Hunslet 102

Superb story jhb,told in such a way it just jogs the old memory banks again,thanks for sharing.A driving trailer leading a 5 car 70 set would certainly not be the norm,it would normally have been a power car at each end.If there was only one power car in the formation,then no wonder it was going so slow in the steep run to Antrim and no wonder it paused for so long at the station! At least when you got back to Great Victoria Street,your fear of getting an AEC instead of an 80 class would not have been realised as they had all gone before the 80 class arrived,more likely an old MED,MPD or the very last of the BUTs which just crossed over into the 80 class period would have been what was in store.But sure,you got the ultra modern 80 class with slam doors,rather than the old style fume filled MED with automatic doors!! Character indeed were all these old railcars,never to be enjoyed again.

Great job of the donelli,first class workmanship

Great shots again of the layout Noel,a great comparison between the old and new style ballast wagons,I really like the look of the old style wagons,they look similar to the old GNR type hoppers.The layout has a different story to tell with each picture,its a credit to you and I am sure running sessions could wile away many hours.Great stuff

That looks messy work Kieran,but it looks quite impressive from the photo's,would be interested to hear your final verdict on the product.The whole layout is stunning,the time and effort you are putting into it is certainly paying dividend,great work and keep the posts coming.

Its 1971 and there is an unusual scene at Belfast Great Victoria Street station with the sight of 3 different CIE locomotives in the old station.Over in platform 2,CIE A class No A20 can be seen with the CIE Enterprise set,made up of cravens stock as it will be another year before the Supertrain stock will arrive.The unusual scene of B141 class No B165 in platform 3 and Sulzer B class No B105 in platform 4 with trains made up of cravens and laminate stock has happened as both have brought Bohemian fans to Belfast for a Cup Winners Cup clash with Distillery,whose ground is just beside the Grosvenor Road freight yard,adjacent to the station. A bit of modellers licence,but not as far fetched as it may sound as both teams won their respective cups in 1970/71,with Distillery getting the glamour tie against Barcelona while Bohemian played a team called TJ Gottwaldov from the then Czechoslovakia.

Top notch again Noel,your sperry train looks fantastic,but your fertilizer train with the 071 in CIE orange and black is more of an appeal to me

Your rate of progress is astounding,keep up the good work

Superb work Ivor and a great tutorial,keep up the good work

Thanks Kieran,my sons pal,as part of his learning curve,installed some small spotlights above the layout that made a huge difference from the 60 watt bulb that was previously in place!

Looks like your yard and shed will be a nice finishing touch to the layout.The layout,with the recent station addition has a great flow to it,so when you finalise your final track plan for the yard and shed don't be tempted to try and cram too much in,a nice spacious shed to display some loco's would look great.Brilliant job with the layout Kieran,it is one to be proud off.

Nice video,some realistic train length in that sequence

This is one really lovely looking layout with superb scenery.The stock on show just compliments it totally,a real throwback to how our railways once were.Superb modelling

Nice video,the layout is taking shape and looking good,love hearing the clickity click of the trains going by.Your layout looks like it is in under the rafters like mine,not ideal,but when there is no other room available it soon becomes the ideal man-cave.

Great shots again Noel and some variety of stock at your disposal.Hard to think that the 071s arrived away back in 1976 and are still giving such sterling service nearly 40 years later.

Thanks for your encouragement Noel and Seamus.Noel,they say the camera never lies,but it appears it has bent the truth in the last couple of photo's!!The layout is in the loft with no skylight,so therefore no natural light.I had to relook at the photo's to actually see what you had seen and was surprised it actually did look like sunlight!For the photo's to come out like that has been a complete fluke,but quite pleasing.

Great story and some nice shots of your layout,well done

Thanks Ivor and JHB for your comments,glad the layout shots brought back some memories for you.Creosote mixed with the smell from Murray's tobacco factory,GVSt was certainly a unique station.Ah the day trips Ivor,that was our holidays back then,a fortnight in the sun still had to be invented! UP6936-the layout is dc operated,more than adequate for the size of the layout.

Backscene is looking good,it adds to the realism of the whole scene.

Quick update,or should it be backdate with a scene from the 70s.This time it is 1972,with the following photo again taken from platform 4 showing a double ended BUT railcar arriving in platform 4 with a train from Portadown.Waiting to depart from platform 3 to Lisburn is another BUT railcar,this one being the single ended version.Over in platform 2,the CIE Enterprise has recently arrived in the hands of B class loco number B165. The following photo is from the same photographer,this time taken from the end of the platforms.

Classic Noel,the scenerio's are so brilliant that you get lost in the moment and like every good story you look forward to the next instalment, great modelling and look forward to the next update in pictures.

Many thanks Kieran,to hear that the model has captured the feel of the old Great Victoria Street station from someone who remembers the old station is both humbling and encouraging.

Thanks Noel,look forward to more of your own updates with Tara Junction

Thanks Seamus,now that the overall roof is complete I will try to get the weedkiller train completed!

Finally got round to completing the roof over platforms 3 and 4 on Great Victoria Street,below are some images from different angles.The first image shows an overall shot of the 2 roofs over the platforms. The following photo shows a view of the underside of the roof,the missing panels can be clearly seen,a common sight in the early 70s in GVSt due to bomb damage. The next photo shows a side view from platform 4,with an 80 class sitting in platform 4,an MED railcar in platform 3 and the Hunslet Enterprise in platform 2,a common scene from the station between late 1974,when the 80 class arrived,and mid 1976,when Great Victoria Street closed. The final image shows the same trains in the platforms,this time taken from the bottom of platforms 2/3 looking back towards the customs hall and entrance barriers.

Nice looking layout,like the stone wall at the house,very authentic