Noel

I can see light at the end of the tunnel. What a small little station building but the more I worked on it I realised the more bits were needed. My eyes are shot after cutting out the half round for the window border cornices. Have fabricated the final parts for the last element of the station house building. Now to assemble it, glaze and paint it.

Very nice work.

Wonder could Simon ever be head hunted 'by another party'?

Watched both episodes of this online last night on Amazon Prime Video. Fascinating insight into how the UK model industry operates. Simon Kohler returned to Hornby's senior management seems is a man not to be messed with. The friction between Hornby and Hattons, and especially Rails of Sheffields was fascinating. I suspect Mr Kohler was apoplectic when Accurascale launched their Deltics and Class 37s on the UK market after a hail of successful wagon releases and being so well received in the UK modelling press, would love to have seen a fly on the wall camera capturing the moment it dawned that an Irish startup company was daring to enter his patch. On video he even asked the CEO of Rails if they had good fire insurance, in jest I'm sure, but it made a point, that he wasn't going to take Rails Terrier model lying down. Hornby is an iconic part probably of most of our childhoods in this part of the world. I had some sympathy for the modeller Jim commissioned to build their production prototype of the Airfix Hell Cat, who was under phenomenal pressure to finish in time for the launch. Lots of industrial espionage cloak and daggers, made for good TV entertainment. It looks like Simon Kohler's strategy had help Hornby improve their fortunes but then Covid came along. Wonder shall we see future fly on the wall episodes with Bachmann and Hornby board rooms throwing rattles out of prams because of Accurascale's spectacular arrival into the UK market? The series is available on Amazon Prime video app.

Surgically done. Respect.

Roof trusses installed. Used plastic this time instead of balsa beams First part of hipped roof test fitted dry

Never tire of looking at this fabulous layout and rolling stock. Excellent

Hi Leslie, Eh no, haven't tried that, but I could reverse a tractor and trailer into a 12 road round house without stopping. Roof trusses done and started the small office building. Corner stones fitted. Endless hours of pottering away is great during lockdown.

Nice one, ordered some. Now in the future if you also had some of the old buses, old vans or old lorrys from the 1960s, 1970s that would be amazing. The green goddess is a must have classic

In between various mini projects still have time to play trains now and then. Baby GM central circa 1975'ish (excusing the IR logo on the CIE super train 121). Can't wait to run these guys on Gort some day.

Thanks George. Opps, I've just spotted something I forgot to do! Will go back over it tomorrow.

Chipping away gradually at the scratch build station house for Gort. Started assembling the main structure after each wall had been fabricated independently Flat roof section installed, just the stone capping on the walls next Photo below courtesy of (C) Leslie McAlister. This photo has been particularly helpful in working out some details and dimensions. Really enjoying this scratch building business. Thanks to others who have PM's me here and on RMweb with other photos of Gort. They have been invaluable in guesstimating the dimensions of these unique little buildings. Prefabricated bits later assembled Humbrol liquid poly glue has been really easy, convenient and fast to use. It fuses the plastic together immediately Next up will be the pitched roof and chimney

Suggest send to MM direct in wexford street for warranty repair/replacement.

I might respray one of my 071s in B&T just for the fun of it, or better still my sole 201 model which is in that ghastly orange and yellow livery.

Indeed this is going to make it difficult to solve. I spoke with ‘a man in the know’, who understands a lot more about these matters than I do. First off he tells me the Murphy Model supplied decoder is an ESU LokSound V5 DCC which means its not AC analogue not that many use that now a days. So its not AC and DC ready as previously stated, DC only. The DC settings are set at 9v so its not going to move until it gets 9v and the motor settings are set at 8v so that all may be having an impact in this slow running. My advice would be to try and find a way to use a DCC controller, or run the loco on somebodies DCC layout or a club DCC layout so that you can examine and possibly change CV settings that could effect DC running (ie limiting max voltage to the motor from the decoder when the track is providing 12v). But my final thought is one of the main advantages for me personally of DCC over DC is aside from better motor control, and simpler wiring is the ability to run and control locos equipped with DCC sound. Running a sound loco on DC greatly diminishes the functionality available. Will let you know later in the week how one of my 121s runs on DC with that MM supplied decoder. Last thought, consider in the future the possibility of getting one of the entry level DCC controller systems like a Z21 or an NCE PowerCab (assuming this loco and decoder are without fault).

