Noel

Very funny Hornby DCC reminds me of this

Yummie

Excellent post. Couldn't agree more. Personally, shunting and arranging pre 1970 goods and coaching stock in a realistic manner seems the best bit of operating model trains. It just makes it so interesting. Hence my personal fetish for chassis that can run smooth at ultra slow speeds without jerking or stalling, especially over point work. Post 1975 fixed rake formations of uniform braked stock and bogie stock require less operating, which was the whole point form a cost saving and efficiency point of view. Aside from the operating interest short wheel base wagons and shorter coaches generally look better on typical layouts and the radius bends that space limitations dictate. Unless one is lucky to have large space available, 75ft coaches and long wheel base bogie freight stock can look unprototypical overhanging track bends and short point work. There is no right nor wrong as we each have our own favourite era usually governed by nostalgia from our youth. I just feel lucky as a child that I caught the tail end of CIE's loose coupled mixed goods traffic era, and interesting pax traffic formations, that both require interesting operation. As a child I used to spend hours watching stock being shunted in places like Galway, Waterford, Cork and small country stations. The noise, clanking, banging, and activity made the railways seem alive, but they also had long periods when nothing seemed to be happening. Having to sit at the right end of some passenger trains dictated which destination you'd arrive at, as some trains split at junctions on route. Some passenger trains had goods wagons attached at the end with a brake van. The smell in some country stations wafting from the pens at the cattle siding interspersed with GM notching was a cocktail. Personally speaking, it makes today's back and forth ICRs and DMUs seem rather dull to operate.

For those who saw the 1st three movies (episodes 4,5,6 released in 1970s, early 80s), you might especially enjoy this. Better than I had expected. Saw in in Killarney last week. Thumbs up.

What is 'RailModeller' for Mac like? I have VMware Fusion so could run AnyRail, but prefer to avoid getting dependent on windoze apps. I've designed our layout with pencil 30 years ago but would like to retrospectively document it using a decent easy to use intuitive app. Most of the free linux stuff is rubbish because it has too steep a learning curve.

Yip it makes me want to launch the sailing dinghy

Hi RebelRed Thanks for that feedback. There was a similar glitch in Aer Lingus about 30 years ago when for the 1st time bean counters alone were involved in the procurement of a few small boeings for use on new transatlantic sectors direct to smaller eastern US cities. They made such a 'hames' of the spec they had to be withdrawn from service after months and leased off to some other overseas airlines. Amongst the mistakes in spec, they had insufficient foul waste tank capacity for the sectors they were operating (i.e. post blue ice era), so pax were effectively expected to 'hold it' on full services after 4 or 5 hours flying time, but worst of all the fuel range was so marginal that if there was any air traffic delaying during the flight, the aircraft frequently had to request priority approaches due to low fuel, which meant huge 5 figure fines per incident. Civilian transport aircraft are normally spaced out by current and former line pilots, as well as technical maintenance staff, and operations staff, not just suits sitting in offices who've never flown. Noel

Exactly. Can't wait to see this develop.

Does anybody know if 22k system was cabin trialled before purchase or at the design stage (ie like sea trials at design phase)? Stick all size and shapes of folks on board for a 3hr trip and get feedback. The airlines do this with members of the public to test things like seating, ambience, climate control, sound, signage, safety, helm ergonomics, etc. it's such a shame because as a piece of infrastructure they look so impressive on the outside. A big new fleet of modern ICRs that lack the comfort to attract customers away from the motorways to intercity rail travel. Anyway no use crying about it the capital has been blown and we are stuck with them for at least 25 years unless in the future they get better seats fitted.

Hi Kevin. Interesting. I saw BNSF 3440 a few weeks ago. Black and Tan livery. Managed to get very close to it. Might hook it up with some B&T CIE coaches for a 'knock' special.

Don't know but I'm fairly sure I was in that shop in the late 80s and also the 90s

Are they awkward or troublesome?

