Andy Cundick

Thats part of the challenge i'd never built trackwork until i did Valencia and as there was no way i was going down the 00 route i just got on with it(a fairly steep learning curve admittedly)and now building track is no problem (famous last words).Though i admit a broad gauge (7'0") threeway point is causing a certain amount of a challenge.Andy.

The thing to note regarding coaches is that the Southern filled in the door toplights which is how PECO depicted them, The thing that slows me up is the early livery which is to put it politely fiddly.Though saying that i've just finished three North British locos in pre great war livery ready for Expo EM in a week now that is over the top.As to the modelling an actual location lets just say it works for me.Andy.

Hi Mark Yes The locos are all Backwoods in the early cab form,the coaches are all Worsley as Alan has done them in the original form,sadly the Peco and Langley ones are both in the Southern condition,still at least i can use the PECO brakevans the first bit of ready to run i've bought in years.To be honest doing an actual location is easy someone has already done the planning for you and if its an interesting prototype it should come through in the model plus i find knowing what is needed in advance stock and that can be built first along with buildings etc and only then do you put saw to wood and by that stage what you have is kit of parts for the whole layout.The downside to this approach is the vast number of appealing prototypes which leads to multiple layouts,in my case 8 up and running and another 4 in the planning construction phase,Andy.

Nice to see someone else doing early L&B one of my current projects is Lynton in 1898 to scale(it works out at 12'x18"),currently got one Manning finished and 6 coaches with enough little green boxes to do the other 2 and Lyn, Fortunately Worsley does etches for all 17 coaches in their original condition so i'm plodding my through them,its the livery that takes the time.still its a bit of challenge,Andy.

Coach 53 been there built it,Andy.

For the topfeed try 247 developments they do a Stanier one.Andy.

My planning is a bit more basic comprising of a sheet of ply 3 foot steel rule and a pencil.Andy

A point to watch with some of Ians designs is that when you go to build them you find everything is a bit on the tight side,many moons ago i built his "Etterick" design but transplanted it to the Welsh borders as "Tallylyn Road" and built to EM standars and ended up leaving out several features because there was not enough room.The basic concept was fine however and it saw many shows plus a feature in British Railway Modelling,before age caught up with.Funnily enough i've just exhibited its successor which is a Scottish branch terminus.Lochty which was the terminus of the East Fife Central Railway operated by the North British.It was a line with great intentions but ran out of money and ended up finishing in field in the middle of nowhere.Post closure it was run for ten or so years as the Lochty Private Railway ,main rolling stock consisting of "Union of South Africa" and a Coronation observation coach,definitely a prototype for everything!.Andy

Confused for a minute ,i assume you mean Fosters of Lincoln,post great war their smokebox works plate incorporated a tank as they produced these during the war.one small point the flywheel is too far out it should be right next to the bearing bracket.Funnily enough i spent most of yesterday of at brother in laws sawing wood with their Marshall portable,Andy.

If its any help its Railcar 12,Andy.

Very useful set of photos,Ballinascarthy being on the to do list,Andy.

One issue with 3d printing is the quality which is highly variable,there is some truly dreadful prints out there as well as some very good ones.Andy

No problem let me have a address to send it to,and i'll get it sent off Andy.

The answer to that is no,the drawing is a Bruce Heaven drawing which has to treated with caution. 141 was rebuilt at Dundalk c1949/50 and so is a bit of a one off.The single brake levers pivot on the bottom of the frames If its any help i can sort you out some drawings of Donegal stock if its of any use.Andy.

Basically 3 different types the 1893 Oldbbury stock has 8 shoe clasp brakes plus a single brake lever operating on one shoe only,then with the 1900 stock onwards 4 shoe brakes with 2 brake levers operating from the same end Cultras open 13 has this type, when you get to the Strabane and Letterkenny Hurst Nelson stock you have 8 shoe clasp brakes with the 2 brake levers at the same end.There are a few variations due to rebuilding etc,but that is the basics.If you havn't got it Roger Crumbleholmes "County Donegal Companion"is very useful.Andy.

Something i won't need,Andy.

Couple of suggestions,first back to back needs to be checked, then put on a proper flat surface, plate glass or something and make sure all the wheels are sitting on the deck,then check that the central axle can float up and down in relation to the outer pair and that no brake gear etc foul the central wheel.When i've built my own 6 wheel chassis i had it with one end with a fixed axle the other on a rocking axle with the central axle free to move up and down in a set of slotted axle guards with a certain amount of lateral movement.hope this helps Andy.

LNWR 4'6" 2-42-ts, to DSER,, Hibberd diesel, Shell/BP, Ruston 165 ,CSE, none of which need to be disguised,Andy.

My mother in law had a 1932 Ford Eight which she ran up until 1968,when she brought a 1962 Lwb Land Rover,the Land Rover is still used by me daily as well as transporting layouts including a trip to Cultra,as for the Ford its still on the road being used by brother in law. Not a length of service i would expect from a modern vehicle..Andy.

Used it on Valencia and Courtmacsherry the stone colour is better in as much as it doesn't make so much mess,Andy.

I Choppers can be a pain to get to work properly in 4mm(been there tried it),Kadees too bulky and look wrong on Irish stock, Bemos are expensive bulky the plastic they are made from makes them a pain to fix to most stuff and not the easiest to uncouple remotely .I finally came round to using DG couplings in their various sizes going from Great Western broad gauge to 009.being brass they can be soldered, glued, bent round things, the steel droppers allow for automatic uncoupling and there is a brass dropper which allows for delayed uncoupling,Also at between £4 to £5 for sixteen not expensive.Andy.

Depends very much on the child my first train was a Triang Britannia and a dock shunter,plus various bits of stock and Super 4 track that was when i was 5,both locos are still running,saying that both nieces at that age were running their dads 5"gauge live steamers,Andy.

Nice shot of Railcar 10,interesting to see wagon 159 creep into the other shot Donegals solitary bogie open(as apposed to conversions) she didn't get photoed very often,Andy.

Best we don't mention the Crewe built Westerns which had to rebuilt at Swindon before entering service,Andy.

Brings back my apprentice days at Swindon,with the Newspaper vans being converted into "Enparts" vans,Andy.