DiveController

@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

@Past-Avenue Is it 4 function or 6 function chip (one above seems to be 6 functions)? If I recall correctly there is no, or no controlled, cab lighting is the 141s but there is in the 071s. You'll need an extra function or an extra function per cab to control those. If not one of the CVs may need to be changed

Did that work? Occasionally you'll have a main wire come loose due to bad solder. Happened to me with a lighting wire only on a 141. You'll have lights if it a wire to the motor only. Which chip, wonder why it failed if so?

I don't think I've ever heard when the lighter blue changed to the darker on this forum and even in the shot you and hexagon posted above it is hard to determine how light it is. If you told me the shot of 113 was later than 1981 and not just recently delivered, that would have seemed reasonable when you compare to the shot of 112 on the enterprise leaving Connolly above. I think the photo technology of the time, processing, exposure & lighting can alter things significantly like previous discussions on orange liveries. Hopefully someone with a more intimate knowledge of NIR stock might help on the changeover dates from lighter blue to darker blue?

Bottom line is that all the MM coaches sold as Dave says but I suspect that having extra GSV/EGV is probably a sound strategy. I don't think someone who merely wanted to add an EGV to another rake would necessarily buy new whole stock to get an EGV, unless they regard the new product as superior and want to buy a whole new rake anyway. Even if you sold the EGV in a pack with something else, someone just wanting to complete another rake would buy that pack alone leaving a shortage of those packs as they other coach packs sell out. Anyway all that strategy is up to the producer.

The SSM kit does three for only 20 euro but they're neither lit nor motorized I believe. Cosmetically they're a nice option. I think someone did a motorized one in OO I believe with 'bounce' and everything but I don't recall

they look great but shame no 4mm version

@mmie353just remember that Cravens were not the broadest stock to run on irish rails and some PRs and laminate stock (if ever produced) might be a scaled mm or two wider. The longer your stock, (Mk3s, 201s), the wider your stock, the tighter your curves, the greater the wobble when running (occasional cravens, uneven axle, imperfect handmade) the greater your chance of fouling and collision. The track can be a little closer on straights but must begin to diverge approaching a curve to ensure that minimum recommended as the curve starts. Long stock in particular will both overhang on the inside of the curve and the corner will project more from the outside of an inner curve relative to the wheel position

Incidentally, I suppose for anyone who might not know, 187s is in a 'transitional livery', a worn Supertrain livery with IR set of points logos added to the sides, and to the cab fronts to cover the old CIE roundel. This is 1991 4 years after the IR log was introduced.... so the Cravens has (not only logos, but) Tippex stripes whereas the loco does not

Not directly related to your question on the snack car but look at the lead Cravens coach on this formation and spot the difference. Maybe the only one running between 1989 until 1991-ish

yes, they usually come only second to EGVs although only one per rake and may not on all formations. The Lima MK3s as you say were resprays of the British restaurant and did not have the correct windows for an Irish Mk3 restaurant. I would agree that is MK3 were to come out the intercity livery would be more popular as one could always respray the coaches into Supertrain but I would hate to have to especially for an expensive HQ item, seems to defeat the purpose of buying it rtr

Was usually black except for a few in the SE

Not sure they'd be left with anything. Not sure how the DVT would sell but with 121s available as pushers that seems a no brainer. With regards to GSVs/EGVs they usually sell out more quickly than coaches and once sold are still in demand people may have an rake that requires completion

Exactly, 112 was delivered with 111 in 1981 and i seen her in 1983 with her red panel and rake of Mk2s in the older NIR livery (yet to receive their tippex stripe above and below the blue band. She kept the red panel until at least 1993 (seen in Lisburn that year) However 113 had a red panel until at least 1988 but was frequently seen on Enterprise services to Connolly and there are several photos of her at various points with the yellow panel at latest by 1990 HOWEVER, I not sure when the Light blue livery changed to the darker blue??

For comparison 113 2 years later with 'orange panels'

I don't know for certain about the panel color but we have had many discussions regarding greens and oranges ( on rolling stock) on this forum,.... I didn't even mention those colors, pistols at dawn and all that... Any red panel is going to appear darker against lighter french blue rather than the royal? blue the they were repainted in later, red will fade to orange with time/use and color photos and printers color will vary. I also have that edition of the D&H book and the MM model looks completely different, the model's blue color looks significantly lighter (and I wonder if the red is too). The Hunslet should have a red flash on the front cab but there seems to be several picture of this appearing orange. One thing you'll need to remember about the MM 111 class model if that only 8113 has the newer LED lights iirc so if you're modeling prior to that time and want to renumber things you'll have to get either 111 and 112 and respray/renumber MM0111 & MM0113 limited to 252 pieces, there may have been 504 of MM0112, I'm not sure. Work checking out Dave thread on 'Lima Models' p9 PAIR of hunslet crossing the Boyne, Red and ?'orange flash' on the trailing loco