Noel

Purely from limited personal memory there seems be pre-1974 and post-1974 in terms of models and rolling stock availability especially when it came to the way goods were handled and moved. Supertrain in 1972 (relivereied A class locos hauling smart new mk2d coaches) seemed a significant sea change in passenger transport as was 2007 with the switch to ICRs. I still remember the TV adverts.

That was actually one of the smartest liveries on the A class from a branding point of view. I matched the coaching stock so well. No point trying to split hairs on a hedge hog, but this looked pretty modern at the time. There's no right nor wrong, only ones own personal memories. We live in a strange world, many of the devices that seemed utterly far fetched and implausible on programs such as start trek now exist and we all use, yet technologically we've gone backwards in many ways, no more concord nor supersonic passenger flight, no more space shuttle, back to large fireworks slinging satellites into orbit, steam trains of the 1930s had shorter journey times on main lines express routes than today, almost gone is the HST, but TGV and ICE still fly the tech flag for rail, gone are the HSS fast ferries, gone are the days air travel was enjoyable before airports were turned into cattle crush's, gone is the 747, even the mighty A380 is at sunset stage. I find it curios that in Ireland we hold smelly ancient diesel locos in high regards as preservation heritage rather than main line express steam locos as in other countries. Mk2d are 50 years old but were part of what for me in my life time were considered 'modern era' as were BR mk2 Blue'n'corporate grey coaches hauled by class 37s and 47s. All ancient by todays standards but still modern diesel electric compared to steam era with its vast marshalling yards with literals thousands of loose coupled 2 axles wagons arranged in diverse formations full of variety. Rose tinted glasses perhaps, it was pretty grimy work environment for those who ran the railways back then.

Back in 1972 Super train looked really cool and modern due to the roof profile of the A class and matching curved roof profiles of the new mk2 stock. It looked all modern and sleek (as intended despite the fact the repainted locos were then 17 years old already). Clever marketing campaign and the sleek aerodynamic looking roof ends and A class curves looked from another era compared to what had gone before. 75mph seemed like a spaceship in an Ireland that was then still partial to peat, turf and bogs with only one TV station that didn't go on air until 5:30pm and finished about 11pm with the national anthem which everybody was expected to stand for. That disappearing dot in the TV screen when you turned it off and 405 line TV picture imploded. Only some relatives on the east coast could get foreign TV channels from Wales. Mart'n'Market topped the rankings and had the premium slots for advertisers in an Ireland were the Riordans was our east enders, complete with tea taboos & tractors, scandal after scandal but a preview of Miley rolling in the hay 20 years later with Fidelma in Glenroe. How far we've come as a nation, colour traffic lights now in every town and village, its about 40 years since I've seen the last set of black and white traffic lights. The A classes were of that era with their 1950s crossly engines before modernised to reliable EMD units. The original super train felt like the Irish Bullet train, little did we know how slow we were still going on jointed rail largely still controlled by manned signal boxes and semaphore signals. A strange overlap just before the 1974 freight modernisation programme was introduced that would do away with the massive goods yards and marshalling sidings full of two axle loose coupled wagons. The A class covered both eras and more later, its hard to believe the original dull grey machines also had the smart IR tippex orange livery in the early 1990s.

The Golden era is whatever one you remember it as being such. Modern for me was Orange when super train was launched and BR went with Blue/Grey mk2 stock oft referred to by uk press as modern era.

Well Dave I've travelled a lot on CAF Mk4 sets so no surprises there, modern and all as they are at least they are trains that have carriages and an engine that pulls them and they were comfy to sit in and quiet unlike the plastic biscuit tin yoyos that replaced the mk3 stock. Now as to yellow s*** no way, I don't have any, your weed spray van was the closed I got to catching yellow fever. I do confess that I have a pair of yellow plough vans still in their box in the attic pending weathering into a CIE brown state. Also confess I have some weed spray wagons as donors for old CIE era weed train using 20ft container flats for the tankers and laminate brake parcels van for the spray coach. I'll need to buy a serious no of indulgences to avoid being sent to the bogie of eternal stench for my lapse. But I might just be able to buy my way out of model damnation by airbrushing a few laminate coaches in flying snail CIE green. I also confess that I have two 201 locos but I don't run them.

