DiveController

They're really beginning to look good now, John! I'm in for a pair maybe more when a price point is available. Will they be decorated or just printed? Same question re conversion to 21mm? Thanks, K

I find searches on this site to be difficult. Sometimes it seems like definite keyword in something I'm lookin for are not found. Of course recollection can be faulty and one needs to be on the correct forum to start but it often seems that keywords are not really searched within the text body although titles may be better

Personally agree with Noel and would use closed cell foam well wide of where your glued ballast will end, but you don't have to do anything, your railway. I do remember photos of a beautiful railway model on this site a couple of years ago that had literally gone to pieces due to issues with the baseboards and underlays. If you're going to put the time into it I'd put it on the best foundation possible but up to you.

I had only noticed black window frames on the Mk2a coaches before

That's very useful information but the thing I find odd is that the tailing loco is not running cab first. So were two crews, engineer and fireman traveling on this train, as they tailing loco seems to be under more steam than just enough to keep it idling for the return journey? Other photos of them show the WTs facing opposite directions for the return trip. Surely they didn't turn BOTH locos even if a turntable was available?

Thanks, Noel.

Even though these seemed to be pretty clean in most of the photos I have seen of them, a little weathering would add some realism to the garish PW yellow

Oops, my mistake. I have the book so I'll actually take a gander at that

Many pictures of the grey livery running bonnet first before the reversal but very few I would think in IR livery in 1990. I don't have the IRRS book mentioned by @murphaph but he was referring to 121 bonnet first other than parked/pilot/shunting/running around in more recent decades

Been a long time since I messed around with decoder so have forgotten quite a lot. Test the motor on DC, connect power to the wheels first , then test on a section of track. If it runs well on DC then there's an issue with the DCC decoder or CV settings such as starting voltage etc if its struggling the same section of track. I'd start by resetting the decoder to factory settings (CV8 to 8 usually) which is usually sufficient to get most thing started. The Stay Alive will work for dirty track but not if it runs well on DC already. Which decoder? Do you have the manual? If not, it may be online

Sorry for the late reply. I don't have any of these but I looked it up on the Hattons site and they refer to the instruction manual here https://images.hattons.co.uk/mediafiles/hattonsdecoderinstructions2016.pdf Oddly the 6 function decoder refer you to this manual which refers to a 4-function decoder. Nonetheless int he absence of any better advice you might be able to use use F3 green wire and CV51 to operate the cab light. Maybe setting it as directional will allow the cab in the direction of travel to be illuminated by selecting F3?

Will the RPSI 134 be arriving c. September 2020 with the grey liveried MM 121 class?

Indeed, if there are any Mk3s to come I know this livery will be very popular (despite my preference for an ST livery, I'd certainly make an exception).The elusive restaurant coach with correct IE style windows, obviously

@Railer Many thanks

Does anyone happen to now off hand which if the MK3s were purchased to form the Belmond GH set particularly the generator, was it 7602?

@leslie10646 Thanks for the info Leslie. You gotta look down from the semaphore observations occasionally or this is what happens (Get Well Soon) PS Is that arm in an upper quadrant or a lower quadrant plaster? ..... somersaults, well you did those already

Regardless the van looks great and I'll definitely be taking a couple! Early livery?

I think the one at Cultra may have a torpedo vent but that may well have changed in preservation. Hard to find many photos of the roofs, what was typical on there?

Speaking of EGVs, I didn't know they were fitted with integral rear lights eventually

The gauges are usually back to back to measure the distance between the rails on one track. There are others but don't know that much about them. The 67mm rec is from between centers (or any given same point on both rails e.g inside of the R/H rail on track 1 to inside of R/H rail on track 2). It might be easier for spacing to lay two parallel tracks with 67mm centers and then measure exactly the correct distance between the rails of adjacent tracks (less than 67 mm), or between the sleepers (less again). Then you can get some spacers to shove between the tracks as you lay them rather than keep trying to measure 67 between centers. Other option is to mark one track center, then an adjacent line 67 away and stick your pins in but it get trickier if you want to put down cork or closed foam then you remark etc. Seems like spacers would be easier and if you get a mm or 2mm off laying the first track, your track separation is maintained

Actually, I meant the second coach which has the updated blued stripe livery. Alway thought the earlier version and that one with its tippex edge looked really well. It's actually hard to reproduce it well on a model. I think @Dhu Varren did a really nice job on this livery also, a few years back @Galteemore It wasn't bad when new but that wasn't always pristine as you say. Yes, lovely layout this one

Oooh! love to see the NI post '1988? Intercity coach

Regarding venturing south, looks like 113 went on a test run to Limerick , then Waterford then back to home turf in 2003 and with the deeper yellow warning panel on the cab front. 111 was on a rail tour along the western Rail Corridor in 1990

The 111s came with the thinner italicized (slanted-type) NIR log with sharp corners. In Jonathan's Allen book 35 Years of the NIR he shows the newer thicker NIR logo with rounded corners on the the locomotives after 1993- using images but no associated text that I noticed. Likely they were resprayed and had new logos applied at the next overhaul after that year. I'm not sure when the full height yellow end was applied to 113, much more recently maybe c.2003

I'd like to add something constructive to this conversation but I actually have no idea what either of you are talking about. At some point on a layout STILL not in progress I'd like to have some basic track occupancy in the sense that I'd like to be able to have trains come to an automatic gradual stop at junctions and so forth if the rand is not set/signal at danger