Noel

19 minutes ago, Davenport said:

Long shot but anyone selling a 201 222 intercity livery?

Thanks 

MM 201 reruns due with next year

Short sighted. Commuters from wexford, gorey, Arklow, Wicklow encouraged to get off the roads and use public transport (ie rail), but the service is already too slow and now they want to axe it? Darwin!

8 minutes ago, Keano30 said:

Got my one today and its just beautiful. 

One question, has anyone tried to get the body off yet? I read the instructions and did as they said but to no joy. I'm afraid I'll break the loco if i squeeze it too hard. Has anyone got any tips on how to get the body off, I'm trying to install the 21pin DCC chip.

Same body removal technique as the original models. 

1. Leave the walkway rails on, just temporarily unclip for both cab ends
2. Pinch body sides with wooden sticks (eg ice cream sticks or the outside edge of wooden cloths pegs) to lever body upwards enough to get a thin flat screen driver underneath see send pic below. If you're careful you won't damage or dislodge the walkway rails and they'll clip back into both cabs once there are back on.
3. Leave the cab that is connected to the body at the grill end connected to the body centre piece as it is removed, the other cab end slides up and off easily
4. Just keep gently but firmly pinching the sides until you create a 1 or 1/2mm gap between the body and walkway, and then gentle lever up at each end until it can be pulled free by hand. 
5. When putting the body back on get the cabs the same way around and the body centre section of the ladder fits into the walkway holes.
6. Once off just remove the 21-pin blanking plate and install the 21-pin decoder
7. Then suggest off to test track to program the decoders address (eg 147 or 185). Test the loco runs ok before putting the body back on.

PS: The loco is supplied with a built in speaker so you won't have to solder a speaker to the PCB like the original production run from 2008.

2 hours ago, Ken K said:

Just recieved some lovely Black n Tans thansk to all for such amazing models. Did i miss something regarding decoders? was there to be an announcement regarding dedicated decoders for the new 141/181's?

I'm told WheelTappers about to release ESU v5 sound decoders for the new MM re-run 141/181 locos. Apparently their web site is down at the moment. The projects support the full ESU prototypical full throttle software's driving features such as Coasting, Braking, train loads, various rail sounds and flange sequeal, cascading wagon train coupling snatching and cascading wagon to wagon buffer clashing, etc, as well as lighting arrangements for double header consists, shunting, etc. Personally I use wheeltapper decoder projects for sound because of their superior and more realistic driving characteristics. Prefer them to other vanilla ESU projects based on north american EMDs that lack coasting, long distance train braking that make driving so much more fun. Back in the 1970s we call this inertia braking with electronic DC controllers of the day. I'm sure MM may release their own sound decoders in time as they did for the 121s. For me as a model train operator the driving prototypically is as important as the actual sound quality if not more.

PS: On the subject of Murphy Models I was in Marks Models yesterday collecting some MM stock and noticed the new tippex coaches are fabulous looking with the correct deeper shade of orange compared to the original 2008 mk2d production run which was rather yellow in tone. 

16 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Ironically lilt and the last commuter liveried 29k both went extinct around the same time

 

I think Fanta cans compared to “cattle trucks” which is what Wikipedia said there nickname was, is slightly more humerus and I’ve actually heard people call it Fanta cans in the wild even 15 or so years after they last wore orange. Maybe one day there will be another Fanta can 

‘Biscuit tins’ seems appropriate for 2[6-7]00 class DMUs. I suffered 7hrs on board one during a railtour once (cork-waterford) worst seats on rails, not suitable for intercity. Wont make that mistake, wont be going on a railtour again on any DMU, my back is still recovering. I thought the lilt livery was the nicest looking though. Bizarrely I commissioned a model some years ago in lilt livery but the supplier/builder vanished with my deposit. 

2 hours ago, ganderino said:

Any more info on the new 201’s on the way? I suppose there next on the agenda? Thanks

Alex

Last I was told in October by ‘a man’ was some 201s in IE livery reruns might be due Q1.25 and same for 071 re-runs in freight grey and NIR blue. That should put a stop stop the insane price gouging on eBay for Blue 111,112,113s. 

Pallets of MM just arrived at Marks Models. 

Airport access won't affect us hopefully as we've switched to car ferries for overseas travel.  I've had it with airports and low cost air carriers. It's so much more relaxing and enjoyable by sea. The modern cruise Ferries are fabulous. Overnight from Dublin to Cherbourg is impressive on W B Yeats.

Looking forward to Q4 when these are due. Will they have food trolleys on board!  

Don't care what gauge it is as long as you can get an elevator down to a platform under terminal 2 or 1  and get a direct airport express train to either Pierse street underground (underground so no slow dart traffic impeding line speed) or Heuston underground, come up the elevator and board an intercity train. The Luas doesn't cut it, it's too slow and over crowded. The problem is politicians will screw it up by wanting many stops between the airport and city centre transport hubs to appease their constituents. It's why air travellers tend to use the heathrow express instead of the tube to get into London from heathrow. 15mins air conditioned v 60mins on an overcrowded smelly hot tube. I'm no longer a back packer, just want to get to destination quickly and efficiently in comfort. A train from Dublin airport to city centre should take max 15mins, not stop every 300meters to facilitate locals, its an international air transport hub.

. . . and pairs of baby GMs in consist ran most of the main line pax services with excellent reliability. B&T livery GMs hauling super train rakes still look well. Before the locos were repainted into supertrain livery too.

