Irishrailwayman

Anyone tempted to try N gauge Irish using Electra Railway Graphics (http://www.electrarailwaygraphics.co.uk/) vinyl overlays on Graham Farish coaches (MK1, MK2, MK3, MK4, EGVs, 201 etc available); Shapeways bodies for 201, 121, 141, 181, 071, A/C Class etc; Studio Scale Models 2mm Irish transfers on repainted UK steam locos/wagons; Alphagraphix 4mm kits colour copied in 50%reduction etc? For example, the GWR Express Parcels below was made from an ERG vinyl overlay on an old GWR Railcar and both models were given a new chassis:

Layout has now reached the "Blue Peter" stage using scrap card/wood, crumpled newspaper, PVA glue etc to form the landscape around the platforms and buildings... A couple of shots showing the weathered buildings in their approximate location:

I use Code 55 as opposed to the more common Code 80 Peco N gauge track. With careful ballasting this can look well enough without being oversized. I suppose the overall challenge for any railway modeller is to convert "toy trains" into something that looks "real". One way I have attempted this is to model real locations and represent them with carefully selected kit built model buildings etc using subtle colours. Modern HD camera 'phones provide a good way of testing if the effects achieved are real. I have posted photo sequences on this forum of the building of each of my layouts and as they progress, I can see at some point how they cease to look like a collection of model items on a board and begin to cohere as a believable scene (my current build Llauwchllyn is approaching this point I hope!). Many people have commented favourably on my results which I appreciate and I am always happy to share how/what I do with them.

You are probably aware of the Bachmann resin version of the station at Carlow:

You could consider using Deluxe Glue and Glaze to cover the gap for now?

Llanuwchllyn has now been ballasted using a fine grey ballast material and a fascia board added. Track/point-work has been re-tested and working fine. Next up, fit platforms and form the landscape around the rails/buildings... For contrast, Cynwyd was ballasted with a beige coloured ballast, although the grey is probably closer to the prototype...

Thanks Noel, just back from rebuilding the clubrooms! The railcars started under GWR from 1933/4 and through BR days to 1962. BR had carmine/cream and malachite green liveries. The new Dapol model is of a Gloucester AEC streamlined vehicle in contrast to the "razor edge" versions depicted in the older OO Lima and N Farish models. Both GWR and BR ran "Express Parcels" vehicles which had no saloon windows. See pictures of my GWR models below.

Enniscorthyman did a nice video of my GWR streamlined railcar on Ballybeg this evening. Sound courtesy of Mr Soundguy!

Shunters Yard has a new streamlined railcar from Dapol to augment it's passenger services! Thanks to Mr Soundguy it also has a realistic soundchip fitted. Some early morning sun caught the model this am.

No, no - I'm referring to the streamlined locomotive of course...

Anyone know if this model is available in N, OO, O or 12" to the foot?

Happy Christmas to all IRM.comers and all the best for Modelling in 2018. Anyone else have a Santa or Christmas themed train on the go for the season?

As opposed to an "oil burner" for a diesel outline...

The track has been painted chocolate brown and the side of each rail has been painted with a rusty wash. The edges of the track area are here shown with masking tape ready for the application of fine grey loose ballast...

Jhb, The backscenes I use are from Gaugemaster.com selecting the one closest to my prototype. They come in just the right size (4.5 feet by 6 inches) for this layout configuration but they are made in larger sizes also (9 feet by 12 inches, I think). It strikes me that with modern drone/camera technology it should be possible to take a series of linear digital shots of a location background from an appropriate height to simulate the 4mm/foot illusion of distance. The photos could be merged and touched up by computer before printing out on a long flexible photographic sheet for mounting onto a layout backdrop. I notice a company advertising in BRM called Quality Backscenes offering a similar service (www.qualitybackscenes.co.uk ; studio@qualitybackscenes.co.uk). Might be worth checking out.

A couple of shots of some scratch and kit-built buildings prepared for Llanuwchllyn and placed roughly where they will go on the layout. Next steps are to fill in missing sleepers and start the ballasting...

The model railway community in Ireland, I am guessing, is tiny compared to the UK. ROI has three (?) main active clubs with a few more modellers scattered widely. NI has a few more clubs. UK has a huge MR community with numerous exhibitions on practically every weekend of the year whereas ROI has two (?) main exhibitions with a couple more in NI scattered over the whole year. Junctionmad has shown his work on hand-made points at Wexford MRC recently so it does not seem overly difficult. However, the prospect of making points, lengths of track not to mention resizing every engine, wagon and carriage in a collection is daunting indeed even if the end result is tempting. The fear would be that after all that effort, the running would be poor as can happen even with best efforts with rtr stock. Also many modellers here do model UK outline given frequent visits there and the more ready availability of rtr items. By the by, South Dublin MRC have done a layout called Belturbet with broad gauge 21mm and narrow gauge 12mm track.

Looking forward to welcoming SVLR to Wexford at Easter!

To illustrate: Push rods under Cynwyd Llanuwchllyn mimic diagram with push-to-make buttons controlling turnouts in pairs to make the road required:

What about an Irish variation on Shunters Yard (4 feet X 9 inches)...?

Of course you do, go on, go on, go on, go on....

For Cynwyd in N I used push wires under the baseboard which are the simplest. For Llanuwchllyn I am using side-action motors at the back of the layout operating the push-wires underneath activated by push buttons/CDU on a mimic control panel. See my threads on IRM.com on each layout for pics.

I have used a OO kit from First Class Trains previously which included a rechargeable battery, on/off switch, recharge socket/plug/wiring, copper strip and LEDs/resistors. A red LED lamp could be added to provide a rear lamp to brake ends. You had to buy a transformer which could take 10 coach leads. They now only supply them with wheel pick-ups. I have thought of using the Train-Tech kits for coach lighting but would prefer an on/off switch (for use when transporting stock - no point them being lit up in their boxes) and ready access to change batteries. No doubt the kit could be bashed to provide these.

That's true but they have the advantage of enabling wagons to be removed from the centre or other part of a train without disturbing the others (something that is difficult with Hornby-style couplings). They can add stability to trains over less-than-perfect track quite apart from delayed uncoupling capabilities for shunting.

The same could be achieved using the shorter NEM Kadee couplers.