Noel

Hi Paul. Thanks. I don't know which is better. Personally as a newbie, I choose acrylics for spraying because they are water based and therefore more user friendly inside the house. I also perceived them as less harmful to health (i.e. vapours). The big advantage is ease of cleaning airbrush and paint brushes with just plain water instead of smelly solvents. In relation to covering, I think varnishing is needed anyway with either enamels or acrylics to seal the paint finish and especially seal decals. But I've about 10 wagons that I never bothered varnishing yet. My visit to Richie's two years ago, consolidated my decision to try acrylics after I saw how and what he was achieving with Acrylics. I'd never say never to enamels, just hadn't a use for them yet, but I may end up using some matt enamels to brush paint by hand the interior seating in coaches (i.e. no spray mist). May also use enamels to brush paint the wire hand rails for B121, B233 and B230. Reading between the lines on youtube and RMweb enamels may spray slightly finer than acrylics and clog airbrushes less, but the other advantages seem to have more folk moving to acrylics. Noel

Very true TDR, but the well is only so deep. Modelling consumers will be spending significantly on Murphy Models 121 when released later this year, as well as IRM's new range of top quality RTR wagons (i.e. Ballasts, Cement Bubbles and Tara's). The small Irish market is a finite size. Noel

Current signalling is also a limiting factor with traffic sharing lines and the numbers of block sections.

Hi DC. Over all it has to be welcome news. A lot of the popular kits they used to sell are now redundant as high quality RTR models are already available, or due within the next few months. More than detailing or new moulds needed to bring some up to todays standards Below George about to rescue this loco that derailed and ran into a chocolate orange fountain. Redundant - about to be replaced by RTR from Murphy Models From what I've read many folk were more than happy and satisfied with their MIR kits back in the day, especially if they were talented builders themselves or commissioned a talented model maker to build and finish them. However I suspect the bar and expectations have since been raised, yet there probably are some past MIR kits that would fill gaps in in what is available today, so that is a welcome development. There is room for all vendors, and I appreciate some folks prefer and enjoy kit building. Redundant - about to be replaced by RTR from IRM (below MIR bubbles but built and finished by a skilled pro - George) From my limited experience many kits available from other vendors can be quite expensive given the amount of additional cost to finish them, never mind the time, and they end up costing the same or even more than RTR. I suspect we are going to see more and more stunning RTR rolling stock from vendors including IRM and MM over the coming years, reducing the demand for kits, and yet the Irish modelling well is only so deep financially. Noel

B&T baby GMs €99 one week with only 2 bids, but €227 a week later with 36 bids albeit with a sound ship! Not to mention another B&T for €160 and €175 for an orange 181 a week earlier. Strangely fluctuating market forces! IE/IR and ST liveries seem to be commanding higher prices these past few months than B&T.

160mph?? Good luck with that. I'd settle for some second hand 125s. Agree - wishful thinking by Cork Chamber!!! To achieve an average speed of 160mph between Dublin and Cork, a max cruising speed of nearly 200mph would be required. In addition to either quad track all the way or many more high speed passing loops to facilitate the other slower traffic, not to mention the removal of all vegetation, hedge rows and trees within safety distances of the existing line, requiring gazillions of € in CPOs from property owners. The aerodynamic suction effect of a passing 200mph train has to be seen to be believed. We simply don't have the population size nor density to economically justify any high speed rail links on this physically small island. The money might be better spent converting the old DSER to quad track from Bray to Malahide junction and/or a Heathrow express style non-stop link between Dublin Airport and Heuston+Connolly. Nice idea though to run existing mk4 sets with pairs of 125 like power units. Faster and lighter.

Thanks Eoin. That work is really precise, neat and looks superb.

Hi Guys. I am about to start converting my four wheel goods wagons to kadee couplings, none of which have NEM pockets, just bachmann tension lock couplings screwed to chassis. The objective is realistic wagon shunting. Question for short wagons should I use kadee no 5, no 58 both with the 232 gearboxes, or 145, 146, 148 whisker springed couplings with 242 gear boxes, or just no 18, 19 glued directly to the wagons without gearboxes? Cheers Noel PS: I have a kadee height gauge

Hi Colin. Please forgive in case I am misunderstanding, but are those not just flat 2D transfers rather than physical louvers in relief, and for O gauge? Noel

http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/5443-Daryl-s-Workbench?p=87675&viewfull=1#post87675 and http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/67-Tara-Junction?p=52345&viewfull=1#post52345

I'm just loving this thread. Fabulous collection of N gauge Irish rolling stock.

