Noel

Nice pics as ever. Thanks for posting. Are the mainline locos and coaches stored at WCR ever going to run again on a preserved line, or are they just going to be static exhibits?

Wow, fabulous photos. I missed the originals when posted two weeks ago. You have greatly improved the look of the NIR 208. Love the load loader idea. Just brilliant. Wow again - GM Central HQ - What an amazing and huge fleet of MM GMs

Hi Kirley, forgive my ignorance but what is 'St Paddy' for chassis, do you mean an MM 071 Co-Co chassis? Can you buy MM chassis on their own or are there similar all wheel dual bogie drive bachmann chassis that suit. I enquired about an RTR Silver fox A class but they don't sell with dual bogie drive option. Thanks. Noel

There are just two airworthy Lancs. One in UK and one in Canada. This past summer the Canadian one flew the Atlantic to fly alongside the sole remaining RAF Lancaster at a number of air shows and events in UK. It was the first time in many decades since two lancs flew together in formation.

Apologies, no offence was intended. My personal railway preferences are just that, my own only, and reflects my nostalgic enjoyment of GWR & LMS steam era model trains and Irish diesel loco hauled stock especially 60s & 70s which I travelled on so much. I just love the older prototypical track and train arrangements of yesteryear. Lots of wagon shunting in small goods sidings and GM locos running around trains. In relation to realistic train lengths it was not uncommon for a single coach to be hauled behind 0-6-0 on GWR branch lines push/pull. For mainline passenger services 5 coaches on a model layout seems a reasonable length if space permits. Loved watching some of Michael Portillo's TV series on great railway journeys. Watching the short railcars stopping on some of the most scenic West Country, Welch and Scottish highland stations, with their long platforms and wonderful Victorian buildings, one can't help feeling nostalgic for the past trains and traffic such places enjoyed in their heyday. At least they are open and in use. I wouldn't complain about modern rail cars if trains were still running to places like Kinsale, Youghal, Foynes or Killaloe. Does anybody know how many coaches were on the longest scheduled services between Dublin-Cork and Dublin-Belfast? (Ie when coaches were shorter).

Fabulous achievement. These look great.

Absolutely superb wagons. The 3F also looks so realistic. Impressive.

Yes I have to confess I have one BR Green DMU set circa 1950s. I suppose I'm referring to the 'oribble rail cars now running on IE rails, ugly buses that don't even make real train noises. Can't stick your head out a window, and even open the doors! (in jest - well a bit) IMHO, Luas, Dart, 22k, 26/7/800 are not real trains - no locomotive, no sound, like a book lacking a beginning and an end - just a middle!

Yes I tend to agree. Two axel wagons and shorter 57-60ft coaches make for more realistic trains on model layouts given the space constraints. As regards freight traffic I live in the past and have no bogie freight stock on our layout nor container traffic - just too modern for my taste. I never saw such on Irish rails in the 60s and early 70s until the 'oribble Mk2 fisher price super train coaches arrived! It's old un-braked open coal wagons, short wheel base vans and cattle wagons for this model fan. Never will a Mk3 soil my model rails And never a rail car (i.e. characterless bus on rails) - in jest

As a matter of interest how do they re-rail light stock like that? Do they clip a chain from buffers to a lift or fork lift or use wooden blocks and jacks?

http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0102/495560-waterford-train/ http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/railway-line-closed-after-landslide-29881267.html

I think I may have travelled on one of these during the 60s. I remember the train splitting and being able to see forward.

I designed our layout to accommodate 6 coach mainline trains for that very reason. Most full scale Dub-Cork trains were 8 coach rakes during 80s/90s. I remember having to be seated at one end of a train to get to the correct destination due to a train split on route at an intermediate stop. A waiting loco would take half the rake to a different destination.

Great tip, thanks.

But when are the MkVII CAV 200mp intercity express models going to production. They've been running from Dublin City West central station to Cork since 2025 in under an hour and we have no sign of the models!!! Not to mention Celti-Tunnel trains from Rosslare Culchi Port to Fishguard.

Excellent. Your layout looks wonderful.

