DoctorPan

+1 for Google Docs, saved my sanity and final year thesis write up and results when my laptop decided to melt its screen and kill itself 8 days before the submission date.

Thanks Jonathan, must be doing something right if I'm evoking the spirit of the Ffes!

Thanks David, really enjoying the modelling when you don't take it too seriously. Finished one of the Granite block train rakes and seemed to have aquired one of the MSR's more famous fleet member then Tim.

First proper venture into narrow gauge locos. MSR No.7 "Tim" was one of the fledging company's newest engine, purchased from Sharp, Steward in 1887 to an adapted design of similar loco class Sharp, Steward was building at the time for a tramway railway in a nearby country of Ireland. "Tim" suited the MSR's needs of replacing some of the old tramway's smaller and slower locos with a more powerful loco. Tim was fitted with tram skirts to allow him to run along parts of the old tramway towards the mines although in later years this legal requirement was ignored while Tim was out of service or after his sale in 1936.

Thank ye! That's my Jeep project shopping list completed.

Looks great, can I just ask where you got the top feed from?

And finished.

Oh god not Cáca Milis, haunting from the past that is.

And now for something a little smaller. I've decided to dip my toe into narrow gauge modelling as a chance to have a small running layout in an apartment set up. A choice of prototype was debated and I decided to lean into the "whimsy" nature that narrow gauge can inspire in some people and so I turned to an old childhood favourite, the Rev W. Awdry's Thomas books and one book in particular always interested a young me, "Duke the Lost Engine" set on the "Mid Sodor Railway" about "Duke", "Falcon" and "Stuart". So I've taken the opperunity to model the "MSR" seriously as Awdry himself did. Jumping into his lecture notes and additional material on the history of his world, the MSR has a lot more to it then what appears in the books, including 5 more engines then the 4 who were mentioned in the books plus it pulls inspiration from the Corris, Ffes and Snailbeach railways in real life, all which had enjoyable elements for a model. One of the MSR's major traffic flows was the mines at Cas-ny-Hawin, the owners of which, had been major supporters of the construction of the railway, as to give their goods a direct line to the Port of Arlesburgh for export then the currently existing mineral tramway they had constructed cheaply to improve movement. One source of traffic for the MSR would be the transport of mine workers to the various mines at Cas-ny-Hawin and so they are one of my first main projects. All they are missing are decals and couplings as well as their engine, "Tim"

I'm always glad when its a bus announced as it means my debit to IRM isn't increasing!

Oh yeah, the current pace of annoucments and releases from IRM is just about right for me personally finanically.

Many thanks for the update Fran. Email sent.

Has IRM removed the ability to defer payment on pre-orders? Trying to pre-order these and the direct debit option seems to be missing.

Stunning, simplely stunning and an impressive replica of real life.

1. Legal requirements, any projects that impact on public land require public consultation. Since DART + West, South West and Coastal all include stuff like brand new depot, level crossing closures, construction of new bridges, substations, they require that the public be allowed to give their say on things. DART + BEMU infrastructure is all taking place on Irish Rail land will only require planning premission instead. 2. Growing towns, growing demand for expansion of DART and a by-election win in Greystones. 3. The aim is to start with 10 min frequency and ramp up over the years to a 3 min frequency.

Trial run expected on the 6th March to Maynooth for crew refreshers

Thanks, was quite happy with how it all turned out for a first attempt.

Maca visiting a friend's layout.

Oops wrong thread

Bogies are the only tricky bit but it still went together in an evening or two. Spent nearly as long building it as cutting the seat kits to fit in. Looking at Popeye's thread, he says he replaced the ends to be flat ends

They do indeed, to quote a certain show, here's one I prepared earlier:

Des does them if you ask, there was post on this forum, someone did some 6 wheelers in GSR colours (might have been Popeye's bench) and said Des supplied them, that's how I came aware of them

Ease of availability of transfers always encourages experimentation into other railways. My steam era interests are mainly shades of green, mainly because I can order the right lining and snails off Steve from Railtec. I have experimented with some GSR transfers I got off SSM and I would love to have some GSWR, MGWR and other liveries about a la the RPSI heritage rake in days gone by but the main block is lack of decals. Less barriers to Irish modelling the better imo.

Yup, Humbrol and Railtec. Small fleet still sitting in various stages of repaints, some just needing transfers to others still in primer. Big push atm to clear my workbench of WIP (as according to my notes, these coaches repaints started Jan 1st 2020!)

Another two coaches finished and my steam era carriage fleet continues to build up.