Noel

Thanks Patrick. I obviously assumed the wagons dimensions were accurate, I just wanted to check if you guys had run it past scale platforms to check the ladder cleared platforms and loading bays. Noel

Fran, Patrick, et al Did you get a chance to check out the loading gauge clearances and especially station platform clearance on the pre-production bubble samples? The side ladder on my MIR bubbles snag station platforms placed at scale clearances, but coaching stock has no problem. (i.e. the ladder sticks out too far and derails the wagons).

And thanks to you Dave for supplying me with no 201 for a fair price last year. A fair number MM orange roofed mk2 coaches have hit eBay in the last few days, and some black roofed ones. Not my cup of tea as wrong era, but attractive coaches in IR/IE livery with tippex despite the wrong shade of day-glo orange.

Strange price alright considering he's also selling 201 class no 201 for sensible price of €150 Are 201s models not in demand?

Brilliant Don't laugh but that happened with one of my ballast experiments only two nights ago - a mess. Had to re-do it.

I saw this point work in the flesh today - the photo doesn't do it justice. A superb demonstration of model track engineering. Will follow this thread with interest.

Yes static grass is a new experience for me. Very impressed with the whole concept and was surprised how well it worked. The €15 Chinese rip off I bought on eBay has worked well so far and it is about the same size as the €150 noch. I knew it could have been a risk but worth a punt at that price - and it works.

Thanks, yes I like the Javis myself, although perhaps it is a little dark with indoor lighting for a model layout, but that's just a personal preference. I'm going to try two more samples with Woodland Scenics fine and medium buff which is quite bright, but when lightly weathered with sleeper grime may end up looking ok as a compromise. I'm a bit odd because I like scenery and rolling stock to look pleasing to the eye rather than necessarily prototypically accurate. The brake van came from Irish Freight Models (IFM). Personally I'm extremely happy with it, but I don't want to get my wrist slapped again for praising them too highly despite my personal opinion. They are RTR and not inexpensive, but personally worth it to have three of these iconic brake vans on the layout because all my freight is 2 axel loose coupled stock typical of the 60s era. I like the way he has simulated felt texture on the roof. Will post more pics of another few ballast samples in a day or two. Need to get my hands on a little PC vacuum cleaner, because a household one is too powerful for recovering surplus static grass (i.e. after glue has set), it can tear it off the base board if you get too close even 24hrs after PVA has set.

Cheers JB. I'm very fond of those lovely 20T brake vans myself. Have four of them now, three RTR from IFM, and one kit from SSM in the pipeline. Will weather them in the fullness of time. Loose coupled 2 axle goods wagons are my nostalgia era, plenty of interesting pick up freight shunting operations.

Some ballast experiment samples weathered a little and with static grass Javis fine granite chipping direct to baseboard Foam underlay augmented with heki ballast The static grass applicator cost only €15 on eBay back in 2015 and seems to be a Chinese copy of brand name products that retail in excess of €130.

Picked this static grass applicator up on eBay two years ago for €15. Worked a treat tonight. Don't forget to ground the mesh when finished and it's turned off to discharge the remaining static electricity or you might get a nice little shock that makes a cattle fencer seem like a tickle

Holy Moly thats impressive hand built track work. Looks so real.

I'm guessing it was this fabulous pic.

rofl

I have many a time, but only short commuter runs <2hr (except sligo on a 29000), but the Mk3 seats were so much more comfy on the intercity runs as are the Mk4 seats today, not to mention the ride comfort and lack of noise inside the coach.

And the most uncomfortable seats ever to run on intercity routes!

Best wishes for the future in your new premises Dave. Looks great.

Some pics of samples with better light A busy weekend ahead . . .

Well done Glover. Excellent results. Layout looking fab. It reeks of real place atmosphere. I can almost imagine the 'Railway Children' running across the meadow to wave to passing trains.

Experiment no 2 finished by weathering track with a light spray of RailMatch sleeper grime on rail sides and track. The Peco foam underlay has blending in better than I had expected and the spray made all the difference. Also after the spray the medium grade ballast doesn't look as bad as before. Both of these are virtually silent btw. Next up will be woodland scenics fine buff ballast with the Peco underlay and another with medium for comparison.

Excellent. Very impressive effort. Getting all those cab shapes and body angles right with brass is some achievement. They should really look the biz when painted and glazed.

Thats a very good price for one of the best DCC systems on the market. We only had to connect two wires from our NCE to drive the entire layout. BTW, for the benefit of others, the 1.5amp Power Cab can be later extended to a 5amp system by simply adding a booster, and additional cabs can also be added so its cost effective starter option, and the cab is one of the best economically especially for sound.

Very nice. I particularly like wonderful scene above.

Thanks Patrick. WOW - I've nearly fallen off my perch with delight seeing both of those iconic scenes. Pure magic. There are some amazing layouts covered on this forum, but your layout is my personal favourite - it is simply fabulous and pure class.

Stunningly gorgeous scenes . I really like the nicely blended colour tones of your layout Patrick. Everything looks so natural and real world. I can imagine being on a train to Moate in the 1960s to visit a relatives farm. Would love to see that particular scene again if you had a spare black'n'tan livery loco to put in it.