Blaine

5 hours ago, DiveController said:

Can someone elaborate on  "polo mints" Channel Tunnel logos which are such a feature of the real locomotives please?

They were attached to any loco that was to travel through the tunnel, or associated with Channel Tunnel trains, ie diesel locos bringing trains to the UK portal at Dollands Moor to hand over to 92's. This is why the EPS 37/6's had the cast Polos as they were intended to bring the Nightstar Channel Tunnel Sleepers as far as the portal, the Railfreight Distribution 'European' 47's had smaller painted on ones under the drivers side window, as they were bringing freight to the portal. The EPS 73's just got them to look cool I reckon, used mainly for Eurostar towing and recovery

2 minutes ago, MOGUL said:

Wonder if hattons could be convinced to contribute towards rescuing a 6 wheeler, there is a suitable candidate just down the road from Maam after all!

In short - no. Dont bite the hand. Just be thankful they are making these

'Sicker than the train to Knock'

Just now, spudfan said:

Thinking of adding some interior detailing to my 141/181 fleet. Which side is the steering wheel on? I presume the 071 class is the same?

Yes, all dual control, 'left' side generally has the CAWS and Train Radio equipment, right side only used for shunting

9 minutes ago, Noel said:

147 missing a buffer? Or was it sent to Ukraine? BTW thanks for the pics.

Does anybody know when the new Murphy Model baby GMs 141/181 are due to be in retailers? Any indication of when in 2023 or perhaps 2024? 

Likewise any dates for the mk3 sets?

31st April 2023 please god,allah, jewish god, tom cruise, atheist spirit..........

Bit of patience maybe? He has only just announced them. If you had gone to the MRSI show last month you could have asked The Man in person and he would have told you

Late Entry - MRSI St Davids MPD, probably at the back near the wagons

Definitely controller, NCE Powercab / Roco Z21 the way to go. A wise investment for either unit

On 29/10/2022 at 4:52 PM, murphaph said:

Does anyone know how long 174 stayed in that STIR livery?

Not very long -  was the 1st 141 to be stood down, moreso for parts, circa 1993/4. 191 was the final STIR loco after its little adventure to Clonsilla

1 hour ago, murphaph said:

I wonder could Fingal Co. Co. be persuaded to provide such a space in Malahide Castle, given their connection with the model railway museum.

The Model Railway Museum they were very much keen to wash their hands of you mean.

Anything 750 sq metres or more preferably in one room will be considered

10 hours ago, Mayner said:

The MRSI used the RDS as an exhibition venue during the 1970s and 1980s, but moved to smaller venues because the cost of using the RDS became uneconomic. Attendances were very good during the 70s but the numbers dropped off as model railway exhibitions ceased to be a novelty to the general public.

Although the RDS exhibitions were drawing good crowds, the exhibitions were struggling to break even and committee members were worried about loosing their homes, some UK clubs had similar experiences with high venue hire costs and the chilling effects of large national events such as Warley on regional exhibitions.

There has been a considerable level of co-operation between clubs with MRSI, SDMRC, NDMRC and Wexford MRC and smaller clubs layouts appearing at each others exhibitions since the 1970s. 

I don't know if there is enough of a critical mass or interest among the Clubs to establish an umbrella body to promote Irish modelling and arrange conferences where modellers can socialise, play/buy trains and visit each others layouts similar to the recent NZMRC https://www.modelrailcon.nz/ , NMRA or UK "Scale" society conventions as opposed to staging a public exhibition.

Exactly - We may have enough layouts between the clubs but none of the clubs would have enough people to run them, and do all of the non glamourous jobs that also need to be done - selling entry tickets at the door, selling raffle tickets, fixing issues, working in the exhibitor/public canteen, cleaning toilets, manning doors etc.

Between the bigger clubs (in Ireland as an island and elsewhere) there is a small group in each that both organise shows and bring layouts to other shows - quite often this is the same group of people, hence no trainset for me this time round, and the last time too

The costs of venue hire coupled with hotels etc currently preclude having big venues and the big bluechip sponsors are not interested. We are very thankful to have the support of both Irish Model Railway Manufacturers having watched them grow over the last few years from small but confident newcomers to rubbing shoulders with the more established manufacturers - and doing better than them too

14 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

Hi everyone,

Just a short note to say a sincere thank you to everyone who came to see us during the show over the weekend. We are slowly recovering (my voice is still gone a bit!) and apologies if we didn't get to talk to you for too long as we were quite mobbed during parts of the weekend.

Also a sincere thanks to the MRSI and the organising team. It's the first Dublin show in three years, and it was missed by all of us, both traders and hobbyists alike. I think the additional attendance is reflective of the growth in the hobby, and indeed in our chats with Paddy Murphy we can see from our own POV that the market has grown.

On the flip side, I talked to representatives of a number of clubs and they all reported that membership is down since the pandemic. Some seem to have lost more members than others, but there have been big hits in some cases. It is the clubs who organise and run these shows, on a complete voluntary basis for our enjoyment and as a fundraiser to sustain themselves. I think the job they do, particularly in these strange post-COVID times (less people to help out) has to be commended.

