Noel

When the initial batch was launched back in October 2017, RPSI stated that they were initially releasing a pack of three coaches but that if they sold well they'd most likely another future pack of three to make up a full rake. No guarantees other than it depended on how well the first batch sold. Many folk bought the 3 pack on the basis that a second pack might eventually become available. I bought my 3 pack on board an RPSI rail tour, diesel double 071+073 two days before ophelia struck. Good to see the remaining RPSI mk2a green coaches sold out quickly, and at a very fair price too.

Some decoration of the goods dock platform Preliminary weathering on the platform sides

More a question for RPSI, but it would be wonderful should they decide with MMs help to produce the other promised half of the promised Craven set including the bar coach. Six coaches plus a GSV make up a typical RPSI rail tour train. Without a model of No 4, or 186, etc, the green mk2a coaches have nothing to haul them.

Cheers. If it was the MM branded ESU LokPilot project the lights should work as this was a custom project by ESU for MM. One think I noticed with the MM sound chip is the running lights and head lamp all come on and off together via F0, and there is no independent control of the headlam (ie its on when the running lights are on). The light mappings may not have been done correcty on the LokPilot. The only decoder I have come across so far that has everything right including lights, sounds, prototypical driving (ie braking, coasting, train loads, etc) is the WheelTappersDCCsounds ESU LokSound + ESU LokPilot projects. If you had the time and interest via unfriendly CV settings you could correctly map the lights and head lamps, alternatively JMRI decoder pro app makes this relatively easy to do if your DCC controller has an RS232 interface to connect to a laptop running JMRI. If the lights are not working suggest contact Murphy Models for a replacement decoder that is correctly programmed.

I found this last night rooting through a box of old scenics retrieved from my childhood layout dismantled back in 1980. Electric light signal I made when I was about 13. Candescant bulbs, body cut from plastic card, pole made from rolled up grease proof paper laminated in PVA as I had no suitable plastic tube and plastic school markers were too wide in diameter. It worked off 12v but I cannot remember where I salvaged the bulbs from. The clear bulbs were painted green and red. I remember forming the lens shades around a hot screw driver shaft to deform the plastic suitably. Its wierd how detail memory can be reactivated. I was chuffed as cat who got they cherry off a cake when I was a child and was able to operate this sole signal on my old layout. The height of modernity when such was only visible in the then recently renamed Heuston station (formerly kings bridge). Was quite chuffed back then to have something 'so tech' and modern, nostalgia for my rail travel experiences in the 60s and 70s has since pulled me back to the glory days of CIE black'n'tan and flying snail green, when lanterns and quadrant signals were more the norm. Lima class 33 CIE hauling Lima BR mk1 and repainted Hornby coach into CIE livery. There were actually wires between those telegraph poles This single line branch station provided hours of entertainment and operations. The old main station mainly a mix of Triang, Airfix (now Dapol) buildings. Only Irish thing in shot was the kit bashed shunter in the goods yard. I still have some of those buildings up in the attic. When my dad died and we left that home I salvaged as much of the layout as possible and still have scenic elements stored away in boxes Found this old cattle dock too, now its on Kingsbridge. Kitbashed from a Triang platform straight, some airfix fencing, glue, paint and scatter.

Cheers Gerry, I was just rooting through my off cuts box looking for pieces that could be cut up for the cattle pens and a small crane for the main loading dock platform. Looks like the walls will have to be a triple layer laminate of plastic sheed to get the correct thickness with round balsa capping.

Beautiful job Gerry. Love the subtle weathering too. Can't beat two axle wagons of that era. The very essence of model trains as I was introduced to them.

Yes your are quite correct the NEM pocket on the MM 121 is oversized (ie not NEM compliant), so couplings droop. I sorted that by cutting a small thin strip of plastic card to act as a filler shim which I dry fitted under the shank of kadee no 19 which then leave the coupling at the correct height (ie as per the kadee height gauge), so the trip pin did not foul points cross blades. The NEM pocket is at the correct height, just oversized vertically, an easy fix, took a few mins. But handle that loco with extreme care, there are so many delicate parts on it they can easily come off when handling it for stuff like this.

As per NMRA standards for DCC an address of 130 is a LONG address, so when programming the loco address be sure to specify that 130 is a 'long' address, otherwise you won't be able to control the loco. Most DCC system programming menus ask if a new address is short or long. If your DCC system programming menus don't handle this there is a convoluted manual way of doing this by manually assigning values to NMRA specified CV values, but that sort of manual set up went out with the arc. Suggest check the manual section for 'rail master' dealing with assigning loco addresses, or setting up a new loco. In the mean time if stuck simply reset the decoder to factor default by writing 8 to CV8 (ie CV8=8). This will reset your decoder and it will have the default address of 3 again (ie until you figure out how to specify 130 as a long loop address in programming mode)

Some progress on platforms before painting and weathering

Done, but voted for the AS Hopper. Opps

Platforms under construction. Gort's platforms had edging stone, but no over hang nor recess, just a right angle vertical side to platforms from rough stone. This will be the goods yard platform, loading dock and cattle dock. Cattle pen to be constructed shortly. Platform structure starts with Peco platform edging kits, plastic card sheets bought from graphic design art suppliers, and faced with greenstuffworld smooth stone embossed card as well as being packed out to the edge of the platform. IMHO Peco platform edge kits are the easiest and most accurate way to make model platforms at correct height and without meandering edges.

