DoctorPan

One from a recent operating session saw the clock turn back on Backwood to the era of Flying Snails

The latter certainly point certainly reinforces the first point if one reads into IRM's previous clever combination of wagons allowing utilisation of parts to aid other rolling stock, Ballast and Bubbles sharing a common chassis, Taras wagons having the same bogies as the 42fters. Having Mk2 bodyshells, B4s and B5s in the CAD and tooling libraries certainly is boom to certain possible projects down the road, but that's a story for another day!

I wouldn't be surprised with a Jeep and then a Mogul to coincide with the launch of 105.

Yeah, there's two climbs out of Waterford, between Kilmeaden and Killmacthomas and then from McGraths Cross to Durrow. Afterwards its downhill and once you hit the tunnel, you can pretty much freewheel the entire rest of the way into Dungraven if your bikes are freewheeling.

Another +1 for the ebikes. Did the Waterford greenway to Dungarvon under my own power with my partner this summer, which was easyish given the ruling gradient towards Dungarvon but wisely we opted for electric assistance on the following day's return to Waterford which made all the difference.

I would argue that the 90s weren't the greatest era of Irish Railways. Old worn and flithy trains and stock, running on system that was held together by string, rust and prayer. At least these days, you know your train is going to turn up on time, is clean and delievers a comfortable service from A to B. I've spent a long time trying to convice my parents to travel on train and that the trains of today are far improvement from the old Mk3s and Mk2s they remember from the late 90s and early 00s when they last used the train service.

A long running issue that the professional industry is contantly running into, is that the rail industry does not fly on college student radars. I didn't even know my current employeers had a rail team until during the college placement interview I applied to, it was mentioned to me that I was looking to go into the Highways team, would I consider joining the Rail team. Upon hearing that, I quickly piveted into putting the Rail team as my first preference and led to an enjoyable 4 year career with them that is ending shortly as I move onto pastures new. Another issue with the Irish scene is how tribal it is. How common is it to hear that railway x has a person who fell out with the people at railway y and doesn't like railway z is friendly with y and so decides to cut contact with anyone involved with y. The rail industry in Ireland is increditably small, Irish Rail and Arup are really the only two big employeers within the industry, followed by Motts. We've tried increasing awareness of rail but its hard for it to catch with the students, most want to do Highways. The big breakthrough will come when a college or university offers a rail engineering degree.

A venture into a smaller gauge and a new topic. Inspired by the work of two of my friends experiements in narrow gauge gauge gave me an itch that needed a bit of scratching and plans for a small micro layout for the other set of boards that Backwood used started to be lazily sketched out while preparing for a house move. While the boards await track and for a finalised plan, the railway that was to be the subject of the still unnamed layout was an easily decision and chance for a little more fun prototype. Pints to anyone who knows their stories... The first major train was the line's top link train, ran for tourists during the summer, bringing them from the port up into the mountains, dropping them off at beauty spots for picnicing and hiking, earning the nickname of The Picnic. The rake just awaiting couplings and windows. Oh and a loco to haul them!

Having moved houses, Backwood was packed away until recently some free time was found to add some finishing touches to the layout. The exit road gained a signal controlling movements to the world beyond the yard. Hand Point levers were painted up and added to the S&C around the yard, the fuel point and yard was weathered and details add, including this shunter having just finished refueling 071. Touches like the human touch add an extra dimension to layouts, and I love setting up small scenes like a fitter taking a break under the watchful eye of the foreman or this track gang working on the headshunt's buffer stop after the shunt was reballasted, including the TSC on the phone over line blockades.

I wonder if the ITG could be bribed to turn A39r into that livery and suddenly it goes from a what if to a necassary model for modern Downpatrick ops guv! I'm sure fluffy dice and nanners might do the trick...

Stick me down for one as an expression of interest. After all, what's one more after the rake I've already ordered!

Yeah I usually stick my rattle cans in a saucepan of warm water for a couple of minutes before shaking the bejayus of them and spraying. Never had any spalts or peels since using that prep technique.

Its cheaper by rail currently plus its more reliable. Massive issues with supply of road drivers at the moment.

In my own experience over the last 10 years or so (christ I'm geting old!) there is a dismissal of our rail heritage in favour of argicultural heritage. I do think a big reason that has contributed to the lack of a seed for the general public for railways is the limtied good memories the national service gave them when they were young. In the UK, a lot seems to trade on memories of going to the seaside by train or nice days out visiting family and the adventure of travelling by train where here that seems to be lacking from the general public conscenious (bar memories of specials to Knock and religious experiences do not make great railway loving memories) and so heritage railways are treated somewhat like a novelty experience or something akin to a fairground ride.

Happened recently enough, failed near Adamstown. Set limped to Adamstown and passengers transferred to a replacement ICR set.

A lot of us newer folk who joined the market with IRM's offerings missed out on the MM diesels and the old problem of having GMs and nothing for them to haul has been flipped on its head with a good number having wagons and nothing to pull them!

Oh well, bright side of this is, I'll get to pay off my outstanding balance and probably order another A!

Testing structures to see what views and looks could be achieved on this from a week ago. Its amazing what you can get done in a week focusing on the layout. Minor details left to go, painting and fitting point levers, weathering ballast and general human touches detailing, the running shed is crying out for some fitters and some details, plus need to fit a signal to control passage under the box to the "outside world".

With a period of enforced annual leaving approaching due to end of year and outstanding leave due to Covid, I decided to set myself a small task of building a small micro layout. A diesel depot was chosen as my small fleet of GMs (and soon to be bolstered by the As) needed somewhere that I could pose them and take nice pictures and would offer some potienial in the limited space I had due to the life of living in rental accomadation. Just two photos to start off with of the shed area from nearly the same angle, just after track laying finished and just after scenic work has started in erenst.

latest project on the go, a fueling point for a micro layout I decided to build during lockdown annual leave. Just needs painting

Nostalgia leaves me with old slam door stock with dusty seats and cold dafty interiors and being replaced with brand new railcars that were bright and increditably warm. New stations opening up and plans for two extra tracks out of Heuston.

A on a whim purchase! Was made aware of this 90% complete conversion of a Hornby Stainer 2-6-4T into a Jeep and just had to have it. Joins the back of the workbench crew but plans are to finish her off as the lovely No.4

Ah now Geogre, its hard to back Hornby when they have developed a nasty habit of trying to stamp out competition and undercut competaters for daring to do models that Hornby have sat on their arses and misread the market. How long were modellers crying out for a updated Terrier, only for Rails to answer that plea and Simon Kohler take great exception to. Then Hattons have brand new class 66s samples on display and suddenly Hornby updates their class 66s and brings them out cheap? Something smells fishy then you have Hornby staff going out to measure 4 wheeler carriages two months after Hattons announced their range and former Hornby staff have admited that the Hornby coaches only came about to further remind Hattons of their place in the market. Rails with the LMR coach, saw that the market wanted more LMR stock and announced a quick UK based model, only for Hornby to stomp the boot on them again and announce theirs. One or twice is an accident. 5 times suddenly is a pattern and a nasty one that. Hornby sat on their arses ignoring what the market was demanding and now that others have stepped up to fill the gaps, are throwing their weight around to starve off competation. They are already starting to lose customers who cannot stomach these practices and if they continue on so, I will stick to Bachy & others for any British stock I need.

Another weekend, another completed build or two! First up the Deans Goods into J15 bash: Secondly, the turf coaches.