Noel

PS: Do any other folk noticed kinked trackwork in photos and videos? Perhaps its just my visual OCD but this screams at me visually. Some great photos of Drogheda by Gordon. Drogheda track layout could make a great fiddle yard for rolling stock storage on a model layout.

Nice photo. A rather dull livery compared to the former green, blue and white of commuter DMUs.

This layout featured on a Callan's Kicks comedy TV show on RTE. A sketch supposedly set in Mayo with the impressionist taking off Inda the former T-Pot

You'll find the kits straight forward, once you build the first one, you'll fly through the rest.

There are no RTR suppliers, three options, first is provincial wagons resin kit (PW) which results in an excellent result if a bit fiddly to build, the second option is Dapol RTR chassis with a shapeways 3D body shell put on them. I've gone both routes. The latter is quick and easy to do with good running characteristics albeit not really scale models of the original bulleid wagons but almost RTR like. The former while involves more work, ends up with wagons that really look the part. 3rd option was IFM (Irish Freight Models) RTR wagon (don't know if Tom still sells these). Provincial Wagons kit is very good. Shapeways 3D corrugated bodies on Dapol RTR Chassis look good from 2ft but up close are not like the bullied chassis. But they don't look bad in a train formation and relatively inexpensive compared to the kits for a whole rake The Provincial wagon kit when decorated looks like the real thing. Greater accuracy and more details, rivets, etc. But I wasn't impressed having to shape crude staples to fabricate door restrainers. 3 alternatives left to right: Irish Freight Models RTR corrugated open wagon 3D, Provincial wagons Bulleid open wagon kit used for beet and general merchandise, Shapeways 3D body shell on top of Dapol RTR Chassis. Hope this helps

Setting up double header consists is very easy. Good feel in hand, especially eyes off the cab so you can look only at the loco or train under control.

NMRA have a formula for recommended wagon weights. Table I made up some years ago. Personally I found I didn't need to add weight to most of my wagons, but delayed uncoupling with kadee's is a little more reliable when wagons are a decent weight going over the magnets (ie reduces wagon axles being attracted to uncoupling magnets). https://www.nmra.org/beginner/weight https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/rp-20.1.pdf Table bases on formula above.

A3r visited Gort today. Love this rebuilt stepped CIE B&T Livery

Another vote for NCE Powercab. Easy to use, easy to programme locos, fabulous handheld cab ergonomics especially for eyes off use and sound locos with lots of functions. Setup the option button as shift and you have quick access to 26 functions. Throttle control via buttons for rotary knob, best of both worlds. Their more expensive Pro Cab system is basically the same, but is a 5amp system designed for larger layouts. IMHO Powercab would suit most Irish layouts and could be expanded anyway in the future if more power was needed (ie via booster), if there were to be a lot of locos running simultaneously on a layout. I have the Z21 too which is a good system, but just for me personally I don't like using smart phone touchscreen user interface to control a loco, its difficult to shunt due to the need to take eyes off the loco to look at the phone screen to position fingers, and more awkward to precisely control throttle setting sliding fingers on touch screen rather than the eyes off tactile feed back from a cab with physical buttons or knobs. But I know many folk who love their Z21. There is the more expensive black Z21, and the less expensive white Z21 which is sold on ebay as its removed from Roco starter train sets. You can plug Multimaus physical cabs into Z21 system for folks who prefer buttons. The Lenz 100 system while a little dated is good quality and popular in Europe. Gaugemaster Prodigy advance (MRC) also popular, but personally I don't find it as easy to programme as the NCE and don't like the smaller buttons on the cab. Have a look at as many systems as you can and suggest try a few if possible by visiting clubs or friends layouts. Once you hold a cab in your hand you'll know in an instant which is the right system for you. Don't be tempted by overly expensive systems like the ESU eCos 50200 with a lot of complicated functionality, looks amazing and as a tech geek I was drooling over it, but a games console system cannot be hand held.

As 'Martin Brody' Roy Scheider in Jaws might have said "Your gonna need more track" to handle all that lovely stock. Superb as ever from Tara Junction

Absolutely fabulous. Love the scenic blending and details. I can hear the sounds of that countryside.

Me neither but while I was browsing the busses I spotted and bought a few 1960s cars and a cattle lorry

Agree, but I doubt 800 class ever commercially viable unless it can be sold in numbers to the diaspora in the USA as well as here. PS: Impossible I know but I'd rather see actually 800 back down here in steam on Irish rails hailing RPSI specials. There may be too many weight restrictions on Irish rail that make it impossible even if she was ever able to steam again. We can but dream.

Drone shot

Have to get back to the layout this month. Gort waiting for trees and some additional station detailing such as signals, point rodding, fencing, seating and station lighting.

Yes this past week eBay has been flooded with baby GMs all around the 300-400 mark.

TGV-A

Bump (as there has been questions on TLCs and Kadees recently). Best wishes for 2022 all ye model train enthusiasts.

TLCs don't affect their sales, but offer the idea of 'compatibility' to ill informed consumers. Don't rock the boat if its not taking on water. If it ain't broke leave well enough alone is probably the reasoning. TLCs especially the more modern small variety are IMHO utter rubbish both functionally and visually. The old 1970s Triang larger soft plastic TLCs may have looked obtrusive but functionally they were pretty good forward or reverse. Just looked so 'toy town' and not very reliable for uncoupling.

The great thing about train sets in the 60s and 70s is the building element of handling and constructing track geometry had a lego’esque construction value, imagination could be let loose, beano hardback annuals used as platforms and socks as hedgerows, not only was geometry self thought, so also was resourcefulness and creativity. Train sets could be put down and taken up, moved from bedroom floor to table top, back into those iconic yellow and red boxes. Migrating to a 6x4ft piece of chipboard was a major advance.

It’s a certain amount of work but I spread it overtime having now converted most of my stock. Most did not have NEM pockets so I used raft gearbox NEM couplings. This thread below shows some of the different conversions. Where NEM worked I went with that, where it didn’t, I kitbashed, modified or used draft gearbox Kadee whisker couplings which enabled me to hide the box entirely under the wagon floor. IMHO kadee no5s are unsuitable as the project visible too much.

Personally I find tension lock coupling especially the more modern small ones very poor for shunting and running performance, especially in reverse. Kadee couplings are much more reliable for operations including reliable reversing, automatic uncoupling and delayed uncoupling. They also look less obtrusive and the great beauty is one can vertically pick up any item of rolling stock from a formation and remove it without the usually tangles mess associated with TLCs. PS: Kadee's also generally facilitate closer coupling with less gaps between rolling stock.

Hope all goes well and wishing you complete and speedy recovery. Thanks for posting those amazing historic images.

Yes at one stage around 2014 am I correct in recalling that a Lima 201 was for sale for €1200, but once the MM manufactured ones came on the market the Lima's were fetching €50. It doesn't seem that many years ago that 'The Modelshop Portlaoise' could not sell its stock of blue NIR livery 071s. They were listed for years, now gold dust?