Colin R

Thanks Nelson, you beat me to my next question, I looked up the brass master tender kit and they do look the part, I just need to make sure they are the right width as I read somewhere that those sent over to Ireland from the UK where made wider to make use of the larger Irish loading gauge, but sadly at the moment I don't have any drawings to confirm or denia that statement. I will check out the model from golden arrow as I know Chris from our narrow gauge world. Colin

Hi Mike great models, Yes I have got those in mind as well, there is a station on the Irish network which could use one or two old Airfix station buildings I think it is Bray which comes to mind, but I could be wrong.

Hi Jhb, what I was looking for was the tender with the springs on the outside, I am not sure why some of the U2's where given the older style of tender, but it makes for an interesting model.

you need to get this into the British model and heritage railway press and may be some one like Pete Waterman with all his contacts might be able to help. To be honest going to see this collection would have been one of the main reasons for coming to Ireland for a holiday.

Hi ya, yes I have a feeling that is what I will end up doing.

Great stuff, I look forward to seeing some of it, I do know the feeling of taking on to much, I am looking for any drawings for the BNCR 6 wheel tender that went with the NCC U2 locos, I might have a need to build a couple of them if things go to plan as I am not sure if there is anything out there in 4mm scale which I could use.

Please forgive the question, but what is the IRRS Wagon Book? Would I be right in thinking it has a lot of drawings of Irish Railway Wagons from years past? and is a copy available to buy anywhere? Colin

Thanks guys for the input, looks like there is still more to do at this stage.

All this research has just brought me back in to contact with an Irish based book I had almost forgotten about, its called Buildings of Irish Towns, by Patrick and Maura Shaffrey, I can't recall where I got it, but it has a lot of useful stuff in it. It has a number of coloured prints of buildings around Ireland, some but not all, are very close to OO/4mm scale so could be used as a backdrop for an Irish High street. Architecturally speaking there are only so many design styles, but what makes the Irish buildings unique to Ireland are the details and the application of them to such great effect. Stone has been used in more Irish buildings than anywhere else, but it is the addition of details such as quoins on the corners of building that give it that style the other thing which I have also noticed and that is the use of render to give a smooth finish to station buildings as well. I am going to go out on a limb and say that until the 1960's many buildings where painted white, grey or cream. after that period and the introduction by the Irish tourist Board to encourage owners in the picture postcard locations to paint there buildings up in various colour's from yellow to red with green and blue as well, it did not take much to brighten the place up, I am tempted to use some modeller's license when it come to modelling the township and incorporating some of the later colour schemes to the buildings, otherwise the whole model is going to be very dull colour wise. One other Irish must have is the town triangle, I don't know how this came about, but it not something I have heard about in UK village or towns planning, village green's and town squares yes, but never a village triangle. Great like I said wonderful stuff research.

Snap, you and me are on the same page Broithe with this one. I was looking at that and thinking what could I use that for, I didn't at the time know what the old Downpatrick Station looked like from the road side of the building, I have since then received a photo of what it looked like, it would be possible to use the above as a basis for a freelanced Irish county town terminal station.

Thanks Jhb, that's what I was beginning to conclude, I think in this case that the Peco many ways station kit is idea for Irish stations as it can be built up in so many combinations, one thing which I have found to be a lot easier and that is the Irish Narrow Gauge. Now while the Cavan and Leitrim and the Clogher Valley had a similar station building design and they both shared the plan to build the Ulster and Connaught 3ft gauge Light Railway line across Ireland this did not happen, but to me it has always been one of the greatest what if's. Well off to sample some long lost bushmill's now and to have another look at the Airfix / Dapol Station building to see what can be made of it.

Hi ya thanks for that, I also came across this sometime ago to use on an isle on man based layout, but I now realise it could be used as an Irish themed railway station as well. http://www.springsidemodels.com/id30.htm I am sure there are other building kits etc which could be adapted to get the Irish feel I am looking for I have just come across a station called Barnagh on the Limerick line which is now abandoned and the station track plan is just what I am looking for as something to start with in 21mm gauge. I read somewhere this station was on the old North Kerry line as well, I am surprised to find it in this condition as I was under the impression that a lot, if not most of the ex old Irish railway stations had been turned in to private homes by now.

