Noel

3 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Has anyone dared to shorten the IRM "A" into an approximation of a "C"?

https://www.activeme.ie/guides/disused-railway-mullingar-to-athlone/#

Hope this may offer some info

PS: encouraging to see the all island strategic rail review last year recommended reopening this line and ditching the greenway. It's the most boring greenway in the country. Bog flat boring, no scenery, just mile after mile of hedge rows.

Yes in B&T livery, or black & yellow

What part of the country are you in Adrian?

Watched this interesting video on Injection Moulding plastic process.

Behold the future. Well done. 

Don’t love big shows, miles of tiring walking and bumping into crowds in noise filled halls. Not what I call enjoyable. 

14 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

I seem to be better sticking with still images - a number of vids I’ve posted lately won’t work….

At least the missing video is right way up Jonathan.     

14 hours ago, Patrick Davey said:

A few photos from a very enjoyable and long overdue running session today on Clogherhead.  Video clips coming later.  Special thanks to Alan @Tullygrainey for coming along to help! 

Love this layout. Sublime atmosphere created. Beautiful scenes. 

Seriously impressed with these coaches. Magnificent, not my era or region, but they ran in Ireland so had to get a rake. Stunning models. Took them for a test run yesterday, the DVT because it needs a decoder to run on DCC or it buzzes. Support helped me understand their guidance. Will have to put passenger inside and do a little mild weathering. Time travel on the main layout yesterday. Detail is sublime.

1 hour ago, Dempsey said:

And might that be before or after the 201s????

Dunno, sorry. I only spoke to him about the baby GMs and 071s. 201s not my era.

36 minutes ago, Dempsey said:

My ear were burning. 

I'm sure I could find jobs for another 071 or two

Info from MM. End of year all going well, the baby GMs due in retail within weeks.

12 hours ago, MOGUL said:

Well THAT escalated quickly, was €150 plus P&P yesterday and still has 6 days to run..

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/186285329975?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=5282-175127-2357-0&ssspo=tAHV0Z9ASqi&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=tAHV0Z9ASqi&var&widget_ver=artemis&media=FB&fbclid=IwAR29TgNMh9XzoZNKe-Jk_ZXF87jHYG7tn3ZLx-rWojLT6yy5CsJeVycvXOw

Daft prices. The re-runs due at the end of the year probably won't be much over €200 new. 

11 hours ago, Bob229 said:

Crazy price but the seller timed it well with the new IRM Mk2 coaches 

Buyers need to realise these are due on Sale new from Marks Models and IRM by the end of this year for 1/3rd of that price.

Spotted this earlier. Some interesting footage in colour prior to line closure and abandonment, prior to part greenway.

On 7/2/2024 at 9:38 AM, Warbonnet said:

Hi folks,

Just a quick update; the corporate "bumblebee" livery coaches are now in very short supply, with less than 20 packs of each left in stock! 

So, if you want them, we suggest you move very soon, or risk missing out.

Check them out in action on the excellent "Barrow Street" layout below!

Order here: https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/mark-2-coaches/availability_in-stock

Cheers!

Fran 

Thanks for the heads up. I ordered yesterday, and they arrived this morning, that's very efficient fulfilment and impressive. Won't get to play with them for a few days. 24hrs is impressive.

17 minutes ago, warb said:

Latest update

 

Aye-Maze-Zing. Fabulous on every level. This has to be the greatest layout ever built in this country.

Fabulous Rob. Layout really evokes the look and atmosphere of Heuston.

Wonderfiul. Your memories and your journey resonate. Especially trips to Galway behind grey 121s. Looks like an exciting project, enjoy. Look forward to watching your project develop over time.

Beware Hydrogen does not necessarily mean HFC. There's green hydrogen and there's real green hydrogen. Beware, for big oil some forms of hydrogen are really just hydrocarbons by the back door. True green hydrogen is produced exclsuively from non-fossil electricity generation (ie wind/hydro/solar/pumped storage). The amount of energy it takes to produce hydrogen is massive and today mainly oil based, and the distribution costs are not alone high, but relay on fossil distribution, while every home already has a 3pin socket connected to the electricity grid which is the most efficient and economically viable energy distribution method. IMHO HFCEV tech may have a large role to play in HGVs, heavy agri, heavy construction and Hydrogen a role in grid storage and grid peaking, but doesn't make the cut for personal mobility (ie car transport). Today there are only 5 H pumps in the entire UK, and zero in Ireland, but the electricity grid in both countries already exists to every home. Ireland is ideally positioned to have a 100% green grid within 10 years (ie true green rather than green washed), and so rail transport could switch to electric. EU won't allow diesel much longer anyway. Hydrogen ICE is still combustion and generates CO2, its cleaner but no where near as clean nor efficient as our electric. Hydrogen ICE still means high maintenance costs and oil lubes, as it's basically still a mechanical combustion engine. A 201 has been trailed with this, an improvement over straight diesel with its fifty NoX emissions, but its still combustion and emits CO2. Have we run out of time for gradual managed transition?

Excellent

PS: Are the tops ply or MDF?

39 minutes ago, murphaph said:

In fairness the recent secondhand prices have been sub €200 in most cases. The price highs of 2021/2 seem to have passed for these locos for whatever reason. Perhaps folks actually anticipated these new ones coming in cheaper, thus suppressing the secondhand prices and these prices may actually increase again now that there are in fact no low cost new ones coming onto the market. Who knows. That's not a prediction from me as I certainly don't know lol.

Agree. As far as I know they will have a speaker but same lighting arrangement as original run (ie no separate headlights), alas no easy decoder access hatch. Its hard to improve on what was almost perfection back in 2008.

I've managed to collect 16 of the original Bachmann/MM ones since 2008, so won't be splashing out much. Might get a few of the black'n'tan versions more suited to my era. But I'm sure this rerun will sell like hot cakes due to the pent up demand from new model train enthusiasts who missed out on the first runs. Bye bye eBay.

Looking great. Your a man after my own heart, at the end of the day this is all about playing trains.

Vaguely remember seeing a 5+3 a few years ago on the cork route (travelled on it). 8 coaches prob within platform gauges. On other single track routes length of passing loops the main limiting factor. As ever with specials with exceptional long trains there are procedures to protect the doors of coaches beyond platforms. It was not uncommon in the 60s and 70s to have 14 coach trains although they were shorter coaching stock than an ICR coach.
 

3+3 were the most common before they bought more intermediary units in recent years.

That could be the centrepiece of any layout. Love it.