Noel

A station with no signal box, no points and no sidings, hardly a station, more a long wayside halt.

Thanks. Are we a few days away or a few weeks away at this stage? Just asking for a friend

can't be long now. Next week may feel like December 24th

Is the diesel not also safety requirement on BR mainlines on preservation specials in case the kettle breaks down?

What’s the hurry. It’s nearly 7 years since Fran first told me about the A class and gave me a brief preview of Richie’s early cad renders. It won’t be long now but worth waiting for. But I can bet you within days there will be clamouring for more Irish models and Irish rolling stock. H-Van and beet wagons triple packs would sell like confetti at a Greek wedding in Ballydahob. Irish Rail Mk7 sets, RPSI 22k sets in vomit green and yellow. Where will it all end Ted? Well let’s just settle down and enjoy the A class locos in the coming two weeks and look back at the journey that culminated in this epic milestone.

Opps OCD vision here spots the off parallel buffer. Presume just pre-production assembly. The close coupling and touching gangways are a stellar innovation. Look forward to these one day in IR/IE livery.

Don't know, I've never had any of those MM NIR livery locos nor any need for them. NIR/UTA/GNR was never really on my radar. Only saw the smaller red flashes on online photos of NIR Hunslet and blue C class locos. IMHO looking at online photos the smaller yellow flash looked visually more attractive but 'eye of beholder' warning and all that sort of thing.

Fortunately I've a few Silverfox C class kits running on MM 141 donor chassis, and they run like swiss watches. There was no way I was going to put a Hornby rail road plastic donor chassis under them. Minimal surgery needed to the MM, just remove the body and cutaway about 4mm of each end of the metal chassis and it fits like a glove, and runs like a pearl. Fortunately I picked up the donors about 5 years ago for about €80each before these beautiful bachman/MM baby GMs went through the roof on eBay in recent years. Its inevitable some time that these will be re-run just as MM 071s in NIR and Grey livery will get re-run in time. What's the rush? Isn't this a life long hobby.

Cahirsiveen?

Holy moly not weighing anchor till I’ve seen this we’ve LTE here at the moment.

that’s only 3hrs from now. Heading over to Costa outside now.

That'a absolutely gorgeous David. Sublime and the track work is stunning. Reeks of atmosphere. Subtle blending of all the elements. Love the back scene too, fits in really well. Hats off.

Well trains are designed to move us from point A to point B, and that they do today. Most passengers just want to meet that mission objective (ie arrival), most of us also seeking almost rail tour entertainment and a tour down nostalgia lane. RPSI a better bet for that albeit the intermediate stations are wastelands with no track, no movements, derelict old goods sheds, platforms and loading bays that no longer have track, just an imprint in the weeds since the sleepers were lifted. I bought a truck load of old sleepers 35 years ago, and still pondering laying them in the garden with short length of rails. Forget 21mm, when 1:1 if even a nano sized layout could form a feature.

100% feeling very fortunate to have ridden behind green A classes and grey 121s in my youth, when rail activity was an assault on the senses of a young buy watching the movement, and activity in every station, the noises, smells, clanking, vibrations, wind blowing through the open windows, the tump of sliding compartment doors. Passing packed goods trains in loops at every intermediate station. Wonderful. Now just Luas+ with 22k toy trains. Fischer price land.