GSR 800

MGWR bogie 96M at Alberts Quay https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54252116022/in/photolist-2pBRTa7-2qE5gYJ-2pww8wY-2pwD4FU-2pww8fq-2pwBypu-2pwByrP-2pwCkH1-2pwCkH6-2pwCkHr-2pwCVpk-2py2ycK-2pww8xp-2pww8xQ-2pwAH9y-2pwByrd-2pwCkpa-2pwCVo8-2pwCVoP-2pwCVqC-2pwDywX-2pvwHKa-2pwjsTY-2pwByqG-2pwDm6y-2pwCcq8-2qEc2KN-2qEb3U6

I've had similar thoughts re the clerestory, the flat 'main' roof is quite tempting! as for MGWR, any specific coaches? It's not entirely unlike 163M prior to ambulance coach conversion

Two arrivals this morning... Hope to be able to make a start on these tomorrow, and do more work on the laminate. The far coach to my eye will make a passable early GSR corridor coach. Quite like the clerestory, has a nice character to it.

Anyone travelling via the Sligo line to the airport (I'll use Mullingar as my example) can get the train to Drumcondra and from there to the airport or city centre. Tara Street is a pretty good connection, a 5 minute DART to either Connolly or Pearse. Of course this is beside the point. Getting a metro going means there's the expertise and infrastructure to continue with other metro projects down the road. As to costs, the longer we wait the more it costs. I'd be more concerned with getting in a good contractor for the job so it stays to budget.

I'll be very tempted indeed if IRM are going to release maroon mk2bs, that and a Hunslet.

A humble question for our livery scholars. I am wondering about the specific livery for the modelled coach above. I have seen photos of these coaches, brand new, unlined in what should be dark green given the date, with their window frames in unpainted steel. No lining, no eau de nil to be seen! One of these photos is ex works, so possible lining simply hadn't been applied, but regardless others do not show the full, double-banded eau de nil lining and numbering.https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53508722781/in/album-72157662268090968 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53507832507/in/album-72157662268090968 I have a vague memory of reading somewhere that these coaches were intended to run with the new AEC coaches, perhaps explaining their lack of an upper band? Interestingly, seemingly without lining in 1947 apparently? https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53508888343/in/album-72157662268090968 And a pretty interesting picture in 1954, apparently Claremorris. Two different liveries, the far laminate appears to be in the lighter green with silver chassis and bogie! Closest coach, again appears to be in unlined dark green, though it could be dirt/poor exposure?

Smokebox hotcakes!

They may well have been Galteemore, but mine are brass!

New handrails. This would've been how they looked in prime CIE steam days, when they hauled the Enterprise. for whatever the reason, the upper handrail on the smokebox door (from what I can see from several pictures) was always painted black. The pin for the hinge was also polished but I wont bother with trying to paint it as its printed detail.

I do have a few 57 footers kicking about, might be a project after this, since the early 50s is when I intend to model. Would look equally well behind a 3d printed 400..

800 class build: Going to put this up as a recap for the 800 build and to give a better idea of assembly for 3d printed locos. Here's the loco as arrived, with donor chassis fitted. Only thing added at this point by me was smokebox wheel and handrails. Handrail holes are modelled but require some drilling out. Smokebox door wheel with some brass rod (0.6 iirc) for the dart. Holes for handrail knobs being drilled out. Same again, wouldn't advise having the model so close to a ledge! Handrails and rodding added. May redo some of the handrailing at some point. Buffers, nameplates, numberplate came from SSM. Nameplates and numberplate can be sourced elsewhere iirc, but I'll have to find the manufacturer. Killian also offered to print the buffers. Safety valves are from the Royal Scot. Windows are supplied by Killian. Vacuum pipe was one I found in the spares box! Bit of a jump here to the painted model! Lining was HMRS LNER lining, which I found to be quite good. Paint was mid brunswick, I'll edit in the code, I think I posted it on this thread before. The body is all in one piece, so painting and lining takes patience. Next up was the bogie/front end modification. I chopped the bogie and placed an insert, others have simply drilled out a new slot for the axle for the extra length. Added some faux frames to improve the air gap More up to date, painted the wheels. The Scot chassis is not as "getatable" as more modern designs with plunger pickups for the base keeper plate, which means you have to be very careful when removing the drivers. If doing this, I would remove the body entirely, loosen the motor holder and give the wires some slack to save any resoldering! Overall I found it quite easy to detail the print and painting was less difficult than I had thought initially. One thing I did have to do was file down the weight in the tender somewhat as the tender body wouldn't sit flush. On that note, I may do something about the loco/tender gap at some point in the future. More recently I've come across photos that show Maedbh with the handrails polished rather than painted black, though regulator rodding, steam pipes and the upper handrail on the smokebox were painted black. So today I got a package with brass rod, handrail knobs and a whistle. No rest for the wicked..

Might model 409 myself, MGWR A class will require 6'6 wheels. The A class were decently travelled for Midland engines some living out their last days on the DSER, unsure if they ever went North though! While personally I think they give the GNRI 4-4-0s a run for their money look-wise (an unpopular opinion perhaps!) they were their own beasts! While considered very free steaming, they were described as riding rough as all hell, 'hopping like kangaroos' along the road, and 'bucking' their way up the DSER though they were being flogged to death at that point. Atock had been extremely bogie adverse for passenger locos, his wonderful G2 class 2-4-0s lasting until the end of steam. They were described as smoothly bouncing on their springs when at speed, quite the contrast to the hopping of the A's! Midland men might have been less grateful to Atock for his flyaway cab and the dubious protection it afforded them in the Irish weather!

Mike, it could probably be done; however, IIRC, John designed the length of his overlay to be shortened from the 61'6 inch prototype somewhat to fit the 60' Dapol chassis. So, you'd have to cut back the Worsley sides to fit. @Mayner would know better than I.

Many thanks JB, I'll be sure to give you a bell when I am!

The next mod for the coach will be cutting out the bottom, the interior sits slightly too high for my liking as is. Weight will have to be slung underneath as with yours. 3d printing would indeed be useful for roofs. Interiors and details too. At some point I'd like to tackle the MGWR Limited Mail. Cyril Fry had a model of an A and the entire rake, I believe its been posted on this site by Jb somewhere.