Noel

Time to do the glazing. As the windows are now larger using a replacement strip of clear plastic with painted grey window bars. There was a lot of masking before spraying halfords grey plastic primer which I hope will grip the flexible clear plastic sheeting better than other paints. Previous and replacement glazing strips after painting the window bars on Today I also painted and fettled the fittings for the replacement suspended corridors connectors, painted the chassis and bogies. Just a few more bits to do and she will be finished and then its weathering.

Speechless

Interesting. Around 1983 a pal of mine was then an engineer with CIE and he kindly gave me a tour of the Connolly control room for both the Dart and mainline rail, including the relay room for the Dart and the CCTV room for the dart crossings. Then he took me for a cab ride on a passing Dart explaining with the driver all the then state of the art gubbins they had. I remember being mightily impressed at the time. He explained to me that each coach weighed itself which was used amongst other inputs to calculate maximum speeds and braking distances required. The driver demonstrated the set refusing to exceed the speed limit for a particular section of track that was on based on weight, incline, temperature, track curve, and factors like leaves and ice, etc. The level of automation and fail safes for 1983 was impressive. Less impressive were the rolls of paper spewing out of the machine counting axles and measuring axle box temperature on the main line rail. It looked like the output from a seismometer.

I agree, just wish some of it was underground.

Wow what a fantastic photo scene. A proper train with an engine up front pulling carriages and properly punctuated by a brake van. Some time in the late 70s my late father threw me a copy of the business plan for the Dart and the only comment I remember him utter was half its market hinterland was occupied by fish rather than commuters, but I remember him being for it despite that. He was keen on exploring the viability of reopening the Harcourt street line.

Ok, flame throwers down, let me clarify where I was coming from. I encounter the Luas both driving a car and on board. I like it for the routes that suit me, but in the city sections it is so slow compared to the London underground (yes I know Dublin is tiny by comparison). Sure I get it would obviously have been too expensive to put the whole thing under ground, but at least the city centre sections could have been placed under the surface or raised. The traffic flow maths doesn't seem to stack up running them on the surface of the city centre (i.e. recent traffic interaction problems). In relation to boring and granite issues I'd be interested in Richie's view of the revised underground Metro plans. Bare in mind also over the next 15 years predominant personal road vehicles may probably be dominated by EVs reducing both air and noise pollution. Not sure if or when HGVs may ever become electric. So my gripe was the operation of the Luas in the city centre sections. With Metro the planers have seen fit to go underground in the city.

Hi Dave. I do find painting quite difficult if wearing gloxing boves. Seriously, yes yours sounds like a similar pattern. Primer first, then approx white band un-masked and at the same time the approx orange area un-masked (i.e. both overlapping where the black will be). Than put masking tape over where the white stripe and orange band should be, and spray the black. Wait 20 mins and pull the masking tape horizontally and reciprocally off. Noel.

Perhaps one day . . . but back on topic, Port Cumtha looks fabulous.

Yes only in Ireland do we put a bus on rails on the surface blocking the streets instead of an under ground. At least they seem to be getting that bit right with Metro.

Photo with better focus. Doodling with this little project has been quite enjoyable. Masking on this was a little tricky this time because there were so many raised relief items on the body sides close to the edge of the masking tape. It was not possible to do my usual air sealing of the tape using the wooden toothpick around some of these relief items, so instead of the usual airbrush distance and angle, I turned up the paint flow and sprayed exactly perpendicularly from a greater distance so no air pressure to blow paint under the bits of masking tape that were not flush with the sides. Vallejo paint seemed to make this easier, Tamiya may have started to dry a bit between the nozzle and hitting the sides of the coach due the longer distance the paint had to travel through air.

Yes the hobby here in Ireland even per-capita has always been much smaller than the UK which may be a factor. The number of clubs and skill base seems pro-rata less than the UK which has a long standing tradition of railway modelling in all its aspects. Perhaps one day a small 21mm branch diorama might tempt me, especially if I can find a modeller with the skills of a watch maker to help re-gauge a small selection of rolling stock and get it to run as reliably on track as it did on 00. As I said I have always admired 21mm layouts - but from a distance due to practicalities and my limitations.

Yes I remembered well your warnings and advice about this.

Some folks seem put off 21mm by the amount of work to modify all their rolling stock, getting stock running reliably on track after modifification, and for some the lack of ability to run stock on friends 00 layouts. That's my excuse also, but I admire and love looking at other folks broad gauge layouts.

Thanks Richie. That makes sense. What was also interesting is the Veda 186 I normally use has a 0.2mm needle/nozzle but the Veda 134 backup I used tonight had a 0.3mm needle/nozzle which doesn't sound much different in size, but it allowed a significantly wider paint area. In fact I may use 0.3mm in future as it allowed better coverage for 00 gauge bodies anyway.

That is a delight to behold.

Just pulled the masking tape off the CIE Brake Parcel van conversion (ex Bachmann LMS parcel). Tonight was spraying black over the reverse mask covering the orange and white. Next up the chassis, glazing, new corridor connectors, etc. The painting took longer than expected because when I test sprayed my usual airbrush it was not allowing paint to flow smoothly despite a deep clean last time it was used. Luckily I had the spare airbrush. Not as straight forward masking job as previous resprays due protruding vents over the doors half into the white stripe. Will give it 24hr before gloss varnish in prep for decals and weathering powders.

Ah well, only one more year of 'shovel belting' will help keep me fit

Started painting the brake parcel van tonight. Got both the white and tan on in one session ready for reverse masking tomorrow. Then black on sides, ends and roof, fit Keen systems LMS suspended gangways, glazing, fit new NEM coupling pockets so she can be used with TL or Kadee couplings, paint chassis and bogies, paint new wheel sides, then gloss varnish, decals, weathering powders, weathering overspray, and finally matt varnish. It passes the time nicely.

Excellent and tastefully edited video. Looking forward to visiting the exhibition. Really impressed with the number of layouts.

All is forgiven. I have plucked the ICR dagger from my chest (missed my heart by 21mm). Welcome back into the family of proper trains, the zenith and golden era from 1930 to 1972 The great days of Irelands railway trains before the contamination of plastic formica super train and AEC sets, before the scalextricisation by hair dryer darts, the fibreglass seated yo-yo DMU & ICRs that spawned a dawn in the osteopathy and hearing aid industries, and the final insult, yes the meltdown of bendy lousy luasey buses on rails pretending to be trains.

Et tu, Brute? No surely it cannot be true that the 'oracle' JB would tolerate a turbo roller-skate toy yo-yo ICR (fake train). Now Mk4 forming a real train hauled by a ready supply of correct livery locomotives might sell especially for folks with layouts large enough to cope with the long length of mk4 coaches and 201 locos on gentle radius curves.

Is not 1940-1960 a big RTR gap? Especially steam locos, bredin/laminate & park royal coach era, A, 101, and 113 class diesels.

I've used Dapol RTR unpainted 5 Plank wagons @ £7.18 ea. I really like the fine detail on Dapol RTR chassis. Easy to paint body CIE grey and chassis CIE weathered grime (i.e. definitely not black), and pop on either CIE roundal or Flying snail logo They look well mixed with a range of open beet wagons. The coal load can easily be removed via a screw. https://www.dapol.co.uk/shop/oo-gauge/wagons-OO-Gauge/unpainted-wagons-OO-gauge/a001-oo-gauge-unpainted-5-plank-wagon-10-chassis-213

Yes I did. Super find Richie.

Ireland - Six Nations champions 2018 with a match in hand.