GSR 800

3003+3002 on 14.50 ex Connolly

Maedbh has had her wheels painted. Needs a little bit of weathering! Might make up some brake cylinders for her at some point.

Excellent work Killian, as always! Really is transformative.

14.50 was NIR CAF 3003+3002 206 still on shed.

How many people are buying several Playstations, Xbox, etc? Not really a good comparison. A PlayStation is more like buying a layout, ready to go. The games would be more akin to purchasing locos and rolling stock. From that POV the PlayStation looks like a very good deal indeed!

Hi Ironroad, not to worry, you haven't been forgotten! The MGWR A class has been commissioned and is in the design stage. The A class require smaller Hornby Princess Royal 6'6 driving wheels, which I purchased off Peters Spares and slot easily into place. Initially, I tried B1 driving wheels, which were more accurate, but these caused slipping. This is a thread to gauge interest on the 400s, which would come after the MGWR loco is completed.

206 is spare in Connolly

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Four confirmed then with my two, halfway there.

Using the B1 drivers unfortunately caused the loco to be a poorer puller than she had been. I replaced these with a Princess Royals 6'6 wheelset, which while less accurate, solved the issue. With the Woolwich door complete, the A class is now next up.

After the MGWR A class, I'm considering commissioning a 400 class. This would be the split footplate version, meaning 401 (after 1949) 403, 405, 407 and 409 could be modelled. 402 had a flush footplate and 500 cab, whereas 406 had caprotti valve gear. 401 also had this until fitted with walschearts in 1949. So these two would be the only two the model wouldn't cover in the 1950s. 401 survived until 1961. In terms of chassis, I may look to see if the Hornby Royal Scot would work with these. Alternatives would probably be B17s or King Arthurs. The Scot would be ideal as Killian has the chassis block modelled for it. They can also still be found for under 100 quid. You would receive the loco body and tender, and the smokebox door handle. Killian offers to print the buffers AFAIK. Killian supplied nuts and bolts to fit the shells to chassis. Handrail fittings, handrails, whistle, safety valves, would likely be separate parts though some of these could probably be printed if necessary. My intention for these would be to purchase two, possibly three. To justify making Killian endure the torture of designing something absolutely littered with snaphead rivets again, I'd be looking for a minimal order of 8 before going ahead and commissioning these. With my two that'd be six other required before going ahead with these after the MGWR A class. So if you're interested in a 400, do let us know! "Those of us who saw the last agonies of steam felt deeply with Charlie Maguire, when, his voice breaking with emotion, bewailed the passing of many 'fine engines' Charlie was thinking primarily of the 400 class, and of all engines I personally miss them the most." Drew Donaldson, A Decade of Steam.

Certainly the modern era is horrendously boring and sterile. For a bit of interest, you'd need a dcc sound decoder of some yahoo shouting abuse at security guards before buggering off on a scooter with the gear. My interest is early 1950s CIE. Dieselisation is already making inroads through the AEC railcars, but steam still dominates, with the Enterprise connecting Cork, Dublin, and Belfast hauled by the apogees of CIE and GNRI steam. Within a few years, it would all be gone forever.

It is truly fascinating that many of our generation of modellers have turned toward a much earlier period to model after. In many ways it makes sense, locomotives and rolling stock are smaller, making layout building somewhat more manageable. Many very obscure prototypes with all the elegance of victorian and edwardian design, and in some cases absolutely no elegance whatsoever! I must confess I'm very partial indeed to the GNR Park J class 4-4-0s and JS singles of 1885, some of the most handsome locomotives to have ever run in this country.

I think anything post-1914 is modern! I've considered commissioning 400s or 500s, but I'm sure Killian hopes I will start looking towards something like the old MGWR Grendon engine instead! With the Woolwich smokebox door complete, the MGWR A class is now next in line.

Makes sense, surprised they didn't have it in Drogheda. They've a few in Connolly iirc, almost certainly in Belfast also.