Broithe

I'm "sure" that I remember a conveyor over the road there not that many years ago, but Street View only goes back to 2009.

Done.

There are Chinese copies* on eBay at around four quid, but they look a bit rough. As bizarrely expensive as the US ones are, the material is top class stuff. *a 'spring punch' search will bring them up. There are ones out there that will take a masonry nail as a replaceable point. I would say that, for site use, as the nail-punches would probably be used, they are a very 'losable' item, and it's no fun at the full price. I'm also a fan of having a square somewhere on things than don't need to be fully circular. Screwfix are good for what they're good for - and there's a shop at the end of my road now, so no 'building an order' is necessary..

Two small points, surely? One each end...

Eek! You're not going to like these prices.... This is the same principle, although this set is intended for nail-setting. https://www.screwfix.com/p/spring-tools-wwa1105-spring-tools-woodworking-set-5-pieces/8831X?kpid=8831X&ds_kid=92700031336051899&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249484&ds_rl=1249796&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj8vVjbLK3QIVAuh3Ch2fcgV6EAQYASABEgK7gfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CLeoxpCyyt0CFYnk1Qod96UNRA I think I paid four quid for my centre-punch/chisel set. http://springtools.co.uk/ (Screwfix is not always the cheapest...)

Ah - I got mine at the boot sale about fifteen years ago. They were a set of four, in a red vinyl wallet, including the chisel, which is actually the most used. I will go hunting - I'm fairly sure that they were an indigenously produced US product.

Broaches will often also produce a much better finish on the inside of a hole than a plain drill will, especially useful when the hole is a bearing surface. Drill a touch under-size and open up as appropriate with a broach, where it really matters. There will be a very slight taper on a broached hole, but it's rarely of any practical significance. Doing it from both sides can be an idea, if it's possible.

Practising on stuff you're not too bothered about first is often a good idea. It's not easy to explain how to avoid excessive side-loads on the finer drills, but gentle practise will reveal it fairly quickly.

As I said, "Not immediately useful in this application".

Not immediately useful in this application, perhaps, but this sort of centre-punch / chisel set-up can be very useful. You hold the working end exactly where you want it and then pull back the 'loose' end, letting it go to provide the impact. It can be used as lightly as you like, depending on how far back you pull the 'firing end' and can act rather more delicately than the 'compression' centre-punches that are a bit more common.

A handy weathering exercise, when IRM produce the models....

No more jokes about the wind...

It'll come in handy for the landscape gardeners after the wind today...

If it is a tool that you use often, there is something to be said, sometimes, for having a 'good' one and a 'cheapo rough' one...

Thanks! That could be very useful - some really nice things there. In the piercing saw section, I feel it's (almost) always worth having an adjustable frame - you can still use a broken blade then.. http://www.dixequipment.com/products/saw-frames-best-quality-german-made/

I have a wobbly wheel on a 201, if they ever come into your system.

If it is these people, https://mattessons.co.uk/ , then it is double-t, double-s, and no h or r...

I would want sound - with selectable bacon sizzle, kettle whistle and spoon stirring tin mug.

I remember that day well - I just don't remember much of the evening or the following morning...

You could fix the point near the place where the moving bar is - the actuating pin will flex to take up any extra motion then.

It would put a stop to all the arguments about the gauge...

Crossing the tracks at Ballybrophy was accepted, when necessary, before the lift bridge arrived. I did it a few times with bulky items, by agreement. The longer southbound trains would stop with the loco on the crossing, which meant waiting until it really was clear was made even more obvious - and visibility in both directions was more than adequate.

Ah - I had a cursory look for the word 'Shop' and soon gave up, not spotting that - Thanks.

There is a Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/Irish-Freight-Models-1252098201500518/ . It has this note on it currently - Please note the Irish Freight Models website is currently offline, the shop area can be accessed from the shop link on this Facebook page, Thanks - although, I'm not quite sure what that means.