Garfield

The cycleway isn't public property, it's publicly-accessible. And it doesn't run through the middle of the yard in Mullingar, where your photo was taken. Trespassing very much counts as being 'up to something'.

And rightly so, I have to say. It's private property and still considered part of the working railway. Definitely not a place for an unauthorised/untrained/uninsured person to be wandering around.

It wasn't just the fuel supply that did for steam power, whether coal or turf was used. The cost of maintaining a steam locomotive is many multiples of the cost of keeping a diesel loco maintained. Plus, a diesel can be crewed by a single driver, whereas a steam locomotive required two men, so wage bills were much lower, too. Not to mention, you can start a diesel locomotive and have it in service quickly, while a steam engine would take hours to get ready after the fire was lit. Edit: From a track maintenance perspective, diesel is preferable, too, because steam locomotives produce hammer blow which would damage track over time.

For that answer, look to the UK. Coal was plentiful but steam was nonetheless gone by 1968, because diesel was still more economical.

I was in Athlone Station to catch a train to Galway on Friday evening when I spotted this over the ticket office window... The lighting wasn't great, but it was a nicely detailed brass model, probably around 1:32 scale. Wasn't Tommie Tighe the same man who constructed the Fry Model Railway layout?

The lesser-seen Moseski variant...

Topics merged.

Eiretrains may have the answer, Bosko... certainly, Sligo didn't have warning lines when the intrepid photographer paid a visit... http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20S/Sligo/IrishRailwayStations.html#Sligo_20040708_001_CC_JA.jpg

Like this? Back on topic... interested to see how this works out. Could be a good basis for a class 80 in a train sim like Railworks or BVE.

Always inspect the uninspected.

Think they may have been introduced slightly after The Quiet Man was filmed (early 1950s). Either way, the coaches were six-wheelers, although I'm afraid I don't know their numbers. [video=youtube;L6YrqZ7HZ-0]

An A class, because it's almost as accurate as the Silver Fox version?

That's the IR/IÉ livery.

A quick photo as work continues tonight... One annoying thing is that, unlike the CIÉ version, the 'X' bracing on the BR palvan extends right to the corner, so a bit of compromise was needed when adding the styrene corner brackets. Some raised detailing also had to be shaved off as it wasn't present on the Irish wagon, and also so the sliding door (more styrene) will fit snugly when laid over the existing double door.

Sound advice, BTB... I've edited Alan's post to protect his details.

I had trouble logging in on the phone using 3G this morning... O2 network.

+1 I've lost count of how many tinny, shrill-sounding 071 models I've heard. Lowering the volume puts less strain on the speakers, resulting in an improved tone and therefore making the model sound more realistic.

Alphagraphix have an O gauge J26 kit in their Tyrconnel range, JB. One can be seen on David Holman's 'Arigna Town' layout elsewhere on the forum.

Cheers folks! Not like you to be indecisive, Richie...

Great start there, Fran... neat and tidy!

Basically, I look at Richie's bench and make sure it's the exact opposite!

Strange happenings on the workbench tonight (i.e. activity)... Just started work on a CIÉ pallet van using parts from Parkside Dundas BR palvan and shock-absorbing van kits.

The year is 1952, you're the Locomotive Superintendent of the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway, and you're at your desk one morning when a letter arrives from a well-known railway photographer, who you know from his previous visits to the line. He's enquiring about the possibility of getting a nameplate from a scrapped locomotive, and is also wondering about the financial health of the railway. Here's your reply...

Nice photos of a very distinctive station building

It's only when yaw dampers malfunction that it gets serious for them... [video=youtube;1-Z2dO14ApE]