Hunslet 102

Thanks guys for your replies. This photo is the same as the first photo,but taken from across the freight yard.It is from the time in the 70s when the face of the railway was changing.In the foreground are loose coupled vans,which,along with the BUT sets would soon be a thing of the past.The 141 with the fertilizer wagons is part of the new way forward for freight on CIE along with container trains,which have also all but disappeared from our railways.

Thanks for the comments guys and the best wishes,although the attached quote takes the biscuit

Hi Guys Thought I would start this thread as it might be of interest to some.I already have a layout thread on RM Web that has been linked on this forum by 201bhoy under GVS and Adelaide,so I dont really have the time to run a parallel thread on here.This thread however will mainly be photo's from my layout with a brief description of how the railway in Northern Ireland looked and was served in the early 70s,my favourite modelling period.Hopefully it will be an insight to the younger members on the forum and a reminder of how it was to those of us a bit more senior The above photo is a typical scene from the early 70s on NIR,showing a double ended BUT railcar no.122 bringing up the rear of an all stations to Lisburn local.NIR driving trailer 812 powers towards Belfast with the Enterprise while a CIE 141 class shunts fertilizer wagons on the head shunt outside Adelaide freight yard.This scene was typical of what I would view while idling away the hours watching the operations at Adelaide.

Great video,the layout is looking top class,certainly great operating potential with some amount of motive power to call upon.

Although not technically a model,I thought the above photo's were worthy of inclusion. Having recently celebrated my 50th birthday,my daughter and her friend made me a birthday cake to remember.She nicked my Hunslet from the layout and used it for a template for the cake and I think they done a good job.It was tasty as well,although the first cut into it was hard

Personalized number plate as well-that is impressive!

Use meths with cotton buds for both the track and the wheels on the locomotives and rolling stock.As irishthump suggests,a track rubber for stubborn grime,but use it sparingly as it can tarnish the rails.

The layout is looking good and taking shape with the platforms looking particularly good.I can certainly recommend the use of sandpaper for the platform surface as I have used it on my own layout,painting it with weathered concrete paint and finishing it with matt varnish.

Hunslet in maroon was the only livery for these classic locomotives.A full set with a locomotive top and tail is a sight to behold.As mentioned,the Markle range of DVDs has some great footage of the Enterprise down through the years.They also have great footage of the CIE Enterprise,from the mixed bag of Cravens,Laminates,Park Royals etc to A class with mk2s in Supertrain livery.

In theory and at the very start of the revamped Enterprise Hunslet service these were the summer and winter formations.In reality,as with most things on NIR,the formations changed for all sorts of reasons.The Hunslet's were soon used for many other duties,including PW and excursions!This thus led to the Enterprise service suffering,with the 2 locomotives on one train more often than not being reduced to 1 locomotive and 6 coaches in push/pull fashion.The Hunslet's probably suffered from the poor reliability of the DH locomotives and thus were called upon to do tasks the DH's were meant to do but not capable of doing. With regards the winter formation,although usually the Hunslet would be at the Dublin end of the train,mainly because the coaches would be shunted into the platform at Great Victoria Street and the Hunslet would follow in and pull them to Dublin,this was not always the case and on numerous occasions the set was pushed to Dublin. Nostalgia,a maroon Hunslet with maroon and blue coaches was the Enterprise for me

Some great shots of the 121s in the various liveries they wore down through the years.The grey livery of the early 60s is particularly stunning.It is great to see photos of hand-painted locomotives as I feel they capture the feel of the real thing better than an unblemished sprayed locomotive.There is something therapeutic about hand-painting stock,especially Irish stock,a lot slower than spraying but a lot more rewarding.The stock looks totally at home in the layout surroundings as well,a fine looking layout.

The layout is looking great Kirley,love the Irish rural station scene with the sweeping backscene,it all looks so authentic,well done

Once again great attention to detail with the buffer and being able to recreate an actual prototype working is modelling paradise.Well done.

A superb looking siding that is very realistic,with some great looking 70s stock to complement it.

Hi Guys Just wondering if anyone has a Q kits C Class locomotive kit either unbuilt or part built,no chassis required, that may be surplus to their requirements.Looking for one at a reasonable price,certainly cheaper than the Silverfox version which would be my last resort,to add to my 70s themed Irish layout. Please PM me with any details.

The realism of Tara Junction with all its wee scenes are what makes it stand out as a class layout.The 071s/111 look as though they have always been there,just right at home,which is just what I was thinking where I would like to be with your quote of a coal fire and Guinness-the taste and smell of home

With you on that one heirflick-looking forward to this more than the 071,the model looks classic,well done to Des for an excellent model

Thanks for posting the photo of the painted Sulzer heirflick,it looks absolutely stunning.Dare I say it,I am looking forward to the release of this model more than the 071!Well done Des on making this model a reality.

Stephen-your layout is looking great and starting to take a bit of shape.With regard your question,if I am looking at it right,then I would hardstand all 3 tracks up to at least or just beyond the buffers of the 2 nearest lines and then ballast the rest of the track as normal.I think this would give you a better area for scenario's,with lifter vehicles and trucks etc.

Kirley-great pics and video of your new layout,it looks brilliant.Like the 70 class in the maroon and grey livery,it really suited them and a great reminder of the era I love best-the early 70s.Like the paint job on the 450 class,is the non-motorised driving trailer a repainted Dapol class 150?Nice glimpse of an 80 in the background also.Love the Hunslet also-surprise surprise-the best loco ever to run on Irish metals:p. great array of stock overall. Plenty of work to keep you going over the winter months,happy modelling

Great looking layout,the scenery and river look fantastic,well done and thanks for sharing

That is some amount of track mileage there!Realistic long trains and plenty of operational scope,a modellers paradise,well done.

Great looking layout,the American stock really look at home in the long straight section.Looking forward to more pics

Stephen,the grey area with just the double track main line shown on it,have you anything planned for this area?

Great job with the paint job on the model,it captures the feel of a GNR AEC railcar,but it is not an authentic AEC railcar.Repaints of British models still seem to do well though.