GSR 800

Rice did, I posted his plan (image from David) of Westport Quay above!

I believe Freezer admitted a great many of his plans were effectively impossible in the space dictated, many have curves that are far too tight by modern standards. Actual track standards were also quite different, which is something not always taken into account. I recall one of his plans was redone in a railway modeller article or something similar, they added a good foot or two to length and width. That said I regularly peruse the psl track plan book for ideas. One thing about a lot of Freezers plans is they are quite "packed". Iain Rice took a more "railway in the landscape" approach which looks a lot more natural. Minories however has a pretty sleek look about itself, manages to look every bit the "complex station throat" of an urban terminus while maintaining functionality. I think while my terminus may be Freezer my quays will be Rice! Images posted by @Colonel from Iain Rice's book

This is kinda what I'm thinking, but a regular city terminus with the odd boat train. Galway and Belmulley fought fiercely over the proposal for the terminal I always thought the plan for Blacksod was hilarious levels of overkill. 10 platforms??? Something like Carlisle Pier would surely have been more appropriate. Perhaps with a grander concourse.

I've lots of space for goods sidings in the 'wedge' below the throat. I plan on adding a triangular piece into the corner so the line can veer off ala Galway. The idea is a vague large western city served by the MGWR, so everything from an SLNCR railbus to Western Rail Corridor services would be able to show up. Perhaps this city has had better luck getting liners with their lucrative mail contracts to call there, as Galway desperately tried to achieve.

My plan may include a Galway style freight yard + dock branch as I've the space for it but Galway has a lot of potential as a Minories. Now arguably moreso with new platforms and more intensive passenger operation. Sligo likewise, and plenty of variety. My model will likely have elements of both, some of Broadstone and Mullingar also.

It would, but Minories was of course drawn up long before DCC! The likes of Peter Denny had extensive layouts with interlocking sections where lines were not powered unless they were signalled for it, all DC. He ended up making a electromechanical computer to aid in operation when his son went to college, naming it 'Automatic Crispin'!

The overall idea is an urban terminus loosely in the style of something like Broadstone, Galway or Sligo, with a good amount of passenger workings and freight in off peak. Minories was designed around loco hauled commuter trains (specifically steam hauled) rather than DMUs. The idea of the throat is twofold, allowing all platforms accessed from either road and to eliminate reverse curves, while also providing an interestingly complex looking throat without actually being too complicated. Part of that is the lack of crossovers, the station pilot must release the trapped loco from the end of the platform. That said I may have a crossover line off platform 3 to facilitate shunting.

Did a wee mock up last night to see how things would fit. Ignore the mess! I was thinking a triangular corner piece could be used to have a line leading off toward the pier. Alternatively could have the pier line be goung forward into the wedge. Either way plenty of space for sidings. Could have a run around off Platform 3 with a headshunt off the lower double slip also.

Certainly for Minories, his initial proposal with goods facilities was nothing more than an awkwardly tacked on double tracked goods shed and a headshunt. I think a lot can be done with the space though, very often the empty wedge at the bottom right gets goods sidings, a parcel dock and whatnot. I've also considered a duel level plan with a yard on the lower level, ala Rice.

Newford (Later Littleton) is an O gauge Minories with a carriage siding between platform 1 and 2 Likewise Harlequin has made up some Minories esque plans with 'Daws Lane', one of which includes carriage sidings within. With a bit of extra width you could have 2 carriage sidings between the 2 platforms. I do have some space to have the goods yard angle off ala Galway toward a pier, which would use up a corner space quite effectively. Maybank was the progenitor to Minories style layouts and indeed many modern end to end exhibition layouts generally. The emphasis seemed to be primarily upon operation rather than scenery or locos, rolling stock etc.

Theres an excellent blog that had covered many Minories track plans over the years. https://esngblog.com/2018/02/18/minories-5-more-urban-layouts/ Two pictures in particular caught my eye. The top one has a third 'relief' line. I was thinking this could an out and back branch to a quay. Possibly adding a goods dock combined with the goods shed would not be dissimilar to Galway. The second photo with the track plan has a lot of potential. Classic Minories, plenty of room for freight and one of the sidings could again be a branch off to a quay.

