MikeO

A very enjoyable show. A steady stream of people during both days with lots of interest shown in all 3 layouts. It was also great to see so many young people there with their parents taking such interest in all that was going on. A good introduction to the hobby for potential new railway hobbyists both boys and girls. Got to meet @meathdane, @Metrovik, @LNERW1 in person. At big exhibitions this is not always possible. Hopefully next year there will be a few more layouts but not so many as to take away from the relaxed atmosphere that a small show generates giving both participants and visitors a chance to have a good chat. The addition of some non-railway exhibits, especially those that reflect local interests, will enhance the attraction of the show. Well done to all those involved in the organising and running of the festival and to the local visitors who were all so friendly and welcoming. MikeO

Hi MOL_PMB if you are looking for the GNR Carriage Diagrams Part 5 Non Passenger Stock. this was produced around 2014 by Richard MacLaghlan. Contact Leslie McAlister (ProvincialWagons) who may be able to help. MikeO

Hi Dane Sent you a pm MikeO

Hi Lesile In the photo showing the railcar at Finaghy would the M1 overbridge be near Blacks Road. The M1 overbridge at Finaghy Road North straddles the road and is about half a mile from Finaghy station and railway line. The M1 only crosses the rail line at Blacks Road. That would put is about halfway between Finaghy and Dunmurry stations. Perhaps a better caption might be "between Finaghy and Dunmurry stations" MikeO

Fascinating video. The rail structure seems to be in very poor condition. The kinks in the rail line just outside the signal box make me wonder how any train gets through. If these were on my layout everything would derail. Unless it was not filmed, there seems to be a lack of people and road traffic in the area. MikeO

N scale T trak will be at the show this year. We are in the same room as MERG. I believe that the Erne Model Railway Club will also have an N scale modular layout. MikeO

Hi NGuage For European outline stock, Hattons, Kernow Modelrailways and A and H Models in England have a selection. From Germany check out ModelbahnKramm. Sean Ryan who attends some of the larger exhibitions and the Bray train and model fair has a good selection. MikeO

On page 43 of Colin Boocok's book, under the heading class B4 4-6-0, there is a photo of No 467. Part of the cab side, the lower portions of the water tank and the steps are a dark green. The rest being a grimy blue/black. I can't post a copy of the photo due to copyright provisions in the book. The phot is dated August 1953 taken at the Rocksavage depot. The caption also states that CIE painted it green and kept it clean. The photo is attributed to K Cooper. Hope this is helpful MikeO

Thanks airfixfan. Ian Sinclair in his book "Along UTA Lines" mentioned the Knockmore line running past the airport perimeter and the suggestions some years before the book was published(first print was I think 2000) that the line could serve the airport. He suggested that either a spur would have to be provided or the entire line would need to be diverted. While today there may be potentially more passengers available to use the train the route and timings might be a constraint. By coincidence this afternoon I saw a double deck bus which looked to be full heading to the airport. Not really enough I thought to warrant a train. MikeO

Slight aside. I understand that there is a poster at Moira advertising re-ballasting of the Knockmore to Lurgan line with a completion date of April 2019. Does anyone know when it was completed. Seems a long tome for such a poster to be still up. MikeO

Yes they have been hacked and have suspended international shipping. This is the latest update on its website Monday 16 January 2023 ROYAL MAIL INTERNATIONAL EXPORT SERVICES Royal Mail is experiencing severe service disruption to our international export services following a cyber incident. We are temporarily unable to despatch items to overseas destinations. To support faster recovery when our service is restored and to prevent a build-up of export items in our network, we’re asking customers not to post international items until further notice. Items that have already been despatched may be subject to delays. We would like to sincerely apologise to impacted customers for any disruption this incident is causing. Our import operations continue to perform a full service, with some minor delays. Parcelforce Worldwide export services are still operating to all international destinations though customers should expect delays of one to two days. Our teams are working around the clock to resolve this disruption and we will update you as soon as we have more information. We immediately launched an investigation into the incident and we are working with external experts. We have reported the incident to our regulators and the relevant security authorities. Hope this is helpful. MikeO

Two of the photos I took in 2012 show a window high up in each gable as mentioned by Kevin. To me the one on the left side seems like it could be original suggesting the other might also be original. The other window is not clearly shown. Left side Right side MikeO

The light weathering makes the containers believable as working stock. MikeO

A great video loads of interesting details. for example a red coverd van labelled Gunpowder. GNR initials on the tanks of the loco and UT initials stencilled on the back of the bunker. Lots to interest other modellers of Irish stock. MikeO

A very impressive model and seeing it almost complete brings home the actual size of the station. I visited it in 2012 but really did not pay attention to it's overall size. When all the other buildings are taken into account, such as the goods shed, engine shed, water tower and some others whose purpose I am not aware of, the immensity of the whole station area does seem out of place for a rural station. Well done on bringing this model to life. MikeO