Fair comment to a degree. As a "customer" one has choice to buy or not to buy a 201. Customers are not 'sponsors' nor supporters of a business, but may well be a fan of some of a businesses products or services. It doesn't really square that a customer should buy one product that they don't want or need in order to gain access to another product. Lets be positive, the model market is slowly recovering from the deep recession, and there should be greater supply and diversity in the coming years across the board from all vendors. PS: BTW, its not that I don't like the model 201s, it's just that I was never a fan of the actual life size 201 boxy locos.

+1 If MM GMs didn't exist I would have jumped at SF 001 class, but they just don't compare to the MMs. MM have raised the bar so high its seems unfair really to compare with SF. The all wheel drive and all wheel pickup of the 141/181 chassis is simply in a league of its own and enables such realistic operation with no stalling whatsoever. The MM body detailing and paint work again is two gears higher. I too would buy a handful of 001s if MM ever produce them. Many folk may probably only buy a pair of 121s if they appear in MM product line (i.e. a pair nose to nose close coupled double heading), hence 001 may sell more but I could be wrong. The 001 in CIE black with the white stripe and lower orange band is the biz!!!

Enjoyed those. Thanks for posting.

Er, sorry but running a business is about profit. Without it there is no business and we all end up living back in caves. (apologies for tongue in cheek)

That's a logical and understandable obvservation. However I have in the past few months acquired quite a stable of 141, 181 and 071s, and MM coaching stock. Unfortunately and personally the 201s don't interest me so I won't be buying any. Again purely personal taste, but CIE black and orange super train coaches without the later double white lining don't interest me either, but I appreciate thats just my own personal idiosyncrasy. I have nothing but positive opinions about MM, especially as the awesome 141,181,071s reignited my dormant interest in this hobby. However, in business market research informs what products the customers want, and what volumes one can expect at different price points. I'm sure MM is well on top of this, but anecdotally and without any evidence it does seem a significant portion of MMs existing customer base may be more interested in 001 and 121s than 201s. The real market research numbers will tell what the real demand is. I'm sure the customer base is a broad church, some customers preferring the older Irish railways era, others preferring contemporary trains, and everything in between. The 201 in IE Green/Grey and Enterprise liveries look superb, its just I find the life size prototypes boring looking locos and from the modern era, rather characterless locos compared to the older GMs with their walkways and travel memories, and the A class 001s. Purely from my own self interest point of view, I am disappointed to see yet more 201s, instead of 001 or 121s. My own personal favourite is the MM 141 especially the CIE black livery, the most stunning looking and best running model locos I have ever owned and run. Hats off to PM, he is running a business and I hope he gets a good return from it. Putting money into a business is just business, the numbers either stack up or they don't. I wish MM well and hope now that the economy has weathered the worst recession since the 1920s, that demand will increase and production runs of past products become profitable, especially as the tooling costs have been absorbed. I am staggered how MM managed to release so many excellent locos since 2008 during such a harsh economic climate. Prices will have to go up for MM products as will Bachmann and any other company manufacturing in China, as labour costs are increasing significantly as the tide of economic activity is benefiting the wider Chinese population. Personally I'm very content with my existing models and very happy to stick with what I have for now, but if someday in the future 121s and 001s ever emerge, I will invest in a loco shed for a few of them. Well done MM and thank you for stunning looking and sublime running Irish models PS: I hope we don't see any MM railcar or DMUs anytime soon. Loco hauled stock means interesting operations, running around trains, shunting, mixed traffic freight trains, the essence of railways rather than mere soulless buses on rails that are boring railcars.

Respect! They are superb. Love the paint job you did on them also.

Hi Leslie, fair comment. However I always thought the original 1972 CIE supertrain livery was truly awful. The later IR/IE livery with the two white strips separating the black from the orange greatly improved it, and the later black roof finally put the icing on the cake. The enterprise livery is nice. Years ago I had some mk2b coaches in the old CIE super train livery, and they annoyed me so much I repainted them BR blue & grey. Noel

After CV54 auto calibration. Speed much better but still noisy. [video=youtube_share;2wQnYVfwYVM] Will try it on DC later to see if its quieter at low speed.

Is this a case of H&S lunacy or are there actual serious problems with the cliff face (i.e. massive boulders falling down rather than mere 1ft rocks)? Should do what the swiss railways do, just clip the rock face in inexpensive chicken wire, instead of insanely expensive concrete structures that are totally over engineered.