Noel

Great find Dave. I remember it well. My little brother got the Slainte express set and I got the freight set above for Christmas. I’d guess it was 1977 or 78 at the latest as we moved house shortly after when Dad died. I still have one of the locos, the wagons and two of his mk2a coaches. The self adhesive CIE roundal was always falling off. Had to glue it on in the end. You could cut pizzas with the wagon wheel flanges

That layout was a fabulous representation of Greystones. Really captures the essence of the place very accurately. Impressive Irish rolling stock for 1990s, very resourceful.

Excellent scenics and track ballasting. Very subtle blending and colouring.

Nice pics. Especially nice aerial pic of EIDW RWY 16

Oh no has Dermot Bannon been set loose?

A class act.

Very commendable behaviour and business ethics by IRM/AS in the UK market (link below to RMweb). IRM/AS have justifiably received a very positive response from customers for their discount offer on the CEMFLO time table. I'd guess this could be an industry first and very refreshing to see an innovative Irish company do something like this. Smart move and great PR. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/134770-cemflo-by-accurascale/page-8

Prototype 131 is a fine looking loco. However 4-4-0 wheel arrangement in OO gauge are not renowned for smooth reliable running especially over point work.

I see one of the horses has managed to unseat their rider

Agree, the Belfast Enterprise coach sets and the Cork mk4 coach sets are the most comfortable trains running on the Island. I regularly use the Cork service but will cease the minute they replace the mk4 sets with the lousy uncomfortable and noisy 22k 'luasy' DMU sets. He was a bit silly to compare the numbers and traffic level on busy UK rail routes with Dublin-Belfast route, no comparison. Says more about the man himself that he didn't check the times beforehand - poor preparation like many in his profession.

Large halls or function rooms similar to the school facility above seem to make better venues for model railway exhibitions than a maze of small class rooms off congested corridors. Having visited both types of venue over the years, circulation seems at lot easier and more inviting. One can see more and walk around most layouts easier than smaller individual rooms where layouts are often placed against a wall due to space constraints. This limits viewing angles and causes congestion especially at the doorways of classrooms. I presume from a traders point of view they get a better and fairer slice of customer circulation if nearly everything is under the one roof.

As Richard Dreyfus said in the movie Jaws - were gonna need a bigger camera! It is quite a large layout. In all seriousness there are some photos of it under construction phases on WMRC's Facebook page last winter. I'm sure somebody must have some recent pictures from the Cork show (for another thread). Video clip I was advised that each baseboard has its own custom designed control module PCB bus for DCC power distribution, short protection, signalling, point control and lighting. Each PCB has an array of status LEDs so any problem is limited to a short section of track on a single baseboard and instantly recognisable. Clever dudes down there and fanatics for perfect fault free running. I'm reliably informed that 'hands' appearing out of the virtual sky to nudge stuck locos due to electrical continuity or baseboard join issues has been banned. Links below to some FB pics https://scontent.fdub5-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/37326217_1940142536044496_8864216563641745408_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=0172adc7f62c5805246caab46e7952d4&oe=5C032829 https://scontent.fdub5-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/29425960_1796072837118134_2322146516090748928_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=5ecaf4fd96a62ff562186ea1bdb169ab&oe=5BFD43A7

Impressively WMRC exhibited at two separate venues last weekend. Gerry with 'Llanuwchllyn' in Belfast, and the O gauge layout in Cork. Does it have a name yet Gerry?

That's CIE era alright Sounds like a successful trip

Heard from a little birdie that an exceedingly large Irish built O gauge layout will be making its debut trip as guest to the show. DCC touch screen wireless throttles and full mechanical lever frame signal box systems for operating points and signals. Laser cut modular baseboard system with each board having its own custom designed electronic PCB modules. I’m told by the same little birdie that the DCC sound combined the the real sound of a long heavy O gauge train passing through the station makes a serious impression on the senses.

Looks like a hybrid. The ex-GSWR wooden upper body has been completely replaced or perhaps modified and skinned.

Great series of photos and record of Claremorris line. It is a mere shadow of it’s former days as a major railway intersection between five operating railway lines.

Thanks Gerry. I might try that as an experiment with some wagons, but have some concern about the friction that might cause with a 12-15 wagon rake. Hi Graham. Thanks, some good info. I've found light wagons can bounce even in sidings when attempting coupling action nowhere near the magnets. I've tried to put only one magnet at the throat of each yard section so that delayed uncoupling would allow me to drop off wagons in any of the sidings. It works more consistently when the wagons are heavy enough. I agree with you the magnets that slot between the rails give less problems. Noel

Scanning through various forums in US and RMweb in UK, and youtube it seems converting rolling stock to kadees often also requires the addition of weight to wagons as per NMRA guidelines if shunting, uncoupling and re-coupling is to be a constant success. A classic symptom is when two light wagons are slowly shunted together one wagons coupler pushes the other wagon backwards without the couplings reengaging because the wagons are too light, or worse there is a bounce effect. Scale mass!

It seems to be emerging as a case of Railway v Greenway. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/government-reviewing-extension-for-western-rail-corrider-1.3598691

Hi Fran Worth bearing in mind that due age profile demographics in the hobby, there may be a significant 'cohort' who have not participated in online surveys (i.e. not involved in social networking nor FB). This 'cohort' may have a nostalgic leaning towards other eras that the survey field may not have picked up. For some of a certain age group pencil and paper is still king! A clipboard or paper survey across age profiles at shows may yield more accurate data for the marketing and strategic planning dept! Noel

Pm sent

Fabulous video. Glad to see IR retained the turn table in rosslare.

Extract from Murphy Models web site back in 2016 Happy New Year from Murphy Models As you will have noticed, 2015 was a rather quiet year for Murphy Models, mainly through circumstances beyond our control. However, we will try to make up for it in 2016 . First, the news everybody has been waiting for - Class 121 CAD drawings were started in December. It is expected that pre-production samples will be available for perusal at the MRSI October Show in Raheny with a first delivery in time for Christmas. It is intendeded that the IE and original CIE grey will be first to arrive with CIE Black and Supertrain and IR versions to follow within 9-10 months. Paddy's business enterprise has transformed Irish railway modelling beyond all recognition, so only gratitude and few complaints if any from me as a consumer of his products. The mk2 were fine models but indeed did not quite attain the heights that the incredible Cravens and baby GMs did. IMHO 141/181 are still the finest model locos I have ever operated, so I hope the 121 does match them should MM decide to proceed with them this year or next. If MM do not, I've no doubt someday IRM might consider them, but PM can hold his head high in the knowledge he changed the game during his time in the Irish model railway business. IRM have taken up the baton for the future and are raising the bar to new heights we as consumers could not have dreamt of only a few years ago. Clunky Lima BR mk1s repainted B&T behind Lima class 33s in CIE orange are now but a distant memory. Whenever the right time comes, I'm sure a future IRM A class may shatter 'glass ceilings' in ways we can not yet comprehend. We've never had it so good.