Garfield

Boring tunnels beneath the city centre for light rail would be a ridiculous waste of money and resources. Numerous European cities have light rail running through their city centres, so it's not an "only in Ireland" thing either. Any underground network should be built to heavy rail standards to maximise capacity and help get more cars off the streets (which are the actual cause of congestion - not the Luas. The plan for the College Green Plaza which would see that area and much of Dame Street being pedestrianised will also help free-up the cross-city Luas route). As I said above, the Luas is part of a multi-faceted solution to Dublin's public transport problems, not the silver bullet, and it's taking heat here undeservedly when the microscope should be on all the messing that has surrounded Dart Underground and Metro North.

+1 Luas most definitely has its place as part of the public transport solution for Dublin. The fact issues persist that were supposed to be alleviated by other schemes which haven't been implemented (yet) should not be blamed on it. The streets are being clogged by the continuing high usage of cars for access to the city centre, not by the Luas. I'll let the following emoticon embody my reaction to this comment:

The SDMRC’s Belturbet layout, too...

It's time to take yer pills and go to the quiet room, JB...

Fran addressed that towards the end of the first post.

This has been on the cards for a while and makes sense. By concentrating on N, Fleischmann avoid overlap with Roco, which is also owned by Modelleisenbahn Holding GmbH. I assume all relevant HO tooling will be transferred to Roco, with any N gauge tooling held by Roco going the other way. Unsurprisingly, all remaining production in Austria is also being shifted to Slovakia.

That’s another bump for project 22k...

They've worked together in the past, with both the Guinness tank and 'Harvey' based at Downpatrick at various times. A loco like 186 is a different proposition - it may not look huge but it's actually quite a bit bigger than the wee tanks and would consume a vast quantity of coal in comparison.

Still going, the online archive is updated regularly.

*Bumps 22k up the queue*

That’s a Black & Tan loco. Most of the re-engined As had the thin tan band but one or two received the broader band as depicted above. A39R currently carries this version on the DCDR, as it did back in the day...

A bit like your beat wagons, vs actual beet wagons, Noel...

Already doing that, and no joint venture required!

First I ever heard of it was when I saw it mentioned on the Past & Present page on Facebook earlier. Can't say I've ever noticed it in Easons...

They used to, JB, although I’m not sure if they’re still trading. As Mayner said above, they stopped producing their Irish outline kits due to lack of interest...

I have a Backwoods C&L 4-4-0T kit sitting in a box in ye ol' homeplace. I'll get around to it one day...

Just making sure you have what you're really looking for here, Popeye... Do you mean CIE rather than GS&WR? The coaches above are in CIE green; GS&WR coaches carried a 'purple lake' livery.

Beware of rough shunts... it could all hit the buffers!

And there I was thinking you were descended from landed gentry, Dave. You learn something new everyday...

Jed Bartlet has Irish links in his family and all...

Some nice modelling on show there. Just out of curiosity, @Broithe, do you know what price the Anbrico CDR 19/20 railcar kit was on sale for?

They’re in stock, Noel, although it’s collection only from our Hellas Planitia depot...

We bumped into the man himself at the toy fair in Nuremberg last weekend and he was telling us that these babies were ready to go. Looking forward to seeing the finished articles in the flesh!

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/07/elon-musk-space-car-overshoot-mars-asteroid-belt?CMP=fb_gu Oops...

In fairness, JB and others here 'have done' and are all too familiar with the extent of the work and financial effort involved. With several existing locos in dire need of work and the fundraising to get it underway, I thought it was a little odd to be looking at a new build...