DiveController

Fantastic, John! It's great to see a new generation with an interest in railways and nice to see some girls interested in the hobby. My daughter is a little younger but still happily building on the hobby table with a variety of wooden track and buildings.

Thanks, Noel. That makes perfect sense. I was't aware of the problem with the TCS decoders but the 'fix' seems to be an excellent workaround. Needs to file that away in case I run with a bunch of Lais decoders. I had forgotten that the headlights were not independent on the 141/181s as have been messing about with a bunch of other things lately. A running session required obviously. Many thanks:cheers:

Many thanks, Noel, for your continued testing. Can you elaborate on the speed step down surge?I did't fully understand the issue. I haven't run my 141s in a while.I thought there was independent control via switches 'under the hood' (very troublesome) or by DCC? Any update on this?

Personal taste but I detest the stenciled version of the snail. Like the wagons, prototypical and model

Mine too. Thanks for that, Ciaran. K

Do you have the ability to turn off the front and rear markers when in a consist of 141s etc? Most locos would turn off headlights when entering a station area, would they not? I don't understand why these were on one function? Daft cab lights are a matter of taste/prototypical running . Is there a 6-function equivalent available or planned? Many thanks for the testing, Noel!

If you've already gone and corked it, I'm going to let it up to you (well, I'm going to do that anyway). If you're going to be shunting mainly at low speed and short distances, maybe it won't make that much difference to you. Anyway, it's late and I haven't had time to review the thread but this is what I was thinking of http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/5048-Track-Ballasting-Which-method?highlight=baseboard+closed+foam+pva

The tighter the join the less rock and roll on short stock and less rail noise from metal wheeled stock. Electrical continuity won't matter if you have droppers on all tracks. I'd take Dave's advice and use PU or closed cell foam under the entire track section taking it well wide of the track ballast area to try to reduce recreating a drum when you ballast the track with PVA glue which allows sound to be transmitted back to the baseboard. We discussed this on a thread maybe 18-24 months ago. I'll try to post a thread reference when I get back later. I do like the trackwork

When you look at photos of the prototype it seems that the doors covered and sat slightly outside the sole bars of the wagon dropping almost to the height of the brake lever when closed. The model seems to have been designed with the correct number of ribs but sits atop the solebar creating an awkward tall aspect to the model. Ideally the solebar would need to be reduced to allow the top to sit over it, which may not be possible. The profile of the wagon is very much improved. Nice modification:tumbsup: Glenderg posted some shots which demonstrate it fairly well http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/4286-MIR-Drop-Side-cement-Wagon?highlight=drop+side+cement

Well if you're game for it, an A class and maybe a J15 would sell well based on previous threads on here. If we don't see the 121 until end of 2017 (and that must be a provisional date, based on previous releases), I'm not entirely sure we'll ever see the A class let alone anything else

No, you were correct. I was referring mainly to the bridge on the canal, although the station is not far behind. I did see the old crane and I'm glad at least someone had the foresight to work it into the progress.

Any year on Mayner's photo by Des Coakham?

Lovely shot of the river and architecture (apart from that ridiculous eyesore of a bridge for disabled access). I wish that more prototypically correct Irish model architecture was available. Seems like a few tracks have disappeared since fishplate's photo

Did you figure this out? Curious as to what the problem was in the end.

http://www.hawkin.com/mid-season-sale/show/100

This is going to be very difficult to replicate well, but the multiple speaker system makes sense insofar as a surround sound type effect could be created. However, the thing that seems to be missing from the equation seems to be the position of the listener(s). Right now, sound locos are not making any adjustment to even the volume alone to create any sort of scale effect sound. In other words, even in a large layout when the loco is near the engineer if might be 3-5 feet away but no more than maybe 15ft feet away when it has travelled a scale mile or two down the track. In a prototypical situation the loco might pass the observer at a hundred decibels and may be imperceptible a mile away. Most of us compensate for this by realizing that the volume on the loco's speaker is WAY too loud and is turned down to maybe 20% of its volume so that there is some fade of the sound over the limited distances on the layout.The system would need some way of detecting where the engineer/viewer is at any any given time to even think about creating scale effect sound of doppler sound effects such as another transmitter in the cab(s) that the system can detect and react to (unless one is in a static position relative to the layout, the sweet spot, which is basically how surround sound creates its effects). Not an IT guy like some on here but these are just some thoughts.

I'm sure that's correct, Tony. I don't know enough of the grain industry to have an insight into the workings. While there are only two distilleries that I am aware of in Ireland, there would have been a score of them in the last century. I'm not sure if the grain was destined for the bakeries locally, adjacent towns or "for a more divine purpose" I enjoy these types of interviews which are invaluable as times continues to pass

THat's a very interesting photos which just oozes athmosphere. The grain van you posted would have been loaded from the store through the three roof vents. It seems there was also an elevated siding for unloading grain according to Mayner.

The cantrail is orange and the roof is black ..... I don't see the problem...?

I don't want to split hairs but the Mk1 Corolla has been around since '66 (although I'm not sure when it actually made it to the Irish & UK markets)

Very interesting. Thanks, John and Tony for posting. If anyone knows the exact reference John is referring to, could you please post? Thanks

Very interesting. Thanks for the additional input especially the effects of the CTC. A51r in post #7 above was apparently the Curragh pilot o that day and brought the Craven set onto the branch. I presume the original loco would then bring them back out releasing the pilot loco. With at least 4 Heuston specials, and trains from Belfast, with only two platforms I was wondering where the additional rolling stock was stabled while awaiting the punters return?

Reports suggest it was used until 7/3/1977 "Irish Railway Stations" (Bob Ayres) Don't know but it was not lifted until 1988 (Ciaran Cooney) It opened in 1875 so you're spoiled for a timeframe. Consider a divider and a yard on the back of the loop for additional rolling stock. Horse boxes as JHB said. I wonder if they were able to use the siding? It stops behind the grandstand

correct. If the gradient was optimized the distance would be shorter

Barry Carse's book (Irish Metro-Vick Diesels) has a photo of the platforms from the other end to your shot in 1970(p.37) Not too much of the architecture to be seen due to a 5-piece ex-GNR BUT in maroon in one and A51R, 4w luggage &5x craven special in the other