Can always cut back to 5 coaches if necessary, with scenic blocks and whatnot train length can be disguised quite effectively! With the moving of a chest of drawers i can get 15 ft on one side. Ive looked quite extensively at the theories of general minories thread, one of the many gold nuggets on the RMWeb IMO

I've decided after a lot of back and forth to put Mullingar on hold until such time I have enough space for it all without significant compromise. I've decided to cut back to an L shaped end to end urbanish terminus layout based on the MGWR, ideally with a good bit of inspo from Mullingar itself. The two "legs" of the L are just over 12 foot, and both about 2 foot wide, though i can go out to 6 foot toward the end of one of the L legs. Moving a chest of drawers means I could have 15ft one of the legs. I have a turntable pit in the corner of the L. I've long been interested in Cyril Freezers iconic "Minories" track plan. (From Harlequin on RMweb) One aspect I would like to have which the traditional Minories lacks is a decent amount of freight. Freezer added a few "add ons" to Minories which can be seen here. The junction to the freight yard/wharf is very reminiscent of many of the MGWR terminis separate freight facilities. (From RMweb) I like the "idea" of this, but space would be the big factor here. I'm also trying to keep things from getting too large or complicated. Im more than happy to have freight at the terminus itself if it simplifies things and keeps them compact Much of the other half of the L would have to be taken up by the fiddle yard, of course. An 800 and 6 coaches (max length I'd go for) is pretty bang on 6 foot Thoughts would be appreciated!

You can tell they thought A LOT about the visual aesthetic of the outside of the building, and then kind of forget the design means you've a pretty limited square footage, especially in the entrance/concourse area. Interestingly, I remember watching a documentary on the construction of it, one of the designs was to effectively be a glass encased Arrol Gantry spanning the original slipways, which I think would have been much better! Alas, it brings in the tourists regardless. I think they've recently restored Caroline, so hopefully should be good!

Nomadic was definitely worth it for me, try to get the Titanic Centre during off peak times if you can. While its good, I think the internal design in terms of capacity and crowdflow I've found to be poor. There's also HMS Caroline just across the way, the last survivor of Jutland.

I think in many ways this is what IRM/Accurascale are doing with the likes of Mk2s and whatnot, wherever possible looking at commonalities to utilise. What could be done is something akin to Genesis or Rapidos planked wagons, building something 'generically' Irish that with a different paint job would suit British stuff just as well. The problem with that of course is Ireland has a larger loading gauge. For locomotives honestly might have a better chance looking at something like an 0-6-0 and which ones had the closest wheelbases to british ones. You of course have the Woolwiches too, though Rapido is currently doing the U, the larger dia driver variant. Something that could be looked at, though perhaps not true to the OP proposal, is that with the acquiring of Heljan, a 'common' TT 120 chassis could be utilised for 00n3 Irish. We've seen Bachmann offering a wide range of chassis for kitbashing at the like, Rapido and Fourdees make strides in using a common chassis with a 3d printed body on their Sirdar, perhaps something similar using an 0-6-0 chassis which can have pony trucks and bogies added on front and back to cover a wide range of Irish narrow gauge motive power!

Signalling shit itself between Lansdowne and Donabate. I think more 90s are due to come in later in the year.

I was thinking surely they'd run into a copyright issue

Killian, Zooming in on this photo gives probably the highest quality shot one can hope for. You could use the fitting for the brass pipe to the flexible as a support, printed to the smokebox door. There seems to be a kind of metal strap support from the flexi pipe to the tank also? I think the best bet could be printed as separate detail with plugs into the smokebox door? A discussion on the vaccum pipe can be found here

Pretty much found you can get away with dropping the wheel size by about 2 scale inches (down to 6'6 from 6'8) but you get a lot of slip after that. Sonic models have since announced their Glen class, which may be a better option as a chassis for the MGWR A (higher boiler pitch, smaller drive wheels). Past a certain point you're likely better off scratchbuilding, or perhaps 3d printing a chassis. At that stage might as well do the whole loco. I have seen a conversion of a dean goods to a 2-4-0 before, but the driving wheels are much smaller than the Irish 2-4-0 survivors. the GWR 0-4-2 tank likewise has much smaller driving wheels.

One hopes you understood it was tongue in cheek, and no cats have been fleeced for a layouts scenic purposes...

Bless free will, you're not obliged to watch any of them! I think the obvious solution (which he mentioned) to his issues in testing would've been an electromagnet. Otherwise, the big issue (unless like him you decide to 'side' all your rolling stock) is that other than bachmann, the tension lock coupler itself is magnetic. But certainly food for thought!

The Fish Vans, along with the Horsebox are lovely little kits, well designed. I soldered the main and glued the detail!