On 31/3/2024 at 9:44 PM, raymurph said:

The 0-6-0 475 is lovely, what is it and where did you get it?

Cheers, it came from 00 Works a few years ago [GSR 475 (Ex CBSCR)]

6 hours ago, Broithe said:

I have a 'memory' of them at Heuston - and, yet, this picture is 1973.

I would have been there a couple of times in the late 60's, though.

I might be remembering the ones at Crewe...

Super photo.

On 25/3/2024 at 12:27 PM, 226 Abhann na Suire said:

Just a few musings for a bored Monday morning... I realise there is already another similar-sounding thread on here about a direct link off the Northern Line to the airport, but unfortunately, with the Metro already serving the airport, and the enviornmental impact air travel has, I see it very unlikely that a rail link, albeit only comprising 5km of elevated track (which could even be single track) would be both publically and financially backed, despite making the most sense and also being in line with the EU's TEN-T regulations.

In terms of the Metro though, obviously as things stand, commuters from Sligo, South Dublin, and the Northern Line as far as Drogheda will have only a single change connection to make to be able to board a Metro to the airport. However, the rest of the country, ie. the Heuston-centric lines, will (as things stand) have a three-change connection to get the airport, requiring instead to travel into Heuston, back out to Parkwest and up to Glasnevin before even seeing a Metro train.

I'm just wondering if the more knowlegeable people on here would be able to tell me how realistic it would be (with a view to an hourly/near-hourly timetable on all intercity trunk routes by the time the Metro is up and running) to stop every or every second Intercity train at the likes of Hazelhatch or Parkwest or one of the four-track stations, to allow a direct connection with DART+ services through the PPT and up to Glasnevin...? (And also in effect, back the opposite direction towards Kildare). Intercity services could stop serving Newbridge (which would still be served by Portlaoise services and eventually DART+) to allow for this without adding to journey times, but is it possible? Would another one or two Intercity platforms need to be built at this station? And would it be better to alternate the DART+ stations at which the intercity services stop at? 

It would also be ideal for the Metro to be extended north to either Donabate or Rush and Lusk, the benefits being twofold: all the space and land north of Swords which could be used to build many of those 'transit-orientated-developments' that the big wigs seem so fond of talking of but doing nothing about lately, which would be perfect commuter towns for Dublin, and you would then have a link to the airport with the Northern Line for Belfast and DART+ North trains too, instead of having to change at Connolly to go to Tara, but that's possibly another argument...

I do realise that there were problems and constraints with where the Metro could be routed but I find it an awful shame that it could not have been routed it into a more centralised mainline station to get the most connectivity. I do feel that this would be a pretty good comprimise however, and with proper advertising and signage and wayfinding, could take a lot of people out of cars, and could really benefit Irish Rail, the Metro and the enviornment...  

interesting suggestions. The big hole seems that one cannot get off a dart or intercity train at connolly, go down an escalator to a basement platform and get a dart underground direct to the platforms at heuston or direct to terminals 1&2 at dublin airport and indeed terminal 3 which seems inevitable in the future (Ie air travel will eventually decarbonise)

ps. As ferries likely to replace low cost air travel in the midterm perhaps also a direct dart underground from connolly to dublin port (ie for containers and pax). 

Does anybody remember something similar to these at Houston in the 1970s, and the bay platforms at Westland Row?

On 3/3/2024 at 8:57 PM, RobertRoche said:

 

Those pizza cutter wheels look scarily sharp should there be a mishap

Hi Kevin, @DiveController Platform ramps tend to be the issue as wagon chassis elements that protrude tend to fit under the platform edge overhang, but in Ireland ramps are square and the same width as the platform, unlike many BR stations where the ramps are tapered and curved. 

tapered ramps like these Hornby toy versions don’t foul wider bogies or wider stock.

this is common on BR outline stations.  @jhb171achill The Fountain of Irish prototypical knowledge explained to me tapered platform ramps are generally not used in Ireland. I have some MIR resin wagons that cannot run past scale distanced square platform ramps without fouling and derailing. Anyway it sound like it shouldn’t be an issue. I have my platforms a prototypical distance to stock (ie track centre), so alighting LLPs passengers don’t have to jump across 2 or 3 feet gaps from coaches to platform. Moving swiftly on, my goodness the amount of new models due to ship over the next 9 months is staggering. Will layout have to grow to stable all this new stock?

Thanks that's good to know.

@Warbonnet Fran, a question if you don't mind please and you may be in a position to answer. Have these fab looking Bulleid beet wagons been loading gauge tested so they can run past platform ramps at prototypical platform gaps to track (ie so the hanging door stoppers don't foul platform ramps). This is a problem I encountered with some other kit built beet wagons in the past. Many thanks in advance.

Fab

21 hours ago, IrishTrainScenes said:

Hi, does anyone know where is the best place to find Northern Ireland Railways / Irish Rail Models? I’m looking for some in OO Gauge.

Many thanks in advance.

• Irish Railway Models RTR (IRM here)
• Murphy Models RTR
• Silverfox kits

Murphy models were announced due to re-run NIR livery 071 GM locos at the end of this year. For C lass and Hunslet Silverfox kits are your only route.

Funny by chance I just pre-ordered an AS pannier tank with DCC sound

Great idea, makes sense to make use of the same chassis tooling as for the beet wagons.

Eoin Fry to the power of 2! On another level. Respect.

Am I the only one who has never been to IKEA? Nor have I any desire to.