As a trader I was there for set up on Friday and clear up on Monday eve, and (I really hope nobody gets offended by this) I saw a lot of weary souls, one or two of them old enough to be my grandfather (and I aint no spring chicken myself). They worked their backsides off, building layouts all year, taking them apart, carrying them up and down stairs, loading vans, transporting them to the venue, setting them up, operating them, taking them apart, then bringing them home. In between that they manned the doors, cleaned up and looked after us traders, exhibitors and the public. I found their efforts hugely inspiring. They do an amazing job and sadly I have seen a couple of people put the boot into them elsewhere (not here!) which must be hugely dispiriting. 

I think if these shows are to continue (and improve, always room for improvement and constructive criticism) we need our clubs to flourish. No clubs, no shows after all. 

So, if you can, get involved. I've always found both Dublin and Wexford clubs most welcoming and fun places to be on club nights, where I have had patient members teach me new skills and spread their knowledge. It's also a place to run your trains if you havent a layout at home. It will be the best way to drive the shows forward by getting involved.

Cheers!

Fran 

Cheers Fran, as one of those organisers it combines the skills of many, a lot of patience along with bashing your head repeatedly off the nearest wall, being trusted with sharp objects and being of sound mind and body - and having the skills of a dozen people, along with finding people with similar skills who are ready and willing to help out over the 3.5 days

Every club is suffering, so if you are local enough to one, join. Not all about trains either, plenty of social stuff too, meet like minded individuals, learn new skills that are useful outside of the model railway hobby too. Reading a lot of 'I don't have the skills to do that'-  join your local club and learn these skills. Quite often they are a lot more straightforward than you think, be it weathering, scenery or making baseboards, along with everything else

https://www.modelrailways.ie/clubs - details all of the current clubs in Ireland along with the MRSI itself. Membership of the MRSI for 2023 is a mere €70 - probably the cheapest and best investment you will make of all your model railway investments in a year - works out at €1.34 a week........

Well there you are - Stranger Things Have Happened

The price will be higher, but less than what they are going for now

Same moulding which is a testament to how good the first ones really where (are).

Buy some now and dont be 'ah shur Ill get them again/later' as the production batches will be small

Plenty of pre-warning too!!

On 29/10/2022 at 4:59 PM, Westcorkrailway said:

I must say it was comical seeing lads go to the show, buy the discounted wagons and leave. I arrived at 11 and multiple people had already stocked themselves with wagons and left….at 11 on the dot! 
 

 

Another first for an Irish Model Railway Exhibition 

A common sight across the water when certain new models are released at shows there

Final Day of the Show is today

Still plenty to see and buy

1 hour ago, Flying Snail said:

Are there any/many of the stands not taking card payments? Just wondering if I need to bring my piggy bank tomorrow or if I can max out herself's credit card instead

Safer to bring money, just in case. Will always be the one you want stuff from 

2 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Sounds like the error was very small. Chris deals with new and used, but also with re-paints - and the re-paints themselves come under two categories - his re-paints for sale, plus jobs that have been sent to him by clients for re-painting. Not saying that a re-paint was the problem, just that there must be so many very small distinctions, almost impossible to tell apart, that it must be difficult to cross every "t" and dot every "i" correctly at times since BrExit. Sad that he won't be at the show.

No need to speculate, damage is done. He had invested quite a lot of money for this weekend too - and nothing to do with toy trains either. All paperwork

Just now, Westcorkrailway said:

When was that, the early 2000s 201 or the early 2010s upgraded version?

The upgraded one

4 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Has there ever been a more mad morning in Irish modelling history?

Yes - when Mister Murphy dropped the 201 out of nowhere complete with a sample

On 26/11/2021 at 3:38 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

That A Class is something else!

Its going to be there on display, somewhere....

Find out on Saturday Morning at the MRSI Show - There is an announcement coming I can say that 

8 hours ago, Georgeconna said:

FS he probably did it in 2 mins for bit of a Giraffe. Expecting a Rembrandt r summit? Relax dude.

What are you singing about? 

I can't say anything on here without you getting all high and mighty.

Keep it up, it's hilarious 

17 hours ago, Noel said:

IRM C class? 

My 9 year old niece can do better paint crops than that...... And she is a dab hand at photoshop too

Just over a week to go - the website has been updated yet again with an up to date list of Exhibitors and Trade

For the first time Card Payments will be accepted for Admission, Rail Side Cafe and the MRSI Pre-Owned Sales Stand

https://www.modelrailways.ie/events/exhibition-2022

I c what you did there, sure throw some Turf on the Burner and have an oul Sambo, did you hear Pat is coming too?

9 hours ago, BosKonay said:

https://www.westhillwagonworks.co.uk/workshop-depot-c-24/modern-image-depot-interior-kit-with-raised-rail-access-platforms-code-100-p-409

Not to mention Westhill making all of the accessories in 3D printed form - tool cabinets, barrels, trolleys, access steps etc