jhb171achill

The U would have covered more ground.

So, 2016 is the centenary of the 121 Rising. Did I get that right?

Indeed, Noel!

A few were kicking about into CIE / UTA days. One might be included, therefore, in a layout based between 1957 and maybe 1962/3, north or south.

As long as the apostrophes are the right shade of black, I'm happy.

I agree that a decent website is essential. On that note, I was perusing other model making websites recently, as well as some steam-orientated model engineering ones. Is it me, or do model engineer's have a habit of indulging in apostrophe overload? It seem's that lot's of website's run by person's in this line of business, tend to include apostrophe's in all plural word's that the'y write.... Its mad.....

With the black'n'tan option, removable handrails will cover the immediate post-grey-repaint (1965-maybe 1969; no handrails) and the post-handrail-addition period before the "supertrain" livery started appearing on them (1972 onwards). The handrails were added during the black'n'tan era.

Excellent work on the "C" class. It looks so easy, yet I'm sure it's like converting a Mk 4 driving trailer into a Donegal 2.6.4 tank engine..... I'm presuming the lifeboat will shortly enter service on the Limerick - Galway line?

Ah! A great engine to work on, according to a guy I spoke to recently who was well familiar with them in the early 1950s..... he said they were one of the best engines ever to operate in Ireland.

Oooooooh. Dear Santa. 121 121 121

461 ain't an "N" class! They're narrow gauge! :-)

oo works - new outfit to me; excellent looking model!

Totally right, Stephen, totally right. It's even the same in railway preservation. I can think, over the last thirty years, of numerous examples of how the overall conservation of old railway assets could have flourished with "joined up thinking", but various groups held onto their own little psychological empires. Some still do. Probably the best example is the scattered Donegal stuff, under myriad owners in myriad locations, few secure. But i don't want to drag this thread off topic on this (valid for a different discussion, perhaps). With regard to the coastline in Wicklow, erosion exists in various locations almost from the Mourne Mountain shoreline down to Rosslare. All local authorities, the coastguards, landowners and coastal town authorities, county councils, etc., all need to co-ordinate actions on this issue. If a consortium of such was to make a loud enough noise to the Government, it would haver a somewhat better chance of action resulting. No time for parish pump politics or rival local interests and gombeen men....

I posted fifteen copies of "Achillbeg-The Life of an Island" to America a couple of months back. The postage for the fifteen cost me €60. I priced it in the north where it was double that, at about £97. Inward postage, of course, would be the thing for Amazon. I'd say it's the same whether you have it posted FROM there, TO Ireland north or south.

That one's done and dusted, aclass. Despite Colourpoint's corporate head being melted with yet another additional picture and four re-written captions emailed over Christmas to them! They had told me of several others. "Rails Through North Kerry" was, I believe, one of five or six. Be released in succession. Norman Johnston's book and Michael's "Rambler" we're two of the others. I'm going to London in February to hopefully start on another project. If all goes well, it'll be easy to get it done as a "quickie" project, in between the longer term scribblings I have in mind, should time EVER allow. If the research proceeds as I hope, that too will probably be out later this year.

There will be several new books next year, from what Colourpoint tell me, covering quite an array of subject matter. Goods will feature strongly in one, and (if it's out in time) narrow gauge in another.

Well, here in Dublin, it's gloomy dark, wild winds all day and night, accompanying lashing rain wall to wall, and very cold too. No outdoor trains here! I'll join Leslie with a Black Bush, hair of the dog after last night. Happy New Year to all in IRM world.

True, junctionmad..... But, from the photos, am I right in thinking that the "rock armour" just seems to end at one point, and while all the coastline is intact and normal where protected, it's just disappeared where not protected?

Well, on that basis, within one more year the ballast will be undermined. Cue a line closure of several years, and a financial bonanza for consultants. After that, they might consider carrying out some remedial works!

That truly is a very impressive line up - and all within a year too! Dare we ask what's on the list for 2016!

Very true indeed, Mayner.

I agree entirely. One entire side needed for station; the Navan line to its right, the viaduct and cement branch to the left.

On that basis, it might be worth making the station platforms a bit bigger, and the curves less sharp, even at the expense of moving the depot sidings out towards the Dublin direction even if that's not strictly prototypical. This would also leave too for a "Navan branch" to disappear behind the down platform, and possibly down to a lower level storage road, from where another line "up the hill" could join the main line further down as a cement factory line coming in.

Probably have to be well scaled down. I would sketch out a scaled down version from photos of the actual, and see what that looks like or how it fits.

Even if you had a track disappearing towards "Navan", trains could enter or leave the layout via this line, from perhaps a fiddle yard / siding on the level below the layout? Another possibility is an entrance to the cement factory siding on the other side of the station.