I think you are probably right, for wet pubs anyway. There seems more and more potholes for the vaccination programme every week, but at least its a good problem to have (ie 5 proven vaccines available, 17 variants of A classes coming down the tracks) with supply problems for only two of the five vaccines, compared to a year ago when there was zero vaccines in sight. There is clear light emerging at the end of the covid tunnel and it grows every brighter and gets ever closer, yet frustrating that the last furlong is taking a while longer than we'd all hoped. This time next year we might be pestering IRM/AS for C classes and CAF mk4 sets. Or if the vaccines go horribly wrong (ie worse than webbed feet) we could be staring down the barrel of 22k ICE train sets, however completely unlikely such as disaster is likely to occur. The future is brightening up, we just need a little more time. Keep safe all.

Excellent the achievement of a dream and a light bulb moment idea only 7 years ago. What a milestone to achieve. This is not the end of a journey, surely just the end of the beginning and just the beginning of greater success.

Calming down now. This pair of droppers are at an awkward point where the layouts main kadee under track uncoupling magnet is placed. The wires hopefully will disappear into the ballast. This single magnet between the goods yard and headhunt will suffice for the entire yard due delayed automatic uncoupling capability of kadee couplings. Its been fully tested prior to ballasting. Dropper confetti. The next bit will be easier when the short baseboards are rotated on their sides for working on. These pairs will all be connected to DCC dropper boards (WMRC DMcC design) which in turn will be daisy chained to form the main DCC bus.

I hate droppers with a vengeance and electrofrog points, just over complicates the wiring and adds to the workload unnecessarily IMHO. Modern AWP locos function just fine on insulfrog points which negate the need for frog switching and also eliminates the need for 80% of droppers. Zero One sold me on the digital promise of - look mom only 2 wires needed. Not so, DCC needs even more wiring than DC with its block sections. I will never be running 2 axle shunters or 4-4-0 steam locos with pickup only on 2 axles. Apologies for the moan, I'm sure I'll have forgotten the hassle when its all done and dusted.

That makes sense.

Not surprised to hear A23r is sold out, the CIE stepped Black'n'Tan livery was iconic IMHO best livery of the lot with the stepped band.

Yes it seems once they sub-contracted out the catering it went rapidly downhill. The Cork train lost the business community as a result. I hear only the enterprise does proper food now. I could be getting mixed up but I regularly travelled to Cork for work in the 80s and remember a host/hostess, sit down menus, linen service, delph, metal knives and forks, and taste wholesome if not gourmet food that was excellent for on board a train. I nearly fell off my seat with surprise when I was told there was a fax machine available and a power socket under the table as well as being offered a glass of champaign with my cooked breakfast. None of this nonsense sandwiches off a trolly with crisps and a can of 7 up like nowadays.

Fond memories of City Gold to Cork and back in the 80s when there was a decent on board service with hot meals, or enjoy a full Irish breakfast on the 07:40 Dublin to Cork on the comfy m3s. The days when you could actually eat a hot meal traveling by train. Now only snack food from trolleys on board trolleys. If they brought proper food back on the trains I'd leave the car at home more when travelling to Cork, Kerry and Galway.

Wow spectacular model. Loving this thread and watching her progress.

Yes it was interesting to note the CIE black'n'tan livery A classes were top of the list followed by IR livery. Surprised A1 not already sold out as a collectors item. I remember what looked like a gauge 1 static model in the dept of transport years ago in the delivery silver livery.

The drift to music

I've said it before Eoin doesn't look his best in this photo but his engineering work is simply out of this world. Excellence. Hat's off.

Really looking forward to these 20ton Brake vans. Will look perfect behind Gort goods trains. PS: Looks like plug in NEM pockets a possibility?

Wow I get vertigo just looking at that. Would you not consider risking orange or yellow stuff instead?

DCC dropper plan, plus the eastern head shunt can be toggle switched from ordinary track to DCC programming track using a switch. DCC dropper pairs in red.

Well wear. Love the IR livery versions with the IR logo.

Eamonn Redmond sent me this link. Nostalgia gold 1960s and 1970s by Tom Dowling and Ciaran Cooney

Used Cobalt point motor Tiebar Labels which are designed to make ballasting points a little easier and less risky to clog the tie bar . https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/cobalt-tiebar-labels-12-pack/ The idea is you just ballast to the edges of the label which is pre-ballast coloured and then dry ballast around the tie bar which should cause the ballast to stick to the sticky labels avoiding the risk of PVA mix gluing the point. These were easy to slide in under the points after track laying and are self adhesive with a hole for the point motor bar. Photo below shows three points and a Kadee uncoupling magnet ready for Javis fine granite ballast. The double layer of 3mm closed cell dense foam underlay at 6mm total was perfect height to recess the Kadee under track magnet without needing to cut into the baseboard.