Noel

Kind of makes sense back in the day from a maintenance perspective. There'd be raised eye brows these days keeping NoX spewing diesel engines constantly running. So much for mums in Donnybrook tractors keeping SUV diesel engines running outside schools while waiting to collect their kids.

Spotted this recently. The Glory days of CIE when Ireland's railways were at their zenith. Another wonderful bit of filming by Mr Joe St Ledger. What treasure to have such footage from a bygone era.

Really captured the atmosphere of the place. Fab.

Balsa is great for stable structural rigidity when constructing buildings. It’ll never warp. @Darren.d by chance I watched this just the other evening. Y You might get some tips from part of it.

Glorious perfection.

Stunning. Pure nostalgia gold in photo realism.

Always a pleasure to enjoy the abundance of motion on Tara junction. Wonderful scenes tell a story.

Its been a while. 16:40 has just departed for Athenry. Bedford livestock truck in yard awaits unloading of cattle pens A green livery A class is a rare sight on this line between Limerick and Sligo especially as late as 1968. B188 ready to shunt the goods loop out onto the main line loop to join the formation shortly to arrive from Athenry bound for Ennis. JM Design CIE brake van in foreground. As we approach winter its time to get back into the model trains

Just rewatched this informative video of his https://www.missendenrailwaymodellers.org.uk/index.php/virtual-missenden-wagon-performance/ Care for his loved ones.

@jhb171achill I vaguely remember reading somewhere that when unbraked loose coupled wagons were run mixed with fitted wagons like Bell 20ft flats, that the fitted wagons were for some reason always arranged and the tail of the formation before the brake van. Seems the opposite to logic where 2 or 3 fitted wagons coupled direct to the loco (ie head of the formation) could actually be hooked up to air or vacuum hoses, leaving the tail of the formation dependent on the brake vans for safety. Johnathan do you have any words of wisdom on this topic?

No, He said 4 of every running number not 10 Nice collection.

When Seamus Graham told me years ago that way back when the MM 141/181s were first released, he had some customers who bought 4 of every single running number, I didn't believe such was possible but I certainly do now. The country was in the depths of the global financial crisis at the time. Who has that kind of money to spare, especially to take a punt on what are basically toys for the boys. What size layouts can utilise more than 15-25 locos on track? What's the point in having stuff hidden away in boxes except for future planned layouts? or ISUEOL (in storage until end of life), in perfect condition for next owner who buys for a song (executors sale). Personally for me models are to be operated and played with, yet I confess have some special items stored away too, only brought onto the layout for special occasions (eg J15, AEC 2600, etc). Its a free world. Enjoy collecting and/or playing.

Smoking kit-kat's perhaps? We live in an imperfect world, free enterprise generates the wealth that feeds and shelters all of us, but free market forces throw up the odd anomaly. Thankfully I doubt neither the seller or buyer will need to visit a food bank anytime soon. First world problems? Toy choo-choos can make even the most rational of us do strange things at times. In a moment of lust and weakness I paid what was then considered a high price of €140 for an MM 141 about 4 years ago. Two weeks later I bought another from Dave Bracken for €105 which was about the market level back then and a fair price. Win/Win buyer and seller happy. I shudder to think what my 141s might fetch now on crazybay.

I feel fortunate that I managed to collect a reasonable array of CIE ere coaching stock from Tom about 5 years ago (eg Park Royals, Laminates, HLV, Tin Vans, TPOs, Dutch, etc), before his original web site was lifted. But managed to buy some stock from him a few years ago via his FB shop. He's still on the go from what I can see: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063706927208 and https://www.irishfreightmodels.net/ Also managed to buy 20ft container flat wagons from him and CIE brake vans 20ton and 30ton. I was perhaps just fortunate with the timing of my return to the hobby in 2014, that IFM and SF were still selling RTR resin models and some RTR 3D stuff. Not hi-res, but more than passed the 2ft rule for my CIE Era layout. Happy days. I missed out on the MIR era, but the IRM bubbles helped make up for that. Provincial wagons were a great source of kits for CIE era H-Vans, Cattle and open wagons.

Not sure if that was a loose fitted formation. 1st item looks like a PW van, 2xH-Vans, 2xBELLs on 20ft flats, and 2x20ton brake vans. Assuming the PW van was fitted and the 2-VANs were fitted by 1975 the whole formation may have been fitted which seems paradoxol with two brake vans tailing off the end.

Its been quite a long time since I got to play trains. Had a visitor over the other day who wanted to see 'my toy train' collection so for first time in a long long time fired up the NCE and ran some old CIE trains hauled by kit bashed 121s pre MM, hauling a variety of kit bashed CIE era stock, all from the CIE black'n'tan era (1961-1978), with one hybrid IR invader lacking tippex.

Just in case these are of any help Its been 4 years and I still haven't gotten around to repainting the seats a less fisher price colour. These are superb coaches on the exterior sadly lacking in authentic upholstery colours, bulk heads and floors, etc. Hopefully while I'm at it will put in lighting and passengers.

Just before brexit we switched online purchasing away from UK sites to mainly German and other EU sites. Amazon.de now has good postage rates to Ireland, the likes of modelbahnshoplippe have excellent service and keen prices. Hattons have DDP as they are registered for VAT in Ireland so should be no an post requests for UK import fees anymore.

Extraordinary A toy train that is not DCC ready and doesn't even have directional lights. Its not even a proper model either as doors and windows completely wrong. Only nice thing about it is the livery and at 10ft range vaguely looks Irish. A collectable kit never to be built as those resin kits were an important chain in the evolution of Irish models locos before Murphy Models.

Lovely model, have only had time to test run it so far, love the sound, super smooth and precise runner. Hyper detailing requires watch makers gentle hands and jewellers gloves just to handle the beautiful model. Looking forward to running it over the winter when I switch from summer mode back to winter modelling mode.

Gorgeous looking coaches to very high standard. Unfortunately not my era nor region of the island so regretfully will have to pass on these stunners. It bodes well though for coaching stock IRM may produce in the future covering ROI region. Dare I risk saying it despite my dislike of travelling on the prototype Rotems and their modern era, an IRM 22k model might even tempt me if it was to this high standard. It could even time travel through Gort 50 years before the station was realigned and the water tower moved.

If I was a betting man and I'm not I'd bet we will see one sooner rather than later.

Don't worry loco hauled trains will return whenever electrification occurs here. With our weather I'd bet on 3rd rail rather than overhead from a maintenance and capital cost point of view. Lovely model even if the prototype is not my personal cup of tea. Looks sort of N gauge. Presume they are static displays and not motorised, at least not at that low price.

Apologies but that seems crazy money for a model loco. Rarity is in the mind, what's the point of having stuff boxed in a cupboard destained for an executors sale rather than running on layout.

Looks like a nice blending of Accurascale and IRM branding with the colours.