Hi Guys Sorry for all the questions, but having looked at various Irish themed layouts, I was wondering if it is possible to have or build a generic style building for each of the pre1923 Irish Railway companies. Looking back at the experience of modelling UK lines in the past it is possible to build a freelance GWR branchline station and give it any name you like and it will still look plausible. I am not trying to deny the unique Irish railway atmosphere than comes over in the various prototype photos I have seen, but something tell me that it must be possible to create that Irish feel about a freelanced model. Can I take it that each of the railway companies had its own standard design signal boxes and possible station buildings and good sheds? Now while I have had a look at this site http://eiretrains.com/stationindex/ for inspiration and with the exceptions of stonewalled buildings, there does not appear to be that standardization I would have expected. Anyone have any thoughts on this? In the UK we have so many different societies which have been set up to look at how certain railway companies operate and what and how they done things, I sometimes forget that this is not always the case in other countries. The downside of the above is that it can become too clinical for its own good. I know that I won't live long enough to model everything I see, so I am happy to model what I would call, the impression of the characteristics of a railway company if that make any sense.

Not sure I can get there to see it in the flesh, but I am looking forward to seeing it appear in one of the magazines very soon. stunning modelling on all levels superb This has Warley written all over it.

Hi thanks for that, I happen to know a guy who is into his signalling big time and I also need to make sure that when I do get around to it, I signal my layout correctly with the right style of signal arms, as I don't have a clue at the moment as to what I should be looking for in Irish railway signal arms. Colin

Are the signals all still mechanical then?

I guess it comes down to having the man/woman power to make it happen and also a plan that can work and everyone singing from the same hymn sheet. I have to say that restoring the station back to as it was in the film could be interesting as it is on a route that could be rebuilt at some stage. Building a replica locomotives and carriage's now that would be something else, but it is do able, just ask the Lynton and Barnstaple railway in North Devon as they are doing just that. It would make a fine model (now that's an idea)

Not always, but it depends on the amount of detail you have and if you can spray the coat thin enough to cover the base colour, but thick enough to show the colour you want with out colour bleed from the old base colour. I know some people don't want the hassle of paint stripping, but the other thing is sometimes you do not always know what type of paint you have on your model and if you apply the wrong type it all comes up like an orange peel or worse.

Latest issue with me (May 2017), I am now looking at it, wow this is a lot better that the last issue I have. he could do with more copy so I see any one got any articles they want to publish?

Yes the more you look the more you think ah that would make a nice model, and before you know it you have counted up to fifty odd locos.

Hi Blaine I do take your point about them not being kits per sa but, until someone comes up with all the bits in a kit then I think for now this is as close as we shall get. I will say one thing about them and that is it takes the hard work out of getting the body looking right Hi D I was not aware that he was doing so many GS&WR 6 wheel coaches, without having photos of them in front of me, I am not sure if they are the same type of coaches you produce. Plus he has done an NIR Parcel van sides for someone now so that is new. Talking of new kits D have you got anything new planned for the coming months? Colin

Hi guys I am sure some of you know this already, but I have not visited this site for a while and low and behold some new carriage kits have appeared. http://www.worsleyworks.co.uk/4mm/4mm_Irish_Standard_Gauge.htm While I am still waiting that a WT might appear its good to know that if we have the drawings Allen had said he can make a kit from them. I saw some NCC wagon drawings on the web the other day, cant for the life of me recall who put them there, I was just wondering if it would be worth me asking him to do a couple of them? Colin

Hi Jhb, yes I agree with you about the new Irish line Magazine, I have been aware of it for some time, but have only just renewed after a bit of a break. Colin

GSR book turned up today so now I am looking for three locomotive classes the Kerry Bogie, class 52 and finally the class 60. One other loco type which I think is worth modelling and that is the class 47 0-4-4T I am sure I have seen some drawings of them somewhere.

Thanks for that Richie they are most useful sites and have been added to the research file. Colin