Well yes the livery the prototype was given was a mistake and a botch job not matching the existing corporate branding or existing coaching stock at the time. A failed attempt to bring the mountain to Mohammed was made with the hideous and failed galway livery on coaches. No doubt a branding consultant was paid handsomely to convince CIE at the time to go for the confused botch livery. Aside from the boring shape of the prototype that confused orange yellow and black livery is one of the reasons I didn’t particularly like the prototype until it was redeemed with its current intercity green and grey livery that at least matched the coaching stock it hauls. A similar mistake was made by British Airways about 25 years ago with its colourful ethnic tail livery replacing the BA Speed bird corporate union flag logo on the vertical tail fin. Consultants and focus groups can regularly confuse common sense in marketing. BA reverted back to original scheme after an angry uk PM covered the tail of a model at a trade show with a handkerchief. I did like the retro BOAC livery they repainted some 747s in latter years before they took all their 747s out of service, like the Aer Lingus A220 in its legacy 1960s ‘Aer Lingus Irish’ green stripes on tail livery. the NOHAB in CIE Black and Tan looked interesting.

They have excellent warranty service direct with customers

Holy Moly that's just stunning

Apologies @Michael Nolan I didn't get a chance to try the loco on DC today, preoccupied with snow up here in the mountains. Will try during the week.

Chipping away slowly with this scratch built Ticket office building for Gort station. Most enjoyable and therapeutic. Lots more to be done, but these two facades were the fiddely bits, the rest is just structure and roof, gutters, windows, etc.

It's slow but enjoyable. Gort ticket office. Track side and rear car park side.

Yes swings and roundabouts but overall with the thinner sides and flush glazing it seems an improvement. It’s easy to add detail like door hinges and handles before painting.

A DCC decoder has very limited and basic functionality on a DC layout. Our layout was DC converted to DCC but I can switch it back to DC mode by swapping two cables. I usually do this to test run new locos and run them in. The decoder you have obviously has been DC enabled as factory default setting (ie bit 2 of CV29 is on). You won’t have any control over CVs 3 & 4 ( acceleration and deceleration), nor CV5 (max voltage=max speed). If you had access to a DCC controller or somebody else’s DCC system these could be programmed. Questions for you: if you turn on your DC controller and turn it to max, leave it at max for 60seconds, does the loco accelerate extremely slowly but eventually attain a higher track speed? How does the loco respond on DC with the decoder removed and the original decoder blanking board is plugged back in? Worth checking that a stiff chassis is not the problem (Ie in need of lube)? is it the same in forward and reverse? I’ll test run my sole MM supplied ESU LokSound 5 decoder tomorrow on DC to see how it behaves on DC at max voltage (using a gaugemaster DC controller) and report back. basically you have no control over CVs 3,4,5, and 6 (mid voltage) without access to a DCC controller, nor access to light functions or driving functions, horns, flange squeal, etc, just default engine noise and default running lights once the loco is moving (ie getting at least 4-12volts). PS as Eoin has already advised ensure you don’t have a DC track cleaner (Eg Relco O’R gaugemaster wired in orbit will destroy a DCC decoder). Good luck. Will let you know tomorrow how I get on with the DC test.

A little progress on Gort's 4th building the cottage sized tick office, a strange little building. Laminated embossed sheet with structural sheet behind Stone window surrounds It should blend in a bit when its all painted grey. A strange little building with an open court yard.Lots more to do but fun chipping away at it.

Hi Paul. Why possibly the end of modelling? Fortunately have one of those, but not sure I understand 'end of modelling'?