GNRi1959

Just a couple, thanks......... I am sorry, I really don't remember. If not Adelaide, it may have been one of many days Norman Johnston took me to various locations with him for the run. I had the camera, he had the 'trainspotters notebook'.

I was going through my slides last night and came across a visit to Derry by Slieve Gullion on 12th April 1992 which was described as a 'running in after an overhaul'. I have included a few shots, a very grey day I might add. I managed to get a shot of the NIR local train arriving the same morning. Among the same batch of slides was this Brake Van. Obviously taken in Belfast and all I remember about that period was visiting Adelaide yard to take some pictures as being asked to leave as I had two young sons with me and they were concerned about their safety. Can anyone confirm if it is Adelaide, you can see H&W crane in background.

Thanks for posting Nelson, looks really good.

Jonathan, its a case of having to make sacrifices. In the absence of anything else of this era, apart from OO Works, I'm not going to be tied to 'Irish only', otherwise I'd have nothing. Are there any other acceptable locos that are close?

I bought this mint/un-used 0-6-0 today off eBay for £34. Thought it was similar to a GNRi UG or SG class. Could make an interesting workshop project later.

Some track positioning going on today. Peco points are a nightmare. I wish there was a curved radius point that was a little less of a radius than whats available.

So glad you posted this Paul, its just as it was in Omagh.

Thought before bedtime....... We’re fans and followers of Irish Railway and we’re laying OO track. This is wrong, a little bit of effort can change this!

Jonathan, this makes fascinating reading - same year I was born too! I really am grateful, thank you so much.

And maybe someday we'll see some GNRi rolling stock too

Fran, that makes sense and I really do wish you luck with it, it looks great.

I don't intend to be negative here but I have just paid £120 for a Set of Three Irish Rail Ballast Wagons from IRM. How is it that three BR wagons are priced at £59.95. Maybe I missed something but IRM = accurascale

Looks amazing, exciting prospect!

I built a model of Omagh GNRi Station in 1990 - 6'x2' - static model. It was purchased by the new Library when it opened in Omagh for £3500. That same year I built a model of the Fintona Horse Tram- the materials cost me £42. The Transport Museum Cultra bought it for £900. Now I just don't have the eyesight nor the patience to build anything. I do hope that I will though..........

Has anyone ever come to the stage where they have their baseboards in place, layout at the final stages of setting out in pencil when you take cold feet? Is this the right time to stop and take a break..........

I'm a complete novice in this area but more and more I am being driven away from the expensive Irish market out there to considering 'anything' RTR.

When setting out the track work on my baseboards last night in pencil using a trammel, the radius on the double track main line was 500mm radius and over. I thought they weren't too bad.

Well spotted, that was an exciting project! The book was one of a few that Norman done that inspired him to form Colorpoint Books with his wife Sheila way back in the 90s. Incidentally, the name came from their love of 'Colorpoint' cats which they kept. I printed quite a lot of the photographs for the book in my attic darkroom straight from 6 x 9 negatives - nobody else around had a big enough enlarger to do it. During the writing of the book, we went to Fintona and had a get together for all the surviving GNRi staff and had tea and biscuits. I assembled them all where the station was sited and took several photographs. I don't think there are many of them left today. A memorable day out with a great man.

More progress tonight. Gradually working my ideas onto baseboards, re-arranging pointwork and curves to maximise space.

For several months, my mother took me once a week from Omagh to Belfast by train. The line ran behind our house, we could hear the ring of the permanent way men maintaining the track. My grandfather would take his morning tea in our back kitchen and then get back to lines. He was s very stern man and told my dad once 'If I ever see you near the railway lines, i'll break your back!'

I really don't know, I know that his nephew Leslie worked with Fred. They had two cameras, when Fred was filming a train approaching, Leslie was driving ahead to catch the next interesting scene. Perhaps the collection is in his care.

Not sure if this has been posted before but there is some wonderful footage filmed by Fred Cooper that can be viewed (and downl****d ). I treasured going to these films around the country with Norman Johnston years ago when Fred visited Omagh and many other venues to show his film exclusively in Super and Standard 8mm film. https://digitalfilmarchive.net/media/super-8-stories-extra-footage-the-680 https://digitalfilmarchive.net/media/super-8-stories-extra-footage-bridge-681

I'm cutting supports for mine tomorrow and I'm cutting 120mm. 60mm to fix to current baseboard frame and 60mm of a rise to underside of the new raised trackbed.

Paul, I will be fixing my baseboard frame this week and boring holes between these sections to allow wiring to be fished through. Around the station area the bridge leaving the station had a ‘headroom’ sign showing clearance of 11’8 underneath. I was planning to raise the trackbed to finish at 55-60mm above the base of the embankment. What dimension are you showing above?

With the narrow baseboard width I have of 350mm I may be pushed to form embankments all round and may have to revert to dropping bridge levels below the baseboard. To form the embankment would mean losing at least 75mm I'd imagine if not more to form reasonable slopes? Any ideas?