Hi Noel Did your 161 decoder and sound project come from DC Kits (see link below signature)? I assume it is an ESU LokSound v4.0 programmed with the 071 sound project, but the engine noise from either EMD 567 16cyl NT, EMD 16cyl 645E NT, or EMD 12cyl 645E NT on ESU's download site. http://www.esu.eu/en/downloads/sounds/generation-4/loksound-v40-usa/?no_cache=1&tx_esudecoderprojects_pi1%5BfilterLoco%5D=2&tx_esudecoderprojects_pi1%5BfilterCountry%5D=all&tx_esudecoderprojects_pi1%5Bsorting%5D=dateD http://www.esu.eu/en/downloads/sounds/generation-4/loksound-v40-oem/?no_cache=1&tx_esudecoderprojects_pi1%5BfilterLoco%5D=0&tx_esudecoderprojects_pi1%5BfilterCountry%5D=IE&tx_esudecoderprojects_pi1%5Bsorting%5D=dateD IrishThump has programmed ESU decoders doing something similar. IT any words of wisdom? Cheers Noel http://www.dckits-devideos.co.uk/shop/dcc_digital_loco_sounds/irish_diesel_loco_sounds/class_141_gm_bo_bo_dc_kits_.php

Joe evening though you already have some 00 stock, 10ft x 3ft would make a superb N gauge layout. There are some 3D body kits of Irish locos that could be kit bashed onto N gauge RTR models. Otherwise an end to end shunting yard or country terminus station seems a good option for 00 gauge and avoids awful 1st radius curves which really only suit older era short wheel base goods and passenger stock.

I suppose there are two view points of ICR likes/dislikes - one being as a rail passenger, and the other as a modeller. My issues have been as a passenger, nothing to do with my personal leaning towards model locos of 60s and 70s.

Hear hear! Love this layout, its atmosphere, the scenes and its operations. Was just rematching this video too. It shows very the meaning of the word "slow" on a good chassis.

PS: Nice clip of three trains on the move. [video=youtube;Cx-UGe7dRXM]

One word - Comfort (on inter city trips) In fairness compared to other older ICRs the 22k sets are an improvement, but nowhere near as comfortable on a long trip as the mk3 and mk4 coaching sets. Aside from noise and vibration, the main difference is the hard SEATS which are very uncomfortable on a long trip. Fine for a commute but not for long rail journeys. As for the 2600, 2700, 2800 and 29000 (really 2900) they remind me of my time working behind the "iron curtain" many years ago. I understand the economics of ICRs, but UK, France and Germany can operate fixed rake intercity loco sets that don't need shunting nor run arounds at termini using mainly twin power cars at each end of the rake, or push pull. Same cost savings on labour, simpler track work at termini, fast turnaround. The 22k sets are just not comfortable enough for "Inter city" routes. The motorway is more comfortable. Nothing to do with emotional nostalgia for locos, just quiet coaches that are comfortable to sit in for 2 to 4 hours. On trips to Cork and Kerry we only go Irish Rail if we can book on a mk4 set. Never again will I do a 3 hour rail journey on those 22000 seats.

Mk4 set viewed from another Mk4 set. 232 set passing 215 set. The comfort of the Mk4 sets is so superior to the noisy, vibrating hard seated 22k sets.

Cannot wait to see this emerge.

Claremorris has to be the most interesting station in Ireland. The rail metropolis of its hey day. Fives lines in and out of it!

Have to agree. I never liked LJ. It just didn't seem to operate like a proper station. It always looked like half of it was missing. A main station in the middle of nowhere. Now Claremorris is a different kettle of fish, it is an awesome station and junction extrodinaire.

He has. CM has so much more operating potential and diverse traffic than LJ. LJ also very award to model in 00 due to length required, not to mention the most boring looking station lacking a platform on the other side of the main line. It's like a sentence without a full stop, or a goods train without a brake van - unfinished! But I suspect CM will be worth waiting for.

PS: IT, where did you source the sprung buffers?

Super posts IT, on your A class project. Don't know how I missed this thread. Excellent. The video proves how well she runs with your adapted chassis. Great bit of model engineering.