart from the 4 wheels, none were ever anything but black'n'tan. They arrived far too late to be green.

Eh?

Just posting my own avatar to compare.... Great (Southern) minds think alike.....

Since the trains in 1956 were the right way up, so is the pass!

What's the GSR stuff?

I was looking at a different pic, Glenderg.... The orange in those two above is much the same, as you'd expect.

I understand, Dive, that others have good running examples. Mine had never even operated before. I will post progress here.

In that pic, it's not so much two shades of orange, as one is faded.... There were several variations over the years, but only several (as with 1959s green), but the difference wouldn't have been anything like as stark as it appears to show. Just for clarity! Well, if Murphy's make a 121 in lime green and tartan, I'd still be interested. As long as it's genuine LLSR tartan, of course...

Very sad news indeed. I had a lot of correspondence with him through the Continental Railway Circle in the 1970s, and while I never met him, we exchanged many letters. An absolute gentleman and a very great loss indeed to the railway enthusiast community. May he rest in peace.

Not yet, Horsetan; that's in hand, though!

David, the mods here will all chip in for a ticket, eh Garfield?

Ah, maybe I wasn't clear, heustonconnolly, I didn't mean cross it over the Boyne. I meant stick in a set of points north of the river, as prototype on the level. You're right, that would look odd at best. Regarding the Navan branch, I wasn't clear where it would go after it reached (as on the plan) the extreme bottom right corner. It's getting into shape anyway. Your latest plan looks a lot better, but (as I'm finding right now with a thing of my own), proper scale drawings will answer many questions.

Had a word with my good colleague who put the 800 kit together tonight; so "Maedb" is going to Inchicore Works for examination and further running in! She'll be a stablemate there, as prototypically, with a J15 or two......

Looks a great deal better, but where does the Navan branch drop to.... Is there a (long) section "south" of that plan? If so, no need to drop a level. My initial idea was - space permitting - a drop under existing tracks, on account of my perception that this was all the available space. Should this not be the case,the short siding you gave there could at least receive and despatch Tara trains from the storage siding there, as if they had come down from Navan. Room for more wagons if you curved that during behind the passenger station; non prototypical, I know, but operational artistic licence. On the left side, a parallel siding to represent the cement branch would be feasible. Both of these features would add a lot to an already very interesting concept.

Now THAT would be the layout of all layouts!

For such a common and popular engine, we rarely seem to see a really top class convincing model. There are some, but not many. Here's another one - it's one of the best I've seen. Excellent work. Would look amazing with a string of spoil hoppers, or dilapidated UTA coaches behind it!

Absolutely top drawer; this is the standard that only the best here might attain!

I'll see, Noel - I'm going to consult people better qualified than I am!

Riversuir - yes,you'd think that right enough.... Weshty - it's probably just running in, then.

I suppose it's art imitating reality - there were reasons they were confined to the Cork line! Apart from weight and loading gauge, I can't see 800 negotiating the curves on some rural lines too handily....

That hits the nail on the head.... I had a (teenage years) 6' X 4' layout, which meant curves just over 18". A cast-body Wrenn 2.6.4T could go tearing round it, but as Mayner says the wheels we way out of scale, and indeed on standard RTR models the wheels we accept as normal on track stuff would justifiably draw criticism on a scale model. I couldn't have stretched to an 800 model then, even if it had been available, of course!

Nice looking little beast - shows what can be done on a budget.