Noel

Tony, you are talented. Superb looking result.

It would be nice to see 800 maedb back in steam instead of static display in a museum. Probably impossible as no where she could run with her weight restrictions on the Irish Rail network.

Yes just spotted this NIR 111,112 and 113 set as a job lot for any NIR fans who missed out on these three locos. NIR not my area of interest but I guess despite the price this rare set may be snapped up by a collector soon enough.

No sure 'keen' best describes their sentiments perhaps more reluctantly prepared to pay a premium price to get something that has become quite rare and difficult to buy (until there is a re-run in the future). Yes the successful bidder bought it with only 5 seconds to go on the auction. There seems to be three types on eBay: modellers, collectors and speculators.

Use of extreme profanity like "I*R" on this forum could get both of us banned! There's 22,000 good reasons trains have engines at the front and carriages, couplings and buffers!

I remember having to sit on a coach at one end of the train because the coach rake was split in Mullingar and if you weren't seated in the correct coach you ended up somewhere like sligo rather than Galway after they split the train into two one heading for Galway via old Moate Athlone link, the other heading to Sligo via Dromod/Carrick. I remember the coaches were green the first few times and after that B&T.

Could be my memory is playing tricks but I seem to recall before 1973 most Galway bound trains originated from Westland Row rather than Amiens Street (now Connolly since 1966). ie before they switched to Heuston.

I'd love to see the mk4 CAF coaching sets get a refurb. They took the curtains off a few years ago which is a PITA working on a laptop. I fear the comfy mk4 sets on the Cork route being replaced by 22k DMUs.

Thanks for that link. Order placed

Unfortunately Tom's website disappeared last year and now only uses FaceBook (which I also hate and avoid using like the plague). I usually order from Tom via email and pay via PayPal (tommybrady{AT}eircom.net). But the store part of his web site lists most of the available models. The 22ft skeletal wagon kits are listed at €45 for a pair of wagons. https://www.facebook.com/Irish-Freight-Models-1252098201500518/app/251458316228/ Agree a good guy to deal with. My only minor gripe has been I wish he'd supply his coaches with boxes rather than bubble wrap. Very happy with all the stock I bought off him over the years, especially the Park Royal coaches, TPOs and HLVs. I got 20ft skeletal container wagon kits from him last year for my 20ft BELL containers (see pic below). Pre-Kadee

There is a feast of baby GMs available on fleeBay at the moment but at a price. With 121's and A's due down the tracks how well these sell remains to be seen. But at least baby GMs are available for those who missed out on them first time around.

Indeed, that's been up for ages. I wouldn't pay even €30 for one of those Lima heaps. Unless for use as a door stop or a paper weight.

PS: It would have been nice to learn this from Murphy Models own web site rather than an email from hatton's. IRM are excellent a publicising production dates and delivery schedules. MM web site no new information. But a minor trifle as the models I'm sure will be superb and thats what counts at the end of the day.

Hattons have Murphy Models 121 class up on their web site for pre-ordering price £129 (ie €150). https://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/SiteResults.aspx?searchfield=murphy models class 121&utm_campaign=Project Announcement - Murphy Models CIE Class 121 170419 (JsCcsy)&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Potential Irish Model Customers&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJub2VsQGRlcmcuaWUiLCAia2xfY29tcGFueV9pZCI6ICJKR1FlWGgifQ%3D%3D

Fab looking drawings. Thanks for posting.

That’s what I’m hoping to reproduce with a few h-vans and open wagons, perhaps a 20ft bell or two in a mix rake formation circa 1968. More variety and visually interesting. The new grey livery bubbles will be perfect for such a formation.

Oh dear I hope not the day an RTR model of a 22k is manufactured this hobby could be finished. Like Thomas fine for the toy market and youngsters but operationally as a model zero appeal. Layouts with few points, out’n’back, no shunting, and the noise they make is about as interesting as a fridge humming. DDC sound? Just a personal thought. Perhaps in 40years time they may acquire some sort of nostalgia value. Ps: anybody any photos of the Bangor show?

Order placed. Love the look of these grey liveries. The Tan/Orange CIE logo looks really well as crisp as a button.

Grey livery looks fabulous. Oh those grey bubbles would fit in perfectly on a mixed goods train late 60s with some vans and open wagons behind a 121 or an A class in B&T livery.

Thanks for posting. Yummie, there were more of these bullied corrugated open wagons made than all the other rolling stock CIE had combined. Oh to have a rake of 30 of these in RTR finescale run behind an IRM A class. (not very subtle hint) The most numerous item to ever run on Irish rails.

More train formation guides from hattons. This time freight. Perhaps IRM could do a formation guide in the future for trains like liners, ballasts, cement, weed spray, etc. Or perhaps we could collectively milk the brains of all on here and oracles like @jhb171achill for CIE era and IE/IR trains such as mk2/mk3, mail trains, RPSI formations (eg Galway early morningpax+mail pre1994: 071+Bogie Laminate TPO+Mk1 GSV+mk2d SOx3+mk2drest+mkd2 FO+EGV), and build a sticky thread with visual representation of classic trains. https://www.hattons.co.uk/newsdetail.aspx?id=501&utm_campaign=Formations - BOC tank wagons 120419 (Q4FiWu)&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Era 7 and Era 8 combined&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJub2VsQGRlcmcuaWUiLCAia2xfY29tcGFueV9pZCI6ICJKR1FlWGgifQ%3D%3D

They look very nice. Stunning. Do any of the variants have the red painted panel with the white lettering like the pic below? (Photo unknown origin, any copyright acknowledged). PS: Looking forward to seeing Anthony's weathering results.