Model master at work - superb. They say leading artists have a great eye - you certainly do. Eoin, I notice you went for plasticard rather than brass for the valance sides, do you have a method to stop it potentially warping with age? Noel

PS: The best Louvres I have seen close up were on some of the EGVs on Ballybeg. You could see through them and I think they were brass. Don't know how Gerry painted them without filling the very tiny gaps with paint?

Hi Kevin. It was a real privilege to see these layouts up close and operating. I understand Llangollen was recently exhibited in Wales. Noel

Not my idea. User 'Barl' came up with the ingenious idea 4 years ago: http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/1485-SSM-B101-Sulzer-a-personal-review?p=22372&viewfull=1#post22372 I'm going to use it on my GSV conversions. The simplest ideas are often the best.

Not sure about a suitable girl to help with the conversion but for a grill I understand some on here have used these (e.g: on SSMs Sulzer kit). Side of CD/DVD case cover Top of CD/DVD case CD/DVD plastic case surfaces!

Some pics of IRM's stunning Ballast Wagons These wagon are simply exquisite with even more detailing becoming apparent as you study them close up. Recently weathered B141 up front Not sure yet about attempting to weather these beauties. The ballast load looks like it could possibly be dulled down, but it is actually the correct bright colour for freshly crush hard core stone straight out of the quarry. I may risk a very light dusting of frame dirt sprayed on the wagons, especially the lower half and axle boxes.

B141 is the second of four B&T Baby GMs in for light weathering Had a trial of weathering powders but I didn't like the effect so wiped that off and started again. Just looked too scruffy on a nice model for my personal taste. B141 after a light weathering with air brush. Sticking to what I've learned so far! Needs a few more touches to finish on fuel tank, roof, etc, but like B181 want it to look reasonably tidy for that period where CIE kept those locos looking fresh. B141 newly dusted with a rake of IRM Ballast wagons Dare I attempt to weather the lovely Ballasts? I kind of like the look of them pristine and the colours are subtle and almost look weathered already. PS: On B165 and B188 I am going to attempt using washes for the first time but very lightly just enough to barely accentuate the panel lines and corners.

€230 for 'used' baby GM with sound, a botched speaker installation protruding into the cab, dinted roof grill - does the buyer realise they could have bought a new loco plus sound for less? http://www.ebay.ie/itm/132201863710?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Kieran you are and have been one of the most informative, constructive, helpful, polite and inspiring members of this entire form. This is a most unfortunate development and the forum will be the weaker for it. One can only hope this might somehow be resolved. Noel

Epilogue note for this 2yo thread and just to complete it in case anybody is reading it in the future, posted below are links to 121 project on workbench and one of the youtube clips. MIR kits were not available, so I went with the 3D Shapeways kit, running on the newer higher spec Athearn SW1500 chassis which purrs nearly as well as an MM. In the end I didn't cut up an MM141 donor for this 121, instead I used an MM141 as a donor chassis for a C class. Murphy Models 121 class models are expected this autumn so the need for kits and donor chassis will be academic shortly. Glad to have a B&T livery version in the mean time while waiting for superior MM RTR models. 121 Workbench: http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/6142-Kingsbridge-paint-shop?p=100168&viewfull=1#post100168 Video of chassis slow running: B121 prior to detailing - The new higher spec SW1500 chassis is a superb low speed runner with AWD and AWP.

Apparently not, but probably depends on each case. I just primed with Halfords plastic grey primer directly over the existing Hornby paint on the coaches I resprayed back in March, and they turned out ok.

Hi Pastavenue. To be honest I'm not 100% sure yet, but will let you know afterwards. The current plan is cotton buds and T-Cut to gently rub the numbers off the plastic body, then a patch of gloss varnish, then decals for the new numbers with decalfix, then gently weather with acrylic paints, then a coat of matt varnish all over to seal the decals and weathering. But will have to see how it turns out! Noel

Yip, time to slip the mooring lines and cast off

Holy Moly, that is an awesome production setup Eoin. Keep the faith, you can't rush a true genius and pure craftsmanship.