Problem is western democracies have us hassling legislators about potholes outside our homes, and jobs for little jimmy, bus services to our village, etc, so they can only see one electoral cycle at a time (ie <5 years). There's no time left for vision or sense, or the big national picture, just the parish pub, and react to the latest popular demands or start looking for a new source of income. Reps with sense, vision and planning usually don't get reelected if they don't look after the ridiculous local trivia.

PS: Seems bonkers there still isn't a high speed non-stop rail link between the airport and the city centre (ie like the heathrow express). But sure local politicians will want a stop every few hundred meters for their constituents shopping expeditions that will push the travelling public and business travellers onto faster private transport (ie as folk currently avoid the slow tube from heathrow to London stopping in every suburb because it takes an hour and is crowded).

Thanks for the info. Perhaps post CV-19 our economy might benefit if it decentralises more from the east coast and greater Dublin area more to the regions were rail for commuters and the shift to home based working helps regional towns like Galway, Limerick, Nenagh, Waterford, Carlow, Sligo, KIllkenny, Athlone, Foynes, Carrick-on-Shannon, Tullamore, Portlaoise, Maynooth, Middleton, Ennis, Mullingar, Navan, etc. Some of the old rail lines could prove invaluable in the future. I'm still flabbergasted that Youghal was not reconnected to Cork city as most of the engineering was still in tact and RPA still owned the track bed. Yet another greenway! How many do we need? Are Westport and Dungarvan not enough for cycle tourism. Next we might see pressure on other low traffic lines such as Rosslare-Waterford, Ballybrophy-Nenagh, Limerick-Foynes, Limerick-Waterford to be released as greenways. Once that happens they will never come back and future generations of people who have to commute by road to city work places will be surprised at the short sighted decision making of today based on short term economics. With national infrastructure the long game is needed with 100 year plans not 5-10 years.

@Rob just a suggestion, what about converting the coupling only on the ends of the mk3 rake to a smaller TLC and leave the intermediate couplings as they are? ie cut off the huge lima TLC and fettle in a NEM pocket in its place to take a NEM small TLC. Then MM locos could couple up to the rake of mk3s. The only problem I found with the smaller TLCs due to their size and limited vertical rubbing surface, is that reversing stock either for marshalling purposes or running can be problematic with couplings slipping up over each other causing derailments when reversing. As you know I went kadees at some cost and some surgery required, but this was more to get reliable running especially when reversing or pushing, rather than automatic uncoupling. Visually the smaller TLCs don't like as offensive as the 1980s sized Hornby and Lima TLCs, but the older massive TLCs did reverse and push much better.

I don't know how this panned out in the end or if the recondition rails from Ballina line ever made it back to Tuam. But interesting viewing

Yes agree with most of that. Best of luck with the commute.

Extract from a short running session today. Classic CIE Black'n'Tan era goods train from the glory days of CIE and Ireland's railways. Most of these wagons cost me £3.50 each many years ago. Some more recent kit bashes cost a little more. Mainly Bachmann and some Dapol.

What environmental waste indeed. Did they use a haz chem courier?

Yes it sounds positive. The one thing that was notable about the drive to increase commuter traffic for Cork city was no mention of Youghal. Youghal has both the opportunity for daily commuter traffic into cork as well as seasonal tourist traffic. RPA still own the track bed between middleton and Youghal and IMHO should not ceed it to another greenway. Short term thinking to placate local hospitality businesses and publicans rather than looking at the wider picture. Post covid with the successful shift to home working for many professions one can't help but wonder about future demand for commuter transport including Luas and Dart.

Most impressive Eoin Kingdom Brunnell

Few more pics. Got the guttering and down pipes done. Used a ratio guttering kit. Now just need a fews sacks of produce and a few wooden barrels outside. No pallets in this era, no fork lift trucks. This was before modern era, bogies and containers. All manually loaded produce in the CIE golden era. The ratio guttering accessory kit was handy, saved me forming realistic gutters from heated plastic strips. A bit of fiddling here to figuratively ensure water would flow downhill from the overhang into the main roof down pipe. Will have to put drain traps on the ground below these. Overall pleased to have a unique scale model of a real building as it was back around 1970. The basic structure of this building still exists but its all boarded up now.

PS: Great advertisement for the hobby, Murphy Model locos and IRM wagons.

Well deserved, your layout looked absolutely fabulous, Loved the attention to detail, the micro scenes in gardens and park areas, all the figures, street furnature, work men in the yards, the buildings, it all blended so well. Noticed nice details such as the lamp on the gable of the loco shed, leaves on the road, man up a ladder, all of these things really brought it to life. Very authentic. Liked the cameo role for some GWR at the beginning.